Classy, I feel your pain. Mine are not bleeding, but they are about half bald, around their neck and on their rump. I have 14 Cornish rocks about four weeks old and they eat like crazy. If you put it down, they will eat. After feeding them, my wife saw them and thought they had tumors on their...
Wow Venus, NZ. A couple of us at work joke around about moving to NZ, two to the north island & one to the South Island. One of my main questions was " wonder how chickens would do there?" Based on many posts, quite successfully. I put the eggs back in the coop to guide them to the proper...
The beauty of chicken math. Started in Nov 2012 with 6 dual purpose birds, ended up with with 4 Roos. So January 01, I got 5 more dual purpose chicks, something killed 2 which left me with 2 more Roos & 1 hen. Mid February I got 6 (sexed) red pulleys, ended up with 4 pulleys & 2 Roos.
Now that...
First eggs from our 17 week old BCM/RIR cross hen. The one on left is small and the one on right looks like it was squeeeeezed out. Finally, all of the feed & free ranging is paying off!
If you can, hold off about a month to see what you have. I bought 5 "sexed" chicks and 2 were roos. I was shooting for all pullets since I already have 3 (3 month old) roos. Sometimes the vent finger just doesn't work.
TSC in Columbia on Killian Road has chicks, white cornish-straight run ,white rock pullets, speckled sussex-straight run and red pullets. 1.99 for straight & 2.99 for pullets. They also had a few mallard ducks
Thanks for all of the advice. Space was not an issue, the pen was 4'X8' with 5 chicks. Whatever it was did not bother the 6 big chickens, adjacent to the pen, in chicken wire. The remaining chicks are in the house in a brooder container and no further issues.
I am leaning toward rat, cat...
If anything did get in, it would have to be small. Normally I have the big chickens freeranging when the chicks are in the pen, partially to keep minor predators away. The wire was closed on top and sides with no obvious gaps and there were no scratch marks or digs near the perimeter. Of course...
All five chicks were from the same hatch and had always been together. Never had any problems, it was like when they were given freedom to run, explore and forage they went wild. It is not relevant, but I believe they were all roos.Funny thing is that I bought them sexed, supposedly pullets...
Wow, got home @ 5:30 today and 2 dead chicks in their pen. Due to the warm weather here I had 5 chicks in an outside pen with plenty of room, grass,dirt,water and starter feed. I saw the chicks at 1:00 and all were fine, but @ 5:30, two were stiff with their necks pecked open.
I have seen alot...
Wow, so many responses on the uselessness of a rooster. Makes me wonder why the oldtimers kept such aggressive roosters around, attacking them all the time.
Maybe because the OT's raised chickens and not ornamental pets. Maybe because the OT's were the Alphas and dominated the rooster with...
Additional breeders I contacted were,
Rushlanepoultry.com in Camden 803-572-1925
Has Blue Australorps, Heritage Dominiques, Dark Brahma, French & American Marans
Robert Ash near Pelion 304-488-1032 sometimes at Barnyard Flea Market in Oak Grove
Has Black Australorps, Buff Orpingtons...
After researching all of the breeds, I chose to start with inexpensive cross-breeds which are large and lay large eggs. There is a gentleman from Elgin listing Copper Road chicks (Rhode Island Red & Black Copper Marans) on Columbia Craigs List. I have some of his chicks from November 2012, they...
Welcome JBullock, I am fairly new from South Carolina. I have been having a great time everyday on here learning and laughing. What type of chickens will you get, standards breed or mutts?
Since I am a newbie, my only advice is watch out for chicken math. I started with 6 in November and...
Hi from the other side of Columbia. You are doing the smart thing, build the coop, then get the chickens. Of course, against conventional wisdom, I got the chicks and then the race was on to finish the coop before they outgrew the brooder (large storage container). What type of chickens are you...