2018 Newbie Chat!

[Anna Ranieri]

I am so very sorry! But I am glad you found a fellow BYC'er to take them. I will miss you and the stories of your flock. If you can manage to stop in and say hi here and there, we'd all love to see you. But I completely understand your sorrow and need to distance yourself from chicken and duck talk. Once again, I will miss you.

Thank you so much for your kindness and support hun, I realise I've grown to care a lot about you guys and won't be leaving completely. I'm thinking of posting a pic of my girls in their new home once we get them there.
I'm going to be getting pics and videos sent regularly to me by the lovely guy who is adopting them so at least I have that to hold onto.
We an to take them on Saturday so will post pic of their new home so.etimw after that
I am spoiling them rotten for their last week here with us. Giving them lots of their favourite treats as I figured it won't hurt for one week.
Thank you again for your kindness and support hun

 

[Kartoo750]

Newbie here! I'd like to join ya! I've got 3 8wk olds. I would love to add more but I'm making myself hold out. I live in the city and by law I'm allowed only 6 hens. So I've settled for 3 now and will try and add 3 more in a year and go from there. I just moved my girls into their coop/run a week ago. Currently working on getting them to go into coop at night. They prefer to sleep in the run. ugh.

When you first put them in their coop/run and are now outside full time you need to place them in their coop at night to sleep. I don’t think they realize they are supposed to do this. I placed mine in the coop manually at dusk for the first few days and then they knew what to do on their own after a few times. Try that and it might help them learn what to do. Good luck

 

[llombardo]

When you first put them in their coop/run and are now outside full time you need to place them in their coop at night to sleep. I don’t think they realize they are supposed to do this. I placed mine in the coop manually at dusk for the first few days and then they knew what to do on their own after a few times. Try that and it might help them learn what to do. Good luck

You can get lucky and they go right in. My last batch of 8 did this on their own from day one. I was simply amazed because the first two sets didn't. When I integrated set two with three they all went in on their own too.

 

[llombardo]

I've moved Duke back inside and put the remaining two girls out. It was really dark, so fingers crossed this goes good in the morning.

 

[llombardo]

These two older girls just won't let up. They have completely taken over the run. I thought for sure having them seperated would take them down a bit. Not even close. They have not been in that run since Dec and seperated from everyone else for over a month. Rain has it out for Rose and Precious is terrorizing Alina. I found Alina with the ducks, which isn't safe because Ricky is a boy duck. My next move is to keep them in the top part of the coop during the day but I hate moving all this water and food around. I was so hoping they would integrate but they are just bullies. So now I'm considering havibg four areas in the coop and 4 runs. The two girls, one boy, one boy and then the 12 other girlsi there is a good chance I will bring in the two polish for the winter, especially if Little One remains on the smaller side. We have had lots of flooding here. Their sandbox for dust bathing is more like a pool now.

I feel lke my heads going to explode--I got so much to do and I just can't get anything started--mostly due to weather. I dread having to do all of this. I kerp eyeballing everything and I change it. I will have to move birds, wire, netting and then move like lightning to finish what I started. I'm tired thinking about it.

 

[No More Empty Nest]

These two older girls just won't let up. They have completely taken over the run. I thought for sure having them seperated would take them down a bit. Not even close. They have not been in that run since Dec and seperated from everyone else for over a month. Rain has it out for Rose and Precious is terrorizing Alina. I found Alina with the ducks, which isn't safe because Ricky is a boy duck. My next move is to keep them in the top part of the coop during the day but I hate moving all this water and food around. I was so hoping they would integrate but they are just bullies. So now I'm considering havibg four areas in the coop and 4 runs. The two girls, one boy, one boy and then the 12 other girlsi there is a good chance I will bring in the two polish for the winter, especially if Little One remains on the smaller side. We have had lots of flooding here. Their sandbox for dust bathing is more like a pool now.

I feel lke my heads going to explode--I got so much to do and I just can't get anything started--mostly due to weather. I dread having to do all of this. I kerp eyeballing everything and I change it. I will have to move birds, wire, netting and then move like lightning to finish what I started. I'm tired thinking about it.

Ikr! This weather has been awful! Rain, rain, rain. The dust bathing box here is soaking wet too.

 

[llombardo]

I think one of the older girls is attempting to go broody. Found her rolling eggs under Her and pecking at all the others if they came near her. I thought for sure she was going to go after me, but I got the eggs and moved her, she stiffened up and did not want to be moved.

 

[llombardo]

One of the older girls, Rain the barred Rock just passed away.

I have no clue what happened. She laid an egg yesterday, she was front and center for treats yesterday, waiting for me at the gate today. Eating, drinking and poop was fine. I noticed that was laying down in the run and I thought she was laying an egg. An hour later it was getting dark so I went to pick her up and she was both limp and stiff and her comb was pale. I got her in the house and tried giving some Nutri drench, minutes later she died in my arms.

I feel so awful. She was just over a year old. This is just so sad.

 

[No More Empty Nest]

One of the older girls, Rain the barred Rock just passed away.

I have no clue what happened. She laid an egg yesterday, she was front and center for treats yesterday, waiting for me at the gate today. Eating, drinking and poop was fine. I noticed that was laying down in the run and I thought she was laying an egg. An hour later it was getting dark so I went to pick her up and she was both limp and stiff and her comb was pale. I got her in the house and tried giving some Nutri drench, minutes later she died in my arms.

I feel so awful. She was just over a year old. This is just so sad.

So sorry for your loss. Sometimes it happens so quick there's nothing you can do. I'm guessing there was nothing amiss that you could see afterwards.

 

[No More Empty Nest]

Poor Diamond. She's been getting the feathers pecked off the bottom of her neck like crazy. She's lowest on the pecking order. Well, the other day she suddenly had them pecked all the way up the side of her head and the top of her head! No blood though, thank goodness. I have no idea what happened. I can only guess that maybe she and Pearl were in the two nest boxes and Opal or Jade wanted to use one. Of course they wouldn't bother Pearl, she's top chicken. Maybe she got trapped in the nest box by one or both and couldn't escape? I have no idea. I put some no-peck stuff on her head and it hasn't gotten any worse in the past couple days. I let them out in the yard almost every day, unless there's a hawk around when I go out or it's raining. I've been giving them some extra protein just in case too.