anyone know what this is ..

[wny egger]

"one chick two"

"Your Wellsummers are laying the pretty, spotted egg and the darker egg, right?"
well they will once they are big enough ..lol

I get spotted eggs from one of my girls that are production birds ..actually , one lays white spots and another will throw a dark spotted one every now and then ..


I was thinking about putting the oil in the water like you said ..we used to do that with butter for corn on the cobb...it works great and it covers the whole thing ..mmmm corn on the cobb ..lol..


i will be starting the method , using the minrol oil and DE on Tuesday ..it will be as soon as i will be able to ..so till then i am going to keep using the cooking oil and vasilean...the oil in water covers them pretty good so far ..would you do this treatment at nite .when they are on the perch or in the morn before letting them out for the day ...???






I think because its just so muddy in the run and the very cold winter we had is the cause of the scaly leg mites ..winter was not nice this yr ..we had more days at -20 or lower then I can ever remember..and being a new chicken lover I tended to over do it with trying to keep them warm..i put plastic up all over the place trying to keep the heat in and it turns out I was causing frostbite ..by the time I realized it , it was to late and their combs got burnt ..I think they are doing better but I no I wont make that mistake again ..

we tend to have good intentions ,but sometimes we do more harm out of love ..

 

[One Chick Two]

"one chick two"

"Your Wellsummers are laying the pretty, spotted egg and the darker egg, right?"
well they will once they are big enough ..lol

I get spotted eggs from one of my girls that are production birds ..actually , one lays white spots and another will throw a dark spotted one every now and then ..

I was thinking about putting the oil in the water like you said ..we used to do that with butter for corn on the cobb...it works great and it covers the whole thing ..mmmm corn on the cobb ..lol..

i will be starting the method , using the minrol oil and DE on Tuesday ..it will be as soon as i will be able to ..so till then i am going to keep using the cooking oil and vasilean...the oil in water covers them pretty good so far ..would you do this treatment at nite .when they are on the perch or in the morn before letting them out for the day ...???

I think because its just so muddy in the run and the very cold winter we had is the cause of the scaly leg mites ..winter was not nice this yr ..we had more days at -20 or lower then I can ever remember..and being a new chicken lover I tended to over do it with trying to keep them warm..i put plastic up all over the place trying to keep the heat in and it turns out I was causing frostbite ..by the time I realized it , it was to late and their combs got burnt ..I think they are doing better but I no I wont make that mistake again ..

we tend to have good intentions ,but sometimes we do more harm out of love ..

Oh, your Wellie baby is darling! Look at her sweet little face! (Yes, I think it may be a girl. Post more photos of her when she gets a bit older and we can confirm for sure...) some of our Production Reds lay spotted eggs too. Actually pink, tan, purplish, peach, you name it- anything but brown. lol

Chickens are pretty resilient- amazing troupers, and bounce back well. Last year was my first year with chickens...amazing our flock survived us. lol So glad you figured out the frostbite concern. Could happen to anyone. Coat combs and wattles with vaseline for those cold days and noights.

About the scaly leg mite treatment, we treated him at night, right before roosting and it made a mess of his underside and the roost and he kept slipping off which gave us the idea of "flouring" him afterward with the DE. Then, we did it midafternoon just so some of it could dry or settle a bit.

Okay I dug up some photos...so you can get some idea of how the healing process takes. This was last June, the day after we got him.



You can see how deep the cracks on the left side were. His legs were stiff like tree trunks. We hadn't yet cut his spurs because we were afraid to possibly make them bleed. His legs were just very unstable at that time.


This was October. You can see all the nice fresh shiny black skin. The two round patches were all that were left of the old yucky mites. It's pretty easy to see that the cracks diminished tremendously, especially on the left side, and his toenails and spurs were shiny again.

Just thought you might find this funny- Sir Banty meeting the Marans roo for the first time.
Size does not matter. lol

 

[wny egger]

you no I don't no how bad mine are after seeing pics much worse then yours even was..i'll get some new shots tomorrow when I get them out in the morning ..I'd go now but I've been in the yard all day ..I am beat ..lol...oh I let mine out of their pen today in a small grassy area I had fenced off for them ..I was so afraid they would bolt on me ..but they stayed right there ..the dog tried playing ball with thewm ..she kept taking the ball over to them and droping it by the fence ..funny ..wow..but now that I no I can trust them a little I will let them in to the big backyard this summer ..I plan on building 2 chicken tracters for them anyways ..I need to keep an eye on them because there are just to many dogs and animals around to just let them free range ..





heres a shot of my brooder the day they arrived ..the 9th ..the baby banty cochins were a friends and she picked them up already ..I gave her a cpl of my Columbian wyandottes by mistake but its just as well ..they sent way to many extras..i was only suppost to get 7 or 8 ..my wifes not real happy about it ..but hey, shes the one that saw the chick math thread and told me I had to read it before ordering any birds ..I guess she should have read the whole thing first ..because by the time I finished it I new I was getting more birds then allowed ..lol
I think I no which ones the cockrel .hes the one who had to go around pecking everyone the first day ..I mean he was mean ..grabbing them and dragging them by the wings or feet..i had to step in a couple times ..lol..I would bet hes part of the reason for the 2 I lost ...I was surprised they were sexed when I odered them ..everyone else sold them straight run..cackle hatchery did me well for sure ..i just hope hes the only roo in the bunch ..i plan on breeding him with the wellie hens..i would like to see how well they lay first to deside how many ..i live in town so i am really pushing the limits now ..if i have crossed the line ..lol












man what a diffrents in size ..how big are the eggs the hens lay or is he your only bantam..




well my lemon aides calling me ..telling me to splash a little ta-kill-ya in it ..lol..i didn't dare try to spell that ..lol

enjoy the day ..

 

[One Chick Two]

Your chickies are SO cute!

You are so right- the cockerel is the one who usually acts the most aggressive first, stands tallest, often the friendliest chick. Cochins are a nice, docile breed. Our partidge cochin didn't begin crowing until he was 9 months old. His crow is funny, sounds like it has crow "reverb." lol

I have found all of our friendliest chicks were later the alpha cockerels. Wasn't a bad thing... we've handled all of our roosters a bit since day one, and all are still friendly roos and can be picked up and held without issues. My DH calls me the, "roo whisperer." lol Some people have had friendly cockerels go mean over time... personally, I believe a roo who has it in him to go bad will go bad anyway no matter how he's raised, but I believe a calm environment and always acting calm around them, and making sure they are calm when you put them down goes a long way when something happens that you have to deal with!

Sir Banty was a full adult, and pretty wild when we got him- with HUGE spurs- my first roo experience, but I realized quickly he was very smart and didn't have a mean bone in his body. He became my chicken "model"- still most photogenic of all of our birds I think. He is so tolerant and patient when I am stalking him with the camera. He misses the SOP because his chest coloring is 'too bright' I was told by a judge. (Also his tail angle is high.) Ironically, he won an online chicken beauty contest last year in the "most colorful" category! Go figure!!! lol Seriously, like this breed.

Sir Banty's girls's eggs are 1 1/2" by 1" white egg. His girls Are OEGB too, but the Black breasted red variety. They are all an "ornamental" breed. They can be eaten as they have breast meat, but I can't imagine wanting to eat such pretty little guys. lol

 

[heartsizedfarm]

I try really hard to be calm and quiet around my aggressive/defensive? Roo, but that's not possible when you need to catch, dust or clip the hens toenails right? That's when he gets really cross with me. I think in future I'll do it when he's confined. But somehow he knows! The girls tell him I've been mean!

 

[wny egger]

I really like that last pic you posted of the 2 roo's beak to beak threw the fence ..lol its was prolly like looking in a funhouse mirror for them ..haha they look very similar..just different sizes..both very pretty ..


yeah I think the more you handle the roo's the better ..ive been reading that they should never look at you as less then alpha to them ..it said don't let them mount the hens when you are around or mistreat any of them with out you going and picking him up ..or atleast go at him to let him no hes not to do any of that stuff in front of you and if he does he wont get away with it ...and if he comes at you , you should go right back at him and pick him up ..he needs to know your the big roo in the chain of command ..

I do like the calm effect idea..i had 2 speckled sussexs and they were very good roo's ..I got rid of them because I was worried my neighbors would complain .but wouldn't ya no it , they all asked what happen to the roo's and they missed them crowing ..the one died from the heat last summer at the place I gave them ..and the other now lives with a little boy about 6 that handles him all the time ..I think the more you handle them the calmer they would be ..I get this just from reading what others have posted and what my own exsperance was ..but i think they were just mellow to begin with ..

I was reading last nite how to tell the difference between welsummer hens and roo's..I think I got it ..but theres one bird I think maybe my roo and he has a green colored stuff on his head ..not sure if it was from the stuff they shipped him in ..there was a green stuff on the bottom of the box and figured he got a smudge of it on his head or maybe they marked him that way at the hatcherie so I would no it was him ..hes real mellow now ..when I first put them in the brooder together he was a bit pushy tho ..

I have a friend who calls me the chicken whisperer too..lol..I no a lot ,but not nearly as much as I would like to ..but I am always reading and learning more.. its funny how fast we become attached to these birds.everyone thinks they are just dumb birds ,but I think they are a lot smarter then most know ..

I wish I had more room , I'd love to raise some English game birds ..some of the birds out there are just so awesome looking ..your bantys a beautiful bird ..I got the welsummers because I love the way the roo's look and I grew up stairing at the box of cornflakes as a kid..lol..and I like the idea of a mellow roo that takes good care of his hens..the copper marrons would have been my first choice had they been a little friendlier ..I have granddaughters who like to walk threw the coop with me once in awhile ..and the marrons I hear are very head strong..and not so nice at times ..

I have to say I have never cut my hens nails and am not sure how I would do that ..I guess I better get reading some more ..lol is this something that is needed ..I no some wash their birds for shows but I've never done that either ..altho my white hens could really use it ..lol






rain and snow here this morning ..wont winter ever go away ..sheesh

 

[One Chick Two]

With the roos, this is what I do with the roos, so take what you can, and leave the rest...

If anyone starts acting up, (pecking me on the hand, etc.) I am always calm and in control. No matter what-- the alpha. Sometimes, even if I am surprised when they test me, I just act calm to them... I am boss, roo. My movements are always deliberate and don't let them think they have gotten the upper hand. I will push them gently and confidently to the ground if the behavior warrants correction, until they stop struggling. Then, hold them securely under my other arm awhile... until I feel their attitude change and become more 'balanced' (don't know how else to put it) and whisper "Shhh" in their ear and touch their comb and wattles. They always stop struggling to hear what I am saying- always. No guarantees for anyone else's roos, but I have never one be mean to this point, and I have never had to do corrections more than a few times on any of the roos. They are line of sight with their vision, so keep that in mind. When they were little I would turn their face toward my shoulder as not to accidentally pecked, so it's automatic now.

If they fuss when I put them down, I do this again until they realize struggling's futile, and give up. It's kind of what the Dog Whisperer on TV does (lol) and I have found this to be effective dealing with the our roos. Seems like it works and no one has become meaner.

Sir Banty was so good with the cockerels when they were little- I was afraid he would tear them up or spur them before we removed the spurs... but, he was very paternal, and actually looked out for the boys and trained them to behave in a flock. Even now, he has never done more than peck or chase someone. He is definitely top chicken around the barnyard, and all the peasants bow accordingly to the king. lol

Sir Banty and the Marans do resemble each other somewhat in coloring at least in back... Welsummers do have this kind of coloring too- gorgeous birds.
As you can see, Sir Banty has a "Quail chest" that was bred into him- I think he was originally a project bird. This lacing is much "brighter" than it should be for SOP, but we like the effect actually,- even though he can't be shown. And the front of the Marans is like a dark "V," and they are chunky monkeys!


I agree- chickens are VERY smart- they just have short attention spans. I have had them play interactively with me. Using my jacket pull, the chicken will zip the jacket zipper pull upward or down, while I shake the zipper pull, and offer it to them to do the same. Back and forth between us, until they tire of the game. Any animal that can play I think proves intelligence.