Pipd's Peeps!

[Leahs Mom]

I like my premier heat plates. https://www.premier1supplies.com/p/heating-plates-and-covers?criteria=heat+plate I do use a dimmer with them to dial the temp as I like it as mine runs a little hot in my opinion. I don't use the covers; chicks like to sit on top



The thing with the sweeter heater is that you either have to hang them or attach them to a wall/pen side. That can be a plus or a hassle, depending on how you look at it. Could be used to add a warm spot for birds that need it by putting on the wall or hanging over roosts. But, like the heat plates, they really have to touch it to be able to get benefit.

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

Ah, yeah, Premier plates! They came out right around the time I was shopping for my second EcoGlow and I was too afraid to try one without any reviews. So, so many regrets.

I did hear that a few people were finding them too hot early on. I've heard they have a dimmer switch you can get alongside the plate now, so at least they're paying attention to what their customers are saying.

I remembered that with the Sweeter Heaters after I looked. I'm not sure if I could use that with my usual brooder setup, at least not easily! The tank plate seems interesting, though! I wonder if it would be usable to create a makeshift incubator... Not that I need another incubator, of course.

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

It was a beautiful day here and I kept thinking I ought to get the camera out and take some pictures. Well, late in the afternoon, it hit me that it was actually picture day for the kiddos! Whoops! Nearly forgot! So, I have pictures tonight! Now, I tried my hardest with the boys, but they were very uncooperative with the idea of posing for the camera, so... Most of them don't have good shots.

Anyway, here are those pictures, starting with the OEGBs at 5 months old. Those OEGB girls get more and more beautiful every time I see them, I swear.

Usually, I get individual close ups, but the two of them posed together, so I rolled with it.

And the boys... Who all lost their tail feathers.

I wasn't able to get closeups of any of them, but here's a group shot of them, too.

Now, the Easter-eggers at 4 months old! The girls, as usual, were perfect angels for their pictures.

Oberon was happy to show off how handsome he is, too.

Titan, after some convincing, posed. Although he spent most of the time leading up to it giving me dirty looks. The butthead.

The other two... I couldn't get anywhere near. So this is the best I got for them.

Just a couple shots of the older birds. Here are Vivi and Mavis coming in from the side yard together. Sigh... Even without their sister, they're still sticking closely together at least.

And Vira. She's changing colors! Well, okay, not really colors, but her pattern has drastically changed since she started her molt! Before:

And now!

That's all I have tonight, but if it's a nice day again tomorrow, I may just go out with the camera again for some more!

 

[ronott1]

It was a beautiful day here and I kept thinking I ought to get the camera out and take some pictures. Well, late in the afternoon, it hit me that it was actually picture day for the kiddos! Whoops! Nearly forgot! So, I have pictures tonight! Now, I tried my hardest with the boys, but they were very uncooperative with the idea of posing for the camera, so... Most of them don't have good shots.

Anyway, here are those pictures, starting with the OEGBs at 5 months old. Those OEGB girls get more and more beautiful every time I see them, I swear.

View attachment 1887918 View attachment 1887937

Usually, I get individual close ups, but the two of them posed together, so I rolled with it.

View attachment 1887917


And the boys... Who all lost their tail feathers.

View attachment 1887916 View attachment 1887933 View attachment 1887935

I wasn't able to get closeups of any of them, but here's a group shot of them, too.

View attachment 1887930


Now, the Easter-eggers at 4 months old! The girls, as usual, were perfect angels for their pictures.

View attachment 1887925 View attachment 1887924 View attachment 1887927 View attachment 1887926 View attachment 1887932 View attachment 1887931


Oberon was happy to show off how handsome he is, too.

View attachment 1887928 View attachment 1887929


Titan, after some convincing, posed. Although he spent most of the time leading up to it giving me dirty looks. The butthead.

View attachment 1887934

The other two... I couldn't get anywhere near. So this is the best I got for them.

View attachment 1887923


Just a couple shots of the older birds. Here are Vivi and Mavis coming in from the side yard together. Sigh... Even without their sister, they're still sticking closely together at least.

View attachment 1887967


And Vira. She's changing colors! Well, okay, not really colors, but her pattern has drastically changed since she started her molt! Before:

View attachment 1887976

And now!

View attachment 1887968


That's all I have tonight, but if it's a nice day again tomorrow, I may just go out with the camera again for some more!

Very nice!

Oberon is stunning!

 

[Fatimetta]

Wow all those birds are soooo pretty!!!

How do you like having OEGB's? Do you separate them from the bigger birds? I'm thinking of getting a breed I can trust hatching eggs - I love my silkies and cochins but the OEGB's are so beautiful!

Vira looks like a whole new chicken!

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

Very nice!

Oberon is stunning!

Isn't he, though? Still keeping an eye on his attitude to be sure that he's a keeper, but he seems pretty well tempered so far. No red flags yet, anyway.

Wow all those birds are soooo pretty!!!

How do you like having OEGB's? Do you separate them from the bigger birds? I'm thinking of getting a breed I can trust hatching eggs - I love my silkies and cochins but the OEGB's are so beautiful!

Vira looks like a whole new chicken!

The OEGBs are quickly becoming one of my favorite breeds, not gonna lie. It could just be a matter of the cuteness of these teeny-tiny li'l birdies and their big-bird personalities, but I love them. That said, the two girls in my above post aren't laying yet, but their mother Sybil (who is about 2 years old) has only threatened broodiness once, earlier this summer, and never actually committed to hatching. I remember this, of course, because I had hoped that she would hatch a few of her own eggs and try for another OEGB pullet or two.

Meanwhile, I can't get my Cochin bantams to STOP brooding. Now Sybil is starting into molt, so no eggs from her, and the only other birds I would want to hatch from right now would be the Cochins, who aren't laying because they're broody! Silly girls!


Editing because I just noticed I forgot to answer your other question! I keep Winston and Sybil, my original pair, in their own pen within the main coop, mostly because Winston is a feisty little dude who thinks he can fight hens that are 4+ times his weight.

Sybil frequently hops out of their little sectioned off part of the chicken yard and mingles with the flock, however. She has had spats with some of the other hens, but nothing prolonged or too rough.

The pullets, I had introduced to the EE babies while they were all still brooder aged, and so when I introduced the EEs into the flock, the OEGB girls went with them. There haven't been any problems with that so far, although some of the bigger hens have accidentally stepped on or tripped over the little darlings not seeing them in the way. Still, I do plan to build an OEGB coop this fall for Winston, Sybil, and their daughters to live in together, just to be safe.










I did take pictures of the flock yesterday, by the way! Lots of them! Got them cropped and everything, and then totally forgot to post them.

I've got to get Elly treated for the day (starting an Epsom salt flush with her today to see if that kicks things into gear), but I'll get those posted once I'm done with that!

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

Okay, yesterday's pictures! It's rainy and glum today, so all the sunshine in these pictures from yesterday is nice to see. There's a bunch, so I'm just going to dump them all in and add captions as I go.

Here is Cressida, the EE mother of both Titan and Oberon, starting to look sharp again after her molt.

Flury Floofle-Poofle, who has so much Cochin fluff that you can only tell she's molting by the single tail feather she's sporting.

Huka Kairakau, my Lakenvelder, looking a bit ragged from her molt.

Malcolm in full eclipse pattern. I took three pictures of him and this was the best one.

Margaret, with Reuby in the background.

She's so fluffy

Mavis, mahogany birchen Marans, filling me in on the gossip around the flock.

Merlin (EE), Vivi (Black Marans), and Tessa (Dark Gray Dorking). They just can't wait for free-range time, when they're free to go... into the barren Guinea coop and yard to hang out.

My three Easter-egger pullets Fifi's working the beard, as always.

Myrna and Kita on the barrel planter. What a set of Dorks.

Roxy, the only silkied Cochin bantam who's NOT broody. That must be one heavy little bird to pin that branch down like that.

Molting season is not being too kind to She Who Sleeps Standing Up (Partridge Plymouth Rock) this year.

OEGB Sybil, who had once again hopped out of her and Winston's outside pen, having a stare down with her daughter, Vega. This led to some brief hackle flaring and chest bumping, but Vega chickened out before it turned into too much of a brawl.

Here's Sybil again. Molt hasn't hit her too hard yet, but her comb is shrinking and she's balding a bit on her head.

Tessa again, this time closer. She's constantly suspicious of me ever since I had to take her in to recover from her horrible molt last year.

Vivienne, looking so hopefully up at me

Winter letting the world know he's here!

Wynne, another Easter-egger who is also mid-molt. I love her gray eyes.

Last picture is a bird, but not one I own. A Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia) was singing too enticingly out by the Guinea yard, so I had to take a picture. Way out of focus, but at least it mostly looks like a bird, right?

 

[Fatimetta]

Wow such gorgeous photos and birds! I love all the different colored Easter Eggers you have. Mine always turned out the standard brown color.

Thanks for the info about OEGB's! I might have to add some of those to my flock soon I used to have these four bantam hens that were super feisty but great mothers and very hardy for our cold winters and I think that's what I'm so attracted to the OEGBs. They totally remind me of them. Although, I might as well get a cochin or silkie so I have the broodiness for sure Ugh, chicken math.

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

Oh, chicken math will get ya! I'm hanging onto the edge as far as adding more birds goes. OEGBs come in so many gorgeous colors, and I do really want some plain Silver Duckwings to go with my Fawn Silver Duckwings... Oooh, and Blue Golden Duckwing could make some pretty babies if crossed with the SDWs, too! Gotta be strong!


I will say, just as a bit of warning, that my OEGB pair, Winston and Sybil, didn't do too well in the winter cold here. To be fair, both were molting at a bad time, and it's fairly likely they also came from a heated environment (their previous owner talked about having them inside for conditioning, though I suppose that doesn't necessarily mean inside a heated building or anything). They began swaying and shivering around when we were in the single digits on the Fahrenheit scale, if I remember correctly, and so I brought them into an indoor pen, just to be safe, because I don't like adding heat to my coop. This year, since they're molting now and I'll know for sure they've not been under heat, I'm hoping they'll do fine staying out in the coop, but that's just something to keep in mind if cold hardiness is important for your flock!

 

[Fatimetta]

I will say, just as a bit of warning, that my OEGB pair, Winston and Sybil, didn't do too well in the winter cold here. To be fair, both were molting at a bad time, and it's fairly likely they also came from a heated environment (their previous owner talked about having them inside for conditioning, though I suppose that doesn't necessarily mean inside a heated building or anything). They began swaying and shivering around when we were in the single digits on the Fahrenheit scale, if I remember correctly, and so I brought them into an indoor pen, just to be safe, because I don't like adding heat to my coop. This year, since they're molting now and I'll know for sure they've not been under heat, I'm hoping they'll do fine staying out in the coop, but that's just something to keep in mind if cold hardiness is important for your flock!

Ohhh thank you for that info! That will not be the right bird for me then. Last year our temp for about three days in January was -40 All schools and some businesses had to close and we couldn't get our cars started! It was crazy so I definitely need a cold hardy bird. Although, at that temp I believe all the babies will be coming inside.