The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[MumsyII]

@Justine: What a trauma. So glad to read they were saved in the nick of time. Good news.

That nasty biting Silkie cockerel is getting a bit more gentle. If you can call it that. I have found what works with him.

When I go up to his cage now, he is not running to the back corners and cowering. I reach in the cage and he sits while I place my hand on his back. He is still growling and his hackles come up a little. If he struggles while I stroke his back, or trys to bite, or acts crazy, I immediately snatch him out of the cage pinning his wings and put him under my arm snugly while continuing to stroke him and talk soothingly. If he settles down quickly, I put him back in his cage. Set him on his feet all the while stroking in back and under his chin while talking. If he doesn't settle down while under my arm, I take him gently but firmly by both feet and up end him. Holding his feet with one hand and his wings with the other. If he struggles, I hold him upside down until he goes limp. I'm very careful with this treatment. I won't let him injure himself. But he must go limp. Then it's back under my arm and the body stroking. He is fighting less and less. He didn't try to bite today for the first time this week. Tonight he didn't move from his spot when I opened his cage. He thought about it though. I see improvement.

 

[Alibabe]

Justine, so glad the babies came around, and I hope Susan got home quickly! sounds like you needed some hugs.

x2

Mumsy, so glad to hear the silkie is learning not to bite. He is such a pretty boy it would be such a shame if he did not learn to behave.

 

[Sally8]

I did some reading on the Sulfur yesterday and found that it's quite vague. I forgot about the shampoo. Will keep reading.

Justine-I'm glad the chicks revived. Very early this spring I had found a newloy hatched chick justlaying in a nest, cold. I brought him in and put him in the incubator and he revived just fine. We try so hard with incubators......

When I got home Cecilia had her babies outside and there were 4. Couldn't help myself, I just had to stand and watch. What a good mother she is.

 

[aoxa]

Justine, so glad the babies came around, and I hope Susan got home quickly! sounds like you needed some hugs.

Susan is in Montreal, but will return tomorrow. I definitely needed some hugs, and Henry, Koda & Chloe (our dogs) all had their cuddles.

they were all perfectly fine this morning as well. Ready and begging to be let out. I did of course. I warned them to stay out of the puddles. It's supposed to rain a bit today, but not a cold rain like yesterday. It went from 75-80 degrees to 50. No wonder they were cold!

@Justine: What a trauma. So glad to read they were saved in the nick of time. Good news.

That nasty biting Silkie cockerel is getting a bit more gentle. If you can call it that. I have found what works with him.

When I go up to his cage now, he is not running to the back corners and cowering. I reach in the cage and he sits while I place my hand on his back. He is still growling and his hackles come up a little. If he struggles while I stroke his back, or trys to bite, or acts crazy, I immediately snatch him out of the cage pinning his wings and put him under my arm snugly while continuing to stroke him and talk soothingly. If he settles down quickly, I put him back in his cage. Set him on his feet all the while stroking in back and under his chin while talking. If he doesn't settle down while under my arm, I take him gently but firmly by both feet and up end him. Holding his feet with one hand and his wings with the other. If he struggles, I hold him upside down until he goes limp. I'm very careful with this treatment. I won't let him injure himself. But he must go limp. Then it's back under my arm and the body stroking. He is fighting less and less. He didn't try to bite today for the first time this week. Tonight he didn't move from his spot when I opened his cage. He thought about it though. I see improvement.

Thanks Mumsy, and it sounds like things are really improving with your silkie!

 

[aoxa]

I did some reading on the Sulfur yesterday and found that it's quite vague. I forgot about the shampoo. Will keep reading.

Justine-I'm glad the chicks revived. Very early this spring I had found a newloy hatched chick justlaying in a nest, cold. I brought him in and put him in the incubator and he revived just fine. We try so hard with incubators......

When I got home Cecilia had her babies outside and there were 4. Couldn't help myself, I just had to stand and watch. What a good mother she is.

She looks like a porcupine!

so cute!

Gertie and Doc just hatched out three chicks and have several more to go. I'll have to get some pictures.

 

[aoxa]

Lala,

Could your mystery chick be a Sulmtaler?


adult


feathered chicks


Chicks your girls' age


Your chick in question


I have a strong feeling that she is.

Do I get a prize?

Quote:

 

[armorfirelady]

Quote: Great pictures. I have to admit I stared at this picture for quite awhile trying to figure out which end is which

And I would of pulled up a chair and sat there as well to watch them

 

[lalaland]

Lala,

Could your mystery chick be a Sulmtaler?


adult


feathered chicks


Chicks your girls' age


Your chick in question


I have a strong feeling that she is.

Do I get a prize?

JUSTINE!!!!! I think that has to be what she and her two sisters are! they look identical to the pics of the chicks in the third pic. I have never heard of this breed. I will try to ask the woman who hatched the eggs if she was hatching those, but she hasn't responded to a couple of emails - I sent her a pic of the rooster that as a chick looked like the twin to the one cream legbar chick but turned to be a roo with a rose comb. she hasn't answered.

Thank you so much for solving the identities of three of the chicks. Now to be fair to her, perhaps the person trading eggs with her got the eggs mixed up. wow, I am really excited. It has really bothered me that I don't know what the heck I have!

 

[aoxa]

JUSTINE!!!!! I think that has to be what she and her two sisters are! they look identical to the pics of the chicks in the third pic. I have never heard of this breed. I will try to ask the woman who hatched the eggs if she was hatching those, but she hasn't responded to a couple of emails - I sent her a pic of the rooster that as a chick looked like the twin to the one cream legbar chick but turned to be a roo with a rose comb. she hasn't answered.

Thank you so much for solving the identities of three of the chicks. Now to be fair to her, perhaps the person trading eggs with her got the eggs mixed up. wow, I am really excited. It has really bothered me that I don't know what the heck I have!

I have heard of this breed before. I knew yours looked similar but the name was lost on me. Someone just gave me an ovation on a really old post saying my hen looked like a Sulmtaler. So they refreshed the name in my head.

Great idea!

Here's mine.

Silver Spangled Hamburg (mother) x Buff Laced Polish (father).

=

- She is a hen

I am really glad we have narrowed it down. I really am confident this is what you have.

 

[lalaland]

I just did some web search and also the byc sumtaler thread, and these are definitely sumtalers. I think they are pullets, and also, it looks like the roos are totally different in coloring. Possibly one of the roos is a sumtaler. THe one that looks the most like a sumtaler has a rose comb, but sumtalers don't have those.

wow. I can't believe you figured that out!

apparently they are greenfire and one other source, now hatching eggs are available. very docile birds, which is true for the ones I have. slow to lay, and a medium layer but supposedly a meat delicacy. Now the wheels are turning. If I could positively identify a roo that is sumtaler, I might have to separate them all out and put them into the little coop and get them a run.

huh.