Silkie / Polish Crested Cross Chicks
6th June 2011
Sad day. Yesterday I found one dead white chick and one sick looking black chick in the nest.
Today I expected to wake up to loss of the black chick but it was far worse. Overnight all but 2 of the new chicks had all been attacked as they slept under their mom - by what we don't yet know. We still have the little white chick and the little black chick - I guessed being the smallest they hid tight under the wings and survived the attack. All the hens and roos seem OK.
Seems we're probably dealing with a rat/weasel/ferret type predator.
Tonight we battened down all the hatches, wire meshed the pop hole and took away the ladder. Set a live trap with bait. Whatever it is will surely be coming back.
Wish we'd done that 2 nights ago - but I didn't think there had been attack, I just thought they were weak chicks and dying off as they sometimes do. We have also bolted the run door - we haven't done this since I can remember because they seemed so safe on the centre of the lawn surrounded by high fences. I guess we were wrong.
Can't say how sad I am to lose so many of my precious little ones - especially the pretty black one with the white eyebrows.
Heartbroken.
7th June 2011 - 03.30am - On night patrol - Just caught a large RAT in the trap. NASTY - SENSELESS KILLING OF MY BABIES.
I CAN UNDERSTAND KILLING ONE AND EATING IT ALL UP BUT KILLING 6 AND LEAVING MOST OF THEM - WHAT A SHAMEFUL WASTE OF PRECIOUS LIFE.
Planning on building a new coop, like a proper house with bricks and cement base.
~~~
2nd Brood of the year - Hatched 26th May 2011
watch video here:-
Check out those eyebrows!
6th June 2011
Sad day. Yesterday I found one dead white chick and one sick looking black chick in the nest.
Today I expected to wake up to loss of the black chick but it was far worse. Overnight all but 2 of the new chicks had all been attacked as they slept under their mom - by what we don't yet know. We still have the little white chick and the little black chick - I guessed being the smallest they hid tight under the wings and survived the attack. All the hens and roos seem OK.
Seems we're probably dealing with a rat/weasel/ferret type predator.
Tonight we battened down all the hatches, wire meshed the pop hole and took away the ladder. Set a live trap with bait. Whatever it is will surely be coming back.
Wish we'd done that 2 nights ago - but I didn't think there had been attack, I just thought they were weak chicks and dying off as they sometimes do. We have also bolted the run door - we haven't done this since I can remember because they seemed so safe on the centre of the lawn surrounded by high fences. I guess we were wrong.
Can't say how sad I am to lose so many of my precious little ones - especially the pretty black one with the white eyebrows.
Heartbroken.
7th June 2011 - 03.30am - On night patrol - Just caught a large RAT in the trap. NASTY - SENSELESS KILLING OF MY BABIES.
I CAN UNDERSTAND KILLING ONE AND EATING IT ALL UP BUT KILLING 6 AND LEAVING MOST OF THEM - WHAT A SHAMEFUL WASTE OF PRECIOUS LIFE.
Planning on building a new coop, like a proper house with bricks and cement base.
~~~
2nd Brood of the year - Hatched 26th May 2011
watch video here:-
Check out those eyebrows!
Mom is OK- ThankfullyThis particularly cute one I will really miss. Too sad. - such a shame most of these are now gone.
The second broody hen sat on 12 eggs - 5 black & 4 white chicks hatched
Sadly the smallest white one (not in picture) died 28th May 2011
Now only 2 chicks have survived from the 2nd brood of this year - 6th June 2011
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1st Brood of 2011 - 2 black silkie/polish crested chicks Hatched 7th March 2011
watch videos here:-
The Mummy I'm the Daddy!
The 2 Silkie Hen Sisters share the care of the 3 new chicks
2 eggs still unhatched (probably not viable now), one of the remaining 3 eggs was half hatched but the chick didn't make it.
Sadly one of the chicks died, he'd had pasty butt, we had cleaned him every day but he didn't make it.
The other 2 seem fine, strong, eating well and getting feathers and fluff!
5 weeks old 3 weeks old perch and preen 5 weeks old on the lawn with Mummy
The 2 Silkie/Polish crested chicks very quickly learned how to get both down and up the ladder into the coop and are always first to roost with their Mummy in the late afternoon.
At long last we have chickens who perch inside the coop - the 2 original white silkie hens sleep up in the egg laying nest.
All the others sleep at ground level some in the extension others on the sand/dust bath. The Daddy Polish Crested perches under the coop above the sand bath.
The 2 Pokie Roos - 13 weeks old 31st May 2011 - Close-up
The 2 Silkie Hen Sisters share the care of the 3 new chicks
2 eggs still unhatched (probably not viable now), one of the remaining 3 eggs was half hatched but the chick didn't make it.
Sadly one of the chicks died, he'd had pasty butt, we had cleaned him every day but he didn't make it.
The other 2 seem fine, strong, eating well and getting feathers and fluff!
5 weeks old 3 weeks old perch and preen 5 weeks old on the lawn with Mummy
The 2 Silkie/Polish crested chicks very quickly learned how to get both down and up the ladder into the coop and are always first to roost with their Mummy in the late afternoon.
At long last we have chickens who perch inside the coop - the 2 original white silkie hens sleep up in the egg laying nest.
All the others sleep at ground level some in the extension others on the sand/dust bath. The Daddy Polish Crested perches under the coop above the sand bath.
The 2 Pokie Roos - 13 weeks old 31st May 2011 - Close-up
