Yeah, you just mixed in the junior high kids with the high school seniors. You put the white collar tax dodgers into general population...you get the idea.
But honestly, it will all settle down once they've established the new pecking order. When I integrated my new pullets in with my older...
This is a very real thing - and no size of community is immune to its effects.
Again, being non-political, or passing blame on either party, just look at the facts:
The government instituted an eviction/foreclosure 'freeze', nothing more. There was no federal provision for rent and mortgage...
Your chickens are just hot, they're trying to cool themselves. in the same way a dog will pant excessively in the heat because they can't sweat, chickens will pant and open their feathers to let their heat out.
If they're actively trying to cool themselves, you're probably ok. If they truly...
I'm going to go with Delawares. I've had the RIR's and Brahmas when I was young. But coming into raising this breed has been an absolute treat. Not only are the beautiful to look at, but they're so smart and full of personality. For backyard purposes, they're just such a docile and...
My birds are hilarious in how much they love watermelon. The only thing I can equate it to is the old Eddie Murphy bit about kids chasing the ice cream truck. Watch that bit, and that's how my flock responds to us walking out the door with melon wedges in hand. I love it.
Not disagreeing with you, just looking for some clarification then: aren't combs supposed to redden up before they start laying? My BR pullet, and my Delaware girls, are all still pretty pale in their combs, but I thought they would redden up prior to laying. Isn't 3-4 months pretty standard...
So I'm new to BR's this year, but I've got to say that the comb and the wattles on this dude came in strong from the start - and when I started to try to sex my BR's, he looked very typical for the breed. The fact that mine is a full month younger than yours, and yours doesn't even have a...
Here’s my BR roo, and he turns two months tomorrow actually. The coloring is close, but yours is a bit more mottled, which they hybrid thing could account for. But the comb on my roo is much more red and pronounced than yours is - and he likes to let all the ladies know he’s around with his...
I've got a barred rock roo, and the coloring is similar to yours, but a bit more distinct between all of his lines - but mine were hatched in May. My roo has an enormous comb that turned red as soon as the white in his feathers came in, and he's been crowing now for a couple of weeks.
Since...
Maybe your hen just really like The Cure and Radiohead and is going through her emo phase.
But that aside, I think the answers with genetics as the cause are probably right here.
I just provide plenty of shade for the flock - they seem to know to just lay low and bear the ambient heat, but getting out of the direct sun was key. I also saw somebody said to freeze water bottles and put the frozen bottle into their waterers. The ice will melt eventually, but at least they...
Pardon me for reviving an old thread - but I've been delving into all things Delaware now for the last week or so now that my crew of 5 Delawares are about 4-5 weeks old.
Just as an introduction to my experience here: when I was a kid we raised a lot of broilers and RIR for eggs. I really...
You're very welcome! All I can say is that the patience will pay off. When ours were 2-3 weeks old, they only wanted to be in the group, nothing more. Now, at around 8-9 weeks, it's not nearly such an issue. They'll start to become more and more independent.
Some in our group just think...
Wow. What a handsome, lad. Such a striking profile.
The real shame is that 're-homing' a rooster doesn't have any guarantee that the next stop will appreciate him in the same way you do. Personally, I don't have qualms about eating meat I raised myself, nor do I personally have a problem...
Is the crying constant, even when they're together with no other view of you?
My daughters like to handle the chicks too, but even picking one up to 'hand train' it would cause a bit of panic in the chick being picked up. The chicks at a young age, more than anything else, just wanted to have...
Welcome!
It is a lot to learn lol - but in the end, it's only as complicated as you make it. We all built coops and runs and have vitamin protocols and feeding standards and and and....you get the point. But really, chickens are hardy little devils, and my personal opinion is that they have...
You know, with this run on chicks this year due to COVID, the whole "90%" accuracy that the feed stores and hatcheries tell us, might be way more off than usual. I mean, most say it's like 70% accurate in the end, but I'm seeing a lot of 50/50 results out there in the chicken world. It's...
@Tricia479
As promised, here's what I'm looking at with my pair for you to reference.
My hen:
With her, the color is very subdued, no comb to speak of, and just a single bar on the wings. Not to be mean about it, but at this age, she's the "ugly" one of the group.
Now here's my roo:
The...