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  1. LaurenRitz

    Lockdown!

    Most of these eggs have Buckeye mothers. Fathers are either ((JGXRIR)xRIR) or ((BielxBA)x(JGxRIR)). Most likely the JG back-cross, but the other is possible. Any barred chicks are the Biel cross. Last minute I stuck some green eggs in there. No real reason, just because. Dry hatch, and I did...
  2. LaurenRitz

    Aggression, or ??...

    I have a mixed breed flock. Part of the base is RIR, and a few years ago I had two RIR hens that I had to rehome--they hated chicks to the point of homicide. Henicide? I haven't seen that behavior again, but this afternoon I let the new babies out for the first time. They are currently 3 weeks...
  3. LaurenRitz

    Harvesting tales.

    I harvested one of my cockerels last night. Halfway through I was finding dirt and rocks under the skin and all over my working surface. Finally realized, yeah, no food for two days. I had nicked the crop and it was full of rocks. ((JGxRIR)x RIR)xBuckeye), 33 weeks. 3 pounds skinned, narrow...
  4. LaurenRitz

    Egg changes?

    My single Marans either started hiding her eggs or stopped laying for a few weeks. No signs of discomfort, her comb remained red, and she was still letting the roosters mount. No apparent behavior changes. I assumed she was hiding her eggs. Then yesterday I found the first of these. They're...
  5. LaurenRitz

    Interesting behavior

    I have never butchered in front of my chickens before. It just seems disrespectful, so I usually do it at night. I have no one to help, so I have to do it by myself and doing it at night in the cold was a little much the other night. So this afternoon I fed them and then started working. Within...
  6. LaurenRitz

    Pullet?

    I have spent the last 4 months thinking this was a cockerel. H/er comb was the 2nd to come in and turn pink, but never went to red. Acting more pulletish by the day. Four of her siblings are showing off their boy feathers and being obnoxious teenagers.
  7. LaurenRitz

    Oddly colored hatching eggs

    I started a group of 14 eggs February 1st. 12 were from my rangers, the other two I thought were the first spring eggs from one of my older hens. I now think they may be the first eggs from one of the young pullets. The shells are thick enough that I can't candle them, so I can't tell what's...
  8. LaurenRitz

    Opinion question about roos

    I have 11 girls, a lead roo, three in isolation, two of which might be allowed out at some point. They're only 24 weeks old. Also 10 upcoming, but I'm not concerned about them at the moment. I let one of the young boys out this week. He's doing fine, one of the older girls is hanging out with...
  9. LaurenRitz

    Maybe this one is a "duck"? :ROFL

    I have a group of 4 month cockerels that have started fighting each other--in a sense. I was watching two fight the other day. They were both posturing, hackles flared, then one jumped up, spurs and claws. The other cockerel ducked under him, turned, leaving the other cockerel facing the other...
  10. LaurenRitz

    The Open Coop Saga

    My chickens free range dawn to dusk. I have two coops. Because coop 2 includes the broody box and brooder that coop tends to have the chicks and adolescents. The older chickens, roos and hens, seem to prefer the peace and (relative) quiet of coop 1. I have pretty much let the birds figure...
  11. LaurenRitz

    Not an emergency -- chicks limping

    There are two chicks involved, both 13 weeks old. The first got in my way when I was chasing an unruly cockerel and I stepped on his foot. JUST the foot, but he's acting like he has splayleg, but only part of the time. Has a bad limp and wants to eat sitting down. They free range dawn to dusk...
  12. LaurenRitz

    White legs in a Buckeye

    According to the information I have found, Buckeyes should have yellow feet, but mine are white. It doesn't matter much to me, but both Cackle Hatchery and Hoovers show birds with distinctly white feet in their pictures of the Buckeye. This came to my attention because one of my crosses...
  13. LaurenRitz

    6 roos down

    6 down, leaving me with 17 adults (5 boys) 8 teenagers (7 boys) and 6 chicks (looks like 5 boys). This group of cockerels has been so well behaved, you would think they knew the consequences if they acted up. So only 6 this time. One might have had a dangerous genetic recessive. Both his...
  14. LaurenRitz

    Mixed beed ID

    I got a group of BYM hatching eggs, and now have six chicks. Two have feathered legs. Yellow legs, white legs, crests, white to black and speckled, I seem to have it all. I have one that is white with a crest, and noticed today that he has 5 toes! Definitely a cockerel, any guesses on breeds...
  15. LaurenRitz

    Coop problem?

    The new coop faces East. There are 14 adult birds, eight 9 week old chicks, plenty of roost space, and 2 nesting boxes for 5 pullets, only one of them laying. Two birds, the one laying pullet and the oldest cockerel, prefer to sleep on the roof. All summer they have used the roosting bars...
  16. LaurenRitz

    Early blooming girl, or boy?

    I had this one tagged as a cockerel. But no saddle feathers (yet), no hackle feathers (yet) and I just saw the tail. To me s/he is totally starting to look like a pullet. Definitely not laying. 17 weeks old. But comb and wattles showed up early.
  17. LaurenRitz

    My broody hen lost her chick

    I let 2 broody hens sit, and got 7 chicks. Mama1 has 6, Mamatoo only had 1. The last hatched 2 days ago. Mamatoo has never brooded before. She trampled eggs, ate eggs, squashed hatching eggs (although that one was my fault) and in general wasn't a good mom. She hatched 1 chick and she hasn't...
  18. LaurenRitz

    Trying to figure out what was wrong

    Not precisely a meat bird question, but it does involve butchering. I know it doesn't fit under emergencies because the bird is already dead. I had a Jersey Giant hen that has laid one egg or less per week for the last few months. I knew she had to go for other reasons. She would have been 2...
  19. LaurenRitz

    Eggs crushed

    I have an inexperienced broody who was sitting on four eggs. One hatched perfectly, one looks like it has pipped, but two are crushed. Since she was pecking at them and stepping on them, I brought them in and put them in the incubator with increased humidity. They are still breathing and...
  20. LaurenRitz

    Hen vs young roo, or "Are you sure you want to try this?"

    I know some won't think this is funny, but I thought it was hilarious. My current rooster was probably 20 weeks (?) old when this happened. I let him out of confinement when the old roo died. He started cozying up to the ladies, wing dancing, tit-bitting, and no forced matings. The young...
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