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  1. HickChick Wannabe

    Turkey behavior: what is he/she doing??

    It was pretty cute, especially watching the bewildered-looking chick. : ) I just wasn't sure what it was trying to do.
  2. HickChick Wannabe

    Roosting together?

    My chicks and turkey poults are so attached to each other that I feel bad about the fate of the turkeys... And the poults seem to be somewhat less hen-pecked by the adults than the chicks. Fingers crossed on the blackhead issue. I was told that if they get it, they don't succumb until, oh...
  3. HickChick Wannabe

    Turkey behavior: what is he/she doing??

    This is my first year with turkeys and I have 3, 8-week old BR poults raised with 3, 7-week old chicks (all female, presumably). One of the poults has singled out the Columbian Wyandotte chick (my son's "Twinkle, the Snow Chicken" ), and is posturing in front of her. It crouches down low at...
  4. HickChick Wannabe

    Turkeys are such strange creatures...

    I've heard breed has a lot to do with it. I have Bourbon Reds that are friendly and curious to the point of peskiness! I have pictures of the 3 poults perched on the porch swing with my son, and missed pictures of 1 in the sandbox with him and then the 3 lined up outside of it, watching him in...
  5. HickChick Wannabe

    How long do I wait?

    This is my first hatch and 7 chicks are out and healthy; they'd finished hatching by Wednesday evening. But there's one egg still in there and it was much bigger than the rest. Is it a lost cause? Or can the really big eggs take that much longer and still be okay? Thanks!
  6. HickChick Wannabe

    "Why we have Chickens" Poll comment

    Quote: With or without the skin on? I tried to "take the socks off" and finally gave up, but the dirt wasn't coming off the skin very well either. Was I doing something wrong? you just scald them like you do the feathers. I tried that, although it was later in the evening, after we were...
  7. HickChick Wannabe

    "Why we have Chickens" Poll comment

    Quote: oh...chicken feet make a great stock tho!! And the stock is so rich, flavourful, and gelatiny.... its really good Yup, it's well worth it to throw them into the stock pot. With or without the skin on? I tried to "take the socks off" and finally gave up, but the dirt wasn't coming...
  8. HickChick Wannabe

    First Timer - Processing Today

    It was my first day yesterday, too. And the killing did not go well for us, either, and that was a horrible feeling. I expected that part to be difficult emotionally, but the fact that it was simply difficult to do physically was agonizing. For me and the bird. After that it could only get...
  9. HickChick Wannabe

    "Why we have Chickens" Poll comment

    Good timing on this, since I just processed my first birds yesterday, with help (a lot of help!) from a friend. It's a very foreign concept for me, since I was raised with animals as pets and all meat came from the freezer at the grocery store. I have never been directly responsible for, nor...
  10. HickChick Wannabe

    Can a hen act as a rooster if I don't have a rooster?

    So is it the lead hen, just when a rooster is absent, or it doesn't matter? And does production ever pick back up when a rooster is present again? I've never heard her try to crow, though!
  11. HickChick Wannabe

    Can a hen act as a rooster if I don't have a rooster?

    She was a year old in June, there are 5 others the same age and, except for the one who's been on "maternity leave", is by far the worst layer. The rooster has been gone since early June and her low production, I think, roughly correlates with that. It didn't occur to me to watch for it...
  12. HickChick Wannabe

    Can a hen act as a rooster if I don't have a rooster?

    I've been wondering something along those lines... One GLW hen seems to have taken over the flock since the rooster left. I can usually tell somewhat who I'm getting eggs from and I've been getting very few from her for quite a while now. Could some testosterone-like hormones be kicking in...
  13. HickChick Wannabe

    Surprise! Broody adopts 4 1/2-week olds! Long story

    Glad you enjoyed it! I figured I probably made it too long to attract many readers. I'd love to add pics, I'm just not good at finding the time/getting around to actually doing it. I went out 2 nights ago and the BS chick was on the floor in the chick corner, all by herself. I put her up...
  14. HickChick Wannabe

    Surprise! Broody adopts 4 1/2-week olds! Long story

    I ordered 9 baby chicks this year, to add to the flock of 6 hens from last year. I was hoping to coax a hen to go broody in time to do the work for me. I created a cozy little corner and left extra eggs (golf balls) out and they all ignored it. Until 5 days before the chicks were due, and I'd...
  15. HickChick Wannabe

    ok, that was ridiculous! update!!

    Just went through some of that! The first night getting them into the coop took a full half hour for 9 chicks! And waiting for dark wasn't an option because they hide under the coop, which is 10 inches off the ground. Of course, if I wanted to slither under there on my belly in the dark...
  16. HickChick Wannabe

    At what age to butcher?

    Thanks so much for the info!
  17. HickChick Wannabe

    At what age to butcher?

    I have the same question, but my birds are currently 4 1/2 weeks old. So what's the ideal butchering age/weight that I should aim for? Is the timing different for pullets and cockerels? I have 2 BO's, a BR (cockerel), and 2 BR's crossed with something else. This will be my first time doing this.
  18. HickChick Wannabe

    Hen laying eggs & chicks?

    OMG! That's one of the cutest chicks I've seen! Where do you live again? My DH is (hopefully tonight) building a chick get-away corner in the coop so I can put my 3-week olds in there. We have some old deck railings sitting around and the chicks should be able to slip through, but not...
  19. HickChick Wannabe

    6-day old chick- enlarged crop

    Here it is: https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?pid=2537848#p2537848
  20. HickChick Wannabe

    A visitor came for lunch- not what I would have expected

    No bib, and I think his knife and forks are permanently attached! I've been wondering how much of a problem he'll be to the hens when they're out. I've heard of using old cd's and mirrors (like in this post: https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=106897) Our actual run is...
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