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  1. Bellatrixed

    What is this chick? White d'Uccle or something else?

    Since this thread was bumped, this is what the chick in the OP grew up to be. I still have no idea what he was... mix maybe? I wasn't very happy with Ideal's overall quality and never bought from them again. He was a lovely roo but didn't seem purebred to me!
  2. Bellatrixed

    Backyard ducks

    Ducks don't need 1/2 acre per duck... lol. That's what they recommend for horses, and ducks are a lot smaller! To the OP, 3 ducks for your setup would be fine. As for how many you need, the answer is at least two. I personally like having more than that so that if you lose some to predators or...
  3. Bellatrixed

    Building A Duck House

    Wood, wire, or anything else heavy and sturdy are required for poultry housing to keep them safe from predators. I don't mean to be harsh--I don't think you're out to intentionally mistreat your ducks, but the very cramped interior coupled with no light/good airflow is not anything I would...
  4. Bellatrixed

    Building A Duck House

    That house is in no way practical for a duck and actually looks inhumane. I imagine it's pitch black in there and it looks like there's barely room for the mother duck to move around, let alone its fast-growing babies! The door is too low for the duck to even walk in without hunching down. Not...
  5. Bellatrixed

    White Leghorn thread!!

    My experience has been that it depends largely upon how they are raised. My leghorns were handled a lot as babies because I wanted a very calm flock. It worked in that they grew up to be very "pushy" chickens--they were always following me around and seemingly fearless. However, their energy...
  6. Bellatrixed

    How much grit do I feed daily to 4 hens and 1 rooster?

    While it's true that the birds probably get all the grit they need outside, there's also really no reason *not* to feed grit. :) Though I've always been curious... does oyster shell also function as a sort of grit since it's so hard? I have both grit & oyster shell available for my hens at...
  7. Bellatrixed

    Chicken behavior - is 'huddling' on the ground normal?

    Unless they're acting sick in some other way, it's normal. My chickens alternate between roosting and lounging around in groups on the ground. They like taking dust baths and naps on the floor when they feel comfortable. Are they just laying close together, or are they actually piled up on top...
  8. Bellatrixed

    CHICK DIED!!! HOW TO HELP THE OTHERS?

    Exactly! You put what I was trying to say in better words, lol. I "humanize" my chickens in the sense that I'll have some food scraps, think "oh, the chickens would like this" and take it out to them. But I fully understand that when I give them said treat they just pile on and grab it because...
  9. Bellatrixed

    Sand in the brooder -- it's worth it!

    I had that problem. You can dry it out pretty fast if you use heat lamps or set it out in the sun. Try spreading it thinly and then stir it a couple times a day. It should dry out in a day or two. :) I've put chicks on sand that is still slightly damp, but I'd be hesitant to put them on really...
  10. Bellatrixed

    My girls are eating the sand! ACK! Is this okay?

    I use sand in my brooder and have never worried about giving them treats or special chick grit as a result. When they take a treat like a hard boiled egg piece, they inevitably drop it into the sand and it gets a little bit of grit on it. It's good for them in moderation and perfectly natural...
  11. Bellatrixed

    CHICK DIED!!! HOW TO HELP THE OTHERS?

    I don't think they're emotionless at all... I just think they are driven by instinct, and that all different animals have different instincts based on if they are prey, predator, bird, mammal, so on and so forth. Chickens definitely have emotion. There's a big difference between a content, happy...
  12. Bellatrixed

    CHICK DIED!!! HOW TO HELP THE OTHERS?

    I'm not trying to criticize you, but it's not really a matter of opinion... chickens do not bury their dead, because that is a human societal custom and not even all human societies believe in burying the dead. Chickens are actually cannibals, but most well cared for chickens don't resort to...
  13. Bellatrixed

    My babies are trying to fly. Too soon??? And 1 is still scared of me :(

    Chicks will flap their wings/start trying to jump up on stuff and roost from a very young age. I put a little roost in my brooder when they were one week old and by week two lots were sleeping on it. And yes, they love to have a "face off" and posture at each other from a very young age, and...
  14. Bellatrixed

    CHICK DIED!!! HOW TO HELP THE OTHERS?

    I think you're anthropomorphizing a little! Chickens (especially baby chicks) lack the mental capacity to do human things like mourn or try to bury dead bodies. I had a bunch of chicks die in my last order and the surviving chicks would just walk on and peck at their bodies til I found them and...
  15. Bellatrixed

    chick biteing me

    Are you sure she's pecking out of aggression and not curiosity? I've never had a hen chase people around, but I have had some that run right up and start pecking out of curiosity. They go for moles, fingernails, shoelaces, whatever might potentially be food. I don't think disciplining her will...
  16. Bellatrixed

    CAN YOU TRAIN CHICKS TO BE LESS VOCAL?!

    I don't think it's your fault. Like I said, that's pretty much just what baby chicks do... the only quiet chicks I've known have been lethargic ones that wound up not making it. Constant happy peeping is just normal chick behavior and it shouldn't translate into constant clucking as adults or...
  17. Bellatrixed

    CAN YOU TRAIN CHICKS TO BE LESS VOCAL?!

    All chicks will peep pretty much the entire time they're awake. Quiet in breed reviews refers to their adult behavior. They don't make noise nonstop as adults, but they will make chicken sounds regardless of the breed. Chicks peep loudest when unhappy, which usually means they're too hot or...
  18. Bellatrixed

    Sand in the brooder -- it's worth it!

    The dust was so bad for me that I had to not use that room in my house after about week 2 and couldn't go in without a dust mask... However, I used Sweet PDZ which added to the dust by a LOT, and they were also in the house til they were a month which was a disaster. They were only in for that...
  19. Bellatrixed

    Sand in the brooder -- it's worth it!

    kada6305 - That's an interesting set up! For what it's worth, the heat lamp does in fact make the sand hotter than shavings, but I've had no problems with it if I just use a lower wattage bulb or raise the lamp. You can find a height/watt that makes it a comfortable temperature for the babies...
  20. Bellatrixed

    d'Uccle gender

    Thanks! I hope you are right. :)
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