Our 4 pullets, who are close to a year old, have a strange dynamic: there is a "pecking circle" rather than the traditional top to bottom thing. The top chicken pecks only on number 2, the second and third both peck on the littlest chicken who is the bottom one. Here is the weird part- the...
Thanks for the replies everyone. Like so many things chicken related, what is basic knowledge to a lot of you is a mystery to me.
I've enjoyed watching the EEs grow up and surprise me with their constant changes; it seems Otis has some surprises too.
We'll leave the feathers in place, no...
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Funny, My eyes read Ameraucanas, but in my mind thought EE. If I hadn't made that mistake, I wouldn't have posted them.
Oh well, new pics on my computer, I needed to put them somewhere! what can I say, I love my chickens.
Otis is an odd bird, both in body and mind. She is a barred rock bantam from MPC who is about 17 weeks old. She recently went through a quick molting. Today I was quite surprised to see a couple black/blue/green feathers have appeared. Does this mean there are some black plymouth rock...
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I have a pullet that looks like the one with the "chipmunk" coloring. Though mine is a bantam, here's Bob:
As a chick
a week ago, at 10 weeks
This is my first batch of chickens, I've really enjoyed seeing how they turn out.
You can see the progression of our EE bantams on my...
We got them because my girlfriend wanted them for eggs and for fun. After raising them, staying up all night feeding the sick ones with an eyedropper, watching little chicks turn into (little) chickens, I love them as much as any dog or cat. For me, they're pets...the eggs are just a bonus.
Harvey is supposed to be a girl, but that seems less and less likely. Harvey is the alpha of the group, and bigger than the others as well. S/he's 4 weeks old and has a comb that was yellow a few days ago, but really changing colors.
Any thoughts?
It's sad to think we'll "lose" out last Barred Rock, as we can't keep any roosters here in town. We'll keep Otis as long as we can, fingers crossed all the while, and look for a new home for (it?) if that time comes. Here's a picture of Otis with Jennifer that is kinda cute:
I'm pretty...
I have a small box in the brooder filled with parakeet grit. My 2 week old chicks like to lay around and take dust baths in there. They also seem to eat a fair amount of grit.
My question is: Can young chicks eat too much grit?
As I've looked around BYC and the internet trying to figure out what my EEs might grow up to look like, I've really enjoyed seeing the variety in these birds. Here are some pics of our EE bantams at 13 days old:
She continued downhill, we put her to sleep this evening. We used the gas-chamber method, which worked well. Initially, I was going to remove the head...this was easier on me.
We're having trouble with our 9 day old BR bantam. She's not moving well, poor balance, lethargic. In the second photo, you can see that her crop looks swollen. It felt squishy. As Jennifer gave it a little massage, she felt a release of tension, then a little clear liquid came out of the...
Not hoping for any boys...we ordered all hens. We thought it was a little funny and a little different.
I would have payed extra as well. Does the PO offer faster shipping for animals?
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Given the experience, I don't think I would make chicks endure such a journey again. We live in Northern CA and the chicks came from My Pet Chicken in CT. I don't think it was anybody's fault, other than ours for making them travel so far.
To make matters worse, the little heating...
Jennifer and I had posted this thread regarding our chick problems:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=199989
A faulty thermometer seems to have been the problem, thank you all for your help.
Now, about Gary. She stopped eating and drinking yesterday morning. We started...