Speedy, who is just over one year old and is an Australorp/Wyandotte mix is experiencing her second autumn and first molt (I live in Australia).
She's also doing a credible impression of a vulture.
Speedy is an Australorp/Wyandotte cross.
This is her as a chick.
This is her as a pullet (six months on)
I would suspect that your Australorp chick will lose her white feathers at first moult.
I tried the dunking method, followed by an extended run in the garden - no luck. So I put some large icecubes in a snaplock bag and now she's sitting on those...
In six months Speedy the Chick has grown into Speedy the Pullet.
Then after three weeks of laying small eggs, Speedy has transformed into Speedy the Broody Pullet.
Busy six months for Speedy.
However the long and short of things is that we don't have room for more chicks/chickens, and we...
Update - after three weeks of laying small eggs, Speedy has now decided she wants to be 'Broody Hen'.
Sadly we're not allowed a rooster here, we don't have room for more chicks, and we don't have a separate metal cage to separate and de-broody her.
Anyone got tips on how to cage-less...
Speedy the Chick and her foster mum 'Gladys'
Murial #1 and Murial #2 checking up on Speedy and Gladys
Speedy a few weeks old
Exploration outside the coop and digging for insects
A couple of months on and she's in her first moult
She's growing into big girl
Speedy...
Thanks for your reply - one lot of neighbours have a small dog that when chained up barks endlessly, they are also retired farmers, the neighbours on the other side we are friendly with too. I don't foresee much of a problem with either of them, but the others who live a little further away I'm...
On the off chance that our almost 6-week old chick Speedy turns out to be a rooster I'd like some advice as to what our options are.
We live in an Aussie country town but the council ruling is that roosters aren't allowed, however I know of one gentleman who lives in town and has a rooster...
The helpful people here at Backyard Chickens pretty much nailed Speedy as being an Australorp/Wyandotte hybrid. However I'm still not sure if we have a cockrel or a pullet. Speedy is going through its first moult at the moment so it's look a little bedraggled at the moment - but its in fine form...
Thanks for the responses. I'll have to look up Wyandotte to check them out. Keeping my fingers crossed for a pullet too.
Edit: have been reading that the Wyandotte is very vocal - that would explain the constant chirping from the chick, and also its interesting character.
Just over three weeks ago my broody Australorp pullet hatched two chicks from 6 fertile eggs that were given to me by the local feed store. One of the chicks didn't survive the first night, but the second chick did, and has proved to be quite a character.
I didn't have the set up to separate...
Broody is very attentive to the chick. She trusts me but raises her feathers if her sisters go anywhere near her. She tends to move out of the nesting boxes during the day and sits in the corner with the chick wedged in the corner behind her, or under her feathers. Have got the commercial chick...