2018 Newbie Chat!

[CannedMonster]

Oh gosh, my blue Ameraucana Ash layed one of the largest eggs I’ve seen this morning. Wanted to share with you all!View attachment 1458797This is it next to the egg she normally lays, which is already larger than all my other Ameraucana eggs!

Wow! That's gotta be a double yolker!

 

[CannedMonster]

We did not realize what the cornish x were when we got them from TSC. We told them we wanted birds for meat but that we wanted to breed them and keep the line going. Dual purpose type breeds. They recommended the CX and only after we brought them home realized what they were!so we went back the next week and bought more so we could actually raise them. They grew up with our other breeds and foraged and acted like normal chickens. They were just made to get large fast and that they did.

Well that's good to know that they acted like normal chickens.

If TSC could give their employees just some basic chicken knowledge it would save people a lot of hassle
I read a lot so I know about chickens from that and we're fortunate in our area that at least some of the staff are reasonably knowledgeable about them.

I've heard pretty good things about Delawares as dual purpose birds. As I understand it, they were the go to meat breed before CX were developed. I was just on Ideal Poultry's website and they have red & black meat birds that they say will dress out at 5lbs by 10 weeks. That's pretty good if it's true.

I'm SO excited to get my chicks next week!
I talked to the local post office and they assured me they'd call right away.

 

[CannedMonster]

So I had to put Angus in "jail" today.
I finally decided to let my 5 new mixed bantams that my friend Kat gave me out of their run to free range in the yard.
One of them is an adult hen, Birdie, and Frodo has been mating her pretty regularly.
The other four are really tiny bantams...I named them Itsy, Bitsy, Mitzi & Minnie.
I have all of my bantams together sleeping in the prefab at night.
Angus decided to relentlessly chase her as soon as I let them out!
I mean, I've never seen him like that...Frodo was frantically trying to help but his short legs just couldn't keep up.
I was trying to catch Angus to stop him; everyone was in a complete uproar.
I finally grabbed him and put him in jail in the prefab run because that's where rapists belong...in jail.

I don't know what I'm going to do with these guys! The only one that's behaving completely is Loki.
He doesn't seem to have any interest in the girls. At least, not yet.
But it's a blessing because I have enough on my plate trying to keep Frodo & Angus under control.

 

[PNW_Peepers]

So I had to put Angus in "jail" today.
I finally decided to let my 5 new mixed bantams that my friend Kat gave me out of their run to free range in the yard.
One of them is an adult hen, Birdie, and Frodo has been mating her pretty regularly.
The other four are really tiny bantams...I named them Itsy, Bitsy, Mitzi & Minnie.
I have all of my bantams together sleeping in the prefab at night.
Angus decided to relentlessly chase her as soon as I let them out!
I mean, I've never seen him like that...Frodo was frantically trying to help but his short legs just couldn't keep up.
I was trying to catch Angus to stop him; everyone was in a complete uproar.
I finally grabbed him and put him in jail in the prefab run because that's where rapists belong...in jail.

I don't know what I'm going to do with these guys! The only one that's behaving completely is Loki.
He doesn't seem to have any interest in the girls. At least, not yet.
But it's a blessing because I have enough on my plate trying to keep Frodo & Angus under control.

When Wally was figuring things out he was pretty rough, I’ve even witnessed him mounting a hen sideways! As of now only two of my hens crouch for him. The others he chases and jumps on. I think if I had to put Wally in jail for going at it without permission the poor guy would never leave. I hope you get things worked out, those hormones can be a doozy.

 

[CannedMonster]

When Wally was figuring things out he was pretty rough, I’ve even witnessed him mounting a hen sideways! As of now only two of my hens crouch for him. The others he chases and jumps on. I think if I had to put Wally in jail for going at it without permission the poor guy would never leave. I hope you get things worked out, those hormones can be a doozy.

My main issue with it is that she's a bantam and he's LF. Once he's full sized I shudder at him trying to mate a hen that small.
Especially when my really small ones are grown.
I have no problem with him trying to mate the LF females.
I got all these bantam females for Frodo, NOT the large roosters.
Frodo is actually higher on the pecking order than Angus and has grabbed him by the comb or neck and run him off before. It's actually kind of funny because Angus is so much bigger.

My friend told me if I keep the bantams in the coop for a straight week all together, they will turn into their own flock and stay together as they range. The same thing with the big ones.
It's hard to do that though because the weather is hot and I want them to be able to go to different shady parts of the yard.
They do all sleep separate but when I let them out in the morning, some of my bantams still think they belong with my NN bunch because they were raised together. Also, my 4 older hens go off on their own too. I'm afraid I'm going to end up with a bunch of "micro" flocks instead of one bantam flock and one or two LF flocks.
I really want to let everyone free range and don't have the means to keep LF and bantams separate in the yard yet. We're working on fencing the large portion of our side yard which will create a space for a separate flock to range.

I'll be getting sexed female LF chicks in the next couple of weeks so I will have enough females but they won't be mature until December or so.
Angus will just have to wait or stop being afraid of my 3 Wyandottes lmao
My dominant sex link, Red, will let Angus mate her sometimes but the Wyandottes still chase him off.

 

[PNW_Peepers]

@ChooksNQuilts, I know the feeling. I was hoping my groups being so similar in age would mesh well. They operate as three separate groups still!

 

[CannedMonster]

@ChooksNQuilts, I know the feeling. I was hoping my groups being so similar in age would mesh well. They operate as three separate groups still!

Yeah that's something that I think is inevitable really. If they have birds in the flock they grew up with they will always seek to be with them.
Every time my friend adds birds, they just stay with each other and avoid the others even if they sleep in the same coop.
The only time that works out different is when your only adding one bird which is rare because we all know it's not wise to do that.
Even Pippin & Cricket, who were added separate but after my March bunch were about 10 weeks or so, think they belong with that group.
I'm very happy that Pippin & Cricket hang out together a lot. I was hoping they would; they're such a cute pair.
Now I'm going to have 12 chicks that will probably do the same...
I am planning on rehoming my Wyandottes though so hopefully Red will accept Agatha & Emily as well as the young chicks as her flock. She's always been pretty independent though so who knows.

What I really need is more coops. So I can separate the boys and use another for a grow out coop for these new ones.
It's one thing to see young cockerels chasing grown hens trying to get lucky; it's another to see them grabbing young pullets who don't even have hormones yet or mature combs or anything.
Frodo grabbed one of my new little tiny ones today and she was just screaming and my husband went out there. He really hates it.
I actually regret getting straight run and wish I only had females right now. It would be so much more peaceful.
I was reading another thread and a lady said her roosters didn't calm down until they were 2 years old!
I can't do this for 2 years!

 

[Chickassan]

Ohhh, I know these feelings going on in here too well. Insight if you want it. The birds will eventually become one flock, it will take forever and it will be very sanity taxing but it will happen. Angus the big roo will mate the bantams with no reguard for Frodo. I'd personally prefer a bantam roo with mixed sized girls since he'd not going to squish anybody. It takes about a year for roos not to be annoying sometimes a little less but even old dudes catch the stupids every now and then so you're never really done. Anyway enough of that, almost chick time @ChooksNQuilts ! You exited yet?

 

[Cbarr00]

Well Casper has decided to start pecking at my husband now too. So we decided to put Big Red in there to knock him down a peg. He was getting a little too comfortable being on top. The craziness now that it caused oh my gosh! Casper tried to mount one of the girls and Big Red chased him all over the coop and run. Then just started chasing all the pullets too. We're going to take him out and put him back in the prefab. We let Dwight and Deadpool out for free ranging while the girls were in the coop and they went crazy trying to get to them. I can't imagine how rough they would be if they were able to get to them. How much longer until the hormones settle down?

 

[CannedMonster]

Ohhh, I know these feelings going on in here too well. Insight if you want it. The birds will eventually become one flock, it will take forever and it will be very sanity taxing but it will happen. Angus the big roo will mate the bantams with no reguard for Frodo. I'd personally prefer a bantam roo with mixed sized girls since he'd not going to squish anybody. It takes about a year for roos not to be annoying sometimes a little less but even old dudes catch the stupids every now and then so you're never really done. Anyway enough of that, almost chick time @ChooksNQuilts ! You exited yet?

I always welcome insight! Thank you!
It helps so much to hear from those who've been there and survived lol.

I'm really kicking myself right now because I had a perfect roo! My bantam dark brahma, Hector.
I gave him to my friend because I got it in my head that I didn't need him because I had all these cockerels that I "liked more".
Hector was excellent with the girls...even chicks. He was watchful but never a jerk. I remember when Hector was Frodo & Angus' age but he was raised around 3 adult hens who taught him respect. Even then he never seemed to go for the pullets that were around. He always tried wooing them with a dance or a tidbit.

My guys are so confused they tidbit me sometimes or nobody. The hens used to run to Hector when he'd do it but they ignore Frodo & Angus. Often the littles will go up to Frodo when he does it and he sometimes gives the food to them.
Until today he's never tried to grab one of them. he seemed to understand they're too young...I guess.

My red sex link is kind enough to allow Angus to mate her a couple of times a day.
I'm telling you, she knows if she just squats and lets him do it, it's over quickly lol.
She doesn't squat for him though...she just does it when he runs up like she doesn't feel like fighting him. Sometimes she will run him off though.

Loki is the only one who doesn't do any of this. He's just hanging out lol.
He has no idea what the fuss is about. I've yet to see him grab any female at all.
He is so awkward and goofy. I love him though...if for nothing else than that he doesn't cause any trouble.

YES! I'm getting excited for chicks. My son is coming to visit the 4th week of July from out of state and I'm excited for him to see the chicks and the others. He's never been around them although he's heard all about my current birds, of course.

I'm still not 100% sure on how I'm going to integrate this batch.
We can't really afford to buy another coop but I have a job interview that seems promising on Monday so hopefully I will have some extra $$ soon!