2018 Newbie Chat!

[PNW_Peepers]

So there may be some major changes happening for my flock.

My friend gave me a buff bantam Cochin chick today to add to my bantam flock.
We’re both pretty sure it’s a pullet.
I think she’s about 5 or 6 weeks old maybe? She’s fully feathered but SO tiny!
I was shocked at what a bright gold color she is!
My friend brought her over in a tiny birdcage.
We put the cage down by my chicks run (which was open) so they could check each other out.
My friend let the new chick out after about 20 minutes.
(I had no plans to introduce them in this way...I was going to put her in a dog crate so they could see & not touch)

She ran right over to them because she was scared and wanted to be with other chicks but she scared the crap out of all of my chicks!
They are all so much bigger than her, even the Silkie, but they were afraid of her.
She went over to the food and started eating and things seemed to settle down.
My black NN, Agatha, ended up outside the run and kept staring at the new chick.
After another 20-30 minutes we heard a ruckus in the run and walked over to find Agatha chasing the new chick, pecking her relentlessly.
I took the new one and put her back in her birdcage so she was safe.
I put her in the coop for the night with the others but she’s still in her birdcage.
I have a dog crate that’s bigger I can keep her in until she’s integrated so she has more room.

Some other changes are that my friend is going to take Conan and Loki (Bubelah) as well as 2 of my Wyandottes and Hector!
This is so I can keep my, as yet, unnamed NN cockerel (and hopefully breed more NN ) and get more of the breeds I really wanted.
Part of the reason for this is that the Wyandottes have been aggressive with each other (several BYC members have said they’re an aggressive breed) and my new coop isn’t as large as I thought it would be. There’s no way I can keep 15 birds in there.
I’ll be keeping Red, my sex link and one Wyandotte, Pepper along with 3 NN, Frodo & my Silkie.

Please name your new frizzle merry or pippin!!!! I love your Lord of the rings theme with your bantams. It’s crazy how everyone’s birds can be different sizes.

 

[CannedMonster]

Please name your new frizzle merry or pippin!!!! I love your Lord of the rings theme with your bantams. It’s crazy how everyone’s birds can be different sizes.

Okay, okay I’ll name this little one Pippin.

 

[JMotuzick]

The post office called and said come get your chicks today! We got 75 meat birds from MT Heathly hatchery. Has anyone else used them? I was expecting a email like we got from Meyer with a tracking number etc. these where shipped air and where hatched yesterday! All Seam to be doing well. 50 rangers and 25 hatchery choice. The 25 are BR males. They where free so why not try them! As for grain. All new arrivals get 1 40 lbs bag of starter grower. The meat birds will move onto a broiler mash. The main egg flock along with the pullet grower pen is both on grower Pelets a 17% non gmo I found. Oyster shells on the side.

 

[No More Empty Nest]

Okay, okay I’ll name this little one Pippin.
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Pippin sure is pretty. I had a little black spaniel mix named Pippin way back befre the movies came out. I always loved the books

 

[BBZZZZTT]

Kida is turning into a bully!

We're having a heat wave with temps hitting 90 and humid. Poor fried chickens. I made them a frozen treat and Kida is chasing Elsa away from it constantly!

Here's Kida with her back turned, everyone dives in!

 

[PNW_Peepers]

Here’s the updates I made recently to our coop and run!
We added a huge roost (another holly tree). A new bucket feeder on a couple round concrete blocks.

This is the new nesting box and curtains. There are five nesting boxes as opposed to the previous ten we had. The structure itself is taller by 8”

The New roost and droppings board, we added the trunk of a holly tree as the new roost. We are using the underneath for poo and sweet pdz storage.

Lastly we added our youngest chicks into my broody breaker, they love it.

 

[BBZZZZTT]

Yeesh! This heat wave is brutal!
Elsa is trying to cool off in the sand

 

[llombardo]

Yeesh! This heat wave is brutal!
Elsa is trying to cool off in the sand
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I can't win here. I'm trying to get this enclosure done. Two days I have off and it's 100 degrees. I feel like I'm going to suffocate out there. I'm taking a break until about 5, hopefully the sun will give me a break. Meanwhile I got ducks swimming in a bathtub for a few hrs and chickens standing in shallow pans of cold water inside. Later they will get some watermelon to refresh.at least I got most of the wire cut and ready to go. Tomorrow I can start screwing everything in and start re-enforcing the coop.

 

[BBZZZZTT]

I can't win here. I'm trying to get this enclosure done. Two days I have off and it's 100 degrees. I feel like I'm going to suffocate out there. I'm taking a break until about 5, hopefully the sun will give me a break. Meanwhile I got ducks swimming in a bathtub for a few hrs and chickens standing in shallow pans of cold water inside. Later they will get some watermelon to refresh.at least I got most of the wire cut and ready to go. Tomorrow I can start screwing everything in and start re-enforcing the coop.

I tried giving the chickens a shallow pan of cold water to stand in but they weren't a fan. I ended up running the hose at a show trickle right into their run for a while. That way it slowly pools and puddles in the low spots and they just walk around in it everywhere. They were visibly more comfortable that way, less panting.

 

[PNW_Peepers]

How warm has it been where you guys are at? We’ve been in the 80’s for most of May here! I freeze strawberry tops, watermelon and have been freezing a few sunflower seeds in muffin tins filled with water then frozen! My peat moss dust bathing area is everyone’s favorite during the warmest parts of the day. My girls are going through about three gallons of water a day that I’ve been refilling with ice cubes when I can. I’m worried if it’s almost June and already this hot!