2018 Newbie Chat!

[CannedMonster]

Yes, I confine them for the whole day. Their run is 8x30 so they each get more than 10 sq ft. I’ve been having a feather picking issue again. Today will be day three of free ranging in the late afternoon (4-bedtime). I have to be present the entire time they are free ranging. We have black bear, raccoons, mink, opossum, wandering dogs, & most recently cougar seen on our property. We live about a mile from an eagle sanctuary as well and yesterday I had to shoo them back into the run twice due to swooping eagles. I’ve been training my Cane Corso(Italian mastiff) to be a livestock protector and so far he’s doing good. Anytime I need to run inside he lays down and watches them.

Wow that’s a lot of predators!
I have to give you a lot of credit for even keeping chickens with all of that lol.
Now I understand why you have to babysit them when free ranging.
It’s good of you to try even for a few hours!
A dog’s presence can go a long way if they’re alert and won’t tolerate intruders.
Kudos to you for training your dog to help.
That’s one of the main reasons we domesticated dogs.
I hope the feather picking stops.
It could be a particularly obsessive individual I guess?
Do you know who’s doing it?

 

[PNW_Peepers]

Thanks, I’m trying. Keeping chickens has always been my life’s dream. I got our dog before I had chickens with him protecting them in mind. His breed was originally bred as a livestock and farm guardian, that hunted deer as well. He’s a natural already. My feather picker is Gingko who was picked clean by my rooster as a young pullet. I think the introduction of my new babies and the removal of my broody stressed her out as she is lowest in the pecking order. She picked quite a few feathers off the rooster a few days back, rather than removing her I’m trying to help stop it. I’ve been feeding meal worms and boiled eggs at night when they go back into the coop on their own as some experienced chicken keepers on here told me that chickens need animal protein.

 

[CannedMonster]

Thanks, I’m trying. Keeping chickens has always been my life’s dream. I got our dog before I had chickens with him protecting them in mind. His breed was originally bred as a livestock and farm guardian, that hunted deer as well. He’s a natural already. My feather picker is Gingko who was picked clean by my rooster as a young pullet. I think the introduction of my new babies and the removal of my broody stressed her out as she is lowest in the pecking order. She picked quite a few feathers off the rooster a few days back, rather than removing her I’m trying to help stop it. I’ve been feeding meal worms and boiled eggs at night when they go back into the coop on their own as some experienced chicken keepers on here told me that chickens need animal protein.

Yes! I give mine animal protein regularly.
A friend commented on how big and healthy they look compared to hers lol.
They all recently got a respiratory infection of some kind but continued to range, eat, drink and lay just like always.
It looks like they’re recovered from it now.
I asked my husband to build me a ladder style roost.
He always overthinks and overbuilds everything
I almost think it’d be easier to just do it myself
But then I’d have to use his tools lol

 

[CannedMonster]

I wanted to share a really cool experience with my 3 boys the other evening.
I had given everyone some watermelon and they were mostly finished.
Then my boys all came over to where I was standing and started gently plucking at my pant legs.
They were looking up at me.
I suddenly realized that they wanted to sit on my lap.
How polite of them to ask!
I walked over to the chair and sure enough they followed me.
Once I sat down Loki jumped up and then Conan.
After about 10 minutes Angus came over and I wasn’t sure he’d fit but we managed it.
Three cockerels on my lap at the same time!
I think they would’ve stayed there all night if I had let them lol.
And of course I didn’t have my phone with me for pics

 

[CannedMonster]

Video of Frodo and Loki crowing!!
Loki sounds like someone squeezing a rubber chicken
This was taken a couple of days ago and Conan has started crowing too and also has the rubber chicken thing going on

 

[BBZZZZTT]

@ChooksNQuilts I'll have to remember to watch that when I get in my car.. I'm at work now! XD

I gave the group some watermelon the other day. It wasn't too hot but they sure loved it. It was picked clean down to the skin.

Egg watch:
Belle continues to squat all the time. Someone is rummaging around in the nest boxes and digging a nest in the shavings in there.

All of them are starting to take interest in the boxes, they all poke their heads in and look around or poke the fake egg, peck at the lavender.

I heard the egg song a bit one morning but no egg. Practicing? Maybe I'm mistaking it for some other song. Haha.

 

[BBZZZZTT]

As they've grown up their personalities have changed a bit.
Except Kida, she still hates me. XD (gold and grey EE)

Lilo is warming up a little to me. Her and Moana are always the first to come running for treats, and while she doesn't like being handled, she'll do anything for treats. (Welsummers)
Elsa (SLW) used to be the friendliest but now she is the most timid, even with me. I think it's a result of being the lowest on the ladder.

Belle is still super friendly. (Grey EE)
Nala (white/tan EE) is somewhere in the middle. She doesn't care if I handle her but she doesn't come running up to me anymore for attention.

 

[CannedMonster]

@ChooksNQuilts I'll have to remember to watch that when I get in my car.. I'm at work now! XD

View attachment 1443727

I gave the group some watermelon the other day. It wasn't too hot but they sure loved it. It was picked clean down to the skin.

Egg watch:
Belle continues to squat all the time. Someone is rummaging around in the nest boxes and digging a nest in the shavings in there.

All of them are starting to take interest in the boxes, they all poke their heads in and look around or poke the fake egg, peck at the lavender.

I heard the egg song a bit one morning but no egg. Practicing? Maybe I'm mistaking it for some other song. Haha.

I use shavings in my nest boxes too.
I just never learned to like straw.

About the egg song...
There’s another sound they do that to my ear is almost identical.
It’s when there’s a ground predator and they see it.
My birds will start carrying on like it’s the end of the world!
Bu-gawk!! Buk buk buk buk buk
bu-gawk!!!
On and on!
We finally figured out they will do it when they see a cat.
Even our cat.
Red was doing it the other evening and I saw our neighbors cat through the chain link fence lounging in her yard.
They’ll do it even if the cat is pretty far away.

 

[BBZZZZTT]

Alright well all my complaining has paid off! (<---- This is an exact representation of my reaction)
Came home to a little egg in the nest box! (Next to the white fake egg)

It's brown so probably not Belle or the other EEs.
It's fairly darker than my store bought so I'm gonna guess a Welsummer over SLW. And of the two welsummers, Moana is the more developed. So tentative guess is Moana.
Store bought on the left

They are 18 weeks, will be 19 weeks on Wednesday.

 

[CannedMonster]

Alright well all my complaining has paid off! (<---- This is an exact representation of my reaction)
Came home to a little egg in the nest box! (Next to the white fake egg)

View attachment 1443995

It's brown so probably not Belle or the other EEs.
It's fairly darker than my store bought so I'm gonna guess a Welsummer over SLW. And of the two welsummers, Moana is the more developed. So tentative guess is Moana.
Store bought on the left
View attachment 1444001

They are 18 weeks, will be 19 weeks on Wednesday.

Yay!!!
My Wyandottes eggs are a nice beige color.