2018 Newbie Chat!

[CannedMonster]

All of mine enjoy dust baths. I got them a sandbox and they use it daily. What are you using? I put peat moss in there.

Here are the two boys. They kick it all over the place so they use the box and the surrounding area.

View attachment 1501161 View attachment 1501162

Love it! They’re having a good time.

 

[CannedMonster]

View attachment 1501425 We made the hard decision to cull one of our laying hens today.
A few weeks back my subfloor collapsed and one of our barred rocks broke her leg, after making a splint and working relentlessly to heal her, she just couldn’t recover. Last night she couldn’t roost and was acting lethargic, this morning we culled her and to freezer camp she went. She dressed at a meek 2lbs after all was said and done. All of these eggs were found while butchering. What an amazing learning experience, & what a blessing to provide organic, free range meat to our freezer for winter.
Ooooh and on a positive note, I currently have zero broody hens today!

I’m sorry you had to cull her!
It’s never easy.
I felt uneasy about Loki but the whole flock is amazingly calmer now so I know I made the right decision.
The two boys were in competition with each other.
They didn’t fight but constantly tried to outdo one another with crowing, breeding, etc.
It’s tough to rehome roos in my area because so many people already have them or can’t have them.
And not everyone likes NNs.

That is fascinating how you found the egg and yolks inside her.
We decided to skin instead of pluck this time because it seemed to take forever and it was very hot.
We were concerned about getting the carcass in the fridge to cool.
He dressed out at 3.5 lbs even though he was a month older than the other one.
There’s a butcher in my area that will do chickens for $4 per bird.
They’ll do small orders too.
All plucked and wrapped up for you!
We might go that route if we decide to do some meat birds...which I’ve been considering.

 

[Anna Ranieri]

Hi Anna, I'm no expert but we got our girls last year and they were only a couple days old. We also had no other chickens. Not all of them are crazy about doing the dust bath. Two love it - they dig holes everywhere, more so when they free range - not in their run so much. The rest aren't as into it; a couple rarely, if ever, do. It may just be a matter of their likes and dislikes. I'm not sure how crucial it is to their health. I do know that I put a box with dirt in it for them when they were 6-8 months old - nothing! Nobody even set foot in it. They do tend to do it more when it is really hot - I'm thinking the dirt is cooler where they dig. Also, i noticed that when they dig, they tend to dig more alongside walls or 4x4 posts... good luck with yours. I'm sure they'll be fine.

Thank you, makes me feel better knowing not all chickens bathe, I thought it is something they all do which is why I worried that mine don't. Thanks for the tip about walls/posts - thinking about it, the patches we have made for them are in the open, so I'm gonna try putting some dirt mounds against our walls, maybe they might like it better

 

[PNW_Peepers]

I’m sorry you had to cull her!
It’s never easy.
I felt uneasy about Loki but the whole flock is amazingly calmer now so I know I made the right decision.
The two boys were in competition with each other.
They didn’t fight but constantly tried to outdo one another with crowing, breeding, etc.
It’s tough to rehome roos in my area because so many people already have them or can’t have them.
And not everyone likes NNs.

That is fascinating how you found the egg and yolks inside her.
We decided to skin instead of pluck this time because it seemed to take forever and it was very hot.
We were concerned about getting the carcass in the fridge to cool.
He dressed out at 3.5 lbs even though he was a month older than the other one.
There’s a butcher in my area that will do chickens for $4 per bird.
They’ll do small orders too.
All plucked and wrapped up for you!
We might go that route if we decide to do some meat birds...which I’ve been considering.

Thank you! We skinned her as well. It’s our first cull and keep and we honestly just wanted it done with! Finding the yolks was amazing. She had a “clutch” of a few hundred micro yolks but it was a bit too graphic to photograph. We’re at ease now, knowing her suffering has ended. When her leg broke it didn’t break evenly, so anytime she put pressure on it she must have been in excruciating pain, I’m surprised she was walking as long as she was.

 

[Anna Ranieri]

Hi Anna!
Sorry I didn’t respond to you sooner.
I think some of the other peeps have given you excellent advice on the dust bathing...or lack thereof.
Mine would dust bathe even as very young chicks.
It seems more of an instinctual thing than a learned thing to me.
I think maybe your birds just haven’t had the urge much yet.
I’m sure they will eventually.
Just keep a few spots available to them and hopefully they’ll be enjoying that dirt.
Do you have any plans to house the ducks separately?
I know they can be kept together but ducks are often a lot wetter and muddier than chickens tend to be.

Hi I was about to message you, but have seen you message me so will tell you on here -- guess who's roosting by themselves now It's their first time at getting on the roost bars themselves so I'm gonna check again tomorrow night and keep checking for a few nights more just in case, but couldn't believe how easy (and fast) its been - thanks to you and @JMotuzick - I wouldn't have had a clue what to do without your valuable advice -
I appreciate you replying, I feel at ease about the no bathing situation now. I was worried because I thought it was something they had to do and that all chickens do it, but now I know this isn't the case I feel much better. I will keep a few spots available for them as you have advised, so they will be able to bathe if at anytime they decide they want to.
At the moment although the ducks and chickens have their own separate hutches to sleep in they are still sharing a run, our aim for the future is to give them each their own run, but we are unable to for a while because we are on low income and need time to accumulate more coop building funds. Our garden is a fair size but it isn't massive and if we expand too much, the birds lose from their free ranging space, we feel if we split the run the size it is now (6ft wide - 15ft long), they will end up cramped with very little run space each - we have space for two more birds and my hope is to get two more chickens so we can have two flocks of four but we are waiting on seeing how it turns out with our duck flock being two drakes two ducks hens - I know of quite a few people who's flocks consists of same amount of drakes to duck hens with no problems at all but I realise it very much depends on the individual bird how they will be, I've learned that some drakes have bigger sex drives than others, I know of people whose duck hens decide if the drakes get to mate with them or not and have read of others whose drakes cause their females misery through mating with them non stop, ours are too young to tell yet as they have not yet reached sexual maturity and are not showing any signs of even knowing what mating is yet! But if it turns out they can't manage as pairs we will have to get them two more females and go without the two more chickens I want, which means they would need more coop space than our two chickens, if this is the case then we will probably add a small (but room enough for two) extension at the back of the run for the two chickens and keep the ducks in the existing run but if the ducks get on well and problem free as a four and we can get two more chickens then we'd have to extend from the side then split it between the two flocks - so is a case of just waiting to see but we will give each flock their own run eventually.

 

[Anna Ranieri]

All of mine enjoy dust baths. I got them a sandbox and they use it daily. What are you using? I put peat moss in there.

Here are the two boys. They kick it all over the place so they use the box and the surrounding area.

View attachment 1501161 View attachment 1501162

What gorgeous birds you have, love these pictures - At the moment I've only been using dirt from the garden, We live on heath land so the soil is very sandy and dusty - we have several dirt mounds and dirt patches around the garden but I am looking to remove them eventually because the pigeons and other wild birds use them and we are trying to discourage them from coming into our garden because in the event of a bird flu outbreak these birds spread it like wild fire - in the 2008 outbreak here, thousands of people had their whole flocks wiped out by bird flu - I really like what you've done with your bird bath area and I am so going to copy your idea - I'm looking to make my hens bath out of ash, sand, soil and food grade Diatomaceous Earth - do you have an opinion about this mixture please?

 

[Anna Ranieri]

It’s common for roosters to stay near hens that are laying.
My Brahma bantam Hector would stay halfway between the coop and wherever the other girls were so he could keep an eye on both.
My Cochin would stand at the doorway when Birdie was laying.

Be sure to secure your plastic bin nest boxes so that they don’t tip if a hen steps on the edge.
The lip of ours are sitting right above the 2x4s so the weight of the chickens is actually on the 2x4s instead of the edge of the bins.
If they tip over it’ll scare them and they’ll never use them.
You could probably even screw them to the wall or something.

I have 4 older hens and they kick my boys butts!
That doesn’t stop the boys from chasing and breeding them but they’re scared of them too.
Unfortunately my guys haven’t shared food or danced for the girls very much.
They try a little bit but if the hens approach the boys run because they think they’re going to kick them lol.
I’m bothered by Loki chasing my bantam pullets occasionally!
I won’t stand for the LF boys trying to breed little bantams.

I’m sick of cockerel drama too.
It’s pretty hot during the day which tones down their ardor quite a bit.
I really wish I hadn’t gotten rid of my bantam Brahma rooster.
He was perfect!!
A gentleman and not even remotely human aggressive.
If these NN boys don’t work out I’m going to try bantam roosters or a breed that’s extremely well known for being docile, like an Orpington.

I think you are so brave taking on Cockerels - I absolutely love them, the colours, the crowing, could listen to them crow for hours and never tire of them, I love how they strut around and show themselves but I'd never dare have one - the place I get my bedding and feed from has chickens/ducks/goats which he has open so customers can go see them, one of the Cockerels he has is massive - larger than a small dog I'd say and his colours are magnificent and he has feathers that shine like they were silver, I always go look at him when we go get supplies, he is very friendly and so docile, hes a big hit with most the customers but I wouldn't like to get on the wrong side of him especially the size he is! - May I ask how many chickens you have in total - just curious

 

[llombardo]

What gorgeous birds you have, love these pictures - At the moment I've only been using dirt from the garden, We live on heath land so the soil is very sandy and dusty - we have several dirt mounds and dirt patches around the garden but I am looking to remove them eventually because the pigeons and other wild birds use them and we are trying to discourage them from coming into our garden because in the event of a bird flu outbreak these birds spread it like wild fire - in the 2008 outbreak here, thousands of people had their whole flocks wiped out by bird flu - I really like what you've done with your bird bath area and I am so going to copy your idea - I'm looking to make my hens bath out of ash, sand, soil and food grade Diatomaceous Earth - do you have an opinion about this mixture please?

First I want to thank you for the compliment. Never thought I would get this attached to chickens and ducks.

As for the mixture. I do put DE in tvere and I will add ash but I haven't done a fire all summer. They have kicked mulch and grass clippings into the surrounding area, oddly enough they have kept the sandbox clean of the other stuff.lol

 

[llombardo]

I think you are so brave taking on Cockerels - I absolutely love them, the colours, the crowing, could listen to them crow for hours and never tire of them, I love how they strut around and show themselves but I'd never dare have one - the place I get my bedding and feed from has chickens/ducks/goats which he has open so customers can go see them, one of the Cockerels he has is massive - larger than a small dog I'd say and his colours are magnificent and he has feathers that shine like they were silver, I always go look at him when we go get supplies, he is very friendly and so docile, hes a big hit with most the customers but I wouldn't like to get on the wrong side of him especially the size he is! - May I ask how many chickens you have in total - just curious

I ended up with two on accident. They were suppose to be girls. It changed how I was going to do everything.

I did seperate the boys, one is living in the house until I can get his own area built. Couldn't part with him and he is happy and healthy.

The one I left with the girls is a big boy, he comes up to my knees. He don't go up hugh to often so the girls can get away from him, but he has been a good boy. Very loyal to his girls. He sits with them when they are laying eggs. When the barred rock laid her first egg, both him and I cheered her on--we shared the experience. He even does the egg song with the girls.

 

[CannedMonster]

Thank you! We skinned her as well. It’s our first cull and keep and we honestly just wanted it done with! Finding the yolks was amazing. She had a “clutch” of a few hundred micro yolks but it was a bit too graphic to photograph. We’re at ease now, knowing her suffering has ended. When her leg broke it didn’t break evenly, so anytime she put pressure on it she must have been in excruciating pain, I’m surprised she was walking as long as she was.

I’m concerned about broken or injured legs myself because we never thought our birds would take flying leaps off the top of their ladder roost!
The very top rung is 7-8 feet high.
We used to just open the pop door to let them out in the morning.
But after we built the ladder roost my husband noticed that the birds at the top had to jump all the way down and they were crashing into the closed man door.
So now we open it and they will land several feet outside of the coop!
All except my sex link, Red.
She’s smart enough to jump down to each lower roost until she gets to the bottom. That one is only 2 feet high.
I haven’t noticed anyone limping or anything so hopefully they’re fine.
My Silkie goes all the way up to the 8 foot cross beam! A lot of my bantams do.
But I always heard how Silkies don’t roost and can’t fly.
Lol apparently mine can.