2018 Newbie Chat!

[No More Empty Nest]

That’s the same reason my ameraucanas beard and muffs get picked, they look different. I’ve heard that they will pick to help preen dried food and messy feathers off too! As long as they aren’t picking the skin open, it won’t cause too much harm.[/QUO

Thanks for some hope. I was so depressed after reading the replies to what I wrote in Emergencies, Diseases and Injuries forum.
I put some of the Rooster Booster product on her and most of them took a peck, shook their heads and wiped their beaks. But Jade seems to just ignore it. She also pecked underneath Amber's beak. Today they were pecking at her on and off most of the day, not only at roosting time. But they weren't pecking at the bare area, they were pulling on the longer feathers like they were trying to preen them. No feathers were pulled out while I was watching. I'm thinking of trimming the longer feathers so that they aren't so enticing and maybe that combined with the anti pecking product will stop it. Then maybe after they molt I can try letting them grow out again.
BBZZZZTT also suggested hanging some things for them to peck at near the roost. I'm liking that idea too.

 

[Anna Ranieri]

Pedro and JB (Jellybean) are trying to make sure Roo knows they are higher in the pecking order than her.
Just like Lilah does.
Yeah it would probably be a good idea to wait until the new coop is ready before putting them all together.
That way it’s new to ALL of them.

Be sure to only paint the parts of the new coop that are exposed to the weather.
The inside shouldn’t need it.
If you can find a paint low in VOCs that would be great.
If you don’t have that it’s okay because you still want to air it out anyway.
Birds are extremely chemical sensitive.

Could you post a photo of the new coop?

Also I’d love to see a current photo of Roo. I remember telling you I’d try to sex her/him when older.
How old is the little one now?

I had remembered you said you'd try sexing Roo for me, I was waiting until Roo reaches 6wks, thought that might be a better age to try.
I'm worried because Roo already has wattle development which is bright red - I just hoping with all my heart Roo is female.
Pedro now allows Roo to nap beside her when all the birds are napping under the trampoline and Lilah has recently started to join the others napping under there which is a sight I thought I'd never see
I will post a pic of the coop when we have it but here is copies of the sellers pictures

- I don't think I'm even going to bother to paint it, it will be in the run and the part of the run they sleep is completely weather proof, no rain gets in at all, and neither will the snow, nor does wind - yesterday and last night we had winds up to 80 miles per hour, my garden furniture was being thrown across the garden as though it were paper, inside the run completely still.

 

[Anna Ranieri]

Hooray! Wally is back with the flock today. He’s thrilled, the poor girls not so much. He’s making advances on all of them. They really don’t want what he’s selling
View attachment 1539355 View attachment 1539356
Rosewood is no longer broody, she broke pretty fast this time thank gosh. View attachment 1539357

Awwww, that is great news! Love these pictures, Wally is gorgeous and so handsome with his pretty green within his black
I am so very glad and relieved he made it bless him - great news about Rosewood too

 

[Geranium]

I put together a little chick daycare and took the ladies outside for the first time! They're having a blast. It will be a bummer to have to put them back in their little brooder. But this setup will make it easy to take them outside for a little bit each day, so long as it's not too hot!

 

[Anna Ranieri]

@ChooksNQuilts Look who's learnt how to roostView attachment 1538586

I just got a reply back from my friend, he thinks Roo is male but has told me to wait another week or so because at 5wks is still too young to tell for sure. I will take more pictures in a week or so and post in the "what sex is this" forum to see what people think and I will post them to you also to get your opinion. I really don't want to part with Roo but there is no way I'd stand a chance against the housing association if I have a rooster so I don't have a choice but to re-home Roo if Roo is male
This issue of the complaint hasn't reached court action yet, so far it is only me against the housing association and I have been speaking to other residents who were told they couldn't have their chickens but they refuse to part with them and the HA (housing association) haven't taken any further action, however if they choose to with me then I will have a case for victimization. I have also found out that the HA have themselves broken the covenant by allowing a local school to have 25 chickens which are in fact livestock because they are not pets plus the school sell the eggs and the HA allowed them to build their chicken run, plus I found out that the HA allowed building work to go ahead which is forbidden in the covenant and they did so despite local residents applying to the HA to enforce the covenant but the HA refused to. There are 100s and 100s of residents across this estate who have broken the covenant in many different ways and some multiple times without consequences, which too would go towards my claim of victimization should they choose to take me to court. One resident who has had a lot of dealings with the HA is confident that they won't take me to court because if they did they would have to take all the other residents with chickens/ducks to court as well as every resident who has broken the covenant of which there are many and I am hoping they will too leave me alone as they have all the others but there is no chance of them doing so if I have a rooster. I haven't heard anything from them since they visited our premises a couple of weeks ago and I have chosen not to approach them and to wait until they contact me again at which when they do I will list a variety of covenant breakers I know about and which the HA have done nothing about and hopefully this will work for me as it has for the others who took this route. It is awful, terrifying and very sad for me and I am praying my heart out that Jesus won't allow them to succeed, praying is the only thing I can do along with hoping for the best.

 

[CannedMonster]

Ohhh I really hope so - I text my friend today in a panic because when holding Roo earlier I noticed bright red wattle development, he told me to send him pictures and I'm just waiting for him to reply but might be a while as he has to tend to all his chickens/ducks/pigs/goats/horses. I've noticed the wattles don't show up on this picture, might be because Roo is puffed up. Roo is just over 5wks old and will be 6wks next monday (24th)

Wattle development at 5-6 weeks is concerning.
I’ve never had Orpingtons so I don’t know for sure but females don’t usually get that until after 8 weeks and usually much later.
One of my Silver Penciled Rocks has started developing some but she’s 10 weeks old.
Here’s Oliver, my black Australorp, at almost 5 weeks:

At exactly 5 weeks:

Here’s Oliver with one of the Silver Penciled Rocks, I think it’s Silver the older one. She’s the same age as Oliver.
Notice how there’s no comb or wattle development or color in her.

And here he is at 7 weeks:

Don’t panic. There’s nothing you can do about it.
I believe you said the seller would take him back if he turned out to be a cockerel?
You could keep him for a while yet.
Typically they don’t start crowing until about 3-4 months old.

 

[CannedMonster]

I had remembered you said you'd try sexing Roo for me, I was waiting until Roo reaches 6wks, thought that might be a better age to try.
I'm worried because Roo already has wattle development which is bright red - I just hoping with all my heart Roo is female.
Pedro now allows Roo to nap beside her when all the birds are napping under the trampoline and Lilah has recently started to join the others napping under there which is a sight I thought I'd never see
I will post a pic of the coop when we have it but here is copies of the sellers pictures
View attachment 1539601
View attachment 1539602
View attachment 1539608
View attachment 1539612

- I don't think I'm even going to bother to paint it, it will be in the run and the part of the run they sleep is completely weather proof, no rain gets in at all, and neither will the snow, nor does wind - yesterday and last night we had winds up to 80 miles per hour, my garden furniture was being thrown across the garden as though it were paper, inside the run completely still.

Anna that coop is so cute!
Obviously it could be used for ducks too since the ramp is low and not steep.
Are the roosts removable?
They seem to be very close together.
I wouldn’t put more than four birds in there and it looks like it’ll be just perfect for your needs!
And it has a removable tray. Very convenient but don’t do what I did and fill it too full lol.
Then you can’t pull it out because it gets stuck from the shavings getting bunched up.
I’d love to get one like that to use for a broody and chicks. It’s low to the ground and would work well for that.

 

[CannedMonster]

I just got a reply back from my friend, he thinks Roo is male but has told me to wait another week or so because at 5wks is still too young to tell for sure. I will take more pictures in a week or so and post in the "what sex is this" forum to see what people think and I will post them to you also to get your opinion. I really don't want to part with Roo but there is no way I'd stand a chance against the housing association if I have a rooster so I don't have a choice but to re-home Roo if Roo is male
This issue of the complaint hasn't reached court action yet, so far it is only me against the housing association and I have been speaking to other residents who were told they couldn't have their chickens but they refuse to part with them and the HA (housing association) haven't taken any further action, however if they choose to with me then I will have a case for victimization. I have also found out that the HA have themselves broken the covenant by allowing a local school to have 25 chickens which are in fact livestock because they are not pets plus the school sell the eggs and the HA allowed them to build their chicken run, plus I found out that the HA allowed building work to go ahead which is forbidden in the covenant and they did so despite local residents applying to the HA to enforce the covenant but the HA refused to. There are 100s and 100s of residents across this estate who have broken the covenant in many different ways and some multiple times without consequences, which too would go towards my claim of victimization should they choose to take me to court. One resident who has had a lot of dealings with the HA is confident that they won't take me to court because if they did they would have to take all the other residents with chickens/ducks to court as well as every resident who has broken the covenant of which there are many and I am hoping they will too leave me alone as they have all the others but there is no chance of them doing so if I have a rooster. I haven't heard anything from them since they visited our premises a couple of weeks ago and I have chosen not to approach them and to wait until they contact me again at which when they do I will list a variety of covenant breakers I know about and which the HA have done nothing about and hopefully this will work for me as it has for the others who took this route. It is awful, terrifying and very sad for me and I am praying my heart out that Jesus won't allow them to succeed, praying is the only thing I can do along with hoping for the best.

I would be very encouraged by all of this.
Clearly the HA doesn’t want to cause all these people to lose their animals.
Otherwise they would’ve been enforcing the covenant all along.
I think they’re looking the other way because they don’t see any harm in it.
But should the individuals in charge of the HA change, things could go differently.
I wouldn’t worry about it anymore.
But you would have to rehome Roo regardless.

 

[CannedMonster]

View attachment 1539451 These are the healthiest chicks I’ve ever raised. They are huge compared to the USPS shipped ones. The feather development is coming along a lot faster than previous times. Little Lazarus already has tail feathers! Keep in mind these babes hatched Thursday, so they just hit a week old. We haven’t had any pasty butt issues since they hatched. I thought for sure Lazarus would at least get some because she nearly froze to death. I’ve already had to raise my Brinsea twice. Hoping they are only big because they are very healthy.

They’re beautiful!
Are you worried they’re big because they’re cockerels?

 

[Geranium]

My chickies are 11 days old today! Everyone seems to be doing well so far.