2018 Newbie Chat!

[No More Empty Nest]

Would you post a current photo of Diamond?
I believe you said it’s a Cochin?
At seven weeks it should be obvious if it’s a cockerel but I wanted to see for myself.

Here's Diamond at 6 weeks

tom

EDIT: I'll get more pictures tomorrow when s/he's officially 7 weeks

 

[CannedMonster]

Usually I would agree with you but Roo wasn't inside for as long as my hybrids were, my hybrids lived indoors from hatching right up until they were 10 and 11 weeks old - Roo on the other hand was outside from hatching to two weeks old - (we got her aged two weeks old) and we had her indoors for a little over four weeks. I don't know if you remember but I put her to sleep out on the 28th Sept but only lasted a couple of nights then brought her back in for two but put her straight back out on your advice and she's been out ever since. There still is often squabbling going on and Jellybean and Pedro chasing her first thing every morning as I am letting them out but no one is getting hurt and they have calmed down a lot. Just this evening one of the duck hens (Aurora) having finished her own bedtime snack tried to steal Roo's but Roo didn't let her, she kept shoving Aurora away until Aurora gave up - and Aurora is 3 if not 4 times the size of Roo!

I’m so glad to hear Roo is standing up for herself!

 

[No More Empty Nest]

Diamond is one of the most beautiful looking chicks I've ever seen and from reading your accounts of him, he has a wonderful and gentle personality I hope with all my heart you get to keep him From my experience, authorities only get to find out if someone reports on you having a Rooster, I'm just wondering if possible, if would be worth having a word with your neighbours and those closest who are most likely to hear him, see how they'd feel about the situation, you never know you might have neighbours who don't mind?
I don't have any experience in the subject of feather picking but I came across a very interesting article which suggested chicken feeding toys - For example, I've seen some chicken toy balls which we are planning to get for our girls just as a fun factor for them. The food (treats are recommended) is put inside the ball which has holes in it for the chickens to be able to peck the food out but obviously being a ball it rolls around so they'd have to work at getting the treats out, has many good reviews - just a thought. Also I hope you don't mind but I found this article very informative too so thought you might want to give it a read.
https://the-chicken-chick.com/chicken-feather-loss-cannibalism-causes/

Thanks so much for the link! I was seriously thinking of isolating her. Everything I read about isolating always takes place in the summer. How do I isolate, still maintain good winter feathers, and not have her get too cold without flockmates to keep her warm at night? I guess I could find a thread here that might answer that, lol. I thought of having her outside in a crate in the run during the day and then bring her into the basement where it's cool but not cold at night. Sort of semi isolation. That way she'd keep contact with everyone so if she did lose some winterization, she could always cuddle up at night with the others when she comes out of isolation.

 

[CannedMonster]

Here's Diamond at 6 weeks
View attachment 1554368 View attachment 1554370 tom

EDIT: I'll get more pictures tomorrow when s/he's officially 7 weeks

Thanks!
Sure seems like it might be a cockerel.
I remember my Cochin bantam Frodo’s comb really got bigger and redder from 6-8 weeks.
Here’s Frodo at 6 weeks.

And here’s him at 8 weeks.

 

[llombardo]

I can't figure out who is laying. I got three eggs again today. The barred rocks egg color has always been slightly darker then the RIR. Whoever it is, is laying an egg that is the same color as the barred rock. When I look up egg colors, of course the barred and rock and RIR are listed in the same group.

Rose the EE(has turned into a very independent girl) is now going in the coop at night on her own which made me think maybe it was her. They are all integrating about the same otherwise.
I can't catch who it is. I tried today but missed it.

Today I was feeding them and the two older girls and Prince were in the side area I made for them and Precious the RIR decided to leave the area and go around the net. Prince wasn't having it and started pacing and talking away-alerting me that she left. I went and grabbed her and he calmed down.

How old are the girls when they stop ignoring the rooster? They are very independent girls and do as they please. Poor Prince is like the Rodney Dangerfield of roosters LOL. They love him, don't get me wrong, but they do their own thing.

 

[Geranium]

Finally managed to get the roof on the coop, and the plywood sides. Now I get to attack it with chicken wire and hardware cloth. Husband needs to make me a door and a pop door, and then the chicks can move in!

 

[CannedMonster]

I can't figure out who is laying. I got three eggs again today. The barred rocks egg color has always been slightly darker then the RIR. Whoever it is, is laying an egg that is the same color as the barred rock. When I look up egg colors, of course the barred and rock and RIR are listed in the same group.

Rose the EE(has turned into a very independent girl) is now going in the coop at night on her own which made me think maybe it was her. They are all integrating about the same otherwise.
I can't catch who it is. I tried today but missed it.

Today I was feeding them and the two older girls and Prince were in the side area I made for them and Precious the RIR decided to leave the area and go around the net. Prince wasn't having it and started pacing and talking away-alerting me that she left. I went and grabbed her and he calmed down.

How old are the girls when they stop ignoring the rooster? They are very independent girls and do as they please. Poor Prince is like the Rodney Dangerfield of roosters LOL. They love him, don't get me wrong, but they do their own thing.

It took a while after they started laying for Agatha and Emily to start following Angus.
Rehoming the Wyandottes really helped too because they really didn’t like them.
Red is completely accepted because she doesn’t bully.
Sometimes they will go off on their own away from Angus but not for a long time.
Red has always been extremely independent and doesn’t feel the need to stay with any other birds and she can often be found foraging happily by herself.
Angus doesn’t act like he wants them always by him either.
It looks voluntary on the part of the girls when they follow him.
I like watching them because he finds food and calls them over and he will let them take it from his beak.
Silkie has started doing this also.

Angus only gets upset if his 3 girls get scared or upset about something or if they squabble amongst themselves (which really only happens with the bantams or teenagers).
The NNs are all 7 months old this week.

 

[CannedMonster]

Someone laid this tiny egg in the yard today!
I can’t figure out who though.
It has to be one of the bantams because nobody else is old enough to lay and my current layers don’t lay eggs this dark.

I’m thinking either Mitzi or Minnie because I’m pretty sure my friend Kat told me the are part Cuckoo Marans.

 

[Anna Ranieri]

Here's Diamond at 6 weeks
View attachment 1554368 View attachment 1554370 tom

EDIT: I'll get more pictures tomorrow when s/he's officially 7 weeks

So beautiful

 

[Anna Ranieri]

I’m so glad to hear Roo is standing up for herself!