2018 Newbie Chat!

[Anna Ranieri]

Our store has Nutrena and some pieces are pretty big. I'm going to mix it with the crumble, which I still have a lot of in the feeder. They can take whatever size they want. If after a while, all that's left is big pieces, I can always smash them a bit, lol.

I had a time getting them back in the run today, lol. Stupid me, after they made their circle of the yard, they all walked back into the run. I figured I have more time, you guys can stay out longer. I sat down on the picnic table and they all came back out. Then when I wanted them to go back in, oh wow. They usually come running when I call them and shake the treat bag. Then I scatter the treats around in the run and they eat them. Well, they came running but Pearl stopped outside the door and wouldn't come in. So I tried enticing her with the treats. She would only come just so far. So I started to go out to herd her in. Whoosh, there's Diamond flying over my head out of the run. Then the rest run out because, well, everyone else is out!
I call them again and shake the scratch grains bag, maybe Pearl just wasn't into meal worms today. They come running, now Opal won't come in. Again, she would come close to the door, even in far enough for me to close it, but when I tried to, she'd run back out. So once again I started out to herd her in. Whoosh, there's Diamond flying over my head, and everyone else running out. Too funny!
I did finally get them in he third time. but they sure got extra rations of treats thrown in the run today! I think that was their plan all the time.

 

[Cbarr00]

Thank you, I found this very informative and encouraging as its pretty much what I am already doing. Pedro has chased Roo a couple of times since I started banishing her to the run after attacking Roo, but Pedro hasn't attacked her since, so hopefully this is a sign of progress. Jellybean hadn't attacked nor chased Roo at all after her time in the run until earlier this evening, shortly before their bedtime, Jellybean pecked at Roo and pulled out a feather so I marched Jellybean straight into the run and shut her in for the remainder of the free-ranging time, which she was none too thrilled about and after some pacing up and down like a caged tiger she finally gave up and put herself to bed early. I am going to continue with this method, especially after reading this article and the positive results it can have. I think it may be a slow process, however there are a few positives showing already, one of which is that Roo isn't hiding as much as she used to, and today spent the majority of the time in the open. Lilah (Roo's mum) will intervene at times, usually when the others get too rough with Roo, and being the alpha hen no one dare disobey her. Lilah has never chased, nor pecked Roo and I don't believe she ever would. Roo is the only one out of all my birds (including my ducks) who can steal a tidbit or any food from Lilah, and Lilah does nothing except snatch it back if she gets the chance, none of the others would dare to even try take anything from Lilah, and I sometimes wonder if there's an element of jealousy - that the lowest in the pecking order should get such privileged treatment from the alpha - I've read that chickens and ducks can get jealous, but whether or not it is true I don't know.

I bet that plays a factor in their behavior! In the article it even says the hens feel threatened if they think a particular flock member is neglecting their station. I'm so glad to hear it's already improving! When my Rhode island reds were so aggressive to my chicks it would drive me mad! Those poor little chicks didnt stand a chance. What breed are pedro and jellybean?

 

[Cbarr00]

I'm so torn about giving Bear away guys. Part of me wants to in case he's too aggressive to be around my young kids but the other part is so heartbroken to take him away from his girls. They're a flock of their own. When I let them out to free range the older girls go off and the younger ones stick together. I'm also so curious to see what he will look like! The way our other 4 cockerels feathered out
Maybe I'll hatch out some of Bears offspring and gift my aunt some nice EEs and she can add colored layers in her flock. Decisions decisions.

 

[Anna Ranieri]

I bet that plays a factor in their behavior! In the article it even says the hens feel threatened if they think a particular flock member is neglecting their station. I'm so glad to hear it's already improving! When my Rhode island reds were so aggressive to my chicks it would drive me mad! Those poor little chicks didnt stand a chance. What breed are pedro and jellybean?

We don't know their exact breeds, they are a total mix of all sorts, however we can see by markings and feather shape that Jellybean has cream legbar, Maran and possibly welsummer in her and she lays light olive colour eggs, Pedro however we have no idea, I put their pics in here and in the what breed is this forum and everyone is stumped by Pedro, we think she has RIR in her, but whatever other mix is in her is anyone's guess - she is our smallest chicken but lays the largest eggs and they are brown.
This is Pedro

This is Jellybean

and these are their eggs

 

[Anna Ranieri]

I'm so torn about giving Bear away guys. Part of me wants to in case he's too aggressive to be around my young kids but the other part is so heartbroken to take him away from his girls. They're a flock of their own. When I let them out to free range the older girls go off and the younger ones stick together. I'm also so curious to see what he will look like! The way our other 4 cockerels feathered out
Maybe I'll hatch out some of Bears offspring and gift my aunt some nice EEs and she can add colored layers in her flock. Decisions decisions.

May I ask what makes you think he'd be aggressive? Also, couldn't you keep him to see how it pans out and then if he does pose a threat to your kids you could re-home him then?

 

[No More Empty Nest]

We don't know their exact breeds, they are a total mix of all sorts, however we can see by markings and feather shape that Jellybean has cream legbar, Maran and possibly welsummer in her and she lays light olive colour eggs, Pedro however we have no idea, I put their pics in here and in the what breed is this forum and everyone is stumped by Pedro, we think she has RIR in her, but whatever other mix is in her is anyone's guess - she is our smallest chicken but lays the largest eggs and they are brown.
This is Pedro
View attachment 1614006
View attachment 1614007

This is Jellybean
View attachment 1614008
View attachment 1614009
and these are their eggs
View attachment 1614011

They're both beautiful! And I think Pedro's breed is Pedro Chicken, lol

 

[Anna Ranieri]

They're both beautiful! And I think Pedro's breed is Pedro Chicken, lol

I like that, I think I'll say that every time someone asks what breed she is

 

[Anna Ranieri]

Well, I don't know whats going on with Pedro and Jellybean but they both have certainly changed since having started laying. I've read so many articles claiming chickens are calmer and get on better once they start laying but this is not the case with these two.
They come from the same flock and have always been together, they've always been inseparable and they've always done everything together too, sleep together, eat together, forage together and at the beginning even laid their eggs together but over the last few days I noticed Jellybean spending a lot of time with Lilah and Pedro off on her own a lot, then today the two were peacefully eating together then all of a sudden they just started fighting, I mean a real fight, they looked like cockerels fighting, it only lasted seconds, then they stood squaring each other up, then Jellybean ran off, Pedro raced after her to peck her but I interceded and kept myself between them to give them a chance to calm down, it was awful to see, Pedro had such anger in her eyes, she was fuming. From what I saw I believe Jellybean challenged Pedro's authority but Pedro is having none of it. After a few minutes or so, Pedro took to chasing Jellybean again, then she chased Roo, (but didn't attack her nor made any attempts to) then she went back to chasing Jellybean. After a while things calmed down, then Jellybean got onto my grandson's trampoline and was preening herself when all of a sudden Pedro jumped up and chased her off. The trampoline has a net around it and it has always been Pedro and Jellybean's 'thing' to sit inside together while Lilah only sits on the outside edge of it but after that, I'd had enough so I chased Pedro off it and have zipped it up so neither can get on it anymore and will just have to make do with sitting on the outside edge of it like Lilah does. I'm keeping a close eye on them but I wont involve myself unless absolutely necessary. Its all been since they started laying, its like I lost my two little cuties and got these angry birds instead - neither sit on my lap any more, the last time both sat on my lap was the day before they laid their first egg, although Jellybean has just this moment, jumped up on my bed and sat on my feet for a few seconds - I hadn't realised I'd left the back door open but glad I did bcos she purred at me before going back out of my room and its been a while since she's done that to me too.
On a positive note, no one has attacked Roo and she is moving around more confidently than I've ever seen her do before. The duck training is going really well, the boys don't go after the chickens at all anymore, the duck hens still do, however, they now recognize my stick so I only have to hold it up and they stop in their tracks.

 

[Cbarr00]

@Anna Ranieri I've always heard RIR are more of a bully type breed. So maybe Pedro has been an instigator this whole time and as long as jellybean was on her good side she went along with it. Its definitely my reds that pick a little more at my chicks than the speckled.

As for the cockerel, we ended up with 4 cockerels out of 10 chicks earlier this year and all but 1 flogged my family at some point. The only one that didnt try to flog us was terrible with the girls and constantly abused them. My kids enjoy gathering eggs and often go out alone since I've had the baby. Risking an injury from a cockerel to them when having one isn't necessary makes me just want to re-home now. Last time our BO flogged my 9 year old he didnt get hurt but he came inside in tears from the experience. That's the thing about buying from major hatcheries, the aggressive roos get to pass down their genes. And with my cockerels it wasn't a one time incident that I mistook as aggression. I would just be walking around outside the run and when I turned my back they would try to flog me. Luckily the fence was in between us so they couldn't get me. I just had plain ol mean cockerels.

 

[Anna Ranieri]

@Anna Ranieri I've always heard RIR are more of a bully type breed. So maybe Pedro has been an instigator this whole time and as long as jellybean was on her good side she went along with it. Its definitely my reds that pick a little more at my chicks than the speckled.

As for the cockerel, we ended up with 4 cockerels out of 10 chicks earlier this year and all but 1 flogged my family at some point. The only one that didnt try to flog us was terrible with the girls and constantly abused them. My kids enjoy gathering eggs and often go out alone since I've had the baby. Risking an injury from a cockerel to them when having one isn't necessary makes me just want to re-home now. Last time our BO flogged my 9 year old he didnt get hurt but he came inside in tears from the experience. That's the thing about buying from major hatcheries, the aggressive roos get to pass down their genes. And with my cockerels it wasn't a one time incident that I mistook as aggression. I would just be walking around outside the run and when I turned my back they would try to flog me. Luckily the fence was in between us so they couldn't get me. I just had plain ol mean cockerels.

RE: Cockerels, oh dear that is no good at all, the fact that they could do your children some real damage maybe re-homing is the way to go. Its a shame about your roosters being aggressive though, I bet your kids would have loved having a friendly rooster who lets them pet him, I've never had a rooster but I have experienced roosters so friendly they are like puppy dogs with feathers! There's one which loves being stroked so much that when you stop he nudges your arm with his head to let you know he wants more strokes, just like a lot of dogs do.
As for Pedro, I think you might be right, its crazy though bcos to us she is so loving, she chats away to us - which I love - and is always the first one to greet us. In the summer she would come lay with me on a sunbed and often fell asleep snuggled up on my chest. I don't allow my grandson to hurt, chase, tease or upset my pets (nor anyone for that matter) but being so young he (he's two) can be a bit heavy handed but she's as good as gold with him and with all of us actually. She greets visitors once she knows they are safe and will jump up on their laps for a snuggle, in fact she's one of the most loving, sweetest birds there is when it comes to humans, just don't know why she can't be like that with her own kind. Mind you, she is the smallest of all my birds bar one duck hen who is about the same size and that duck is the most aggressive towards the others and I've often wondered if their size has anything to do with it, like maybe they feel or are more threatened b'cos they are so small - who knows could be for any reason I guess.
I'm just thankful that none of my birds are ever aggressive towards us or any humans for that matter.