2018 Newbie Chat!

[Anna Ranieri]

We had 3 meaties earlier this year, talk about not being able to get around. We didn't know what they were when we bought them and the employees at tractor supply, where we bought them, recommended them to us. They got so big so fast and our Texas heat was not kind to them. We culled them around 6 weeks old (the norm is 8-10 weeks) so they wouldn't suffer in the hot weather. They were so big they would sit to eat because the weight was too much. and jumping resulted in a thud to the ground. Here they are around 5 weeks. The same age as all the other chicks around them.
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Oh my gosh! That is not normal, the heat would have beaten them for sure. I get that meat birds have been bred to be obese, but to the point they have to sit to eat, seems way too unfair. Imo I doubt such birds would live very long any way and I can only imagine they would suffer. I really hope Roo won't get any bigger, or at least not much more if there is anymore growing to do, at the moment she is strong on her legs but when she runs she falls over very easily - I'm not wanting to humanise anything but I am obese myself and my legs give way so easily, my legs were the first and most effected so when I see Roo struggle it worries me - as she is now she's fine so if she stays this size I'm sure all will be ok.

 

[Anna Ranieri]

I’m pretty sure.
At two-three weeks the boys combs started growing a lot.
Hers is still small.

Buff Orpingtons are a heavy breed.
I always understood that they get pretty big lol.
I never wanted any because everyone had them.
But now I think about getting a couple because everyone says they’re so sweet. Like the Golden Retriever of chickens

I definitely agree with that statement, she is wonderful, however due to all the chasing I've not been able to tame her as I would have liked but I am hoping she'll be less flighty when she lays - she is gorgeous, most the time we hardly know we have her she is so quiet and easily contented. - I gotta say though hun, if you ever get the chance to get your Light Sussex I recommend you do so, Lilah is by far the sweetest ever.

 

[Anna Ranieri]

Loving everyone's pictures! @Anna Ranieri , do you have a picture of Roo? I still think of her as a little chick, lol, hard to picture her as a big chicken!
I've been so busy with Christmas and my son is getting married on the 29th. Yes, we're having 2 weddings in 1 year, lol. BBZZZZTT in June and her brother in December.
I do read everyone's posts, but sometimes hard to reply to all of them.

I will try get a pic posted asap, I've been meaning to take some up to date pictures for a while but haven't yet got round to it.
Lovely news about the wedding albeit a busy time, ya can't beat a beautiful wedding

 

[Anna Ranieri]

Oh! I forgot to say! We had trimmed Amber's feathers around her eyes the other day. Yesterday while they were out in the yard, I noticed some red under her feathers by her beak and thought I'd check it out to make sure someone hadn't pecked her and there was bleeding. Well, it was a wattle!! She's got red wattles! Bright red. I didn't notice when we were trimming her because I was holding her head I guess, or else I was so focused on not hitting her in the eye with the scissors that I didn't see anything else. I can't find her comb in all those feathers, lol, but I'm hoping maybe she'll be an early layer? When I pet her, she sort of squats maybe? I'd thought it was just from me petting her, it doesn't really look like the squat my daughter's large fowl do but I have no idea if Polish bantams look different doing it or not. They'll all be 18 weeks next Tuesday. Guess I'll open up the nest boxes, I'd been planning on doing that soon anyway...just in case...but telling myself it'd be a long time till there were eggs in them.

Ooooo great! Sounds like you could be in for some eggs pretty soon - I have a laying pullet who doesn't do a full squat (not like the other two do) its hard to explain but its kinda like a semi squat and I'm wondering if it might be similar to what Amber does when you pet her.
I didn't get Lilah until she was 20 weeks, she hatched Roo when she was 18 weeks, I don't remember for sure but I think her previous owner said she started laying at 16 weeks.

 

[Anna Ranieri]

I didn’t recognize that she was getting broody at first.
Plus I had to decide whether to let her brood eggs at all or try to break her.
I decided to go ahead with it and she had laid one of her own eggs but she was still unsure of what she was doing and kicked it into a corner of the nest box and it got cold so I took it out to eat it thinking nothing could develop.
I found out later that as long as it’s not frozen and it’s not cold for longer than 10 hours it may still develop.
She did have an egg from Itsy but it didn’t develop past the first few days.

I got told that broodies will kick out any "bad" eggs, maybe there was a problem with hers and she knew it. Gotta be said though, lil winter is a meant to be and she is gorgeous and Pippin is doing a grand job at raising her. Looking forward to seeing winter with her permanent colours, she's in a win win situ with having such beautiful parents, but especially if she has Emily's pretty little face

 

[TwitchysChicks]

Did you post about this a week or so ago in the illness section? If not someone else had the same thing going on with a video also. What did everyone say, if it was you.

It was me but theres no explanation besides possible mareks or mites. Just didnt know if anyone else had thoughts. She still has water diarrhea

 

[Anna Ranieri]

It was me but theres no explanation besides possible mareks or mites. Just didnt know if anyone else had thoughts. She still has water diarrhea

There are several of threads on here dating back as far as 2010, same symptoms, same walk etc, scaley legs were mentioned, worms, lice etc and de-worming took place to great success, however there was one which turned out to be a kidney infection - are you unable to take her to the vets?

 

[Anna Ranieri]

@llombardo @Cbarr00 @Wohlen We had a second duck egg this morning, laid in exact same place in the duck house as was yesterdays so I'm assuming same duck laid both and I wish I knew which one, although not important really. My grandson asked to have one for his breakfast, he had it hard boiled on toast, he loved it, says he wants one for breakfast tomorrow as well, which I'm delighted about. I took a little taster, wasn't unpleasant but is too strong tasting for me. I might try one fried in the future when both are laying but I'll see.
The egg is about the same size as Lilah's eggs, which surprised me b'cos I was always under the impression that duck eggs are bigger than chicken eggs - Pedro's eggs are bigger, she lays the biggest of all my pullets too.
The shell is a blueish colour, from pics I've seen online are not very clear but from what I see they looks more like a Runner egg than a Khaki Campbell, however my girls are Khaki x Runners although they look just like Khaki's, so that could be why. @llombardo any chance you could post a pic of one of Lucy's eggs please, just so I may compare these against a Khaki Campbell egg?

 

[llombardo]

@llombardo @Cbarr00 @Wohlen We had a second duck egg this morning, laid in exact same place in the duck house as was yesterdays so I'm assuming same duck laid both and I wish I knew which one, although not important really. My grandson asked to have one for his breakfast, he had it hard boiled on toast, he loved it, says he wants one for breakfast tomorrow as well, which I'm delighted about. I took a little taster, wasn't unpleasant but is too strong tasting for me. I might try one fried in the future when both are laying but I'll see.
The egg is about the same size as Lilah's eggs, which surprised me b'cos I was always under the impression that duck eggs are bigger than chicken eggs - Pedro's eggs are bigger, she lays the biggest of all my pullets too.
The shell is a blueish colour, from pics I've seen online are not very clear but from what I see they looks more like a Runner egg than a Khaki Campbell, however my girls are Khaki x Runners although they look just like Khaki's, so that could be why. @llombardo any chance you could post a pic of one of Lucy's eggs please, just so I may compare these against a Khaki Campbell egg?

The duck eggs are defintely bigger

This picture is from the first week I had a chicken and duck lay

 

[Cbarr00]

Oh my gosh! That is not normal, the heat would have beaten them for sure. I get that meat birds have been bred to be obese, but to the point they have to sit to eat, seems way too unfair. Imo I doubt such birds would live very long any way and I can only imagine they would suffer. I really hope Roo won't get any bigger, or at least not much more if there is anymore growing to do, at the moment she is strong on her legs but when she runs she falls over very easily - I'm not wanting to humanise anything but I am obese myself and my legs give way so easily, my legs were the first and most effected so when I see Roo struggle it worries me - as she is now she's fine so if she stays this size I'm sure all will be ok.

Oh yes I agree! If I had known what they were we wouldn't have purchased them. Poor things. We are a meat eating family but those poor chickens are bred to have no life at all unless they're practically starved. There is a thread somewhere on this site of people having them live as long as 2 years I believe. But you have to restrict feed and free range so they exercise. I think it was Chooks who made me feel better about them by telling me at least I knew I had given them a happy but short life here. They got to free range and act like normal chickens unlike their counterparts that are raised in facilities in small cages and never see daylight. My husband was a truck driver and actually delivered corn to Sanderson Farms here in Texas before.