2018 Newbie Chat!

[CannedMonster]

I have renamed the baby chick CLEO.
On another thread (Naked Neck/Turken) someone said she has “Cleopatra eyeliner” lol.
I thought that was a great name and fit her better so Cleo it is.
So yesterday we put Pippin and Cleo outside in the prefab run so Pippin could dust bathe.
After a while I put both of them out on the grass while I supervised.
The flock mostly went about their business but Angus did come over to inspect.
As I had known would happen, Pippin’s flock mates didn’t remember her.
Cricket (her best pal) raised her hackles
and they had a stare down.
But Bootsie full on attacked Pippin and there was a very quick but intense fight between the two.
Pippin held her own but Bootsie is twice her size now so she ended up prevailing although Angus quickly came over to break it up.
Pippin retreated calmly with Cleo in tow and began to forage.
Everyone returned to their business.
After a little while (I was still following Pip and Cleo observing and supervising) Silver came over obviously very curious about baby Cleo.
When Pippin’s back was turned, Silver went right up to the baby and stared inches from her face.
Pippin turns and sees this and immediately flew at Silver with her feet and claws first and Silver was chased away.
At that point Pippin took Cleo back to the prefab coop where it was quieter.
I felt the baby was getting cold so I picked both of them up to put them back in the garage.
I noticed Pippin was bleeding a little from her wattles.
It had already stopped and I just wiped and blotted her with a tissue.
So a little excitement there but nothing unusual really.
Cleo is getting so much feathering now.
Someone in the NN/Turken thread said that with all the colors and eyeliner in her chick down she is going to be a very colorful girl.

 

[CannedMonster]

Another egg laid today!
And it’s a huge one!
2.3 ounces.
That’s the size of Red’s eggs but she already laid one first thing this morning.
Here’s the new egg next to Bootsie’s egg.

Unfortunately I have no idea who laid it.

 

[llombardo]

I moved them in for the holidays. I'm still getting 6 eggs a day. It don't matter if they are in or out. They just keep laying. I got all the tree branches cut, now I have to get the pile taken care of so I don't have any skunks making a home under the pile.

Here is their area for the next few days.

 

[Anna Ranieri]

That’s an alarm call.
They have different sounds for aerial predators and land predators.
She’s just warning the others to keep a lookout because it might be a hawk or owl.
Usually when she does it you’ll see the others stop and look up.
That’s also another indication that Lilah is your dominant lead hen because in my flock the roosters do it.
In flocks with no roosters usually one hen will take up watch duty.

Ahhh that makes a lot of sense and yes I have noticed the others look up too plus my drakes do their call and my head duck hen quacks. I like that you told me they make a noise b'cos its harder for a predator to attack when they know they've been seen.
Had a strange experience the other day though, my mum came by to help by giving me a lift to dump some rubbish down at our local tip, I got her to park up around the back of the bungalow so I could load up her car via the back gate, I nipped indoors to get something and I became aware that both flocks were completely silent, so I took a look out of the window and saw all 8 huddled together in a corner, I went out to find my mum standing by the back door, she had decided to come in and see them and stood still when she realised her presence was frightening them. Even though I was there they still didn't come out and just kept giving her the side eye, I told her to wait in the car b'cos her being there was scaring them so much. They have never before behaved like this, usually they are extremely vocal and often will rush at an intruder and if the intruder doesn't go they'll attack, especially Pedro, she's like a guard dog! I used to worry about the neighbourhood cats attacking my birds but after encountering my birds, none dare come in my garden at all anymore. If we have a visitor who wants to come meet them we always make sure one of us go out first, I just don't recognise nor understand their behaviour on seeing my mum, they just are never quiet, especially when scared they make even more noise. Thing is, she met them back August and they didn't react that way then, in fact they barely took any notice of her. Strange one that.

 

[Anna Ranieri]

I have renamed the baby chick CLEO.
On another thread (Naked Neck/Turken) someone said she has “Cleopatra eyeliner” lol.
I thought that was a great name and fit her better so Cleo it is.
So yesterday we put Pippin and Cleo outside in the prefab run so Pippin could dust bathe.
After a while I put both of them out on the grass while I supervised.
The flock mostly went about their business but Angus did come over to inspect.
As I had known would happen, Pippin’s flock mates didn’t remember her.
Cricket (her best pal) raised her hackles
and they had a stare down.
But Bootsie full on attacked Pippin and there was a very quick but intense fight between the two.
Pippin held her own but Bootsie is twice her size now so she ended up prevailing although Angus quickly came over to break it up.
Pippin retreated calmly with Cleo in tow and began to forage.
Everyone returned to their business.
After a little while (I was still following Pip and Cleo observing and supervising) Silver came over obviously very curious about baby Cleo.
When Pippin’s back was turned, Silver went right up to the baby and stared inches from her face.
Pippin turns and sees this and immediately flew at Silver with her feet and claws first and Silver was chased away.
At that point Pippin took Cleo back to the prefab coop where it was quieter.
I felt the baby was getting cold so I picked both of them up to put them back in the garage.
I noticed Pippin was bleeding a little from her wattles.
It had already stopped and I just wiped and blotted her with a tissue.
So a little excitement there but nothing unusual really.
Cleo is getting so much feathering now.
Someone in the NN/Turken thread said that with all the colors and eyeliner in her chick down she is going to be a very colorful girl.

Such a good mummy Pippin is Great name choice, although I will admit I quite liked the name winter, Cleo is a great name for her.
I really can't make up my mind whether I believe they forget that easily ans so soon or not, my reasons being that my Grandson's father visits him every Sunday, if the weather is good or ok he will take my grandson into our back garden to play, neither the chickens nor the ducks ever forget who he is, yet he can go as much as three weeks without them seeing him, (although they probably hear him inside the bungalow)the least time between seeing him is a week. My mum situation I mentioned in previous post, is a bit different as it was August last time they saw her and she wasn't here that long so I wouldn't expect them nor anyone for that matter to remember someone after four months of meeting briefly. And I just don't understand why or how they can remember someone after not seeing them for a week and sometimes two or three weeks, yet they can forget a flock member after a few days
Also, didn't you post once about your chickens, (I think Wyandottes?) Remembering their rooster when you took them to your friends?
I just wonder if it might be more about status rather than memory.
Imo it would be nice if more studies were done on the behaviour of these magnificent birds, apart from knowledge gained and shared by owners over the years, there really isn't much info around nor many studies done, not compared to other animals and pets especially.

 

[llombardo]

Ahhh that makes a lot of sense and yes I have noticed the others look up too plus my drakes do their call and my head duck hen quacks. I like that you told me they make a noise b'cos its harder for a predator to attack when they know they've been seen.
Had a strange experience the other day though, my mum came by to help by giving me a lift to dump some rubbish down at our local tip, I got her to park up around the back of the bungalow so I could load up her car via the back gate, I nipped indoors to get something and I became aware that both flocks were completely silent, so I took a look out of the window and saw all 8 huddled together in a corner, I went out to find my mum standing by the back door, she had decided to come in and see them and stood still when she realised her presence was frightening them. Even though I was there they still didn't come out and just kept giving her the side eye, I told her to wait in the car b'cos her being there was scaring them so much. They have never before behaved like this, usually they are extremely vocal and often will rush at an intruder and if the intruder doesn't go they'll attack, especially Pedro, she's like a guard dog! I used to worry about the neighbourhood cats attacking my birds but after encountering my birds, none dare come in my garden at all anymore. If we have a visitor who wants to come meet them we always make sure one of us go out first, I just don't recognise nor understand their behaviour on seeing my mum, they just are never quiet, especially when scared they make even more noise. Thing is, she met them back August and they didn't react that way then, in fact they barely took any notice of her. Strange one that.

I've seen mine do both. As they get older they are more confident. I think like any other animal they go through phases. It's funny how pecking order doesn't matter when they are scared or unsure.

 

[Anna Ranieri]

We’re starting to get more eggs!
Lucy, one of my Partridge Rocks, has started laying.
Her eggs are bantam sized right now but they’ll get bigger.
View attachment 1622916

From left to right: Lucy’s egg, Bootsie’s egg, Cricket’s egg and Itsy’s egg (below) If you look closely and zoom in you can see that Itsy’s egg has little speckles on it
View attachment 1622917

Awwwww wow, are those speckles anything to do with her breed? They actually remind me of a babies freckles

 

[llombardo]

Such a good mummy Pippin is Great name choice, although I will admit I quite liked the name winter, Cleo is a great name for her.
I really can't make up my mind whether I believe they forget that easily ans so soon or not, my reasons being that my Grandson's father visits him every Sunday, if the weather is good or ok he will take my grandson into our back garden to play, neither the chickens nor the ducks ever forget who he is, yet he can go as much as three weeks without them seeing him, (although they probably hear him inside the bungalow)the least time between seeing him is a week. My mum situation I mentioned in previous post, is a bit different as it was August last time they saw her and she wasn't here that long so I wouldn't expect them nor anyone for that matter to remember someone after four months of meeting briefly. And I just don't understand why or how they can remember someone after not seeing them for a week and sometimes two or three weeks, yet they can forget a flock member after a few days
Also, didn't you post once about your chickens, (I think Wyandottes?) Remembering their rooster when you took them to your friends?
I just wonder if it might be more about status rather than memory.
Imo it would be nice if more studies were done on the behaviour of these magnificent birds, apart from knowledge gained and shared by owners over the years, there really isn't much info around nor many studies done, not compared to other animals and pets especially.

I'll test the theory on my sister. Let's see if Prince remembers that he doesn't like her grabbing the girls...lol

 

[Anna Ranieri]

Another egg laid today!
And it’s a huge one!
2.3 ounces.
That’s the size of Red’s eggs but she already laid one first thing this morning.
Here’s the new egg next to Bootsie’s egg.
View attachment 1623141
Unfortunately I have no idea who laid it.

Wow, that is a big egg

 

[Anna Ranieri]

I moved them in for the holidays. I'm still getting 6 eggs a day. It don't matter if they are in or out. They just keep laying. I got all the tree branches cut, now I have to get the pile taken care of so I don't have any skunks making a home under the pile.

Here is their area for the next few days.

View attachment 1623147View attachment 1623148View attachment 1623149View attachment 1623150

Awwww this looks grand, great idea of yours, great set of pics too - incidentally is Prince in mid crow on the first pick? - just curious as is mouth is open and his stance is such that he looks like he could be