2018 Newbie Chat!

[Anna Ranieri]

So much happening on here

Il hit all points and everyone should know who they are for

Congrats onthe Pregnancy

I'm sure the girls appreciate the extra goodies. Do you have any pics of the ducks in their new home?

I have eggs everywhere--can not keep up with eating them it giving them away.

Temps were like 35 today but felt warmer. Kids outside playing like it's summer..lol

I got my car cleaned out, dog poop picked up, washing the duck blankets and brushed 3 dogs. I'm about done. Next weekend I will clean out the pen--lots of rabbit poop. I will measure the first wall for the run and hopefully get thst up next weekend, then start ensuring second wa and put it up the followinv week.

I think I have more of a. i have an idea on the coop and seperation for everyone. Next week I'm putting the pool on a few sites to get rid of it and I'm hoping to get rnough to pay for the trees to come down.

I have pics, just need my daughter to put them on my laptop for me so will post as soon as I can

 

[No More Empty Nest]

Jade finally started laying! And did she ever make a big nest, lol. She fluffed up the nesting material about six inches up on the edges. I think she completely disappears in it when she sits! All of them used her nest today. She had a few stripes of blood on the egg, poor thing. I know that can happen with first eggs but i still feel for her. She's my littlest one.
So here's a picture of all 4 of today's eggs in a little bowl. Jade's is the blue one. I took the picture outside in natural light. The green/blue of eggs looks different in artificial light. Maybe because we have all fluorescent bulbs, I don't know.

Honestly, if I didn’t eat so many eggs I’d just have bantams.
I absolutely love them!
They eat less, poop smaller , are way less damaging to plants and gardens, and the roosters are easier to handle and don’t tear up the hens backs.

Angus continues to attack DH so I will be rehoming him and if I can’t find a buyer it’ll be freezer camp.
His behavior has been changing too.
He grabs the hens sometimes and forces them.
Sometimes Oliver kicks Angus even!
I will keep Oliver for now but he may go to another home too.
I’ve decided to only keep bantam roosters.
I will probably get a couple more bantam cockerels with my Murray McMurray order of Belgians in May.
I may put them with the LF hens since they’re a clean legged breed (unlike the bantam Cochins & D’Uccle) and I don’t really want partially feather legged chicks lol.
This will give my girls a break from boys for a while. The new ones won’t even be mature until September/October.
My Cochin and D’Uccle boys will have to be confined to the prefab run until the Belgian chicks mature and can fend for themselves.
Otherwise the Cochins will take over all the females and not allow the new boys to breed.
Of course, my little buff guy is extremely skittish and scared so he may not take over anything

I love my bantams! Poop is definitely smaller. I couldn't believe the huge poops when I took care of my daughter's chickens when she was gone. Wow!
Eggs are smaller, but that's ok. There are only 2 of us eating them. I've read from 2 to 2 1/2 bantam eggs equals a large egg. I want to get a scale so I can see what the difference is with mine.

Diamond isn't biting me anymore. She pecked at my hand today but it wasn't they grab on and chomp down like before. I picked her up and carried her around anyway. I think she likes to be carried. I knew Jade was close to laying because she let me pet her and she squatted, plus she was in the nest box a lot today. I've been gone the past week so didn't seethe changes till today. She used to never let me touch her. So I'm happy with the personality changes of laying.

 

[CannedMonster]

Jade finally started laying! And did she ever make a big nest, lol. She fluffed up the nesting material about six inches up on the edges. I think she completely disappears in it when she sits! All of them used her nest today. She had a few stripes of blood on the egg, poor thing. I know that can happen with first eggs but i still feel for her. She's my littlest one.
So here's a picture of all 4 of today's eggs in a little bowl. Jade's is the blue one. I took the picture outside in natural light. The green/blue of eggs looks different in artificial light. Maybe because we have all fluorescent bulbs, I don't know.

View attachment 1722051



I love my bantams! Poop is definitely smaller. I couldn't believe the huge poops when I took care of my daughter's chickens when she was gone. Wow!
Eggs are smaller, but that's ok. There are only 2 of us eating them. I've read from 2 to 2 1/2 bantam eggs equals a large egg. I want to get a scale so I can see what the difference is with mine.

Diamond isn't biting me anymore. She pecked at my hand today but it wasn't they grab on and chomp down like before. I picked her up and carried her around anyway. I think she likes to be carried. I knew Jade was close to laying because she let me pet her and she squatted, plus she was in the nest box a lot today. I've been gone the past week so didn't seethe changes till today. She used to never let me touch her. So I'm happy with the personality changes of laying.

Your eggs are beautiful!
Yep I do love my bantams.
I’ve noticed that if I have to pick Cleo up, she will sometimes squat when I put her down.
Her comb and wattles are very red now.
I wonder if she may mature faster than my other girls?
She is 17 weeks.
I haven’t noticed her checking out nest boxes yet but she has started to walk around vocalizing a lot.

 

[CannedMonster]

I put Oliver and 6 girls in the new coop tonight.
With him are: Elsie, Taka, Sumi, Lucy, Silver and Ivy.
They will be in their own fenced off yard from the rest from here on out.
(Unless I replace Ollie with a bantam roo; then they could mingle again)
I have had the new coop open for a couple of weeks and some of the girls have even started laying in it.
This was just to get them used to it.
They were all very disturbed by being moved and are nervous and unsure.
Oliver even crowed a couple of times even though my roos don’t crow when the sun starts going down.
Angus answered him several times.
I’m hoping it won’t take long for them to adjust.
Oliver will now be free from Angus’ interference.

 

[emrya]

Ugh I'm having a hard time coming up with names for the new ones. I'm watching their personalities and coming up with nada zilch. Can not even think of a theme..lol

So far
The cinnamon Queen I named Cinnamon--real original(sarcasm)but fitting

The silver polish with beak issues-I have been calling her little one

The sapphire gem which has become the friendliest out of all(older and younger)--I have been calling her sweet pea

One of them reminds me of a chipmunk, the crested polish(can't think of something fitting) and the other 3 I have no clue.

so far for polish I have Eggy pop, Mr T., Bowie, and Annie (Lennox). need one more myself!

 

[Anna Ranieri]

so far for polish I have Eggy pop, Mr T., Bowie, and Annie (Lennox). need one more myself!

Great and fun name choices!

 

[Anna Ranieri]

Jade finally started laying! And did she ever make a big nest, lol. She fluffed up the nesting material about six inches up on the edges. I think she completely disappears in it when she sits! All of them used her nest today. She had a few stripes of blood on the egg, poor thing. I know that can happen with first eggs but i still feel for her. She's my littlest one.
So here's a picture of all 4 of today's eggs in a little bowl. Jade's is the blue one. I took the picture outside in natural light. The green/blue of eggs looks different in artificial light. Maybe because we have all fluorescent bulbs, I don't know.

View attachment 1722051



I love my bantams! Poop is definitely smaller. I couldn't believe the huge poops when I took care of my daughter's chickens when she was gone. Wow!
Eggs are smaller, but that's ok. There are only 2 of us eating them. I've read from 2 to 2 1/2 bantam eggs equals a large egg. I want to get a scale so I can see what the difference is with mine.

Diamond isn't biting me anymore. She pecked at my hand today but it wasn't they grab on and chomp down like before. I picked her up and carried her around anyway. I think she likes to be carried. I knew Jade was close to laying because she let me pet her and she squatted, plus she was in the nest box a lot today. I've been gone the past week so didn't seethe changes till today. She used to never let me touch her. So I'm happy with the personality changes of laying.

Congratulations! Lovely mix of colours you have there, all are very beautiful

 

[llombardo]

The white crested polish is named Alina(meaning of name is beautiful and is polish) The jersey giant is Raven...

3 more to go....

 

[CannedMonster]

DH said there was a lot of pacing along the fence on both sides today.
And Sumi (my Australorp) jumped the gate to get back to Angus!
I kind of thought she might.
She is particularly attached to him.
He always shows her places to lay and stays with her for a while.
So that gives Oliver 5 girls.
I’ll be adding to his flock from my new LF chicks.
We have extended the gate as well now so no more jumping.
Oliver’s group went in to roost in the new coop just fine today except Lucy, my one remaining Partridge Rock.
She was confused and kept running back and forth along the fence.
I don’t think she saw the others go in.
I kind of guided her around thinking I would catch her but she finally noticed the other coop and went to check it out.
Oliver was calling to her by that time.
Angus took longer to go in too.
He kept looking at the other yard and wandering around.
But he finally went in with his 7 ladies.

Unfortunately Angus grabbed Cleo and tried to breed her today but she really screamed and ran away babawking for many minutes.
She was extremely upset.
She’s a very sensitive girl.
Plus she hasn’t started laying yet so she’s not ready.
I want her with a bantam roo so her feathers don’t get ruined.

I need to try to find someone that might want Angus.

 

[Anna Ranieri]

DH said there was a lot of pacing along the fence on both sides today.
And Sumi (my Australorp) jumped the gate to get back to Angus!
I kind of thought she might.
She is particularly attached to him.
He always shows her places to lay and stays with her for a while.
So that gives Oliver 5 girls.
I’ll be adding to his flock from my new LF chicks.
We have extended the gate as well now so no more jumping.
Oliver’s group went in to roost in the new coop just fine today except Lucy, my one remaining Partridge Rock.
She was confused and kept running back and forth along the fence.
I don’t think she saw the others go in.
I kind of guided her around thinking I would catch her but she finally noticed the other coop and went to check it out.
Oliver was calling to her by that time.
Angus took longer to go in too.
He kept looking at the other yard and wandering around.
But he finally went in with his 7 ladies.

Unfortunately Angus grabbed Cleo and tried to breed her today but she really screamed and ran away babawking for many minutes.
She was extremely upset.
She’s a very sensitive girl.
Plus she hasn’t started laying yet so she’s not ready.
I want her with a bantam roo so her feathers don’t get ruined.

I need to try to find someone that might want Angus.

Just curious, who will you put his girls with when he goes?