2018 Newbie Chat!

[PNW_Peepers]

When picking eggs for the broody to hatch I just grabbed random blue ones. The last times I’ve hatched I waited for each girl to lay so I knew who each of the parents would be. Well I should have been more careful this time. Looks like I accidentally hatched two EE eggs by mistake. Two of the babies have one furry foot. Damn it.

 

[Cbarr00]

When picking eggs for the broody to hatch I just grabbed random blue ones. The last times I’ve hatched I waited for each girl to lay so I knew who each of the parents would be. Well I should have been more careful this time. Looks like I accidentally hatched two EE eggs by mistake. Two of the babies have one furry foot. Damn it. View attachment 1740704

Just one foot? Lol.

 

[Anna Ranieri]

Oh, I should have never hatched chicks whilst pregnant. Four hatched, all four are black. Mom is doing great, I caught her showing them water and food today, not sure if they ate or drank anything but I’ll check again tonight. Very very sad news on my fifth egg. It pipped and started to zip late last night. This morning when I checked on them it hadn’t progressed, it died in the egg. I’m so traumatized I can’t even get the egg out. Waiting for DH to get home tonight to help me bury it. I can’t stop crying, all I keep thinking is that I could have helped it.

Awwwww hun so sorry for your loss, hope you feel better soon

 

[Anna Ranieri]

Here’s a closeup of my newly hatched babes. View attachment 1738602View attachment 1738604 View attachment 1738606View attachment 1738607

Awwwwww all that cuteness! They are beautiful

 

[Anna Ranieri]

When picking eggs for the broody to hatch I just grabbed random blue ones. The last times I’ve hatched I waited for each girl to lay so I knew who each of the parents would be. Well I should have been more careful this time. Looks like I accidentally hatched two EE eggs by mistake. Two of the babies have one furry foot. Damn it. View attachment 1740704

Still massively cute though

 

[PNW_Peepers]

Just one foot? Lol.

Yes! It’s so funny each one has just one furry foot, neither EE has feathered feet either.

 

[Anna Ranieri]

Yes! It’s so funny each one has just one furry foot, neither EE has feathered feet either.

One of my girls, Jellybean, has three little feathers between two toes on one of her feet and nothing on the other - they are not very long and only really noticeable when close up to her. We got her and Pedro from a public animal park both were supposed to be Rhode Island Reds, but the park has all kinds of breeds mixed in together and have left them breeding and interbreeding for years to the point that some end up with deformities, so we have no idea what breed she and Pedro are but neither are RIR. My breeder friend believes her to be largely Legbar cross Sussex, showed him her foot feathers, he said the chickens from that park are so interbred she could have any number of other breeds in her and has no idea at all about Pedro (neither does anyone else!). Posted both in 'what breed is this' forum last year, most guessed at Legbar cross for Jellybean, all said they have no idea about Pedro. I wouldn't change them for the world though, I love them exactly as they are.

 

[llombardo]

We did this to our run. We've got wood running the whole way with about 2-3 inch gaps between each piece. We secured it with beams every couple feet along the width and one running lengthwise with brackets where they meet. Then we just put chicken wire over it. We brought the wood down about 2 feet on the west side of our run to give them shade. We plan on adding a tin roof to some areas at some point. We had plenty of wood to use and the chickens definitely needed some kind of reprieve from the Texas sun.

I'm glad to know someone that did this. I don't want to waste the netting, it has worked well. I really don't need much support, but enough so that the netting doesn't cave in. I thought about weaving it between the beams going indifferent direction but I don't think that is necessary.

What size wood did you use? Pressure treated? How big is the run?

 

[Anna Ranieri]

Having major problems with one of the neighbourhood cats, it keeps trying to come after my girls but usually the girls sound warnings to alert us and we then chase it away, however today we didn't get the chance to and it got Roo - thankfully she is unharmed but she was very shaken and scared. We had to take my daughter to a hospital appointment so the girls spent most of the day shut in their run. After the appointment my daughter came home with her son while I went to help my mum with a couple of things she needed help with. My daughter let the girls out then went back indoors to see to her son, shortly after she heard Roo screaming and ran out to seeing the cat running off and jump over the fence, she lost a few feathers but there is no sign of any injury. The girls hadn't given any warning call and we think it's because it was already in the garden hiding and they didn't know it was there. As soon as she heard Roo scream she knew she was being attacked and ran out fast as she could at 8 months pregnant. The other three girls were frozen on the spot and she tried to get them back in the run as her 3yr old son was still inside the bungalow while she was outside but they were so frightened they wouldn't move, so she opened pur backdoor for them to go into the bungalow (usually they run in every chance they get) but they too ftightened to move. She ran and got some mealworms their favourite treat and managed to coax Pedro and Jellybean into the bungalow then picked up Roo and Lilah and took them in with her. When I got home the four of them were standing huddled together in our living room and hadn't even touched the meal worms and she told me they hadn't moved from that spot the whole time. As soon as I came in they followed me around and wouldn't leave my side. As my daughter was telling me what happened I looked out the window and saw the cat in our garden so I ran out after it but the darn thing ran as soon as it heard the door open and was way too quick for me. It ran into my next door neighbours garden and his under a bush so I guess it new I was gunning for it. I always sit out with my girls from early morning to mid morning then again at early evening until bedtime, making regular checks during the day and running out to them as soon as they call but today after this event I brought them outside and sat with them for the rest of the day until bed time, the poor loves didn't leave my side the whole time so I walked around the garden so they could forage. I have decided I am going to get a powered water pistol, with cats hating water and the force of the water sprayed from a power gun being enough to scare the living daylights out of a cat, I'm hoping that doused with water enough times will be enough to eventually deter it from coming back again. When the ducks were here cats and other birds were too scared to come into the garden but now they are gone it seems to be a free for all. I wish I could complain to the owners about their cat but given that I'm not supposed to have chickens there is every change they will report me if I complain and I'd lose my girls if they did so I just got to try and sort it out myself.

 

[llombardo]

Having major problems with one of the neighbourhood cats, it keeps trying to come after my girls but usually the girls sound warnings to alert us and we then chase it away, however today we didn't get the chance to and it got Roo - thankfully she is unharmed but she was very shaken and scared. We had to take my daughter to a hospital appointment so the girls spent most of the day shut in their run. After the appointment my daughter came home with her son while I went to help my mum with a couple of things she needed help with. My daughter let the girls out then went back indoors to see to her son, shortly after she heard Roo screaming and ran out to seeing the cat running off and jump over the fence, she lost a few feathers but there is no sign of any injury. The girls hadn't given any warning call and we think it's because it was already in the garden hiding and they didn't know it was there. As soon as she heard Roo scream she knew she was being attacked and ran out fast as she could at 8 months pregnant. The other three girls were frozen on the spot and she tried to get them back in the run as her 3yr old son was still inside the bungalow while she was outside but they were so frightened they wouldn't move, so she opened pur backdoor for them to go into the bungalow (usually they run in every chance they get) but they too ftightened to move. She ran and got some mealworms their favourite treat and managed to coax Pedro and Jellybean into the bungalow then picked up Roo and Lilah and took them in with her. When I got home the four of them were standing huddled together in our living room and hadn't even touched the meal worms and she told me they hadn't moved from that spot the whole time. As soon as I came in they followed me around and wouldn't leave my side. As my daughter was telling me what happened I looked out the window and saw the cat in our garden so I ran out after it but the darn thing ran as soon as it heard the door open and was way too quick for me. It ran into my next door neighbours garden and his under a bush so I guess it new I was gunning for it. I always sit out with my girls from early morning to mid morning then again at early evening until bedtime, making regular checks during the day and running out to them as soon as they call but today after this event I brought them outside and sat with them for the rest of the day until bed time, the poor loves didn't leave my side the whole time so I walked around the garden so they could forage. I have decided I am going to get a powered water pistol, with cats hating water and the force of the water sprayed from a power gun being enough to scare the living daylights out of a cat, I'm hoping that doused with water enough times will be enough to eventually deter it from coming back again. When the ducks were here cats and other birds were too scared to come into the garden but now they are gone it seems to be a free for all. I wish I could complain to the owners about their cat but given that I'm not supposed to have chickens there is every change they will report me if I complain and I'd lose my girls if they did so I just got to try and sort it out myself.

Can You trap the cat and bring it to a shelter as a stray 5 miles away or can you put a net over a area where they can go safely?