A Bielefelder Thread !

[DesertChic]

OK Bielefelder owners, I have another hen being weird... this one is braying like a donkey. No kidding, she sounds exactly like a donkey. No other symptoms. It has been hot, and all the girls are open mouth breathing in the heat of the day. She did this for about 1/2 hour, but seems to have stopped!

Anyone else heard this?

At the risk of scaring you, there's a good chance she was on the verge of major heat stroke. The Biel rooster I lost a year ago and the hen I lost this year made similar sounds before dying. With the rooster I lost, he made that sound for short periods of time each day and then one day just dropped dead. If she does it again, I would recommend cooling her down quickly...maybe put her in a dog crate in the house where it's air conditioned for a while until she perks up.

 

[Cynthia12]

Bieles make all sorts of unusual noises. Because they're friendly, they'll follow their owners around chatting the entire time. I never heard a donkey sound, but mine sounded grumpy. Sometimes kind of growling-like noises to their bawks. My former biele also made a whining noise that sounded like, "Treeeeats? Treeeeeaaaaats?"

My pullets that hatched back in March are now in the stage when voices are changing. They are also starting to mingle closer to the rest of the flock. I still have 2 subflocks, but they're finding their place. My Biele pullet hangs out with a RIR. Both are treat monsters & always begging.

My girl follows me around and talks to me. Pretty cute.

 

[Coop de Grass]

Quote:
I love that they chatter. I just hadn't heard this sound before. I have only the 2 Biele hens, and 1 roo, at least until the eggs that I set from my trio hatch

 

[Outpost JWB]

Thank you, Christine.

I found out that it could have been so much worse. I checked the camera in the coop, and saw that the timer is off, so the door didn't go down until 9:50. I heard the chicks. There were 3 separate attacks between 10:11 and 10:15. I almost lost all of them.

I think that I am going to go and sit with them and have coffee. 

I'm so sorry and totally understand. We have had BAD problems with raccoons. 2 years ago every night for 2 weeks we were either killing a raccoon, or they were killing my flock. One of my hens even died because she got caught in a snare, it was all SO AWFUL. We took turns standing guard, sleep deprived, stressed out.

This year, they have taken off with or flat out killed 2 CCL roosters, and about 5 hens. Super aggravating. We have taken out 7 raccoon and 1 opossum. So glad they didn't get both of our entire flocks.

 

[Coop de Grass]

I'm so sorry and totally understand. We have had BAD problems with raccoons. 2 years ago every night for 2 weeks we were either killing a raccoon, or they were killing my flock. One of my hens even died because she got caught in a snare, it was all SO AWFUL. We took turns standing guard, sleep deprived, stressed out.

This year, they have taken off with or flat out killed 2 CCL roosters, and about 5 hens. Super aggravating. We have taken out 7 raccoon and 1 opossum. So glad they didn't get both of our entire flocks.

My DH was talking about Havahart traps, but I feel as though we would just be giving the problems to other people. Last night we confirmed that it was a raccoon - we heard noises outside the coop (from the camera inside the coop). DH had put in a floor level window for the girls to look out, and we saw it going past the window. Not sure if it was just one.

We are now completing the predator-proofing of the middle run with hardware cloth and a corrugated roof. DH is also talking about electric fencing. Do you have any thoughts on that? He is worried about our cat, although our cat does not climb the fence! He is a bush dweller, and scared easily! He watches the girls, but he isn't stalking them. I think he learned from our elderly cat who just passed, that chickens are friends, not food

 

[Coop de Grass]

At the risk of scaring you, there's a good chance she was on the verge of major heat stroke. The Biel rooster I lost a year ago and the hen I lost this year made similar sounds before dying. With the rooster I lost, he made that sound for short periods of time each day and then one day just dropped dead. If she does it again, I would recommend cooling her down quickly...maybe put her in a dog crate in the house where it's air conditioned for a while until she perks up.

Not sure how I missed this! Jessica (Biel) is not making the noise this morning. She has been making the first part of the hee-haw, really a squeak, for a couple of weeks, last night she added haw. I am going to take your advice and bring her inside if I hear it again. She hasn' been listless, just braying at the end of the day. DH is putting in an exhaust fan in the gable of the coop which will help when they are in the nest boxes. I leave the door open during the day. I have also been wetting down the ground where they like to hang out, and also in their "woods". They are hardly ever inside the coop even in the winter.

FYI, I found a $8 sprinkler at Home Depot that is circular and one of the settings is basically mist! I may try a plastic kiddie pool for them to wade in. maybe inspire them by floating peas and corn in it. It is nice to have friends with experience!

 

[gotro17]

Here are three of my Bielefeder crosses... The "yellow" one is the EE hen and the other two are with the Cream Legbar hen... I'm guessing two girls and a boy, but, the boy has good eyeliner...and a head spot.

 

[DesertChic]

Not sure how I missed this! Jessica (Biel) is not making the noise this morning. She has been making the first part of the hee-haw, really a squeak, for a couple of weeks, last night she added haw. I am going to take your advice and bring her inside if I hear it again. She hasn' been listless, just braying at the end of the day. DH is putting in an exhaust fan in the gable of the coop which will help when they are in the nest boxes. I leave the door open during the day. I have also been wetting down the ground where they like to hang out, and also in their "woods". They are hardly ever inside the coop even in the winter.

FYI, I found a $8 sprinkler at Home Depot that is circular and one of the settings is basically mist! I may try a plastic kiddie pool for them to wade in. maybe inspire them by floating peas and corn in it. It is nice to have friends with experience!

If you use that plastic kiddie pool, place some bricks in the pool for them to stand/rest on. Someone on another thread offered this advice and I've found it to be invaluable. My chickens refused to go anywhere near the pool until I placed bricks both outside the perimeter of the pool, and in the water. Now it's the local hangout.

 

[DesertChic]

Here are three of my Bielefeder crosses... The "yellow" one is the EE hen and the other two are with the Cream Legbar hen... I'm guessing two girls and a boy, but, the boy has good eyeliner...and a head spot.

Yay! Congratulations! I was surprised with my last Biel-cross hatch as the two that definitely appeared to be girls turned out to be boys. They had darker striping and thick eyeliner, but that Ameraucana-Dorking blood totally changed the sex-link traits.

 

[write2caroline]

I am super egg-cited - I ordered two of these to hatch with my bluebar cuckoos.

My son lived in the village of Versmold which I guess is next to Bielefeld - the School he attended was in Bielefeld.

I ordered these because he loved Germany and being in Bielefield. Someone said Bielefeld chickens are just Welsummers with sex link but I think they are much prettier.

I cannot wait to get them and put them in the incubator!
Caroline