ALABAMA!!

[biga]

hey, i'm in north al near huntsville (decatur). my chicken numbers recently took a big hit. went from 8 chickens down to 2. started with 4. one baby chick just died the day i got them. lost another to a neighbor's dog. got 4 silkie chicks to add in. big barred rock hen pecked the 2 hens brain dead and after i had to put those 2 down i went ahead and dispatched the 2 that had turned out to be roos. so... i need more chickens as i'm down to 2. when do the feed stores start giving the things away?

 

[RedneckGurl]

hey, i'm in north al near huntsville (decatur). my chicken numbers recently took a big hit. went from 8 chickens down to 2. started with 4. one baby chick just died the day i got them. lost another to a neighbor's dog. got 4 silkie chicks to add in. big barred rock hen pecked the 2 hens brain dead and after i had to put those 2 down i went ahead and dispatched the 2 that had turned out to be roos. so... i need more chickens as i'm down to 2. when do the feed stores start giving the things away?

I'm not aware that any feed store gives "the things" as you call them away, however, I'm sure you can purchase some. They have a name, they're called chicks, and they are not "things" but living, breathing animals who are dependent on you to keep them alive and safe. It would seem that you need to make some changes before you get anymore "things" so that you don't lose anymore.

 

[biga]

I'm not aware that any feed store gives "the things" as you call them away, however, I'm sure you can purchase some. They have a name, they're called chicks, and they are not "things" but living, breathing animals who are dependent on you to keep them alive and safe. It would seem that you need to make some changes before you get anymore "things" so that you don't lose anymore.

your dog get run over this morning?

 

[RedneckGurl]

Quote:
No, because I take care of my animals.

 

[biga]

No, because I take care of my animals.

i can tell. that horse you're riding is quite tall.

 

[RedneckGurl]

Quote:
And it's people like you who give chicken keepers a bad name. I feel sorry for any of the feathered "things" you acquire in the future.

 

[biga]

And it's people like you who give chicken keepers a bad name. I feel sorry for any of the feathered "things" you acquire in the future.

i feel sorry for you. to walk around all day looking for something to get offended by is no way to live your life. Frankie says relax.

 

[Tomtommom]

I think y'all got off on the wrong foot.

Welcome to BYC, people here care for their animals.. and as you see, don't really take well to animals being refered to as 'things'.

Tractor Supply generally start carrying chicks around mid to end February, although with this year's cold, that could very well be later. Who knows? I'm sure you'll find lots of great info on raising chickens.

It sounds like you were attempting a mixed flock. Small, funny looking birds like silkies do not always mix with large birds like barred rocks. If you start them out at the same age they're more likely to accept one another. Chickens like to 'fix' other chickens... sometimes their 'fixes' include yanking out every feather on the other bird. Space is an issue too. Chickens are more likely to peck at eachother if they don't have enough space.

Maybe if you provide more info, we can help you figure out what happened.

 

[biga]

I think y'all got off on the wrong foot.

Welcome to BYC, people here care for their animals.. and as you see, don't really take well to animals being refered to as 'things'.

Tractor Supply generally start carrying chicks around mid to end February, although with this year's cold, that could very well be later. Who knows? I'm sure you'll find lots of great info on raising chickens.

It sounds like you were attempting a mixed flock. Small, funny looking birds like silkies do not always mix with large birds like barred rocks. If you start them out at the same age they're more likely to accept one another. Chickens like to 'fix' other chickens... sometimes their 'fixes' include yanking out every feather on the other bird. Space is an issue too. Chickens are more likely to peck at eachother if they don't have enough space.

Maybe if you provide more info, we can help you figure out what happened.

thanks for your reasonable reply! the 2 feed stores i've been to in town have off-hand mentioned about free chick giveaways when you buy a bag of feed... i just didn't remember when they said they did it. and since i won't be going through a lot of feed due to my misfortunes, i won't be going by there for a month or so. i tried to read up on mixing the new CHICKS into the old flock. i waited until they were "old enough" from what people were saying, but i don't think the silkies were quite big enough for the larger hen attacks. they had plenty of room. and they seemed perfectly fine for the first 2 days. but i guess the big hen finally had enough of them and got into them while i was at work. at least when i get some new CHICKS they will be larger birds and will be able to take the abuse my big hen likes to give out. maybe they'll have a RIR in there that can put her in her place.

 

[Crickett]

I keep my silkies separate from the others because they are much smaller as well as so much more docile. The others would bully them I think.