Arizona Chickens

[bunsnpupsnchick]

Anyone have an idea why some of Sherlock's feathers look shredded? Already checked for buggies & haven't found any. It's just the tail feathers & not all of them. It's like the little feather stands aren't sticking together. Sorry, actual terms escape me. His weight, size, is good plus his feathers are shiny. I'm not seeing this with any other bird either. He's still inside with Mr Lola, whose not showing signs of this.

He's about 4.5 months & has new feathers coming in like normal.


Thanks

 

[DesertChic]

Anyone have an idea why some of Sherlock's feathers look shredded? Already checked for buggies & haven't found any. It's just the tail feathers & not all of them. It's like the little feather stands aren't sticking together. Sorry, actual terms escape me. His weight, size, is good plus his feathers are shiny. I'm not seeing this with any other bird either. He's still inside with Mr Lola, whose not showing signs of this.

He's about 4.5 months & has new feathers coming in like normal.


Thanks

It really could be something as simple as those particular feathers routinely rubbing against a roost or coop wall or something. When feathers get old they often begin to look worn.

 

[bunsnpupsnchick]

It really could be something as simple as those particular feathers routinely rubbing against a roost or coop wall or something. When feathers get old they often begin to look worn. 

OK. I did notice some on his wings & the underside. I know he's still at the change the feathers stage. I run my fingers over them & they won't seal.

Thanks. I'll try to see if I catch him rubbing them or similar.

 

[FeatherPugs]

Anyone have an idea why some of Sherlock's feathers look shredded? Already checked for buggies & haven't found any. It's just the tail feathers & not all of them. It's like the little feather stands aren't sticking together. Sorry, actual terms escape me. His weight, size, is good plus his feathers are shiny. I'm not seeing this with any other bird either. He's still inside with Mr Lola, whose not showing signs of this.

He's about 4.5 months & has new feathers coming in like normal.


Thanks

after all the heat of the summer many of mine look "shredded" I usually call it their summer blahs. It clears up with cooler weather and molt.

 

[dahlfuhn]

Hi! We just joined BYC and are looking forward to learning all we can. Santa is bringing chickens for our kiddos this Christmas and my husband and I are trying to figure out where we can buy healthy, mature, kid friendly hens. Any help would be greatly appreciated!!

 

[BlueBaby]

Hi! We just joined BYC and are looking forward to learning all we can. Santa is bringing chickens for our kiddos this Christmas and my husband and I are trying to figure out where we can buy healthy, mature, kid friendly hens. Any help would be greatly appreciated!!

Hello, and welcome to BYC! Good luck with your Christmas hens. I just sold 5 hens to my next door neighbor last month and don't have any more of those available.

 

[Banaynaychicken]

Hi! We just joined BYC and are looking forward to learning all we can. Santa is bringing chickens for our kiddos this Christmas and my husband and I are trying to figure out where we can buy healthy, mature, kid friendly hens. Any help would be greatly appreciated!!

Hallo!!
Oh I got excited reading this message, let me give you the basics ^^

- Reason!Whatever you are going to be raising the chicks for, I recommend always keeping in mind that chick gender is never fool roof. You never know which chick could crow when puberty hits XD

- NAMES! Have the kiddos pick names that match the chicks persona's (If you dont want a boy chicken, I would say stay away from boy names. It really is a curse.)

- Baby Warmth!Having enough warmth during the cold season is always a priority. If you are buying day olds or week olds, have a large enough brooder set up and ready, with food and water in raised places (The chicks WILL get the bedding and stuff in their containers), and 1 or even 2 brooder lamps depending on space.

-Adult Cooping! If you are buying straight up Laying Hens, at an age old enough to lay/breed, have a large coop ready with lots of egg boxes (Even though they WILL only lay in one of them. Tis also a curse), food and water, again, in raised areas to avoid soiling the content, and lots of sand sand sand! Sand is key to good feather condition and happy hens. Alfalfa in their indoor section is also an amazing idea.
a coop like this, which is simple yet effective is a great idea. Easy to build too. -

- Feed! Make sure that during the summer, no corn in their feed, and during the winter, corn in their feed. Corn is hard to digest, and in the summer it can raise body temps to a dangerous point in your birds. However during the winter, corn, seeds, and other things that would raise body heat are both a treat and a way to keep your birds warm.

- Water and Feeding! Personally, I have 10 chickens at home and I change/re-fill/clean their waterer every 3 days. I have a plastic waterer, which although grows mold quicker, does not rust like a metal one does. I also feed them every day, the greedy little buggers. I have a 2 gallon hanging feeder, that I would recommend to anyone.

- Cleaning! Chicken poop is gross. But it is just as gross when your birds are walking/sleeping in it. I clean my coop once a week by raking the sand and sifting it with a hay rake that has a layer of chicken wire attached to it. This works amazingly to remove poo and scraps, and still keep the sand. Alfalfa in the top section is also good for their gullet, and is great for nesting material.

- Perches! It is natural for even flightless birds like chickens to perch. It helps them sleep and work on balance from a young age, as well as makes them feel safe. Predators lurk on the ground, therefore a high place is a safe place.

- Eggs! It is always egg-citing when you get you're first eggs. However with a large suburban flock (7 - 20) you will soon find even your breakfast protein loving family cannot handle/consume all of the eggs. This is where it would be a good idea to take up baking, or selling of eggs.Great project for the kiddos ^^

- Competition! Showing birds in competitions, either in Fair or a community Poultry Show, is both a rewarding and fun experience for kids and parents alike. There are other birds and people who own birds, Showmanship, Serama Tabletop, raffles, and Ribbons! Not to mention it takes planning skills and being on time and responsible, all traits that kids will need in the future.

- Where To Get Them? It depends on the time of year. Ask around, or even check out Craigslist, or the Sales forum here on BYC! there is also a place down here is Tucson, OK Corral, they sell coops, feed, and best of all, Chickens! (Unfortunately gender quality is never a for-sure there. You have to b.e able to handle them and get to know the bird, and that opportunity at OK is always sketchy depending on which bird catcher is working the coops).

Thats all I have for now, if you need elaborations or have questions, feel fee to ask or even PM!

 

[DesertChic]

Hi! We just joined BYC and are looking forward to learning all we can. Santa is bringing chickens for our kiddos this Christmas and my husband and I are trying to figure out where we can buy healthy, mature, kid friendly hens. Any help would be greatly appreciated!!

Hello and welcome!

Where to find hens this time of year? That's a good question. A lot of production keepers are in the process of culling down their flocks for the winter, so all I can recommend is to ask around, maybe check out Craig's List if all else fails. I wish I could help out but I already sold my friendly cull hens for this year. Are you looking for specific breeds? Egg laying traits? Etc???

Good luck!

 

[Banaynaychicken]

Gonna try nd go out and photograph some more of the chickens tomorrow, as well as the new litter of piglets!

Marty is expected to go into labor within the hour, so the Ag. teacher was hoping I could do baby pictures of the whole litter once they are born.

because i may not like the pig, but I can handle the piglets. Squealy little baby piggies <3

 

[Bobby Basham]

Some folks don't realize that chickens can fly. I had a bantam rooster that was in my neighbor's cornfield. Something startled him, and he launched in the air like a pheasant and flew/glided several hundred yards to the end of our property. Never seen anything like that before. We've had them fly up to the high barn rafters and roost for the night.

Smaller, light-weight breeds or young ones can navigate the air pretty well. --BB

Bobby Basham
Tucson, Arizona