BDutch's bantam flock & natural breeding projects #5 🪺 🪺 and #6

[BDutch]

Hope you feel better.
How about asking the lady who sold you the eggs ? If she has hatched chicks for herself maybe she would know.
You will likely find out soon enough... but it feels like a longer time than it actually is when you're hoping for a pullet !

I did a few times. But she doesn’t give straightforward answers either.
Just waiting now.

The next street neighbour has barred chicks (other autosexing breed). Two girls and two boys about the same age as my chicks.
Her boys are lightgrey. The girls darkgrey. Another handicap to know the gender: The grey colour of my chicks resembles the girls colour of the neighbor.

 

[BDutch]

The chicks free range with their mama‘s a few hours in the evening now, but only if I am around to watch most of the time.

The colours of the chicks changed this last week. I have two chicks who are a bit darker with black and grey stripes /white speckles and one with black and white stripes (boyish chick in front).

So the names Thompson and Thomson are hopefully not right after all.
Keeping my fingers crossed.

 

[RoyalChick]

The chicks free range with their mama‘s a few hours in the evening now, but only if I am around to watch most of the time.
View attachment 3889531

The colours of the chicks changed this last week. I have two chicks who are a bit darker with black and grey stripes /white speckles and one with black and white stripes (boyish chick in front). View attachment 3889530
So the names Thompson and Thomson are hopefully not right after all.
Keeping my fingers crossed.

They look very happy exploring the greenery.

 

[BDutch]

Yesterday I finished the safety measures (hwc) in and around new coop. And made an opening in the fence of the the second to the new coop.

The view from the playhouse coop to both runs

I cut an opening as large as the side panel with the open window of the playhouse. 10mm maze hwc blocks the new openings.

The entrance from the garden for cleaning, with a ventilation window on the south-east (E-SE). Just big enough for me to get in if needed.

The hwc window over the big opening in closed position. Its blocks the magnetic closure of the door too.

Not finished/ to be done:
- roosts*
- auto pop door ? **
- DE paint inside
- fungi paint outside

Options
* I could make a roost frame with two bars that isn’t attached to the wall.. or … two roost with oil cups () to prevent red mites walking to the walls in the coop.
** For the time being the window is okay as entrance to the new coop. But I don't trust the safety of the run completely. If I make a auto pop door from the run to the playhouse, the chickens who sleep in there will be safer at night. And its no problem if I forget to close the run door in time.
Before doing this I want to see how the sleeping arrangements work out. I can take the auto-door from the tiny coop and install it somewhere under the window in the second pic.

 

[BDutch]

Just a few photos of the little ones to share.

My chickens eat too much pear at the moment.

The pears are falling constantly and Im afraid a chickens get killed by it.

 

[2ndTink]

View attachment 3894560Just a few photos of the little ones to share.

My chickens eat too much pear at the moment.
View attachment 3894557
The pears are falling constantly and Im afraid a chickens get killed by it.

Those are some big pears! We have 3 ancient and very large pear trees so the pears are maybe 5 to 8 cm tall and less in diameter. They sure taste good though!
Some of the chickens won't really eat them, but I have one hen that during pear season she makes a bee line to the pears every time I let her out!

 

[BDutch]

Those are some big pears! We have 3 ancient and very large pear trees so the pears are maybe 5 to 8 cm tall and less in diameter. They sure taste good though!
Some of the chickens won't really eat them, but I have one hen that during pear season she makes a bee line to the pears every time I let her out!

Bee line Fun expression.

No the chicks are tiny. These are almost 4 week old bantam Amrocks. The pears are smaller than the ones in the shop.

The taste is good for just a few day. The pears turn yellow and become mellow after fallling /easy plucking in just a few days.

With pear:

For storage:

 

[BDutch]

Yesterday I started to paint the inside of the new coop witH DE.

The new coop had to wait because today is thorough cleaning day. Starting to prepare for our vacation next week. And if the new coop isn’t ready it’s not a big deal now bc Tintin has a new home and the chicks probably stay with their mamas for another month.

Katrientje and Pearl hiding for the drizzle. Janice didn’t mind a bit of rain.

The chicks wander off more nowadays.

The mama’s found a tasty treat and called the chicks.

….

Unfortunately it started to rain ‘chicks and dogs’ shortly after. And I hadn’t finished cleaning. Kraai needed to lay an egg and definitely didn’t want to lay in the small coop with the horror door (I locked her in there when she was broody). She waited until the rain stopped pouring and it started to drizzle again. It gave me the opportunity to finish cleaning the nestbox area.
Kraai, told me she is really pleased with the new furnishing.

If possible I like to finish the new coop too this week. So if the chicks are ready to roost they have their own coop. If the hens (especially Pearl and Kraaii) refuse to let the chicks roost in the extension, the chicks don’t need to sleep in the nestbox longer than necessary and don’t need to roost in the open/one of the bushes.

 

[BDutch]

Planned to work on the new chicken playhouse today.
Unfortunately it’s raining way too much (again ) I should have done it yesterday. There was no important reason to choose today.

Just to share a new feeder I bought recently:

One hen (Kraai) spilled a lot when she ate from the chick crumble. She eats the tasty bits and threw the rest out. Making the chick feed wet seemed the only solution.

I bought a new feeder with a small silo because of it. In the description its saying its made against spilling. It helped a lot.
View attachment 3898858

Spoiler: Product description

Galvanized feed silo 2.5 kg with plastic dividing wall is a feed trough made of galvanized sheet, is ideal for compact poultry houses. The product can be placed against a wall. There are 2 hanging holes at the back of the food bowl. The lid is hinged and can be opened to refill the food. The sloping top prevents animals from sitting on it.

To prevent spillage, a special grille has been made of plastic so that the animals cannot play with the food. The low feed level also ensures that spillage is kept to a minimum.

Dimensions: 15 x 16 x 25 cm (capacity 2.5 kg)
Price: € 10,95 excl. delivery costs

 

[BDutch]

Pearl, one tail feather Janice, Kraai and Katrientje arranging their feathers and waiting for scratch/mixed grains with sunflower seeds.

Finished painting with diatomaceous Earth and almost finished the 2 roosts in between two showers.