Breeding silkied Cochin bantams to the Standard

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

The plastic EZ ones from TSC. Rough the surface with sandpaper. Use a sharpie and then tape over it

Gotcha, thanks!

I'm using zipties, but I'm thinking of switching to wing bands so that they don't have to be changed out as the birds grow.

Yeah, that's definitely the down side to the leg bands. With the Cochins, I've at least found I can put their final leg bands on much sooner than clean-legged breeds because the leg feathering helps keep looser bands on, but it's still about 3 months of growing before they're big enough for that and I would need to use smaller bands and change them out periodically in the interim.

That said, wing bands have always made me a bit, I don't know, uneasy... same with the toe punches. Possibly because I am a worrier about everything. Definitely report back if you do switch over and let us know how they do, if you don't mind of course!

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Gotcha, thanks!




Yeah, that's definitely the down side to the leg bands. With the Cochins, I've at least found I can put their final leg bands on much sooner than clean-legged breeds because the leg feathering helps keep looser bands on, but it's still about 3 months of growing before they're big enough for that and I would need to use smaller bands and change them out periodically in the interim.

That said, wing bands have always made me a bit, I don't know, uneasy... same with the toe punches. Possibly because I am a worrier about everything. Definitely report back if you do switch over and let us know how they do, if you don't mind of course!

I wanna say I do monitor, but if you don't clasp the EZs, they don't cut off circulation as the leg grows. They just open a bit as needed. Bit the leg itself isn't hurt or marked up. Just thought I would mention it

 

[Auntiejessi3]

Haha, that's the crux of it! It could be the most mundane thing (well, like leg bands!), but it's for chickens so it's exciting!

That is no joke, I started looking at hen saddles and I said "oh that is so cute" out loud, my husband asked what is, when I showed him, he said really babe

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

That's a lot of leg bands!

Now I've got some birds to band! Probably tomorrow, though, as it's at least supposed to be a little above freezing then.

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

Birds are banded! I went ahead and put year bands on everyone, even those not sorted into breeding groups yet, so that I would know their age at a glance.

When I was banding Juniper in the corner coop, I had noticed she was limping pretty hard and looked at her feet while I was banding her. Well, she has bumblefoot again. The other birds in that coop don't have issues with this, but she pretty chronically gets them. I'm wondering if that would warrant her being a cull were she a bird in any of your flocks? I already had her down as a maybe because I'm pretty sure she's the one who was laying wonky-shaped eggs this past year, and her comb is lopped as well, though most of the hens in that coop have that issue...

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Birds are banded! I went ahead and put year bands on everyone, even those not sorted into breeding groups yet, so that I would know their age at a glance.

When I was banding Juniper in the corner coop, I had noticed she was limping pretty hard and looked at her feet while I was banding her. Well, she has bumblefoot again. The other birds in that coop don't have issues with this, but she pretty chronically gets them. I'm wondering if that would warrant her being a cull were she a bird in any of your flocks? I already had her down as a maybe because I'm pretty sure she's the one who was laying wonky-shaped eggs this past year, and her comb is lopped as well, though most of the hens in that coop have that issue...

With my set up, I would. If she's limping near constantly because of it, that means it's hurting her a good deal

 

[3KillerBs]

Well, she has bumblefoot again. The other birds in that coop don't have issues with this, but she pretty chronically gets them. I'm wondering if that would warrant her being a cull were she a bird in any of your flocks?

I would cull a bird with any chronic health issue.

Both susceptibility/resistance to particular illnesses can be inherited. Additionally, there could be some component of a foot deformity that makes her vulnerable to the injury that lets the infection get through the skin.

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

With my set up, I would. If she's limping near constantly because of it, that means it's hurting her a good deal

To be clear, by cull I mean move her out of the breeding group she's in so that I don't hatch from her, not kill. I'd be treating her foot and then keeping her in the mixed flock just as a pet, unless it reaches the point where even with treatment her quality of life was diminished of course.

I would cull a bird with any chronic health issue.

Both susceptibility/resistance to particular illnesses can be inherited. Additionally, there could be some component of a foot deformity that makes her vulnerable to the injury that lets the infection get through the skin.

This is my thought as well, honestly. Thank you (both!) for the affirmation.

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

Looks like this arctic blast is going to cost some of my boys part of their combs. Darn. I did what I could to protect them from it, but unfortunately with last night's rain adding moisture to the air leading into this frigid weather, there wasn't much I could do.

I thankfully have an abundance of pictures of them before this to assess their combs by should any decisions come down to that.

I had gone back and forth on bringing Harley in out of the cold last night considering that she is not yet completely feathered in, but decided last minute to leave her be and see what happens. I'd much rather she be with her flock than isolated and having to be reintegrated later if avoidable. So far so good, and we're past the coldest we were predicted to get, but I still have a pen ready inside just in case I need to intervene. We're supposed to be back above 0°F (above -18°C for those who use that scale) tomorrow and they're predicting a day up near 50°F (10°C) around the end of next week, so they all just have to hold out that long.

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

Happy (belated?) new year! Yesterday, I took 7 month update pictures on the 2022 hatch birds. (Well, and 9-month update for Trixie).

My poor boys and their combs. They look a lot better than they did during that freeze at least. I noticed that Zeke and Wyatt do have distinct Blue lacing in their hackles in these pictures, and Wyatt's wings also have some visible lacing! Neat! It's not as visible in person, though, unfortunately. I never got around to checking for lacing with a stray feather as I mentioned before. Now Washburne, my other Blue hen, is molting, so I definitely have plenty of feathers around to test it on!

Anyway, the boys, starting with Dean:

Levi:

Wyatt:

Zeke:

And the girls, Trixie:

Boba:

Athena (who always moves, darn it!)

Inara:

Ottilie:

My recessive white girl, Dandelion, passed away this past week and has me thinking about adding recessive whites as well... I've never been fond of solid white plumage, but what a great bird she was temperament-wise, even though she had terrible slipped wing and prolapse issues all her laying life, poor girl. Ah, it's just the grief talking, I know. I'm still determined to focus on just the BBS for now. We'll see about other varieties later on down the line.