Breeding silkied Cochin bantams to the Standard

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

I've gotten my first silkied Cochin eggs of the year!! Athena laid her first egg yesterday, and I was able to confirm this today when she laid her second! That means it's not much longer until I can start hatching, right??


I did some last minute touch ups on my currently unoccupied coop today, so I'll be moving the Blue pullets, Boba, Gus, Myrtle, and Zinni out there pretty soon. Just trying to time it right with the weather so that maybe they'll be less antsy wanting to free-range because of the snow and hopefully then be a bit kinder to one another (edit, because they don't currently all live together so will be integrating together in that coop, I mean!). Then when it's closing in on time to really start hatching, I'll put some fence up to split that coop between Gus's group and the Blue group. Exciting!

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

Okay, I finally got up the gumption to move those birds out there to the other coop and, wow, that went well. Copying and pasting the story from another thread:


Well... That didn't go as planned.

My thought was that I would move the pullets first, give them the upper hand on things because I know that Myrtle specifically can be pretty wicked. Then I would move Gus, let him figure things out with the pullets and let them schmooze so that Gussy would maybe offer some protection from Myrtle once she came along. Then lastly, Myrtle and Zinnia would go out and I'd let them figure out their new pecking order with Gus to intervene if the fighting got too bad.

How it actually went is like this. I moved the pullets first as planned. They were confused, but seemed okay, and Freia back at the coop seems okay. Then I brought Gus out there. Athena and Ottilie immediately were like, okay, this is a rooster, we're cool with that. Inara and Boba were downright offended that Gus existed. Immediately, they were in a knock-down-drag-out, kicking and flapping and grabbing onto each other's combs. I grabbed Boba so that Gus would not be outnumbered. Too late, he was already thrown off and couldn't get any headway with Inara. Grabbed Nara and put Boba back down. Same deal. The poor guy was being pummeled by these pullets!

So, change of plans! I grabbed Gus and closed him in their new coop so that he wasn't beaten up on while I went to get Myrtle and Zinnia. I figured they would knock some sense into those two naughty pullets and then Gus could sweep in and things would smooth out. (Gus, of course, sat in the coop and chirped about all the great things he was finding in there I guess. )

Myrtle and Zinni hit the ground in the pen. Things are tense. Once again, Athena and Ottilie are like, oh crap, they look tough, we're outta here. Nara and Boba, immediately back into fighting. Zinni is not much of a fighter, so she immediately backed down. Myrtle, she fought for a bit.. and then SHE backed down, too! These two pullets are absolute tyrants!

Thinking maybe Gus being there would give Myrtle a little more courage, I let him out of the coop. Nope! Those two pullets were not going to give up and poor Gus was struggling. At that point, I did a hail Mary; I've got to get these birds to chill out and live together! I grabbed Boba up, grabbed Nara's feet so she couldn't fight, and let Gus peck at her until she finally, finally conceded. Then I did the same for Boba.

So FINALLY things are calm out there. Gus lunged at the pullets for good measure a couple times while I was still out there keeping an eye on things, and none of them put up a fight. Looks like we're good finally. PHEW! There are two feeders and two water dishes, so they should be okay and everyone should be able to eat and drink as needed. Last step will be helping the pullets figure out that the coop is a safe place to go and not scary. Baby steps!

 

[JacinLarkwell]

downright offended that Gus existed.

Probably the best part

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

Seriously, they were so angry that Gus was there. Sassy girls! I guess they're just independent women who don't need a man in their lives. I honestly would have expected that more from Ottilie than from either Boba or Inara, though, just based on their temperaments up until now!

 

[3KillerBs]

Seriously, they were so angry that Gus was there. Sassy girls! I guess they're just independent women who don't need a man in their lives. I honestly would have expected that more from Ottilie than from either Boba or Inara, though, just based on their temperaments up until now!

Once he learns to romance them properly they'll adore him.

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

Haha, hopefully! Gussy's only been with Zinni and Myrtle before now (well, and Dandy, rest her soul), so I'm sure he doesn't know what to do with all these ladies now!


I just went out and checked on them a few minutes ago and they're all mingling together in their new coop like none of that ever happened. Chickens.

 

[NanaK]

I've learned I can make all the plans I want but chickens always have their own plans!
Glad they worked things out.

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

That's for sure! Much as I try to plan for every possibility with them, they sure know how to throw a wrench in the works!

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

@JacinLarkwell Can I pick your brain on foot frostbite? Specifically, what do you do when you have a bird with a frozen foot?

Last night, as I was finishing coop closing, I heard flapping in the pen split between Jack and Winston. I shined my flashlight down there from up the hill and it looked like Jack was standing in front of his roost, so I just assumed he had jumped and missed and I didn't think anything of it.

Well, as it turns out, he had managed to get his spur hooked in the fencing between him and Winston and was hanging there all night, of course on the one frigid night we had left in the forecast. His foot is frozen solid. I've brought him inside to a hospital pen, but I've never really dealt with this, I know to leave it alone and not try to heat it up too fast, but that's about it. He's currently just sitting in the back corner of his pen, but he was hobbling around and poking through the bedding when I first put him in there, so hopefully that's a good sign. He's a backup male, not a breeder, but he's a good looking guy who I'd hate to lose to me foolishly not investigating any closer last night.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

@JacinLarkwell Can I pick your brain on foot frostbite? Specifically, what do you do when you have a bird with a frozen foot?

Last night, as I was finishing coop closing, I heard flapping in the pen split between Jack and Winston. I shined my flashlight down there from up the hill and it looked like Jack was standing in front of his roost, so I just assumed he had jumped and missed and I didn't think anything of it.

Well, as it turns out, he had managed to get his spur hooked in the fencing between him and Winston and was hanging there all night, of course on the one frigid night we had left in the forecast. His foot is frozen solid. I've brought him inside to a hospital pen, but I've never really dealt with this, I know to leave it alone and not try to heat it up too fast, but that's about it. He's currently just sitting in the back corner of his pen, but he was hobbling around and poking through the bedding when I first put him in there, so hopefully that's a good sign. He's a backup male, not a breeder, but he's a good looking guy who I'd hate to lose to me foolishly not investigating any closer last night.

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I honestly haven't had luck with them recovering from a solid foot. All of mine this year have had their leg(s) die. Keep an eye on it, and I would recommend popping any green blisters. Its the only thing I didn't do that might have helped. Spray hydrogen peroxide on it at least 1x a day, and keep it clean. It may start to slough if its real bad. Mine tend to linger in the feet for a few weeks, and then rapidly kill off the leg.

My thought process is that they can live without most toes, the can't live without a lower leg. At least that's the rule in my setup