California - Northern

[Hangtown Farms]

Have you found your boy yet Jason? When two of my house cats got out, one hid in a culvert and the other under a shed for two days. Too scared to come out until they saw me, even though I was calling them.

Nope nothing yet. He has done that before to so we shall see

 

[lawatt]

Nope nothing yet. He has done that before to so we shall see

I've occasionally had a cat disappear for a day or three, causing me huge worry, only to have them turn up smiling and innocent whenever they got good and ready to. silly furry beasts.

trying to decide whether to try to separate Amelia #2 & her babies from the rest of the flock, specifically the other broody with a 3-week-old chick -- mostly because Amelia #2 is quite low on the pecking order, during her incubation the others kept chasing her off her nest so they could lay their eggs in it -- and the other broody, a cuckoo marans, is quite bossy, & i'm concerned Amelia won't be able to protect her chicks against a higher-ranking hen. but maybe i'm overthinking this?

 

[8machines]

the chickens are always still in their coop/run at 6:30, i've never let them out earlier than 8 or so -- but i think they're going to be limited to late afternoons for a while.  but Max starts making occasional noises around 3am, and is pretty much up and about around 6-6:30 -- and I'm a fairly early riser myself, esp. as i get older -- find it hard to sleep later than 7, even with no chicken noises at all.

I remember those days. I think home schooling is thebst! I am 65, my husband 66. I do not sleep through the night so probably the reason I sleep so late. Oh to have my kids little and get up early again!

 

[ChickNmamma]

Quote:

he comes home safe and sound. He is a pretty boy.

About the broodies, I would watch them. I think you already learned you can only separate them if her chicks can't get out where any of the other birds are. If anybody picks on Amelia #2s chicks and she can't chase them off because she gets beat down, then I would separate them. Usually nobody messes with a broody but it can bring on some real battles if you have more than one broody - so that is what I would watch for. I don't think you are over-thinking it, but it might work out fine - just keep an eye on them.

 

[alibra]

they look so vigorous, Ron! i've managed to get a few pictures of Amelia #2 and her new hatchlings -- will definitely have to get some better ones, but here's what i've got for now -- they're in a not-easy-to-reach-with-a-camera nestbox. the eggs came from some combination of a cream legbar, two basques, one SPPR, and one australorp, all fertilized by Max the SFH -- not sure who is who yet, although one (probably one of the CL/SFH crosses) has a GIANT white dot on it's head -- probably a boy! Amelia #2 and FOUR chicks, there might still be another resting underneath her? two definitely did not make it through hatching, i've removed those, and there were 8 eggs originally. judging by the empty eggshells, one of the hatchlings is definitely a Daisy Jr. (yay!!!), and it might be this one, i remember Daisy (a black australorp) had a lot of white on her face/head as a chick possible-Daisy Jr. says hello! another dark chick with a gorgeously brown head

What breed is the hen?

 

[lawatt]

he comes home safe and sound. He is a pretty boy.

About the broodies, I would watch them. I think you already learned you can only separate them if her chicks can't get out where any of the other birds are. If anybody picks on Amelia #2s chicks and she can't chase them off because she gets beat down, then I would separate them. Usually nobody messes with a broody but it can bring on some real battles if you have more than one broody - so that is what I would watch for. I don't think you are over-thinking it, but it might work out fine - just keep an eye on them.

thanks -- the trouble is of course the timing, tomorrow is the day before classes start and i'll be in meetings all day -- won't be able to be here to keep an eye on things. having five broodies at once (and a bobcat lurking outside, so i can't just let everyone out to free-range) is just too much juggling! but thanks for the perspective, it's good to know i'm thinking along the same lines as you -- perhaps i'm slowly learning, after all!

 

[lawatt]

What breed is the hen?

the broody who hatched them? she's a cross between a cream legbar and a penedesenca, known affectionately in this thread as an Amelia -- but none of the chicks are biologically hers.

 

[tommysgirl]

I've occasionally had a cat disappear for a day or three, causing me huge worry, only to have them turn up smiling and innocent whenever they got good and ready to. silly furry beasts.

trying to decide whether to try to separate Amelia #2 & her babies from the rest of the flock, specifically the other broody with a 3-week-old chick -- mostly because Amelia #2 is quite low on the pecking order, during her incubation the others kept chasing her off her nest so they could lay their eggs in it -- and the other broody, a cuckoo marans, is quite bossy, & i'm concerned Amelia won't be able to protect her chicks against a higher-ranking hen. but maybe i'm overthinking this?

I also vote for wait and see. BeakFace's chicks are almost 5 weeks old now I leaving them in with the rest of the flock turned out to be the easiest and the best thing.

I am hoping to be able to put them in with Curly when his coop is done. Since he will be Boss Chicken in that coop they may just accept that and never pick on him even when they get bigger. Either that or a couple of his hatchmate friends as originally planned. I do have the opportunity to pick him up a couple of D'Anvers girls but I am afraid that they won't be nice to to him since they are already adults who have not known him their whole lives.

 

[lawatt]

I also vote for wait and see. BeakFace's chicks are almost 5 weeks old now I leaving them in with the rest of the flock turned out to be the easiest and the best thing.

I am hoping to be able to put them in with Curly when his coop is done. Since he will be Boss Chicken in that coop they may just accept that and never pick on him even when they get bigger. Either that or a couple of his hatchmate friends as originally planned. I do have the opportunity to pick him up a couple of D'Anvers girls but I am afraid that they won't be nice to to him since they are already adults who have not known him their whole lives.

no question that the rest of the flock doesn't care particularly about the chicks -- it's the other broody WITH a chick, Dixie, that i'm concerned about. i tried moving her over to the pen with Jane & her two chicks of the same age, but Dixie started acting aggressive again, toward both Jane & one of the her chicks, so i moved her back -- although perhaps she's more aggressive when not in her "home" coop? or perhaps the rooster in the "home" coop will help keep the peace? or perhaps Amelia #2 is low enough on the totem pole that Dixie will just ignore her & her chicks -- when i had trouble between broodies earlier this year, they were relatively close on the pecking order.

anyway, i'll be stuck at school all day, so just keep your fingers crossed that it's a dull day in Chickenlandia!

(plus, have arranged to have some isbar hatching eggs shipped, now that i'm down to only two isbars left -- the eggs will go into the new incubator for its first time out!)

 

[Chickengirl1304]

Anyone need some buff/gold laced brahmas? Beautiful healthy chickens I don't have room for!!