California - Northern

[HighStreetCoop]

Chicks are now 4-6 weeks. Here's one of the 5 week olds checking out the wide world while the brooder was open.

Several are quite clearly identifiable as cockerels, including this little 4-weeker.

 

[ronott1]

Chicks are now 4-6 weeks. Here's one of the 5 week olds checking out the wide world while the brooder was open.

Several are quite clearly identifiable as cockerels, including this little 4-weeker.

That is a very pretty lavender color!

 

[HighStreetCoop]

That is a very pretty lavender color!

I've got a nice range of shades among the blues. One is very pale, one very dark, and the rest are mixed. I should hopefully have a nice blue and/or splash girl to swap with @The Keeper for a black pullet or two. Cause my only black is leaning STRONGLY towards cockerel.

 

[dldolan]

I had a silkie raise a few turkeys last summer. Oh my gosh. It was the funniest thing to see her with them. She would basically just roost on ones back every night in an attempt to let them under her. She never lost one though and they all free ranged with her and our flock all summer. Hilarious and adorable little creatures.

Sounds hysterical!

I have a mental picture of that floating in my head.
Also funny that the gal below kept all the dudes! Funny birds!

At 15 weeks my girl Norma was still trying to mother these boys. She cut the cord with the only pullet in this hatch at about 12 weeks but she held on to these boys.

 

[Happy Chooks]

Her previous clutch on 7/22 so those chicks are 17 weeks old today. She has been acting broody for about 2 weeks but just started sitting for real yesterday. On other days she would be in the nest box for hours but then get up and terrorize everyone for awhile and roost at night. But she has spent the last two nights on the nest box so I would say that this time tomorrow I can call her broody for real.

She is a barnyard mix and is in good condition right now with glossy feathers and as a setter she does get up and take care of herself a couple of time a day. If I keep her food and water close and make sure she gets high protein snacks do you think she will be fine?

That's her in the above picture. about a year ago she went broody in a flower pot in our first big rain storm and after I put a bucket in her "nest" I was able to convince her that her location was not optimal but she broke.
.
then she was my girl for the Cinco de Mayo hatch which was sensibly conducted in the coop and she followed up with the July hatch. She looks healthy but if it would compromise her health I can give her eggs sooner. She is my first ever that I hatched myself and she is pretty special.

How is her weight now? Has she been molting?

If you keep a close eye on her to make sure she drinks and give her some good snacks (mealworms) to keep her energy up, she should be fine. I have only known 1 hen (a friend of mine) who almost killed herself sitting. Most will get up and eat/drink when they need to.

If her weight is not good and/or she has been molting, I wouldn't hold her off for long. (or break her)

 

[AmyPaperlady]

I finally got some close ups of all the chicks' combs and their wattles, sort of. I'm pretty sure we've got 3 cockerals. They were hatched October 4th, so they're 6 weeks old.

The line is pinker in real life...

 

[tommysgirl]

How is her weight now? Has she been molting?

If you keep a close eye on her to make sure she drinks and give her some good snacks (mealworms) to keep her energy up, she should be fine. I have only known 1 hen (a friend of mine) who almost killed herself sitting. Most will get up and eat/drink when they need to.

If her weight is not good and/or she has been molting, I wouldn't hold her off for long. (or break her)

Thanks so much. No she is not molting. She is fat and ultra sassy so I think she is good to go. I feel better about it after your responses .

 

[ronott1]

I finally got some close ups of all the chicks' combs and their wattles, sort of. I'm pretty sure we've got 3 cockerals. They were hatched October 4th, so they're 6 weeks old.








The line is pinker in real life...

The rock is a boy. The other two may be pullets depending on breed.

Any way, there is still hope for those two.

 

[AmyPaperlady]

Quote: Yeah, I've been pretty sure the barred one's a boy for a couple weeks now *sigh* (While I know the barred one's at least half rock, since the only roo in that flock is a BR, the mom could be a BR or a dominique.)

I have no idea what breed the white ones are--again, I know that they're half BR, but none of the hens in that flock should've given any white offspring

Then again, much of my friend's flock was given to her when former owners had to move, so she's not entirely sure of exact breeds--maybe the mom's a mix of some sort, as well. I do know that all 3 chicks have the same tree-trunk legs, and the same exact shape, length, and set of tail. Though I wouldn't mind being wrong and having one pullet, at least.

 

[Happy Chooks]

The barred one looks like a black sex link, and a male. (a pure BR would be lighter in coloring) The other 2 are too soon to tell, if they have leghorn in them, they will have larger combs.