Chantecler Thread!

[bruceha2000]

I think it really helps when they integrate young. They aren't seen as competition and slowly find their way into the pecking order with little drama.

I got an EE cockerel from the guy who watched our animals the beginning of the month while we went to VA to my older daughter's wedding. He had just integrated the younger birds with the older ones the week before. They had been in sight of each other for some time.

But "young" to him isn't "young" to me. My guess is he is about 4 months old. I had him in the brooder area of the coop for a few days then started letting him out into the end of the barn alley I can (poorly) fence off when I have chicks (always hatchery to date and with or without a mom). When the girls were outside I let him into the coop so he could check it out. One of the girls came in and attacked him, he ran.

A couple of days later he managed to get over the fence and since then has been OK but not mixing with the girls so I took the fence down. After dark on Friday I put him on the roost (he was sitting on the top of the brooder area). The next night he went up when I convinced him it was bedtime and went up on the roost. Elizabeth, a Gold laced Wyandotte pecked him and he fell off. She isn't one I would expect that of. I protected him while he went back up. Saturday he was on the front roost by himself. Last night on a crossbar against the wall behind Betty so I guess they are figuring it out. But he still keeps to himself in the run when the girls are all outside.

 

[RogerChicken]

Hurray I got my first egg yesterday! It was pretty exciting.

 

[Ted Brown]

The integration process proceeds. I will have to check tonight and see if the chicks are trying to sleep on the main roosts.

 

[bruceha2000]

I suspect they are. Zeus is up on the roosts at night now. Even at what I am guessing is 4ish months he is as big as the hens, all 2 years+. But he seems to spend his days in the barn alley while the girls are mostly outside. He has figured out I am "bucket boy" and doesn't move as far away when I bring him something. But of course the girls see he has something in a "dish" and come running to eat it. He quickly leaves as they approach.

 

[Ted Brown]

So I just checked on the chicks.

There is one perched on the edge of the drop board, the rest in a jumble on the floor.

On a previous hatch I had to move the chicks from their jumble to the roosts to change that behavior, looks like I may have to do that again.

 

[bruceha2000]

That usually gives them the idea

 

[RogerChicken]

Mine just figured out the roost themselves in pretty short order. They also figured out to go back into the henhouse at night after only a couple nights of me needing to herd them in. Although there's at least one who likes to spend part of her time sitting in the poop tray.

In egg news, I had a couple dry days, then had one yesterday and another one today! Today's was pretty good -- at 63 grams qualifies as 'extra large', and it had a double-yolk. And it was delicious.

They're not laying in the laying boxes yet, but they do seems to be making little nests with the material in there, so I think they'll figure it out.

 

[RogerChicken]

This morning there was an egg sitting right in the middle of the laying box, so they must be figuring it out! It look staged, it was so perfect. Completely clean shell, coming in at 44 grams, or "small".

 

[RogerChicken]

I observed an interesting behaviour from one of the hens (her name is Orange.)

I have a shallow tray of water near their feeder.

Orange was standing between them. She'd turn her head and stick her beak in the water. Then she'd turn her head and stick her beak in the food.

Then she'd put her beak back in the water, and furiously gobble up all the tiny bits of feed that had stuck to her beak and been washed off.

She repeated this process dozens of times while I was watching her. I was pretty impressed.

 

[RogerChicken]

Ran the electricity for the waterer heating, so it's nice to have that out of the way.

One downside to friendly chickens: they wanted to come over and see what I was doing while I was working in the run. I need some space, girls!

Another first: first egg with a tiny little bloodspot on the yolk. Getting 3 a day from six hens pretty regularly now, although a couple days ago I struck out completely.