Colorado

[jgurshtein]

My girls are 12 weeks old. Today I finally put a roost bar in their coop but they are not sitting on it tonight.... are they still too young for this instinct?

 

[Pozees]

I just pm'd you. Sorry it took so long to answer. I have a tendency of reading them via email on my phone and then waiting until later to respond via email. Sometimes I just get sidetracked and don't email on time. You are always welcome to call me.


I have had good responses from people who have hatched my eggs. I'm getting sporadic results with my olive eggs hatching. It's almost time to get a new roo but just don't have the heart to do that to black beauty as he is such a good roo. Next year I will have to do something. He really is a good and sweet rooster and doesn't beat up on other roosters, which is a huge plus in my flock.

I think, think, the EF has started laying. I have a very tiny off white egg. It's the size of my silkie egg but a different shape so am assuming that a new butt is laying it. If I could get the EFs to adulthood, I would have more of them as they do seem to have beneficial qualities like quietness and intelligence. They also don't eat as much as the others seem to eat. I just can't seem to get them to adulthood here. The little EF that my SIL has from me is still the size of a 6 week old. It just isn't growing. I suck so far as an EF mother, a welsummer mother, a polish mother (although this last batch seems to be doing well) and a black quechua olmec mother. Those breeds have not thrived here at all.

I lost one more of the olmecs which brings me to a total loss of 4. I started giving them sulmet in their water yesterday in hopes that perhaps they picked up something in route to my place. The panope is doing well but still has a pasty butt. The colloncas are doing well, as always. I'm working with Yashar to try to figure out a game plan for later. I love his birds immensely and would recommend to anyone here the Colloncas as they are small but lay medium size pretty green or blue eggs. They are also very, very quiet and sweet natured.

Wow! How exciting! I gave mine a box a little over a week ago and I have seen the bedding moved around so I know they've messed about in there, but have not seen eggs yet, but if yours has started then mine should be soon!

Even earlier than I thought possible - I just checked and they were shipped on March 4th, making them just shy of 3 months old now. I figured it would be another month anyway. I know they are very precocious. Keep us posted - color sounds right for them.

 

[gardendufus]

My girls are 12 weeks old. Today I finally put a roost bar in their coop but they are not sitting on it tonight.... are they still too young for this instinct?

No, they're not too young. But since the roost is new, it will take them awhile to 'cozy' up to it. They may start getting on it during the day, but still sleep in a pile on the floor for awhile. Sooner or later tho, they'll make the adjustment and start roosting. Not to fret, chickens do what feels good to them at the time.

So, my neighbor cleaned out her fridge yesterday and sent her son over with a big bag of goodies. Ham, lunchmeat, zucchini, celery, refried beans. Lotsa good stuff. The chickens were in heaven. My dog was so jealous of all the feasting going on that I broke down and gave her some ham. She hardly EVER gets people food.

 

[pichuris]

Frogeggs that future chicken palace is looking good.

Update and advise requested
13hatched
4 piped not including the quiter still looks the same this morning.

Never had this many go into lock down before. So its getting awful crowded in there with hatchlings and shells. Should I jusst suck it up and wait till tomorrow to open the bator?

 

[wsmith]

How was everyone's Memorial Day weekend? Mine was good, stayed busy, not a whole lot of internet time.....

Congrats on the hatches!

The new coops and aviary look nice as well.

We will be candling the eggs inthe incubator in a couple of days, crossing our fingers. If they are duds, we have some more collected to put in. We will keep trying for another month or so.

I opened up the brooder coop and let the now 3 week old chicks out. They now have access during the day to 192 square feet of covered protected run. They love it. The past two evenings they have all gone back into the coop on their own. Some may say its a little early, but they seem to be doing great and Ii think it is better for them to be out and about in the sunshine. They have been scratching around, eating small bugs, and are thriving. They are growing like weeds. In a couple of weeks I will move them to the growout pen and start getting them aquainted with the big birds.

 

[P-Funk]

Good morning kiddo's. Hope you had a nice long weekend. When I went out to feed this morning there was a sound like a horse was stepping on a duck. They are in different stalls in the barn so it had to be crowing. This confirms at least one of the 9 week olds is a roo. Can you give him a home before he is sent to certain death? Please PM me soon!

 

[VtotheAL]

My girls are 12 weeks old.  Today I finally put a roost bar in their coop but they are not sitting on it tonight.... are they still too young for this instinct?

I put a roosting bar in my brooder and the chicks started using it at 3 weeks old. Like gardendufus said, they just need to get used to it!

Mine stopped using the roost when I put them outside in the coop/run at 5 weeks. Now they'll use the roosts in the run but the roosts in the coop are lower than the others so they're sleeping in a nesting box instead. But I'm hoping they'll move back to the roost soon.

 

[pichuris]

15 hatched
4 pipped
Last one that hatched was a little over zealous I think. His inner shell was bright red, yolk sac has been absorbed but his "belly button" is a little more exposed. He seems strong otherwise.

Oh, and was reading some hatching guides and it says to not open/remove any chicks till day 23 even if they are getting crowded. So I'll continue to sit on my hands.

 

[Dnetschke]

Well I'm back in the USA.... I saw more chickens in Europe & Turkey than here in the States.

How did Chicken Fest go??!?

I have a Bantam Cochin that is not roosting with the others, She seems slugish, & she has soft stool. Any Ideas??

She's my favorite & she's the most docile, which probably means she's at the bottom of the pecking order (From what I've seen).

 

[pichuris]

Well I'm back in the USA.... I saw more chickens in Europe & Turkey than here in the States.

How did Chicken Fest go??!?

I have a Bantam Cochin that is not roosting with the others, She seems slugish, & she has soft stool. Any Ideas??

She's my favorite & she's the most docile, which probably means she's at the bottom of the pecking order (From what I've seen).

Welcome back! Hope you had a great time.

I'd quarantine her, provide vitamins in her water and monitor her eatting.