Colorado

[coloradogal]

Sharon and Mayah: have any of your Dom pullets you got from me started yet?

Not yet. #49 considers herself the flock guardian of the littler hens so tends to stay in the coop more than the EE or #31. I also have not noticed any shagging going on between them and the roosters so suspect they are still a couple of days away. Combs are darkened so I know it is just a matter of days before the first egg.

 

[dennarahl]

What do you all think about moving my pullets out to the coop? They were hatched 8/22/12. I will keep the ones with bare backs inside still and only those that have their feathers I was considering putting them out. Whatcha think?

they'll be fine. 3 of my babies hatched the same day and they're out from under mother all the time now. she set them free recently and pretty much ignores them now. they play outside during free range time in the afternoon and live in the garage with the meaties and the other babies without extra heat.. i do agree that the ones who dont have feathers on their backs arent ready for the cold nights yet.

 

[mynamesjenelle]

It's so interesting reading about your different flock behaviours! Sharon I agree that you should separate the GLW from the others for a short period of time. You could even get a big dog kennel to keep her in for a while as if you were quarantining her for illness. Or, since you got her to be good lookin' anyway, how about making her into a house chicken? Some time apart will give the little EE's a chance to properly integrate without getting chased around. My BR is the bully of our flock, and she's right in the middle of the pecking order. I have a theory that she was pushed around too much by the cochin when they were young and now she's taking it out on everyone below her. Sometimes I just grab her and walk around the garden with her cheeping resignedly for a little bit to teach her who's the real boss around here.

The best thing about our little bully? She's got a great big backside and lays great big eggs! Her and the welsummer only started a couple weeks ago and her eggs are HUGE already compared to the cochin's. The cochin definitely lays pullet eggs, on the smaller side of medium even after laying for over a month now, but the BR's could easily pass for large already. When I got their eggs last night in the dark I could barely tell the difference between her egg and the fake egg we have in the box.

Still waiting on our light brahma as well as the EE. They both got pink about a month ago but since neither has wattles I can't tell if they are close or not. How strange is it that all of our EE's haven't started laying yet? From what I found online they are early to lay so maybe we got a weird group. Where did you guys get yours from? Mine were from Agri-feed.

 

[dennarahl]

Well Ashdoes, I'm a bisquick bidscuit maker, can't help.

Was out today watching my little flock of 8:  1 BA, 1 (bully) GLW, 2 Wellies, 2 BR's, 2 Doms & 2.....wait a minute.  I have 10 chickens.   Hmmmm, oh yeah, I have a flock of 8, and then these 2 fraidy cat, chicken livered EEs.  One of the EEs, #24, brown with a black head, so cute, looks like a little eagle sorta, well she obviously WANTS to be part of the flock.  Hangs around the edges, and when the bully GLW isn't around, even intermingles somewhat.  When I put treats out, she stays about 2 feet away, and if she can see an open area, darts in and grabs something, then runs away, so maybe someday I'll have a flock of 9.

Unfortunately, the other EE, #22 a pretty yellow/gray has totally given up on being part of the flock.  She sometimes hangs out with #24, but only if #24 has separated herself completely from the flock.  When I put out treats, #24 won't come any closer than 5', can't be enticed to get anywhere near the group.  Usually she goes to an entirely different part of the run.  If any other birds come near her, she runs.  Even tho the only one that's really mean to her is that blasted bully GLW.  She is also afraid of me.  Even if I'm away from the flock and holding out treats just for her, or even standing over treats I have laid on the ground just for her, she won't come near.

I try not to make pets out of my birds, to understand that they have to make their own way, have to work within the flock dynamics, but I'm really starting to feel bad for this poor lonely bird.  I had to take the bar in front of the nesting boxes down cuz she was roosting there at night by herself rather than with the other birds.  Now she's on the same roost, but not close to any of the others.

SIGH  

Have you tried quarantining the bully chicken for a few days? It might help the scardycat find her place with the other girls.

 

[WendyGeisler]

I have 3 chickies
a Dominque, a buff orpington, and a black austrolorp. All bought on April 20 from the Kiowa County store. I believe the Dominque was one week older.

So far the Dominique was the first one to start laying. She started about 10 days ago.
Yesterday my buff orpington layed her first egg

I have a web cam in the coop and watched as the buff orp just circled and circled inside one of the nesting boxes, then the dominique stood next to her waiting for the same box. Finally the dominique took the box next to her and they both layed their eggs at the same time. My black Austrolorp watched all of this but she hasn't squatted or seemed ready to lay at all (even though she has red wattles and a red comb).

So fun!

 

[gardendufus]

. My black Austrolorp watched all of this but she hasn't squatted or seemed ready to lay at all (even though she has red wattles and a red comb).

My BA was the same way, first one to get a red face, big red wattles, but the LAST one to lay eggs, by about 3-4 weeks.

It's so interesting reading about your different flock behaviours! Sharon I agree that you should separate the GLW from the others for a short period of time. You could even get a big dog kennel to keep her in for a while as if you were quarantining her for illness.

Or, since you got her to be good lookin' anyway, how about making her into a house chicken?

This is NOT going to happen. Wendell had an interesting idea, I'm considering it.

 

[Pozees]

Yeah I'm trying to figure out how to do this, can separate the run, but because of the way my coop is set up now, would be almost impossible to separate her in the coop.

As big a pain in the neck as it might be, you could place her into the coop at night after the others have gone to roost. I have a wire dog crate with a slide-in plastic tray you could borrow and even leave the tray out of it and just put her in there during the day so she still has earth under her feet, with a small waterer and feeder on a couple of patio pavers or cinder blocks. The crate is the type that breaks down flat and goes together with corner drop pins, so easy to transport. I think it's about 2' wide and tall and maybe 2.5' long - not a long term approach, but short term it might be an acceptable solution to see if the little EE finds a place inside the flock and maybe gets a little bigger and braver. Let me know if you'd like to try it and we can arrange.

 

[Minchi]

Do you think I need to get another shy bird to go with Arry or do you think she is okay. The other two don't really pick on her, they may push her around a bit but I think that is part of her shyness. When she was younger she was far more feisty but now she sleeps a few inches from the others some days and keeps her distance from me and them when food is around. Part of me is worried that she might not be eating enough, enough to get by but not to her fill. I have to convince my husband but if it is needed for her well being then it would be best. She follows them around a lot so she is not afraid just very submissive.

 

[wsmith]

Do you think I need to get another shy bird to go with Arry or do you think she is okay. The other two don't really pick on her, they may push her around a bit but I think that is part of her shyness. When she was younger she was far more feisty but now she sleeps a few inches from the others some days and keeps her distance from me and them when food is around. Part of me is worried that she might not be eating enough, enough to get by but not to her fill. I have to convince my husband but if it is needed for her well being then it would be best. She follows them around a lot so she is not afraid just very submissive.

Don't worry. She is getting enough to eat. Flock dynamics are what they are. Chickens have personalities, and the flock works around the differences. If she's not being injured, I would let them work thiings out.

 

[gardendufus]

I have a pet carrier I can use. Going out to the run in about an hour to get started. I'll figure it out. She may not like it, but then again, that may be part of the idea. I don't think she liked it much yesterday when I gave her a not so gentle lift with my foot when she went after one of the Doms. And then continued to chase her away from the group every opportunity I got. Just felt like she deserved a little of her own.

She may have to lay on the floor for awhile, no way I can set things up so she has a nest box..........I don't think..........Hmmmmmm.