Colorado

[Chick_In_The_Burbs]

could you post a picture? I love single combs . I already have 1 roo. He is about 9 months...idk how intros would go over...do you think he is too old to mix?

I am on my iPad so I can't post pics. However, if you go into my profile and scroll to the bottom there are pics labeled 'silkie sexing' from when I posted a few weeks back. The first two pics were a hen and the other four are my boys. They haven't changed too much, their combs are more defined and the gold on the neck is much more noticeable.

 

[dennarahl]

Keeping my eye on the Elizabeth CC webpage.  All is says is that they will be bringing in chicks starting February.  

So I had a Dom that didn't look well when I got home.  Just looking all puffy, comb looking a grayish rose color.  I segregated her for a week.  She was eating and pooping well.  Finally stopped puffin herself out all the time, looked like a regular chicken.  In the meantime, one of my Welsummers has lost (picked out?) almost all the feathers on the back of her neck.  I can see new growth coming in, and no bloody or scabby areas, so maybe it's just a molt of some kind.  I thought they typically didn't molt their first year.  So I put the dom back in the coop yesterday.  Every chicken in the run except my worthless EE was picking on her.  Made me feel bad that I had separated her and made her go through re integration.  Watched them all for a couple hours.  Interesting dynamics.  I guess I'm going to quit worrying about having an aggressive bird, seems like I just will always have one.  Now it's the second Wellie.  Picking on just about every bird in the run except the Barred Rock, and even then only backing off cuz the BR fights back.  They were getting along fine before I went on vacation, don't know what changed things.  

the wellie with missing feathers sounds like the mini molt that a few of mine went through a couple of weeks ago. if its picking they wont grow back and the spot will stay pretty bare for a really long time. my mini molters were only bare in spots for about a week and then the feathers started coming in.

 

[AlivianAcres]

I am on my iPad so I can't post pics. However, if you go into my profile and scroll to the bottom there are pics labeled 'silkie sexing' from when I posted a few weeks back. The first two pics were a hen and the other four are my boys. They haven't changed too much, their combs are more defined and the gold on the neck is much more noticeable.

love the one in the 3rd pic. Do you think he would integrate with full size chickens? :/ he is beautiful!!!

 

[coloradogal]

Yep that's right - got mine just a couple of days ago, and it's CO-120.

Have new neighbors restricted your range area? Or predators? 2000 sf is still plenty of room, but I understand what you're saying, the more the better. Can you use one of those movable electric netting setups to let them range elsewhere for a day or two at a time? They don't have tops, of course.

So far, I've been lucky on the flying predators. I've had some crows perch on my posts but they just sort of look at the chickens and go about their own business. I was a little concerned today regarding the chicken hawks. I generally don't see the chicken hawks or if I do, it's one that flies by around 3. Someone told me once that that wasn't a chicken hawk but a trained bird on its run. Anyhoo... today there were 5 birds flying around my place that were not crows. I kept the dogs outside. The little banties went inside but two pekings and the rooster stayed outside.

I'd let my chicks out in the great outside if there was a direct route of their run into the yard. There isn't. They'd have to go through the garage and they aren't the smartest. I've tried letting the go outside but they always seem to get lost getting back in. Part of why I'd like to add on to their main run is to open up one side. I am hesitant right now because they are secure inside. I've attached an old picture to sort of explain... the below one is the fence. I'd like to enclose another section leading from that area out to the other side of the garage and then back toward the back field. If I use the big posts and utility wire, it's a fairly sturdy fence. The pictures are from last Spring but it sort of gives you an idea of what I'm trying to do. I know I have to add a little more ventilation to the main coop.

As you can see, all the good weeds are on the other side of the fence. I'd like to just get them some more good bugs.

There coop is the room with the doggy door and then i have a 4X5 small coop outside that none of them use.

kombucha starter. Sour dough starter. Amish friendship bread starter. Or cash

I have kombucha starters and kefir, both water and milk. The milk kefir grains are just growing and growing and growing.

Found the key, checked the mail.....WOO HOO!!! NPIP CO-124

 

[AlivianAcres]

Mmmmm kefir

 

[Pozees]

So far, I've been lucky on the flying predators. I've had some crows perch on my posts but they just sort of look at the chickens and go about their own business. I was a little concerned today regarding the chicken hawks. I generally don't see the chicken hawks or if I do, it's one that flies by around 3. Someone told me once that that wasn't a chicken hawk but a trained bird on its run. Anyhoo... today there were 5 birds flying around my place that were not crows. I kept the dogs outside. The little banties went inside but two pekings and the rooster stayed outside.

I'd let my chicks out in the great outside if there was a direct route of their run into the yard. There isn't. They'd have to go through the garage and they aren't the smartest. I've tried letting the go outside but they always seem to get lost getting back in. Part of why I'd like to add on to their main run is to open up one side. I am hesitant right now because they are secure inside. I've attached an old picture to sort of explain... the below one is the fence. I'd like to enclose another section leading from that area out to the other side of the garage and then back toward the back field. If I use the big posts and utility wire, it's a fairly sturdy fence. The pictures are from last Spring but it sort of gives you an idea of what I'm trying to do. I know I have to add a little more ventilation to the main coop.

As you can see, all the good weeds are on the other side of the fence. I'd like to just get them some more good bugs.

There coop is the room with the doggy door and then i have a 4X5 small coop outside that none of them use.





I have kombucha starters and kefir, both water and milk. The milk kefir grains are just growing and growing and growing.

I hate putting up fence, what a job. The run we have up is very small compared to what you have, it's only 140 sf, but they get out three days a week to free range, and next year when I have more birds I'll probably start looking at the maypole idea over the yard, and bird or hail netting over the new runs. The chain link roof over the chain link run is one of the most comforting things we've ever done, but it was expensive and really challenging physically. One morning this week as I walked out to open the pop door and leave the day's meal, I heard an owl very nearby, and was glad the roof was sturdy. I leave here around 5:15, so this time of year LONG before sunup. The girls make little noises to let me know I've awakened them, but it's dark and they don't budge from the coop.

For youngsters, especially those of an age to not be sure how to get back to the coop, I wonder if just a small shelter in the run might help? Like an overturned wooden box with a chick sized doorway cut into it - heck, even a sturdy cardboard box with a weight on it would work as a temporary solution - but of course those things only work if the chicks are savvy enough to use them I confess I didn't let my Sussex out until they were probably 4 months old, for about the same reasons, but the first day I did, the pigeons from the barn flew overhead and they all ducked and looked up and prepared to run for cover if they needed to - exactly what I wanted to see from them. I waited until I knew I would be here the entire day to try it, in case we ran into problems.

 

[coloradogal]

I hate putting up fence, what a job. The run we have up is very small compared to what you have, it's only 140 sf, but they get out three days a week to free range, and next year when I have more birds I'll probably start looking at the maypole idea over the yard, and bird or hail netting over the new runs. The chain link roof over the chain link run is one of the most comforting things we've ever done, but it was expensive and really challenging physically. One morning this week as I walked out to open the pop door and leave the day's meal, I heard an owl very nearby, and was glad the roof was sturdy. I leave here around 5:15, so this time of year LONG before sunup. The girls make little noises to let me know I've awakened them, but it's dark and they don't budge from the coop.

For youngsters, especially those of an age to not be sure how to get back to the coop, I wonder if just a small shelter in the run might help? Like an overturned wooden box with a chick sized doorway cut into it - heck, even a sturdy cardboard box with a weight on it would work as a temporary solution - but of course those things only work if the chicks are savvy enough to use them I confess I didn't let my Sussex out until they were probably 4 months old, for about the same reasons, but the first day I did, the pigeons from the barn flew overhead and they all ducked and looked up and prepared to run for cover if they needed to - exactly what I wanted to see from them. I waited until I knew I would be here the entire day to try it, in case we ran into problems.

Some of my littler ones even at 8 months seldom leave the inside of the coop while last week, my 8 week oldish came all the way to my patio door and was peeping. She's so sweet that she actually stopped so I could pick her up and bring her back to her area. I went in there and her water container had fallen over. On the other side of the run, there is an old wishmill planter with one side in disrepair that I leave out there for them to hide in. They also have the underside of the coop.

The fence I have up really wasn't that bad to put up. The digging of the holes, setting the cement was the hardest part. Pulling the fence wasn't bad if you have some strong men. I think after the posts were dug, it only took maybe 20 minutes to have the fence up, cut and in place. When i do the outer parameter, I want to borrow a post digger as i suspect I'll need to dig at least 30 holes. If I had the money, I'd do the whole inner parameter of my boundary fence. Another year.

 

[Chick_In_The_Burbs]

love the one in the 3rd pic. Do you think he would integrate with full size chickens? :/ he is beautiful!!!

I think he would do fine with a LF flock so long as he has someone to snuggle with when it is cold. His momma has not taught them perching and he has issues getting more than 4 inches off the ground to begin with. He is actually the dominant between my two boys and while he is fairly mellow overall with the flock he also hasn't seemed to have figured out he is a rooster yet. No dancing, crowing or attempts to mount he girls. I am guessing that will change in the next month or so and when it does...

 

[marlo1968]

So how much feed does everyone use per chicken? I'm talking an adult pullet or hen. On other threads, I keep hearing about using 100# or more pellet or crumble feed per month for 15 birds. We are currently using (no growing adolescent birds) just over 50# per month for 18 birds. Add to that about 50# per month of scratch grains, but this is a high estimate. Thoughts? Are mine just food efficient or are others wasting food?

29 hens, 4 roosters = 100 lbs pellets per month. so that works out to about 3.03 lbs per bird per month. I don't see food waste happening, no pellets on the ground around the feeder. I also feed about 1- 2 lbs scratch per day (some days my hubby or son will decide they need more scratch in the evening = spoiled birds)

Its snowing today, we opened up the coop so they could go free range....nope, they don't want any part of it. Funny though my silkie rooster went out, stuck close to the outside wall, then jumped up on the nest boxes with three hens playing follow the leader (I guess they thought he knew where he was going) only to get to the end of the nest boxes and turn around to go back where he came from. He decided this white stuff was not something he was meant to be out in. A couple of hens dared to go the 25 feet to the hay barn to go scratch around.

So my pullet that was mounting the other pullet her age has stopped doing so. Must have been a dominance thing. Not sure if they are laying, they are of laying age, but with the cold they may not be.

My EE hens stopped laying when my EE rooster was killed, and have not started back up again. They are this years hatch. Any ideas anyone? I got two blue copper marens roos, and still not laying. I also have two other roos that were part of the flock before the EE roo was killed. The EE pullets haven't laid since September.

 

[kmatt87]

i wish we would get some snow here! the girls have been tearing up my lawn really badly so i'm having to keep them in their run. They don't seem too happy lately even with the extra treats they have been getting.