Consolidated Kansas

[chicken danz]

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Still looks like a pullet to me.


Is this tail a normal one for a rooster or does that not matter?


Just looks like a tail that is still developing to me.
Quote:

Pullet or cockerel?
Lavender orpington 1
They're really too young to tell. But I am leaning toward #1 being a cockerel and #2 being a pullet.
Lavender orpington 2

Today was kind of the end of my ability to smile. We got an additional 3 inches of rain. All of my birds are standing in water and caked in mud. There were places the water was standing so deep it went over the top of my ankle boots and went inside of them. I spent a few hours out there trying to dig some trenches with a hoe so some of the water could drain. As much work as it was it sure didn't help much. I am so proud of my birds and they all look like nasty balls of mud. My brooders are overcrowded cause I can't move young birds out into a mud pit. That causes all kinds of problems including feather picking and stuff. I had other plans of things I needed to get done today and they all got pushed aside cause I was out playing rescue the birds.
I'm really tired of putting on clean clothes and coming in caked in mud and goo. This rain has got to stop. I apologize for being so negative. I just needed to vent.

 

[Deerfield Acres]

One of the tricks with sexing them is to watch as their neck feathers come in, the ones that come down onto their shoulders. A pullet has rounded, wider feathers there and the cockerel has skinny more pointed feathers.

ashncarson, I agree with Danz, looks pulletish to me.

rvroman, Again, with Danz, cockerel, pullet

Just watch for the neck feathers, what are those called... hackle feathers. That will help.

Ugh, Danz and Trish, What a year, huh? We went from excessive heat and no rain to this. Weird. Just weird and inconvenient. I don't mind any venting you need to do. Sometimes you just need to and we're more likely to understand than many others. I know it doesn't seem like it now, but things will get better.

We managed to get out to the garden and pull weeds in the areas where we have thick wood chip mulch. The others are impossible to stand on as you will just sink up to your ankles. I can't believe how much rain we've had this year and the mosquitoes are out in force. The flies will be next, not looking forward to that. Everything is out of the shop now except my brooder chicks. I have about 60+ Aloha eggs in two separate 'bators but they are shipped eggs so who knows how many will actually hatch. If I get one decent cockerel, my life will be complete, so the odds are in my favor that I will be happy. Hopefully, more than that will hatch and I will be really happy.

I love this time of year but it's also a ton of work. We're scrambling here with 5 of the 8 kids helping to keep everything running smoothly. I have about 60+ birds from adults, juveniles and chicks, plus 13 ducks. And the garden, and the front flower bed. We are scrambling, but I am enjoying all of it. So far. Knock on wood!

 

[sharol]

@Chicken Danz There may be hope.

 

[chicken danz]

I did order another dehumidifier for my basement today. In light of all this moisture it isn't just going to disappear over night. I had thought for a long time I needed to get another one. I wish I could afford to buy my daughter one as well. Maybe by some miracle I'll have some customers out of the blue come by up 100 or 200 chicks.
I'm sure tomorrow will be a better day. I just got overwhelmed today by that extra rain we got.
Sharol how are the chicks doing? How long for the other broody? I hatched some araucana and have several more developing. I haven't gotten any breda eggs though cause they are standing in water. All that transfers to their nest box. My poor lavender hens that have been sitting so faithfully ended up with their shelter getting flooded. Those poor girls are sitting in there plucked naked on a pile of nasty wet eggs. I'm thinking maybe tomorrow I'll move them to the building. They might require a bath if it's warm enough.

 

[sharol]

@Chicken Danz the chicks are doing wonderfully. I let them out with their moms for a little while yesterday evening.

The other broody still has a week to go. I'm moving her (and her eggs) to the enclosed area in the coop later today. The pen I got takes way more room than I thought it would.. I mean I measured and everything but... You know how that works, i'm sure. I just didn't visualize it quite that large. I sure hope it works because I don't have any other options at this point. The hens didn't want to go in the night i changed it (they really hate change) but they have adapted.

Sorry about the lavenders. It is sad that they worked so hard with nothing to show for it. At least there seems to be a break in the weather this week. Hopefully it will dry out some and let us get a little more optimistic.

 

[strue08]

Oh, don't feel too bad, they were not Silver Pied hens. I'll get you some eggs when you get back. By the way, I have sold quite a few of the mature hens I had planned on selling, think I will keep the ones I have left though. It's pea math, one hen $150, keep her and sell her 30 eggs she will lay this year at $10 each or all the chicks for $20 and you still have the hen. At $150 she is too cheap. Sold four trios of yearlings this week! My pen is getting bigger! Look what I set this week; 14 pea eggs! I have a broody chicken that I am going to put another six eggs under today. After this test hatch I will start selling pea eggs.

what color are your hens that produced the eggs? I may buy a few!

 

[Trish44]

Well sharol about the time I think there is no rain in the forecast here it comes again. I'm as bummed about it all as Danz is because I still have chickens standing in mud. If it could stop for at least a week maybe it would dry up enough for them to not have to be standing in mud. It can't be good for them to have to wade in mud all of the time & the eggs they're laying are just caked in it so when I can get to the ones they've laid I'll just have to pitch them. I don't remember a spring this awful before either Danz.

 

[chicken danz]

@Chicken Danz the chicks are doing wonderfully. I let them out with their moms for a little while yesterday evening.

The other broody still has a week to go. I'm moving her (and her eggs) to the enclosed area in the coop later today. The pen I got takes way more room than I thought it would.. I mean I measured and everything but... You know how that works, i'm sure. I just didn't visualize it quite that large. I sure hope it works because I don't have any other options at this point. The hens didn't want to go in the night i changed it (they really hate change) but they have adapted.

Sorry about the lavenders. It is sad that they worked so hard with nothing to show for it. At least there seems to be a break in the weather this week. Hopefully it will dry out some and let us get a little more optimistic.

Better get the DH to build you a bigger chicken house, Sharol. I started with just one I thought would serve all purposes. I was so mistaken!! Maybe some day I'll be down to the number I can handle again.
Yeah Trish it's so hard to be optimistic when there doesn't seem to be any break. At least we have a few days after today without rain. I'm not sure with all we've gotten it if will dry out much but I am hoping. My yard looks like one giant weed patch. I walked out earlier and the grass is so wet it will take a few days just to be able to run the mower. Too bad I don't make money off my hay crop. I think my farmer is going to do well this year in that respect. I however need a blessing cause they haven't been able to get in and plant the field.
Another busy day ahead here. But although cloudy, it doesn't look like rain right now.

 

[Trish44]

We finally got the fence up today so I could move the sheep & goats into the new area to graze. Those were some happy animals, yay! Now to start plotting out the next area for fence tomorrow. It just never ends when you have birds & animals, there is always something that needs to be done.

 

[zigzag45]

@Deerfield Acres - Still very much being a NOOB (I like to say that I can now pretty consistently tell the chicken's head from it's feet) - I'm wondering about the Aloha breed. You are working hard on your breeding project. What drew you to that breed? What makes it unique? I pulled up some pics and they look pretty similar to the speckled sussex, just a lighter build, more erect tail? Searching for "aloha chicken" brings up some great looking recipes - made me hungry.

I processed out a roo last weekend. First time skinning and it went really well. Thanks @chicken danz and @Trish44 for the pointers. Start to finish in less than an hour. I don't mind plucking, but getting the water to the right temp is a major hassle.

I decided to poke into the intestines to look for worms. I didn't see anything that was clearly a worm. But (sorry if you just ate I did see these little white things. Part of normal digestion or bad stuff?


Kinda sad morning, my only leghorn died overnight. I noticed yesterday evening she was acting lethargic and made note to check her today. Then when I came inside after telling them goodnight, I looked at the egg stash in the fridge and had no white eggs. So, she'd not laid in a few days. I wish I would have checked to see if she was egg bound last night. Otherwise, I have no idea what got her. To wimpy to start cutting on her now that she's died. She was a little egg machine and I'm sad to loose her. I have a couple California Grays that will lay white (I'm told) that are growing out.