Consolidated Kansas

[HEChicken]

Two days ago, I had three broody hens which was great because I had eggs due to hatch today. Then the hawk came and two of the broodies decided they were done. I had 8 eggs going into the hatcher so once the first was pipped I put them all under the last broody hen, a tight fit since she is only a little bantam cochin, but I figured with the warm days, she'd be able to handle it, and since I knew they wouldn't all hatch, I figured if she ended up with 3-4 chicks, that would be an ideal number for her. Well, they ALL hatched! Right now they all fit fine but I imagine it won't be long before it will be a tight squeeze for them all to get under her. I have her in one of Deerfield's 5x5 pens right now so at least they will be safe from the hawk. She is a proven mother but last time only had one chick to raise. This time she will have her work cut out for her but hey, she's a Cochin - its what she's built for, right?

In the meantime, my Sultan has gone broody again - her third time. I have two more batches of eggs in the incubator - one is due next week and the other about 10 days after that. Since she only just went broody, I'm not sure whether to give her the eggs due next week, or wait until the following hatch. Since I'm now out of broodies (Thanks Mr. Hawk), I may end up having to raise next week's hatch myself. Oh well, I suppose it will be nice to have some that are more easily handled than those raised by broody hens.

Yesterday I emptied out my feed room and cleaned it out thoroughly. It was good time to do it since the feed cans were all empty or nearly so. After sweeping it out real well, and getting rid of a bunch of feed sacks that I had been saving (but let's face it, I already have a lifetime supply), I moved the feed bins back in and then filled them. It is so nice to go in there now and it is all neatly arranged and much easier to move around.

 

[chicken danz]

I had 8-10 chicks hatch this morning. I wasn't watching dates. So I candled the rest of the eggs in the incubators. I tossed a bunch of them. Mostly duck eggs that weren't good. But then I never know how old they are for sure. I put a bunch more eggs in the incubator this morning as well.
I'm disappointed though cause none of my araucana eggs were fertile. I may have to switch boys for a while and see if it makes a difference. I was really counting on hatching out some blue egg layers.

Maybe this guy hasn't figured out what to do yet. I hadn't seen him breed the ladies but I don't sit and watch for it either. I know the other one breeds whatever he catches up with but he's got a cold when it rained so I don't want to use him until I am sure he is well.
I also had a broody cochin who hatched some chicks today as well. She is about 3 years old so I'm glad I finally gave her a chance to raise her own brood. I saw two of them and am trying to figure out what one of them could be. It was black and there are no free range black chickens here. Anything that comes out black is penned by breed. She just had hatched them so I left her alone. I have three more broodies. Two white rocks and one brahma. I have no idea what I am going to do with heaven knows what breed of chicks.
I made a new nest box for my gold laced cochins today out of another old drawer. I made it standing up and divided it so there are two nests. There's only two girls in that pen, and one isn't laying. I just took her chicks from her. I screwed it to the floor and the wall so now it is a permanent fixture.
I walked around and dug through a lot of lumber but just wasn't in the mood to build a divider and a door for a pen. I don't feel creative.
I've got some half grown chicks I am going to have to move soon and not sure where I am going to put them. I can't believe how many birds I still have to pen separately after selling so many. I also went out and looked more closely at the Reece barred rocks I hatched from his eggs. I think all but two of them are cockerels. They are beautiful and look great but I don't need any more boys.
If any one is interested in some nice heritage breed barred rocks who look nothing like normal barred rocks, I have some boys to sell cheap.
I've been hatching quite a few babies so I will have some female chicks to sell soon.

 

[KNHKLUCKERS]

Well, I hate to be the bearer of bad tidings but....if you purchased these from a hatchery, there really isn't any difference between a RIR and a Production Red. The hatcheries have so diluted the RIR in order to turn them into better layers that in many people's opinion, a hatchery RIR IS a Production Red. To be honest, that is what I call them. If you were to look at photos of a hatchery "RIR" and those owned by a decent breeder, you would not believe they are the same breed at all. There is a BYC user by the name Robert Blosl, who has the best RIR's I'm aware of. Here is a link to a thread he started dedicated to this breed: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/407294/the-heritage-rhode-island-red-site

As for the BSL/Australorp dilemma, I suspect something similar is going on for you but I don't have much knowledge about Australorps and don't know specifically of a good breeder to direct you to for the differences, as I do for RIR's.

Unfortunately, hatcheries have done similar damage to most every breed they touch since they are about quantity, not quality, and they are geared towards giving people what they want, which is a bird that lays "an egg a day". In striving towards that latter goal, they tend to give up the characteristics of the bird that make it that breed. Don't get me wrong - I've had plenty of hatchery birds over the years myself, and I've had some that I was very fond of. One breed that has gotten a very bad rap thanks to the hatcheries is the Barred Rock. People think of them as "mean" and "bullies" (much like hatchery Production Reds' reputations). But that is not their true nature at all. When I tell people I am breeding Barred Rocks, I see the look on their face but then they come out here and they see my birds in the flesh and its fun to watch the look of amazement on their face as they say "THAT'S a Barred Rock? OMG, I've never seen anything like that before". I got my breeder pair from a breeder known for his quality earlier this year, and am now raising my first generation from this pair. In addition to being stunning to look at, there is a huge difference in the nature of these birds compared to hatchery BR's. My breeder-quality birds are gentle and stately and I've never seen them look crossly at another bird.

Congratulations on your kitty showing back up - it makes you wonder where he was all this time, doesn't it?

Thank you so much for this information. I checked out the link to the RIR thread and the pictures on there are absolutely amazing!! What beautiful birds!! And your right, they are nothing like the hatchery birds that I have. I have learned so much over the past 6-8 months about chickens that some people occasionally make fun of me, but I really don't care. I love the challenge, the learning experience and teaching my family what I have learned. My kids are going to be starting 4-H this year and I really am excited to get to help. I would really like to begin the long journey to breeding to standard, or obtaining some heritage birds or fertilized eggs, of preferably Buff Orpington or Australorps. I guess they just stand out to me to be very beautiful, large dual purpose birds that are perfect with kids and lay the brown eggs that people in this area really like. I guess it really doesn't matter to me, I just want to start somewhere. And perhaps one day to have something that I could even show at the county fair. I have a lot to learn and realize that I need to order a copy of the chicken standard book so that I know what to look for. Again thank you all for all of the help.

 

[Trish44]

Thank you so much for this information. I checked out the link to the RIR thread and the pictures on there are absolutely amazing!! What beautiful birds!! And your right, they are nothing like the hatchery birds that I have. I have learned so much over the past 6-8 months about chickens that some people occasionally make fun of me, but I really don't care. I love the challenge, the learning experience and teaching my family what I have learned. My kids are going to be starting 4-H this year and I really am excited to get to help. I would really like to begin the long journey to breeding to standard, or obtaining some heritage birds or fertilized eggs, of preferably Buff Orpington or Australorps. I guess they just stand out to me to be very beautiful, large dual purpose birds that are perfect with kids and lay the brown eggs that people in this area really like. I guess it really doesn't matter to me, I just want to start somewhere. And perhaps one day to have something that I could even show at the county fair. I have a lot to learn and realize that I need to order a copy of the chicken standard book so that I know what to look for. Again thank you all for all of the help.

I agree with HEChicken, hatcheries only care about quantity, how many they can get out the door sold, not quality so they don't care if any of the breeds meet standards or not. They aim with most of the breeds on the pullets to breed in quantity egg laying & they do sometimes cross breeds to get there. It aggravates me that they get away with calling Easter Eggers Ameraucanas because that's where us breeders get into arguments about the breed. I have to refer people to the Ameraucana Breeder's Club site all the time so they can read the standards for the breed themselves. If you want quality birds that meet the standards for the breed you will need to find a reputable breeder & then make sure you know what you're looking for in the breed you want & what are disqualifications if you want to show.

HEChicken, I'm glad your goats are taming down so nicely. My youngest one is like a little dog, she likes to be rubbed & petted & follows me around. The other one isn't nearly as tame & doesn't like attention so much. She will come up to me & smell my hand or nibble my shorts, but doesn't like being touched that much. It sounds like you still have broody hens working there. I have a Wheaten Ameraucana sitting again, but I don't know if the eggs are any good, it's been awfully muddy in that pen & she is sitting on the eggs in the igloo dog house. I guess we'll see if she hatches any chicks. I do need some more pullets still after I lost that one I babied for a month to the flood. I have had Swedish Flower Hen chicks hatching today Danz for that lady that got some from you, so far there are 6 & another pipping. She only has the one left from you now I think.

Today has been a busy day, I had to go with my DH to a Dr. appt. this afternoon, then lunch, then to the grocery store, then I ran home & got the old truck & went back into town to pick up a piece of used fence I had agreed to buy. It's just a remnant, but I can always use pieces here & there for pens or doors or something. I just sat down for a few minutes to catch my breath & then I will need to go out & feed birds & animals. Tomorrow I plan to work on that pen for the ducks some more & get the door made at least. I need to dig up a couple pieces of wood for the frame to hold the door so that means digging through my wood pile again. I'm getting down to a much smaller pile now since we have built two more hoop coops & I converted that one to two pens.

 

[ashncarson]

I noticed tonight that the 3 chicks that appear to be roosters, are "fighting" like flapping wings and jumping at each other.....are they just trying to figure out who is the boss? Will I need to end up rehoming them soon? They are 5 weeks old. 1 flaps its wings and then they go at it for a few seconds!

 

[cleansquared]

Danz i was reading about the colonicas the south american rumpless that was combined to create the aurcanas.. And it said the roosters will work together and not fight over the hens nor with each other i wonder if you tried that with the aurcanas if that would also work (if you have more than 1 you want to pass on traits..) just a thought it would be woth a try if you have enough roos to go around....

 

[chicken danz]

I noticed tonight that the 3 chicks that appear to be roosters, are "fighting" like flapping wings and jumping at each other.....are they just trying to figure out who is the boss? Will I need to end up rehoming them soon? They are 5 weeks old. 1 flaps its wings and then they go at it for a few seconds!

Naw, that is just chick behavior and it doesn't necessarily mean they are roosters. They could be starting to establish a pecking order but at this time they are just acting normal.
Quote:

Danz i was reading about the colonicas the south american rumpless that was combined to create the aurcanas.. And it said the roosters will work together and not fight over the hens nor with each other i wonder if you tried that with the aurcanas if that would also work (if you have more than 1 you want to pass on traits..) just a thought it would be woth a try if you have enough roos to go around....

I am using the legbar to breed with. I just have them in a small tractor so I don't know if it would be wise to add another male. It's not a life or death thing. I just thought it would be a fun creative project to work on. If this doesn't work I can always cross them with the Breda fowl and still should get blue eggs since it is supposed to be a dominant color. Time will tell.
I was gone all morning taking care of business since about 7:30. I am tired already. But I need to get out and get busy on projects. I just got the chicks in the house fed and need to get those outside done. Fall is creeping up too fast!

 

[lizzyGSR]

Today is the first day of the 2nd 3-day dosage of Baytril for my Khaki Campbell duck. The first 3 days of dosage made a difference in the size of the swollen spot on her foot (decreased in size by about 1/2), but it didn't completely go away. I am hoping that the 2nd set of 3 days will completely eradicate what is left of the infection.

In addition to the Baytril, I have been spraying the spot on her foot with Vetericyn once daily and wrapping it with vet wrap. The scab that was on there had been on there for a long time (~6 weeks) and hadn't changed. This morning, I decided to pick the scab off. It bled a bit when I did that, but I'm hoping that getting rid of that thick scab will help it drain and get rid of any leftover yuck. Opinions on whether or not that was the right thing to do???

The other bumblefoot spots this bird had are completely gone, except for maybe a small bump that marks where the infection had been (all on her "toes" and all near a joint so maybe the bump is normal???). So far, I am happy with the Baytril and am hopeful that this second round will take care of the infection.

This last week, my in-laws were here visiting. While they were here, I had them help me move my desk out of the room that we're turning into a nursery. We moved it from there to the sun room. Then, of course, the first work day after we moved my desk (and every day since) has been HOT compared to what we've been having. Highs in the mid- to upper-90's. And we don't have curtains in the sun room...

This heat and the dry weather have been terrible hard on lots of things outside. I feel bad for my sick duck... The weather service says that we are only 1/2" of rain ahead of where we were this time last year... and last year was on track to be the driest year on record - at least until we got a heavy snow just before the end of the year. We are still in an exception (worst stage) of drought and could really use some of that rain that ya'll have been complaining about. Would you mind sharing the wealth???

 

[Trish44]

Today is the first day of the 2nd 3-day dosage of Baytril for my Khaki Campbell duck. The first 3 days of dosage made a difference in the size of the swollen spot on her foot (decreased in size by about 1/2), but it didn't completely go away. I am hoping that the 2nd set of 3 days will completely eradicate what is left of the infection.

In addition to the Baytril, I have been spraying the spot on her foot with Vetericyn once daily and wrapping it with vet wrap. The scab that was on there had been on there for a long time (~6 weeks) and hadn't changed. This morning, I decided to pick the scab off. It bled a bit when I did that, but I'm hoping that getting rid of that thick scab will help it drain and get rid of any leftover yuck. Opinions on whether or not that was the right thing to do???

The other bumblefoot spots this bird had are completely gone, except for maybe a small bump that marks where the infection had been (all on her "toes" and all near a joint so maybe the bump is normal???). So far, I am happy with the Baytril and am hopeful that this second round will take care of the infection.

This last week, my in-laws were here visiting. While they were here, I had them help me move my desk out of the room that we're turning into a nursery. We moved it from there to the sun room. Then, of course, the first work day after we moved my desk (and every day since) has been HOT compared to what we've been having. Highs in the mid- to upper-90's. And we don't have curtains in the sun room...

This heat and the dry weather have been terrible hard on lots of things outside. I feel bad for my sick duck... The weather service says that we are only 1/2" of rain ahead of where we were this time last year... and last year was on track to be the driest year on record - at least until we got a heavy snow just before the end of the year. We are still in an exception (worst stage) of drought and could really use some of that rain that ya'll have been complaining about. Would you mind sharing the wealth???

lizzy, I wish I could have sent you some of our rain, we really got too much at once. We're finally starting to dry out some here. Our part of the state is out of the drought conditions now & they say the lakes are about back to normal, so that's a good thing. I wish I could conjure up some rain for your area.

I'm not too inspired today, it's hot here & I'm not much in the mood for doing anything. I got out & took care of the water for the front pens & the rabbits & let birds out this morning but that's the extent other than digging some mud away from my two pens in the front so I can open the doors easier. It got washed down there before we got the wall built & I have been fighting it since then. I'm trying to dig it back out & put it on the other side of the rocks to help hold them better.

HEChicken the two young turkeys are much easier to get into the pen at night than the two older hens. They will go right back there towards the pen & will go in when I put food in there. The two older hens are a different story though, the one just gets freaked out when I herd her back there & then runs back to the front yard. It's really aggravating when I'm trying to get birds & animals in & all the feeding to have to catch her & carry her in.

 

[chicken danz]

Lizzy I hope that works for you. I would have opened the wound. Not sure if I would have picked the scab, but you do need it open to heal.
That reminds me I found a cochin pullet with a huge (what I thought was an abscess all across her front and down to her wing.) I gave her a shot of baytril and punctured the abscess and only air came out. She started wheezing but she wasn't feeling good at all so I attributed it to that. Then yesterday I noticed she was every bit as swollen again so I gave her another shot and this time I made an incision in the big "abscess" and tried pressuring out the air. This time I could see she was in real distress. When I let the air fill back up she was fine. Apparently she has an open air pipe or open lung and all that air is what she is breathing. I put some antibiotic and some more alcohol on the incision hoping I didn't prevent her from breathing. I checked later and she was running around feeling great. At least the medicine is helping her feel better. I doubt she will live very long because there is no way to protect her from being punctured with something. Of course it had to be a pullet. I will have to do an exploratory home necropsy when she dies to see what is actually going on. I would be thrilled if she lived and thrived though. She is a very sweet little girl and is getting used to being handled.
I was out working but can't see for the sweat running in my eyes. It's miserable hot and humid out there. The ice melted in my water jug so it was a good time to come in and check in on you guys.
Guess I'd better get back out and see what damage I can do.