Consolidated Kansas

[Trish44]

Does anyone breed Silkies/frizzles? Not for me lol I have enough but my best friend will be moving to a farm in July and she wants a house chicken silkie/frizzle. Thanks

I sent you a PM.

 

[Ralph Moyer]

My two GP's were barking close to the house, and by the sound they were making, I knew they had something cornered. They were at the opening to a shed that I made for my outside cats. I shined my light into the shed, and saw two very large opossums, helping themselves to the cat food. From the size of these giants, it was probably not their first trip to the "cat house", but it was their last..

 

[sharol]

My two GP's were barking close to the house, and by the sound they were making, I knew they had something cornered. They were at the opening to a shed that I made for my outside cats. I shined my light into the shed, and saw two very large opossums, helping themselves to the cat food. From the size of these giants, it was probably not their first trip to the "cat house", but it was their last..

Whattagooddog(s).

 

[sharol]

I'm having a problem with my Breda Fowl cockerel (almost a year old). He is gentle with people, and for the most part with the other chickens, but he has started pecking feathers around the faces of my Araucana pullets (also nearly a year old).

I don't want to get rid of him, but I don't want him abusing my hens.

Will pinless peepers work on a slightly hyper rooster? I have some I bought for a mean hen a couple of years ago and she cleaned up her act so I never used them.

If we don't find a resolution for this, he will have to go, and I really like him otherwise. I had noticed the missing feathers a week or so ago, and then this morning he came into the coop while I was cleaning and started pecking at a little pullet in the nest box.

 

[chicken danz]

My two GP's were barking close to the house, and by the sound they were making, I knew they had something cornered. They were at the opening to a shed that I made for my outside cats. I shined my light into the shed, and saw two very large opossums, helping themselves to the cat food. From the size of these giants, it was probably not their first trip to the "cat house", but it was their last..

Good dogs. I've had so many Oposums around here this year and it's the same situation. They go for the catfood. The problem is the dogs get so busy with the bigger predators they don't tend to notice a quiet opossum sneaking into the shop for cat food. Of course they get caught and end up on the burn pile. Hopefully Yeti will start noticing them. He stays close to the house at night and often sleeps with a turkey so at least he is around. And even though he isn't old enough to work he tends to bark at anything that he sees out of the ordinary... and some things that aren't.
Originally Posted by sharol
I don't think getting rid of your Breda is going to solve the face picking. My aruacanas pick each other faces and always pick each others tufts off. I seriously doubt he is doing all the picking. In my aruacana breeder pen I have 1 tuft on the rooster. The rest of them have them picked off and lots of bald faces as well. Not sure what they obsession is there. I tried different supplements thinking it might help but to no avail. I think it's kind of like having polish. Because it's there they are going to pick on it. Maybe won't make them look pretty but as long as they aren't drawing blood they are probably okay. My youngest Araucana hen had to be guaranteed in a pen for like three months because each time I would let her out with the other araucanas they would pick her head and face and leave open wounds. She is now with the others but is totally bald with no head feathers at all. You could rub some Pine tar on their faces which is really messy and stinks but I've used it to stop picking even when blu-kote didn't work. A taste of that and they back off. I bought a can at Bluestem probably 6 years ago and still have 3/4ths of the can. Its good when you need it. If you were closer I'd just give you some. But by the time you or I paid for gas it would buy a can.
I'm pretty excited. I got a new little wagon last night. It was on sale and has a solid bin on it. It's fairly small but just the perfect height to put under my grain bin to load with feed. It's supposed to hold 400 pounds so that isn't a problem. I've been filling 5 gallon buckets and pulling them around on a bigger wagon. This will save a couple steps for me. Can't wait to get it put together. I love things that shortcut some work!

 

[sharol]

Originally Posted by sharol
I don't think getting rid of your Breda is going to solve the face picking. My aruacanas pick each other faces and always pick each others tufts off. I seriously doubt he is doing all the picking. In my aruacana breeder pen I have 1 tuft on the rooster. The rest of them have them picked off and lots of bald faces as well. Not sure what they obsession is there. I tried different supplements thinking it might help but to no avail. I think it's kind of like having polish. Because it's there they are going to pick on it. Maybe won't make them look pretty but as long as they aren't drawing blood they are probably okay. My youngest Araucana hen had to be guaranteed in a pen for like three months because each time I would let her out with the other araucanas they would pick her head and face and leave open wounds. She is now with the others but is totally bald with no head feathers at all. You could rub some Pine tar on their faces which is really messy and stinks but I've used it to stop picking even when blu-kote didn't work. A taste of that and they back off. I bought a can at Bluestem probably 6 years ago and still have 3/4ths of the can. Its good when you need it. If you were closer I'd just give you some. But by the time you or I paid for gas it would buy a can.

There is more to it than that. He also pulls feathers out of the heads of the hens he is breeding (the other Bredas mostly). The girls are starting to run away from him to Jake (my EE rooster) for protection. He is so good about warning them about hawks and looking after them, but he is hurting the girls. I haven't seen blood, but what I have seen is him pulling feathers repeatedly after breeding a hen. He has produced lovely chicks, too, so that is clearly in his favor.

I have some pine tar that I used on a hen who was being pecked a couple of years ago. It would be absolutely last ditch effort.

What do you think about the peepers?

 

[chicken danz]

There is more to it than that. He also pulls feathers out of the heads of the hens he is breeding (the other Bredas mostly). The girls are starting to run away from him to Jake (my EE rooster) for protection. He is so good about warning them about hawks and looking after them, but he is hurting the girls. I haven't seen blood, but what I have seen is him pulling feathers repeatedly after breeding a hen. He has produced lovely chicks, too, so that is clearly in his favor.

I have some pine tar that I used on a hen who was being pecked a couple of years ago. It would be absolutely last ditch effort.

What do you think about the peepers?

In that case give the peepers a try for sure. I put some on one rooster a couple years ago that was beating up another rooster and it stopped that activity. Wonder why he is acting like that? My breda boys are sweet gentle roosters. I guess there is always one in a group who has to act different. Hope that works.
I am pretty happy. My goslings arrived in Mississippi already. I'm so happy!!! Only one near casualty and it's not dead although I refunded any way. He got in the gro gel and then got trampled. But I'm so happy they arrived a day early and did well otherwise.

 

[Trish44]

I'm pretty excited. I got a new little wagon last night. It was on sale and has a solid bin on it. It's fairly small but just the perfect height to put under my grain bin to load with feed. It's supposed to hold 400 pounds so that isn't a problem. I've been filling 5 gallon buckets and pulling them around on a bigger wagon. This will save a couple steps for me. Can't wait to get it put together. I love things that shortcut some work!

Congrats on the wagon, that sounds handy. I just need to get new tires for mine I use for feeding.

We're going next door today to get the used hay the neighbor has over there. They use it for blocking the north wind from under their trailer. I asked him about it last night & he said he would sell it to me cheap so it will be great for bedding. I told him I'm always looking for bedding material so he said well then we'll just make an agreement that you can get it from me every spring. I said that sounds great!

 

[Dani4Hedgies]

Trish congrats that's awesome

 

[sharol]

@chicken danz, it is great that they got there so fast and for the most part well.

I just put my Campine and Breda babies out in the hoop. It is wind sheltered on the upwind side, and the heater in the coop part has it at 80 or so, so they should be fine for the day (in tonight, for sure).