constructing a single chicken family unit for porch

[centrarchid]

Count now at 11 chicks and should be done, just over 50% hatch. One is 1/2 dominique. My wife moved Sallie with nest to ground level. Sallie had an affair when wind blew dominique pens over. Sallie has left nest but returned with bitties for night.

 

[perchie.girl]

I love the expression "bitties" . Cant wait for pix, when you get back.

 

[centrarchid]

Count now up to 13 and done. Remaining eggs rotten. Can you find Waldo (male American Game x American Dominique (Dan from Guerny Davis flock)?

Close-up showing a few with nearly classic chipmunk pattern of red jungle fowl. Variation slight but two morphs evident amoung pure games. Lighter version of brown breasted brown red, darker will be heterozygous as blacked brested red (wildtype) with some brown breasted brown red bleeding through.

These bitties are vicious consumers of meal worms but still not able to jump into container. Sallie took meal worms out one at a time as fast as she could, then dropping them where they could pick the morsels up.


Sallie is still loosing weight. Tomorrow I will attempt to have her stand on scales without picking her up. I can do it but goal is to have her do it herself. Bitties will be expected to do same, individually. That will be bigger challenge.

 

[welasharon]

How cute! Such a good little mama! Thanks for sharing the pics.
sharon

 

[emys]

Glad you had a good hatch. (Yep, we see who the black sheep of that family will be. Hope Eduardo doesn't take offense!

)

 

[perchie.girl]

OMG how cute are they.....

Talk about a dedicated momma. Go Sally.....

 

[centrarchid]

Large brood at hatch does not in itself make a good mother. Sallie will now have to split time between brooding and foraging. The activities conflict and the latter must be done on ground that without supplementing feeding is inadequate to support such a large brood. Cover from predators is adequate for adults but not yet for a hen brooding chicks. Forage base of newly seeded yard still not ramped up in respect to forages (insects and other invertebrates) suitable for such small bitties. Sallie is also going to have to deal with heavy rain and wind events that are tough on bitties even when under her skirt.

This brood initated too early for available resources. Barely better than 50% hatch (13 of 21 eggs). Embyos were repeatedly exposed to temperatures that were likely low enough to kill at least some. Intervals between eggs longer owing to cold stress on Sallie. Forage base as noted not yet ready. Early broods like this tend to have low survival rates without supplemental feedings. They will get that. Tradeoff is for chicks that survive, they will get best of forage quantity and quality later on, enjoy highest social rank of young-of-year and likely be largest going into next winter as full adults with fully established feather set. Latter very important when dealing with cold and predators.

Despite poor hatch rate, brood larger than typical. My preference is for broods numbering 6-10 at hatch.

Sallie will also have to get chicks to transition to a roost ASAP. Oppossums are only predator that seem not to actively avoid dog and one could easily waddle up and make attempt before Scoob (dog) does his job. We also have to make doubly sure Sallie is not under car when we leave for work in morning. Hens with chicks have a lot in common with kittens on that measure.

This brood will also be promoted to move into another roost some distance from house in a stepwise process. Process will begin once they are weaned. By winter I hope for them to be about 400 feet from feeding station in front yard so we can get long morning flights for filming.

 

[centrarchid]

Front porch system not working quite like desired, largely because not a single family unit as intended. Sallie and bitties are too much under foot. Every time I go out, Sallie with kids comes running and despite being only a week old, chicks taking lead and readily standing on my shoes when I would rather be walking. Arrangement will be great for weighing but such close contact desired only for weighing.

Sallie is now taking brood away from house to sweet sumac patch serving as day roost for older birds. Distance covered a good 150 feet from front porch. Two trips made back and forth after noon as she would not move during rain. Canopy still not closed so protection from Coopers hawk predating on chicks minimal. Coopers made no effort to catch adults all winter despite frequently pursuing song birds among free ranging flock. Resident male Coopers hawk now working area for breeding birds and will start on bitties if song birds too difficult to catch. Eduardo (father) is investing efforts to sire more offspring by other hens rather than fathering offspring on ground. Eduardo would invest more in brood and likely be effective in detouring Coopers if Sallie only hen. He is now being a player.

Also down to 12 chicks since dog decided to play with one and slobbered it to death. Scoob got disciplined. Unless drier, warmer conditions prevail, more losses due to environmental stresses likely. Sallie has pretty serious conflict between need to foraging for herself and brood as well as brooding chicks that have a hard time keeping core temperature up. Sallie is very low in weight as I can feel when she flies up into hands for purpose of making me drop more food faster down to chicks. I am still leery of that after being flogged so many times as a kid nearly three decades ago.

 

[centrarchid]

Sallie's brood 1 now numbers 11. I euthanized one have troubles breathing and unable to keep up with rest.


Good news also. They are now enrolled in flight-school. Training has begun for repeated voluntary flights of 400+ feet during winter of 2011-2012. These guys will also be taken with parents (Sallie and Eduardo) to kids field day. There they will be expected to fly up onto arms of kids and mill about with a large crowd of humans. This batch is going to have a very busy growing season.

 

[perchie.girl]

Quote:
LOL.... I can picure Goggles and Preflight check lists....

That whole flying thing has me interested in Sumatras. Plus the fact that the breed is pretty much untouched at least in Sumatra.... They have been known to island hop.