Easter Egger club!

[poppycock1974]

I saw the pictures. It looks like they are both pullets. I mean the black and white one looks more like a pullet then the other one but... So you said they are both doing this? That is quite a funny sound.

Funny yes but not to my neighbor. She's also the only one that knows I even have chickens, well after today im sure many more will know.

 

[junebuggena]

I wonder how they'd feel about a flock of hens all joining in the egg song then. Even the ladies can raise quite the commotion.
Check out these videos. Be honest. Will your neighbors tolerate this kind of ruckus? If not, you may need to rethink keeping chickens entirely.

 

[poppycock1974]

I wonder how they'd feel about a flock of hens all joining in the egg song then. Even the ladies can raise quite the commotion. 
Check out these videos. Be honest. Will your neighbors tolerate this kind of ruckus? If not, you may need to rethink keeping chickens entirely. 

I recently looked at several song videos and as loud as that can be, there is no rule about having hens, just no roosters and my HOA only states that birds can't be kept on property for commercial or breeding purposes.

 

[love laugh farm]

What? Really? So I was going to take it to the feed store to rehome later this morning but now I don't know. What I do know is that my neighbors aren't going to stand for anything crowing for any period of time. Ugh the pain of getting too close to chicks

Have you tried a no crow collar? That would probably buy you enough time to find out if she's a he or vice versa. you could make one or order it! But watch out for the crazy lady trying to sell them for $158 per collar! they are around $20-$25

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_fro...crow+collar.TRS0&_nkw=no+crow+collar&_sacat=0

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias=aps&field-keywords=no+crow+collar

My Pet Chicken sells them too and they have bow ties!

http://www.mypetchicken.com/catalog/product-search.aspx?catID=0&Strname=no crow collar&CatName=

here's the original source of them

http://nocrowroostercollars.com/

 

[FlyWheel]

Here are my 2 6 week old EE's, bottom left is Astrid (keeping my fingers crossed that she's a pullet) and on the right is Buttercup (pretty sure he's a roo.)
Excuse the photo bomb of my 3 week old JG's!

"Astrid"? Ohhhh, if "Buttercup" ever starts crowing (and you can keep him) then you will just have to rename him Hiccup.!

Best thing I can tell you about chicks at 2 to 3 weeks old is that they are all instinct right now. And those instincts are important for survival. Any large thing is a perceived threat. Anything reaching toward them is a threat. It doesn't matter if they see you every single day. It doesn't matter if you have yummy treats, they are still learning about what is yummy and what isn't. Don't ever stand over a chick, or try to reach down and grab one. Always move carefully, at a low level. Keep hands low and slow.
They are too young to be allowed to freely run around. They need a chick-safe pen, small enough for you to gather them up when playtime is over, but big enough for them to really stretch those legs.
It's a big reason why the coop and run should be done and ready before you even get chicks. Makes things easier on them once they are ready to move outside permanently, and it's a safe play area for chicks where you can more easily catch them.
In time, as they get older and bigger, they become less concerned about everything trying to eat them. By 4 weeks old, they will begin to see you as a source of good things. By 6 weeks, they may be running to you for treats. By 8 weeks you may have to shoo them away from your feet to walk.

Thank you! That answers my question. I have seven Americanas that at two weeks are so twitchy I was starting to wonder about the validity of just how people friendly the "breed" really was!

One of them though, which I chose partly because of the green hue of her chick-down, has already started to develop a distinct personality.
She was one of the two who actually walked up and hopped onto my outstretched palm at the feed store; she was also the first to explore the new MHP when I changed it for the heat lamp; she was the one I caught roosting on the edge of the brooding bin which is why I now cover it with hardware cloth; she was the first to experiment with the meal worms, and this morning it was she who actually picked one from my hand!

While I was toying with the idea of naming them after the color of egg each lays (which will not be easy with seven ladies all the same age!), I just might jump the gun with this one and name her 'Braveheart'.

(and yes, I know Mel's character was Scottish, not Irish!)

 

[Amelia Egghart]

That video is super cute. Your neighbors sound horrendous. They can't be swayed by the promise of free eggs?

Girls make a racket, too. If they're allowed by the HOA, then your little red vocalist should be ok. They do both look like pullets to me. This "crowing" should calm down in a few weeks.

Your neighbors are truly that unyielding? I mean, they have a barking dog, after all!

Hope it all works out. :/

 

[poppycock1974]

That video is super cute. Your neighbors sound horrendous. They can't be swayed by the promise of free eggs?

Girls make a racket, too. If they're allowed by the HOA, then your little red vocalist should be ok. They do both look like pullets to me. This "crowing" should calm down in a few weeks.

Your neighbors are truly that unyielding? I mean, they have a barking dog, after all!

Hope it all works out. :/

My neighbors are all retired except a few down the road. Although they have at one point been around a farm, they would tolerate it only for a short while I'm sure. They are wonderful and I respect their peace, we are in the city and I would never have considered chickens in the city except for the whole idea of teaching my children where and how we get our food. We are moving in 4 years to the country and will have as many noisy chickens as we want but for now, out of respect for the community, I need to keep them quiet when possible.

 

[poppycock1974]

I wonder how they'd feel about a flock of hens all joining in the egg song then. Even the ladies can raise quite the commotion. 
Check out these videos. Be honest. Will your neighbors tolerate this kind of ruckus? If not, you may need to rethink keeping chickens entirely. 

how long, on average, will a hen sing her egg song after laying? Are we talking minutes or possibly hours?

 

[gbenyk1]

Hi, just picked up my 4 EE. Roberta, Nicolette, Georgina and Lizzette on Saturday. They are 5 weeks old. I got to pick up two of them yesterday. Wondering why is smells so bad so soon. I was thinking I would clean once a week, but it looks like cleaning and adding pine shavings will be every two days. How often to you clean your coop? I will also be adding more space for them. Got my coop from Tractor Supply. Whoever designed it should get an award. Very well thought out and great features.
Georgia

 

[junebuggena]

how long, on average, will a hen sing her egg song after laying? Are we talking minutes or possibly hours?

Here's the deal, each hen is an individual. Some hens will live their entire lives without ever singing when they lay. Others can be complete drama queens, singing before, during, and after laying. Some just like to sing their egg song for no reason at all. Some only sing for a minute or two. If the whole flock joins in, it can last for over half an hour. Then you need to consider that not every hen is a morning layer. Some lay in the afternoon.
The thing is, if a little squeaky crow is bothering the neighbors, I doubt that they will enjoy the noises that hens can make.