Eastern Tennessee Thread

[littlechicklet]

It took me a long time, but I ended up finding homes for the Orps and Sussex... and they were English Orps and Coronation Sussex... you'd think people would be knocking down the door to get them. I gave alot away free to friends. But yeah, they were too big for what I have here. I'm slowly going more bantam too... just collecting as I go.

Speaking of... my Olandsk Dwarf eggs should be here today or tomorrow!!!! YES!! YES!!! YES!!!!!!!!!!! She through in 3 Mottled Japanese eggs too... you know darn well I'm going to hatch three boys. lol. I don't care, they will be cute and I'll find girls at spring shows. (justifying this all to myself)

Where were you when I was looking for Orps? For good quality Orps I would have paid good money. I think I am at my max right now though. I am deciding if I want to cross tennesseeckn's line with the remaining bad experience ones or find another line to bring into the mix & get rid of those. With my limited housing space some will have to go if I bring in anything else.

Congrats on the eggs. I wish I had the space for more but I do not.

 

[littlechicklet]

The girls are slowly becoming more accustomed to my son and I hanging around. They've come to realize that the cup I carry down there that has just a little bit of scratch grains in it is the calling card to come over. A few shakes of the cup and they all come running over.

They are all little piggies! As soon as they've scratched around and gotten everything eaten, they look at me like 'where's the rest'?

I'm counting on the sound of scratch grains in a cup being the way I can get them back into the coop the first time I let them out to free range. As I've said before, there's alot of dangers (mostly evening and night time though) that's made me a little apprehensive to let them out. I'm hoping in the next couple of weeks that I can start letting them out a couple hours before bed time so that they can do what they do best - hunt for bugs and such. Gotta remember to turn the hot wires off while they are out just in case one tries to circle around the pen to find the right opening to get in!

Does anyone have any good stories of the first time their new chicks were let loose to free range? Or of chickens that just didn't want to go back to their coop at night?

I am with tnchickenut: I have mostly had good experiences. I have lost one young pullet but it was my fault for letting an older rooster out with them while I cleaned his house (all the young pullets went missing but only one didn't come back in). I too have some that are easy & some hold out to the very last spark of light. My biggest problem is when I rearrange pens & they want to go back to the one I just took them out of. I think the longer they are allowed to free range the more likely it is for them to wander farther away. I started gradually by letting mine out for about 1 hour before dark & increased slowly. Good luck.

 

[rockinrandall]

I have had both experiences. Sometimes they would go out and go back just by saying "Bedtime, in the house!" like my bantam Delawares have always done, even in the middle of the day.... other birds won't go in until they are good and ready and trying to get them in early will only make you irritate and looking crazy as the neighbors watch you circle and circle and circle the coops. LOL!!!

Tempting them with scratch is how I do my old LF Dels... i can kinda make it work for my Shiners, though they don't always fall for it.... I guess what I'm saying is, you won't know until it is happening. Most are good about it, though.

I know how scary it can be to think you just want to let them out and they might not come back, but trust me... chances are it will be fine. What kind are they again? The ones you got from bairo? They will go back... just leave them locked up (which you are) for a couple days to weeks before trying. Now, if they were games or some sort... I wouldn't ever chance it. They like trees and can fly like a normal bird. That said, my bantam games go to bed on their own, but I have them a aviary type thing to satisfy their desire to sleep high. They get up about 6 feet and sleep... and a large one I had show up once slept about 25ft up in a tree. She didn't last long... poor thing. Something ate her one night. She was truly wild, though and I would put her a feeder and waterer out but never got close to her. Awww now I'm missing her.

Yes, they are the ones I got from Rodney. Two Marans and 7 Welsummer or Welsummer cross. So I've had them for just over a week. Would you wait longer or take your chances this soon?

 

[bairo]

Quote: I've always started by letting them out an hour before sunset as long as they have been in the coop about a week. I've not had any bad experiences yet (knock on wood).
If you have a lot of fencing around they could get confused on how to get back in the first few times, but chickens like to copy each other so usually if one goes a certain way and makes it....the rest will try to follow. My last broody took her bunch outside the gates at about 3 weeks old and by 5 weeks they were getting further and further from mom. You have some of those

More than likely if anything at all happens it will be them trying to get back in and flying up against the fence for not knowing where the gate is. If that happens, swing wide around them and come up from behind to push them in the right direction. OR try using your cup of scratch from the front.

They have had enough time though, I would go ahead and start letting them out.

 

[bairo]

Oh Okay sorry to affend any one just going more for the bantys. I'm persistent because I would rather get rid of them before I have to cut there heads off. I got them from another breeder who was getting out of the chickens business thats all. I won't post any more trade Ideas here. I understand about the disease thing. AND NO I DON'T WANT TO GET RID OF THEM BUT THEY ARE GETTING TOO BIG FOR MY BACKYARD.

you did not offend...trust us. Stang is just a big meanie

Kidding.
Her and stacy said it best though.... Sometimes we probably do come off as abrasive in our race to try and protect new folks from some of the horrors we ourselves have experienced. So sometimes we get surprised and start almost SCREAMING "NO" STOP. LOL
It is nothing against anyone here at all, really. It is just the nature of it that until we know how they were brought up....some of us that have been burned will be just a tad stand-offish. For example: I knew that I probably had the perfect chickens at the right age for rockinrandall a long time before I contacted him. He is a great guy, but he was not getting any birds from me until I saw pics of his set up and I figured out he was serious about giving them good care. He also impressed me by throughly checking out the birds before he even agreed to take them. A lot of people might have been offended since I am supposed to be trustworthy on this site; but I was very happy to see it.
Trust us...you will be the same way once you've seen what some of us have

It's not even necessarily you....the breeder you got them from could have been doing funky things too.

 

[hobbychicken]

Well after chasing my fbcm roo around the yard like paparazzi I am sure my neighbors really think I am crazy.....lol Trying to get him to pose for the camera is almost impossible but I think I got a few good ones. Shew......

 

[littlechicklet]

Well after chasing my fbcm roo around the yard like paparazzi I am sure my neighbors really think I am crazy.....lol Trying to get him to pose for the camera is almost impossible but I think I got a few good ones. Shew......

At least you were chasing him and not him chasing you.

 

[stanglover2001]

I was on the BYC auction section, and found a really darn good deal on hatching Orpington eggs! I spent all my money on those darn banty cochins!

 

[stanglover2001]

At least you were chasing him and not him chasing you.

Since this isn't facebook, here is me liking your comment...

 

[stanglover2001]

Okay, so if anyone is interested I have made my decisions. I have 3 banty cochins I'd like to sale from the group I bought, I'm keeping the 3 black pullets and the lavender (self blue?) so the 2 colorful pullets can go and one of the blacks that looks to have some color leakage in it. Since I'm not requiring buying of either of the 2 roosters, the price is $10 a piece, which I think is fair for what looks to me to be pullets (they're all under 2 lbs). Two of them have had their butts pecked it looks like, so they do need to be watched (no serious damage, just very little feathers). If you want either rooster you can have them, I took more photos today if you want to see better photos of any of them.
Also, have a Mini Rex buck, that I'm only offering to BYCers because I refuse to try to sale right now on CL. If no one is interested he'll be going to the freezer whenever I get a chance, along with 2 bantam cochin roosters.