Heritage Large Fowl - Phase II

[3riverschick]

That is so sweet Karen.

I had my first hen go broody this year and let her hatch 4 Sweetgrass turkey poults for me and she is a good momma to them.

A chicken raising turkeys? That reminds me of the time we owned a beagle.
She was so happy when our collie girl had pups! Finally in th midst of 5 collies,
dogs her own size to play wth! Then they kept getting bigger and bigger and
bigger...her disappointment and bewilderment was palpable. "They're bigger
than me now, awh...".

 

[chickadoodles]

Quote: Well she went broody and I wanted some Sweetgrass turkey so I bought them from Arielle and slipped them under her and she was so happy. lol
she only knows they are her babies.

I can understand the beagle and collie puppies how sweet.

 

[bnjrob]

Ok, So I walked out to the coops this evening to check feed and water. Tux and May live together in the little red "livery barn" style coop.
May had decided to sit eggs as the hatching season was winding down. She is 2 this year. I decided to let her have her way. . So tonight I go check she is no longer on the nest. No egg shells in sight. Fine, we are finally done with this off season silliness! I checked the run and there she was setting in the run with Tux watching over her.
Fine I go to move her and let her know I have had enough of this brooding stuff ! Out pop 4 chicks from under her. Well "Hi there little ones! ". Course the coop needed cleaned when she started setting. So I rush off to get the supplies. Lock them in the run and clean the coop. Tux goes in after it is done and calls May and the chicks but the chicks can't climb into the coop. Ooops, Need to build a ramp tomorrow. Put solar light in the coop to encourage May and the kids into it. Not happening , even with Tux's encouragement. He is a good daddy, gentle and protective. Ok, time to punt. May has settled on the run floor over the chicks. But it is getting to 45 tonight and the ground will get cold Hum. Off for more chips and throw a big pile in one sheltered corner of the run. Bump May over onto it, avoiding her angry pecks. The chicks scatter and I scoot them over to her. Check on them later and she is comfortably ensconced on the chip pile brooding her chicks. Fixed a chick waterer for them and put it in the yard. Has Poultry Nutri-Drench in it. Last week, I once again ended up with different chicken feed at Agway and am feeding the adult birds unmedicated chick feed. So guess it will be good for these chicks too. I don't see the need to feed them medicated feed since they were hatched in the coop and probably already exposed to anything the adult birds have seen. I am not sure if it will harm the adult birds to feed them medicated chick feed, so I won't.
And that's the rest of the story...
Best,
Karen

LOL - they sure can be full of fun and surprises. It won't bother the adults if you feed them all medicated chick feed if you need to. We've been lucky in that we have not needed to use medicated feed even though we use brooders for rearing chicks.

 

[crazyhen]

Ok, So I walked out to the coops this evening to check feed and water. Tux and May live together in the little red "livery barn" style coop.
May had decided to sit eggs as the hatching season was winding down. She is 2 this year. I decided to let her have her way. . So tonight I go check she is no longer on the nest. No egg shells in sight. Fine, we are finally done with this off season silliness! I checked the run and there she was setting in the run with Tux watching over her.
Fine I go to move her and let her know I have had enough of this brooding stuff ! Out pop 4 chicks from under her. Well "Hi there little ones! ". Course the coop needed cleaned when she started setting. So I rush off to get the supplies. Lock them in the run and clean the coop. Tux goes in after it is done and calls May and the chicks but the chicks can't climb into the coop. Ooops, Need to build a ramp tomorrow. Put solar light in the coop to encourage May and the kids into it. Not happening , even with Tux's encouragement. He is a good daddy, gentle and protective. Ok, time to punt. May has settled on the run floor over the chicks. But it is getting to 45 tonight and the ground will get cold Hum. Off for more chips and throw a big pile in one sheltered corner of the run. Bump May over onto it, avoiding her angry pecks. The chicks scatter and I scoot them over to her. Check on them later and she is comfortably ensconced on the chip pile brooding her chicks. Fixed a chick waterer for them and put it in the yard. Has Poultry Nutri-Drench in it. Last week, I once again ended up with different chicken feed at Agway and am feeding the adult birds unmedicated chick feed. So guess it will be good for these chicks too. I don't see the need to feed them medicated feed since they were hatched in the coop and probably already exposed to anything the adult birds have seen. I am not sure if it will harm the adult birds to feed them medicated chick feed, so I won't.
And that's the rest of the story...
Best,
Karen

Unmedicated will not hurt the chicks if the protein is high. You do not want the layer type because the protein is too low for growing chicks. I have never had a hen with hatched chicks to get cocci. Just the ones ordered. I think she must inoculate them somehow. Good luck with your chicks. These hens will fool ya!!!.

 

[Lacy Blues]

Karen, congrats on those chicks! I presume they faired well overnight?

Funny on the hen raising poults! We once had two old english game bantams go broody on us. We didn't have any fertile bantam eggs to give them so I collected some smaller eggs from the yard (mixed) birds and they were still quite large for these tiny hens. They received one egg each. They sat on those big lumps til they hatched. It was pretty funny, as the chicks grew, it didn't take long til they were WAY bigger than their mothers and it was extremely amusing to see them trying to get under their wings at night!

 

[3riverschick]

Karen, congrats on those chicks! I presume they faired well overnight?

Funny on the hen raising poults! We once had two old english game bantams go broody on us. We didn't have any fertile bantam eggs to give them so I collected some smaller eggs from the yard (mixed) birds and they were still quite large for these tiny hens. They received one egg each. They sat on those big lumps til they hatched. It was pretty funny, as the chicks grew, it didn't take long til they were WAY bigger than their mothers and it was extremely amusing to see them trying to get under their wings at night!

That's hysterical!! They fared fine. May has taken the big lump of chips and fashioned it into a proper shaped nest with raised sides. I was going to build a ramp for them into the coop but she has them settled in so well, I don't see the need. And I think it would really upset Tux to have us messing around in his yard right now. The yard is roofed with a tarp which also covers the one side against the prevailing wind/rain and it is against that sheltered corner she made her nest. Smart mama.
Took some chick feed out to them today in a low feeder they can get too. Figured they were dry when they came out form under Mama hen. Plus this is the second day so probably done with the yolk by now. Tux is such a great daddy. He is so proud of his kids and watches over May so diligently. Yet lets me reach in the pen to do water and feed. I am very careful not to get in his "zone" because I don't want to start anything. He encourages May and the chicks to any feed and water I provide. Such a gallant boy. I sure will miss him when he goes back to Walt. he's a stunner. I truly think I could take the breed with him at Columbus, but not to be. He is every bit as good as his sire, Junior. Next year I will be there with one of his kids out of his dam, May.
Best,
Karen

 

[jonservidio]

So now we come to this large area. I have 2x4 welded wire around the perimeter. will be adding 1x1 chicken wire
on top of it. I need to fence the partitions and the roof. thinking of using either
1/2" x 1/2" , 19 Gauge - Galvanized(Hot-Dip Galvanized After Welding GAW) or
1" by 1", 20 Gauge(galvanized steel core) - then Vinyl PVC Coated
what do you think? we have only had one opossum here in 20 years.
Best,
Karen

chicken wire is great for keeping chickens in, it is about worthless for keeping anything out. the 2x4 wire is better but the predators can and will bend and break it. get the best you can afford, it will pay for itself in the long run.
don't forget about the ground, some predators will dig right under the fence in minutes. that is what I have been battling lately, my answer to that so far has been bags of cement. lol

 

[The Yakima Kid]

This site is.........unbelievable. $99 for an unsexed 1 day old anything is too much. I don't care about rare.

But wait! These chicks came from an area formerly famed for its trotting horses. It seems that these miraculous birds were so incredible that they actually replaced both trotting horses and vegetables as a claim to fame. One wonders if this extraordinary breed is so awesome that it made the trotting horses obsolete due to its incredible speed in harness while pulling a sulky? Perhaps the chicken tractor originated when some local farmer observed the marvelous Merlerault pulling a sulky along a country road, and realized if one in single harness could do that, what incredible feats could be accomplished by a span or team in the local vegetable fields?

Ah, but wait, the chickens were unable to pull the chicken tractor for effective tilling, the vegetable fields vanished, and the sole remaining claim to fame was this breed of chicken.....

Or maybe the heat is getting to me today.

Why is it that these sorts of breeds are all over the internet - and I can't find a single show quality Dominique?

Maybe I should give up try another breed. I'd probably be able to find Indonesian Laughing Chickens before I will find some good Dominiques available in California.

The Laughing Chickens do sound like a kookaburra, so with any luck at all, someone will import them.... and probably want $10,000 for an unsexed chick.

 

[gjensen]

There are some reasonably decent Doms around, and for me, a breed of interest.

A shamefully overlooked breed, particularly when everything "sustainable" is the new fad.

 

[chickadoodles]

Karen, congrats on those chicks!  I presume they faired well overnight? Its wonderful that your momma did so great with her chicks!

Lacy thaat must have been a site to see big chicks trying to get under little momma! I guess i will get to see a version of it myself soon. Lol

Funny on the hen raising poults!  We once had two old english game bantams go broody on us.  We didn't have any fertile bantam eggs to give them so I collected some smaller eggs from the yard (mixed) birds and they were still quite large for these tiny hens.  They received one egg each.  They sat on those big lumps til they hatched. It was pretty funny, as the chicks grew, it didn't take long til they were WAY bigger than their mothers and it was extremely amusing to see them trying to get under their wings at night!