How old do these babies look?

[nnheacox]

We picked up these little pullets at Rural King last night. Any guesses on how old they might be based on feathering? Two Speckled Sussex and two Brahmas (one light, one buff).

 

[azygous]

The Speckled Sussex are four weeks. The Brahmas may be three weeks, but those photos aren't very clear so it's not as easy to tell.The Brahmas could be four weeks, though. Brahmas are much slower to mature than other breeds.

 

[nnheacox]

The Speckled Sussex are four weeks. The Brahmas may be three weeks, but those photos aren't very clear so it's not as easy to tell.The Brahmas could be four weeks, though. Brahmas are much slower to mature than other breeds.

Thanks! I have older SS but I couldn’t remember at what point they were feathered out that much. And yeah, the brooder is in our basement and the lighting is terrible. It’s hard to get good pics down there between lighting and squirmy chicks

 

[azygous]

Photographing chickens is a very unrewarding activity. I'm a decent photographer, but I don't think I've gotten a good photo of my flock in the entire sixteen years of keeping them. At least you didn't try to get photos of the chicks with a red heat lamp as the light source.

 

[patchworkgirl]

At least you didn't try to get photos of the chicks with a red heat lamp as the light source.

Just for fun, I did that and thought the pictures were terrible! I just looked at them and was only able to identify two of the crew because they're darker than the others.

 

[azygous]

You learned a lesson about light reflection and the color of light. Our eyes see best when the object reflects lots of light. Red swallows up more light that it reflects, so it's very difficult to see the object, let alone detail.

The problem with amateur photography is that most people aren't aware of this because our brains fill in the details our eyes are deprived of and we are fooled into believing we are seeing the object accurately when the opposite is true.

Good photography requires that we know what we are not seeing as well as what we are seeing, and to make up for the deficiency with extra lighting and positioning of the subject. A decent photo requires much more than point-and-shoot.

And don't get me started on those darned chicks refusing to hold still.

 

[patchworkgirl]

And don't get me started on those darned chicks refusing to hold still.

Chicks holding still, what's that?

Mine are around 4 weeks, we got them from Rural King on May 23rd. It's the first time in several years that I've had chicks.

They'll hold still on my lap or in my hand, but they vibrate! Yesterday, while my son was about to clean out the coop, I had 4 of the 6 on me! He took a couple of pictures, but hasn't sent them to me yet.

I guess I should start a thread about them, unless it's okay to post here since it's basically the same topic.

 

[azygous]

I would just keep adding to this thread.

Beware of overly friendly baby chicks. They grow up to be love junkies. Half my flock are in this category. But one in particular follows me around loudly demanding to be picked up and cuddled, not backing off one iota until I do. Her reaction to being snuggled is not unlike the scene in the restaurant in "When Harry Met Sally".

 

[patchworkgirl]

"I'll have what she's having"? Or the part where she places her order?

I went to Katz's with my youngest in June of 2018, and we sat one table away from the famous table.

The other day, I had 4 chicks on my lap, and two of them were next to me. We're in the process of deciding how to build a run. My son is designing it. We have a hardware cloth corral that we sit in when we hang out with them.

 

[azygous]

When you are wearing your chicks, you know you have love junkies. They turn into lap chickens, and once they are addicted, they have to have multiple "fixes" each day. Mine moan and coo as they're being cuddled and kissed, eyes closed, beak agape, looking for all the world like they are passing out.

I got into the science of lap chickens here. https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...otion-to-get-our-chickens-to-love-us.1561141/

and here https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...ding-agent-between-us-and-our-chickens.78307/

I'm talking about the scene right before "I'll have what she's having".