Howdy from Ohio!

[3rdtimesacharm]

DEFINITELY aware but thank you!!! I live on 22 acres that backs into a summer camp (thus the LARGE amount of predators!!) so she's never free. She's on a 60' cable tie I move around. She's EXTREMELY intelligent (she figured out how to intentionally get out of working for the blind!! Haaaa) and she quickly learns/remembers her boundaries. As long as you're playing ball with her, nothing else in life matters. And that's a fact. I'm hoping that as long as she's out and loud that she'll scare predators from coming too close.

Also, I should comment that they're only 3.5 weeks right now, and I'm A FREAK. I am sleeping with them in the brooder in the living room WITH her. Her name is Aiko. She's in her crate. She's learning all their sounds, movements, and hopefully bonding and watching me carefully. Let's be honest-I've got nothing else going on up in my mini mountain during a pandemic! Nothing but time and determination!!

So far, she's doing really well making good decisions/choices and remaining calm even when things happen. GSD have it in them I know, but, they were also THE herding dog in Germany in the early 1900s. And she's bred from a top secret breeder. Haaaa, Pilot Dogs refused to tell me who the breeder is, and my equine vet who also raises GSD LOVED her and wanted the breeder's contact info-it was like pulling teeth. By the time they agreed to give it to her (forcefully, not through me!) she had moved on and gotten one elsewhere. But, she's a western working line, bred for jobs, so she WILL learn her mission in life is to protect the chickens at all costs!!!!!

I hope you know I'm not sleeping IN the brooder

 

[featherhead007]

That's all perfectly fine. I have a house rooster, that sleeps in a pet bed next to my bed.
He makes a great feathered alarm clock.

 

[drumstick diva]

Wow, what a great introduction! I hope we will get to see a photo of her at some later date.
Thank you for joining us at BYC. You are VERY WELCOME HERE

 

[Chick-N-Fun]

Welcome to our FUNomenal Community!
We are delighted to have you here with us!

 

[3rdtimesacharm]

I realized the way it was worded wasn't proper!! Because I want them bonded, and because I'm teaching Aiko and trying to assist her with bonding, I'm sleeping across from her crate right next to the brooder. That way, she watches me tend to them, and check on them and talk to them in the same kind way I've treated her. She's coming along pretty nicely.

The morning routine is that after she gets to play ball and eats (with old Sunny), I make scrambled eggs. Then we sit and watch the gang and she gets some egg for being good. They get egg as well, which they love!! In fact, they always get their egg before I give her egg. Trying to establish pecking order

I'm realistic. I KNOW she'll probably never, or at least until Sunny's senior age, be able to be trusted unsupervised. That's not my intention. My intention is to use her as an added line of defense, a warning system should anything be creeping in. Basically, our house is on the top of a long, steep hill surrounded by forest. It's a huge grassy knoll surrounded by brush/trees. Through the vegetation on the south side of the house, my neighbors have a huge unused horse pasture. South of that there's a pine stand. We have SO much wildlife which is amazing, but it's also GRRR when trying to raise chickens!!!!

The first time my husband used chicken wire. Bad move. The second time was my fault-they were out free ranging and I forgot about the time. I didn't have an automatic door and would go out and round everybody up. My family Dr out here also raises chicks and she lost her last 3 layers to a fox-her neighbors' camera caught the fox running past with her buff orp dangling from its mouth

 

[Tamdog]

My Boxer has learned to watch after the chickens and I totally trust him. It took time and when he was young and they would run - he would chase them and he killed some at first because he wanted to kill them. The very last time he killed one I know it was an accident- he wanted to play. I picked up the "broken" chicken and shook it at him- locked him in his pen for 3 days ( which he usually is never in - he free roams) and fussed/ chastised/berated at him every time I walked by, He has left them alone now for 3 years. They can run around him and he is not fazed. I believe him being around and his scent deters the predators. Good luck!

 

[Tamdog]

The morning routine is that after she gets to play ball and eats (with old Sunny), I make scrambled eggs. Then we sit and watch the gang and she gets some egg for being good. They get egg as well, which they love!! In fact, they always get their egg before I give her egg.
_____________________________________________________________________

I am no dog trainer but I would pick up one of those baby chicks every morning and shake it in the dogs face and say " NO!- MINE!" meaning- these are mine- you are a part of this but NOT the owner of this,
I have to do that to every tree/flower I plant- I take my dog over and tell him firmly that is MY flower -or my dog will piss on it marking it as his own. Same for the chickens- it took me HOTLY defending them that last time in order to make him realize- THEY ARE MINE!

 

[3rdtimesacharm]

Wow, what a great introduction! I hope we will get to see a photo of her at some later date.
Thank you for joining us at BYC. You are VERY WELCOME HERE

Thank you!!

OMG, haaaaa, as I'm sitting here with Aiko eating my egg, my #1 chick (I'll post a pic, and more about these ladies in a bit) Dumpling, got too impatient for her egg and busted through the top gate I have to enclose the brooder and grabbed the egg I was just handing Aiko!!! Haaaaaa

Aiko and I were both stunned. She remained calm and I shouted a leave it!!! And grabbed Dumpling and a handful of egg and gave them some. This Dumpling, ughhhh!!!!!

I'm pretty sure she's a White Rock. Of course. Has to be white so she sticks out like a sore thumb. She's hysterical!! She's the friendliest, the fastest growing, the busiest, bossiest. The other day she noticed Stephen is starting to grow wattles and she was grabbing them!!! I had to separate them. She freaked me out when she was like 3 days old because she started self pecking. She grew her feathers soooo fast!!!

Let me back up-after deciding I wanted chickens again, and researching breeds, I decided to order from Meyer Hatchery as they're under an hour from me. I wanted true day old chicks and I didn't want added risk of loss from mail shipped chicks.

I ordered 10 plus the free meal maker. I decided I needed a BPR rooster, and they only had one available! Of course, he was a heritage one, 3x more but essentially the same from what I'm reading. So I was up to 12. A dozen.

Picked them up on their hatch day around noon. Surprise!!! They gave me a Baker's Dozen!!! 13. Super cool!! But, the way I ordered, you don't know what's what.

I ordered:
1 roo
2 Dominiques
1 Partidge Rock
1 Rare Breed (hatchery choice but could get rare, more expensive breed for cheaper price)
1 Brown Layer (same deal)
5 Rainbow Flock (again, same deal. Hatchery gives you at least 3 different breeds and guarantees your FLOCK will be colorful)
And, they gave me the two free chicks!!! Again, random.

Stephen was leg banded but no one else was. That helps me with identification because I can eliminate all their breeds that have bands on them. I had two chipmunk chicks, so I contacted Meyer because I didn't think either looked like the Partidge Rock. They responded back and assured me that the more mahogany colored one was indeed her. But, it's up to me to determine the rest of the flock.

So far, I've come up with this:
1 PBR roo
2 Dominiques
1 Partidge Rock
1 White Rock
1 Speckled Sussex
1 Blue Cuckoo Marans
1 Blue Splash Brahma
1 White Cochin
1 Blue Cochin
1 Buff Orpington
1 Buff Rock or Golden Comet
1 Green Queen with 5 toes. She was TOUGH to identify but I think I got it!!

And that's my story!!!!! Now, I need to go exercise Aiko again, so I'll chat later!!! Thanks all!!

Could you share what breeds you have when you reply back? Thanks!!

 

[3rdtimesacharm]

The morning routine is that after she gets to play ball and eats (with old Sunny), I make scrambled eggs. Then we sit and watch the gang and she gets some egg for being good. They get egg as well, which they love!! In fact, they always get their egg before I give her egg.
_____________________________________________________________________

I am no dog trainer but I would pick up one of those baby chicks every morning and shake it in the dogs face and say " NO!- MINE!" meaning- these are mine- you are a part of this but NOT the owner of this,
I have to do that to every tree/flower I plant- I take my dog over and tell him firmly that is MY flower -or my dog will piss on it marking it as his own. Same for the chickens- it took me HOTLY defending them that last time in order to make him realize- THEY ARE MINE!

I do!!! I hold them in front of her crate and pet them and say no, mine!!! ALL day long!!!!

 

[3rdtimesacharm]

Thank you!!

OMG, haaaaa, as I'm sitting here with Aiko eating my egg, my #1 chick (I'll post a pic, and more about these ladies in a bit) Dumpling, got too impatient for her egg and busted through the top gate I have to enclose the brooder and grabbed the egg I was just handing Aiko!!! Haaaaaa

Aiko and I were both stunned. She remained calm and I shouted a leave it!!! And grabbed Dumpling and a handful of egg and gave them some. This Dumpling, ughhhh!!!!!

I'm pretty sure she's a White Rock. Of course. Has to be white so she sticks out like a sore thumb. She's hysterical!! She's the friendliest, the fastest growing, the busiest, bossiest. The other day she noticed Stephen is starting to grow wattles and she was grabbing them!!! I had to separate them. She freaked me out when she was like 3 days old because she started self pecking. She grew her feathers soooo fast!!!

Let me back up-after deciding I wanted chickens again, and researching breeds, I decided to order from Meyer Hatchery as they're under an hour from me. I wanted true day old chicks and I didn't want added risk of loss from mail shipped chicks.

I ordered 10 plus the free meal maker. I decided I needed a BPR rooster, and they only had one available! Of course, he was a heritage one, 3x more but essentially the same from what I'm reading. So I was up to 12. A dozen.

Picked them up on their hatch day around noon. Surprise!!! They gave me a Baker's Dozen!!! 13. Super cool!! But, the way I ordered, you don't know what's what.

I ordered:
1 roo
2 Dominiques
1 Partidge Rock
1 Rare Breed (hatchery choice but could get rare, more expensive breed for cheaper price)
1 Brown Layer (same deal)
5 Rainbow Flock (again, same deal. Hatchery gives you at least 3 different breeds and guarantees your FLOCK will be colorful)
And, they gave me the two free chicks!!! Again, random.

Stephen was leg banded but no one else was. That helps me with identification because I can eliminate all their breeds that have bands on them. I had two chipmunk chicks, so I contacted Meyer because I didn't think either looked like the Partidge Rock. They responded back and assured me that the more mahogany colored one was indeed her. But, it's up to me to determine the rest of the flock.

So far, I've come up with this:
1 PBR roo
2 Dominiques
1 Partidge Rock
1 White Rock
1 Speckled Sussex
1 Blue Cuckoo Marans
1 Blue Splash Brahma
1 White Cochin
1 Blue Cochin
1 Buff Orpington
1 Buff Rock or Golden Comet
1 Green Queen with 5 toes. She was TOUGH to identify but I think I got it!!

And that's my story!!!!! Now, I need to go exercise Aiko again, so I'll chat later!!! Thanks all!!✌

Could you share what breeds you have when you reply back? Thanks!!

Ugh!!! I start rambling!! What I meant to share was about Dumpling and the self pecking:

She was growing feathers so fast, I kid you not, I would look in on them and she'd suddenly have feathers. I started to wonder OMG, did they send me a Cornish cross as the meal maker?? Why??? I'm not eating her. Upon further reading I discovered a blog post they have where they lost the meal maker birds each week of 2020 and it stated that if you order mainly layers they give you a layer, so I've since thrown that theory out.

But by day 3 she was noticing her feathers and getting itchy and starting to really peck!! I freaked, overreacted thinking I'm going to raise a bunch of cannibals that peck her to death and want raw meat (I think this is a side effect of Coronavirus cabin fever!!) so I put ointment on. Dumb dumb dumb!!!

Her fluff was all stuck and made her flesh even more noticable and she was pecking even more!! So I washed her with Dawn and a rag, and then blew her dry. She actually loved it believe it or not!

I contacted Meyer and due told me to check my brooder temp, it was probably too warm and stressing her out. That was exactly the issue!! Once I raised it a bit, she was fine!!! But, she's super astute-notices everything and is the best little forager!!! That's what leads me to think she's a White Rock. Early development and great at foraging.

Ok, now I'm done for real and heading outside to reward Aiko for being so good!!!