Idaho?

[BackYardChknLvr]

I guess I am just lucky that I live where several of my neighbors have chickens (including roosters) and my banty rooster hardly ever crows and when he does it isn't very loud, my new Cuckoo Maran rooster hasn't figured out crowing yet because he is so young (3 months old).
I hope your parents neighbor lets you rent part of her coop. Good Luck

Yeah i spoke to them and we will see.. but right now they still have there one mean rooster living in there all alone cause i gave them 2 roosters last summer when 2 of my babies became roo's and they were sweet and still are.. they said they may have there dad sad i dont like haring it make some dinner if he wasnt so mean he would be great to show cause he is an amazing Buff really pritty but he likes to kill anybody and everything.. but i talked to the kids there gona talk to there parents for me so hopefully then i can start my program of my polish's just need to get a few more then so i can start my experiment

 

[Pele]

This is my great-nephew holding Aragorn, only took me about 3 weeks to get him to let anyone hold him. Ethan comes over on the weekends and loves to help me with the chicken chores and was so tickled that he was able to pick one of the chickens up, but I can't take credit for the picture because his dad took it when they (his mom and dad) came in to pick him up today.

Oh wow, Aragorn is getting quite handsome! He looks so healthy and happy. I'm amazed that you've gotten him to be so calm, he's always been a VERY high energy and skittish chick. We held him a lot when he was small (felt sorry he was the only one who hatched), so that might have helped.

It sounds like your set-up is really good. If he's still being silly about going into the coop at night, shut him in there for two days or so. It'll give him a sense that 'this is home'. After that, he should get the normal routine really well. You could also carry him into the coop every night, but then he could get used to 'butler service'

Hopefully after a month or so of talking through the wire with the other chickens, they'll stop being so aggressive. Sometimes it takes as much as two months (chickens really are kinda mean). You actually will be able to free-range them in the yard together safely as long as he has a place to dive behind if the hens decide to be mean. Usually though they have a 20 foot rule. As long as he stays that far from them, they won't care about him while free-ranging.

 

[mbleily]

Hi, I joined this group a long time ago but there wasn't much going on here then. Glad to see some people talking here and some close to my home in Parma.

Anyway, I thought I would share with you about this little hen I have that gives me a laugh almost every day. I hatched her out of some eggs I got on the forum last year. She was with a group of 7 or 8 I believe. I got a little hatch happy last year and don't remember who was with who now.

I moved the group over to the big hen house with the big girls after being able to see each other but not get together for about a month. The two houses I each have two fenced in areas and one of each have a connecting fence so they can see each through the wire. All seemed to be going well until I came into the big house one day and this little hen was hidding in the th corner and looked like some one had jumped up and down on her. Her feathers were sticking out and she was scared. She ran over to me and got on my feet for comfort. So I took her out and put her back in with the smaller chicks. I thought that would work because she was so much bigger than them. there was one small rooster with these 9 girls also. I put their treat of scratch and sunflower seed mix outside for them to scratch around and I noticed she would never come outside with the rest of them. I went in the house once to gather eggs and she was in the corner between the wall and I nest box standing almost on her head. Her butt was sticking up in the air. No one around her. She hides between things when she can. I have watched the group for long periods and never see anyone pick on her. She lays a pretty blue egg almost robin egg blue. All my hens a EE mixes except for the 10 red and black sex links and three Turken hens. She is so funny when I go into the house she runs over to me (if she hasn't buried her head and can't see me) and walks so close to me I have to be careful not to step on her.
She is still not going out of the house. When I let the others out to range she doesn't even look out the door. I did catch her looking out the pop hole yesterday when I scattered the scratch in the pen but she didn't stay there long. I have picked her up and placed her out and she runs like the wind to get back into the house. LOL

I have had chickens for a lot of years off and on. We have lived in the town and country so I sometime have not had them but when I am in the country they are the first things I get. I love watching the silly things they do and they just make me happy. My DH puts up with the money it costs that the eggs don't cover. even though I sell them for $2.50 doz it isn't enough for the feed. I have been told I feed them too well but I want the healthy and have studied on it so I feed the best I can. My daughter helps me sell and takes the eggs to her church and sells every one she takes. They all love the colors.


This is last years eggs. I have some different colored ones this year. I must get another picture for my egg cartons.
Ok I have gone one enough. I don't write often so don't worry about me rattling on all the time.
Micki

 

[EPetrilli]

Hello Idaho!
I am on a trip from Colorado, drove in today o deliver horses to a family in Nampa and I am staying in Parma tonight before heading back home tomorrow!! Just have to say I love it and I would really like to trade weather with you all lol!!! I will have to make an excuse to come back later in the spring for a longer trip perhaps sell a horse or pick up some chickens?? Lol!!! I should have planned better and made arrangements to come a week later and collect Easter hatch a long eggs from fellow members along the way-hehe maybe next year;-)

 

[mbleily]

You got here in the right weather. It hasn't been this nice until lately. I just changed my chickens back from 18 percent protein to 16 percent. We had an inversion with very cold weather for quite a while here. Have you got family in Parma? I probably don't know them but you never know. I was born here and have been away for a while and now been back for about 35 years but I am not a social person. My SIL knows more people here than I do and she is a California transplant of 20 so years.

 

[Mo5C]

Oh wow, Aragorn is getting quite handsome! He looks so healthy and happy. I'm amazed that you've gotten him to be so calm, he's always been a VERY high energy and skittish chick. We held him a lot when he was small (felt sorry he was the only one who hatched), so that might have helped.

It sounds like your set-up is really good. If he's still being silly about going into the coop at night, shut him in there for two days or so. It'll give him a sense that 'this is home'. After that, he should get the normal routine really well. You could also carry him into the coop every night, but then he could get used to 'butler service'

Hopefully after a month or so of talking through the wire with the other chickens, they'll stop being so aggressive. Sometimes it takes as much as two months (chickens really are kinda mean). You actually will be able to free-range them in the yard together safely as long as he has a place to dive behind if the hens decide to be mean. Usually though they have a 20 foot rule. As long as he stays that far from them, they won't care about him while free-ranging.

It took me a good two and a half weeks to get him to let anyone do that, at first it was just to get away from the "bullies" and then he started asking to get picked up, if you crouch down in his side of the yard and stay down long enough he will jump up on your shoulder or your head, first time he did that to me a thought my hair was worms and tried to eat it, so whenever I am out there now I wear one of my hoodies and put the hood on. He makes me laugh, I think I am going to just go to Dunlaps and get new hens for him, he is still freaking out whenever they get within 6 inches of the divider. I will try opening the divider when he is a couple months older and see how the other "inmates" treat him. I did have to block him in the Temporary coop for 3 nights in a row (1 was with hens in it, but then when they were mean to him I removed them) and now my dad says he goes in by himself, at first I did have to do the "butler" thing for two nights and put a board infront of the door so he couldn't get out. He is doing awesome.

Mbleily welcome back and I love the variety of eggs that you get from your "girls". My rooster who is getting over his PTS(he was attacked by my other hens rather badly) still hides from us until he is sure none of the other hens are going to get him (I have a divider up) and then he slowly makes an appearance and gets his scratch that gets put out for him. Depending on how long ago she was attacked she was attacked your hen may still be remembering the attack and thinking that it will happen again, she sounds like a very funny chicken to watch, I know I love watching mine and have spent the whole day out in their pen with them before.

 

[mbleily]

It took me a good two and a half weeks to get him to let anyone do that, at first it was just to get away from the "bullies" and then he started asking to get picked up, if you crouch down in his side of the yard and stay down long enough he will jump up on your shoulder or your head, first time he did that to me a thought my hair was worms and tried to eat it, so whenever I am out there now I wear one of my hoodies and put the hood on. He makes me laugh, I think I am going to just go to Dunlaps and get new hens for him, he is still freaking out whenever they get within 6 inches of the divider. I will try opening the divider when he is a couple months older and see how the other "inmates" treat him. I did have to block him in the Temporary coop for 3 nights in a row (1 was with hens in it, but then when they were mean to him I removed them) and now my dad says he goes in by himself, at first I did have to do the "butler" thing for two nights and put a board infront of the door so he couldn't get out. He is doing awesome.

Mbleily welcome back and I love the variety of eggs that you get from your "girls". My rooster who is getting over his PTS(he was attacked by my other hens rather badly) still hides from us until he is sure none of the other hens are going to get him (I have a divider up) and then he slowly makes an appearance and gets his scratch that gets put out for him. Depending on how long ago she was attacked she was attacked your hen may still be remembering the attack and thinking that it will happen again, she sounds like a very funny chicken to watch, I know I love watching mine and have spent the whole day out in their pen with them before.

Thanks MO5C for the welcome back. We live in an underground house that has a green house in front of the kitchen. That part is not covered with dirt but has a tin roof. When the big chickens were all out with the 5 roos I have there was a scuffle on the top of house just behind the green house part. My favorite blue roo was the one that lost and some how got onto the greenhouse roof and slid down the roof and fell on a large rock on the ground. I didn't know about it until I went out to do something and saw him laying there. He was alive but not moving much. Being unsteady on my feet I couldn't get to him and had to wait for my son to help me get to him. By the time he came blue had recovered enough and gone back to the group. He was the big cheese there before this but now they knew he was injured and some of the roos decided to take over. I left him in with the group for a while but he had to hid and would only come out when I came in the house. Then I would have him under my feet and I would shoo the other away and let him eat and drink. The little girls had no roo so I moved him in with them. One of the larger one tried to intimidate him be he soon took over as head of the house. So now he has 11 of his own. We can let them all (both houses) out and each roo has his own group of girls. The more or less divide up the area and keep clear of each other. LOL Some of the girls will go back and forth between the groups but the roos just keep clear of each other.

I really don't think that hen is going to change. It has been several months and she is still the same.
Micki

 

[mbleily]

This is my great-nephew holding Aragorn, only took me about 3 weeks to get him to let anyone hold him. Ethan comes over on the weekends and loves to help me with the chicken chores and was so tickled that he was able to pick one of the chickens up, but I can't take credit for the picture because his dad took it when they (his mom and dad) came in to pick him up today.

Both are good looking! Sounds like he is doing ok now. I hope he doesn't turn out like my hen with the mental problem. LOL I am sure when he gets older he will assert himself over the hens.

 

[Daloorashens]

Hello Idaho!
I am on a trip from Colorado, drove in today o deliver horses to a family in Nampa and I am staying in Parma tonight before heading back home tomorrow!! Just have to say I love it and I would really like to trade weather with you all lol!!! I will have to make an excuse to come back later in the spring for a longer trip perhaps sell a horse or pick up some chickens?? Lol!!! I should have planned better and made arrangements to come a week later and collect Easter hatch a long eggs from fellow members along the way-hehe maybe next year;-)

Yeah, give us a heads up next time you come through, I'm sure there will be someone along the way that would be willing to swap/sell, whatever eggs with you!

You got here in the right weather. It hasn't been this nice until lately. I just changed my chickens back from 18 percent protein to 16 percent. We had an inversion with very cold weather for quite a while here. Have you got family in Parma? I probably don't know them but you never know. I was born here and have been away for a while and now been back for about 35 years but I am not a social person. My SIL knows more people here than I do and she is a California transplant of 20 so years.

Welcome back!! Sounds like you have an interesting flock, sorry about that little hen.. sounds like she needs a friend, poor thing!


I am finally starting to feel better, ugh... worse cold I have had in a LONG time, grrrr but, on a happier note, I put more eggs in lockdown later this week, woo-hoo!!

 

[mbleily]

Yeah, give us a heads up next time you come through, I'm sure there will be someone along the way that would be willing to swap/sell, whatever eggs with you!

Welcome back!! Sounds like you have an interesting flock, sorry about that little hen.. sounds like she needs a friend, poor thing!

I hope you get feeling yourself soon. I have heard this flu is really bad this year. I have been luck.

Good luck with the lock down. I got the fever last year and hatched more than I needed. I would love to hatch again but I am just don't have any more room. LOL I had to put some of the old ones in the freezer in order to have room for the new ones. I hate that part. Tomorrow my son and I are going to can some of the ones we froze. I have eaten several of them but I would love to have some canned because they keep so much better. I let them rest in the frig for three days after processing and that made them all nice and tender. So much more tasty than the store bought too. Yum.