Illinois...

[Junibutt]

Always Learning from Chicken:

I have seen strange things happen but this one is strange as well as beautiful. I hatched some chicks mid July and had a broody adopt them over a period of 4 days. However on day#5 she rejected a chick and almost killed it. So this chick along with another one that hatched 2 weeks later were being kept in a brooder. About a week ago when they turned 7 weeks and 5 weeks respectively, I put them in a dog cage inside the main coop (the broody and her chicks are in a different coup).The object was to integrate them with the main flock directly. For the past 2 days I noticed that my Mottled Orpington has been hanging around the cage too much, in fact by the cage door almost 80% of the time. In the evening she was actually sitting in front of the cage like a guard dog. So I decided to let everyone out of the coop to see how they interact. To my surprise, she thinks she is their mommy.

She wants to hang around these 8/6 weeks old chicks, calls them for food but she is not broody. The chicks on the other hand don't feel the same way which I think is making her sad. She is however, not fending off others when the chicks get beat up.

Last night I left the cage door open. She did not sleep with the chicks but I heard her calling them to roost. This morning I checked on the chicks to make sure others were not going after them and saw that chicks are in the cage and she is sitting outside the open door like a guard dog,

Lets see how long this lasts or what kind of relationship develops between them. I am scheduled to give one of the chicks away on October 1st but may have to keep him for a few more if some interesting things happen.

Is it possible that this hen (although I think most Orpingtons are dumb) can smell her genes in these two chicks? They are from her eggs. I have read studies about hens rejecting sperms from their full siblings if they have a choice of another dominant rooster in the flock. Or is this just an over-eager mama (who actually has never been broody)?

@Faraday40 @ChicagoClucker @chickendreams24

Just adding couple of videos to the story:

 

[Faraday40]

Read & watched an interesting news piece, (DD was looking up current events for her weekly project & we found this.)
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-...hicken-name-art-and-science-180960436/?no-ist

Basically the combo of science & art used to breed chickens. Interesting concept of mixing best attributes from.poultry around the world to create more genetic diversity.

Instead, DD decided to report how pandas were recently removed from the endangered list. She's at least smart enough to avoid politics. LOL

 

[Junibutt]

Wow! That doesn't even look like the same bird.

I really don't know why her feathers would look so tussled. Perhaps she's still molting & that's a cause for the wind blown look.

Yes she is not done molting yet. I would say at least couple of more weeks to go. One of my other Orps has been bare for almost 2 months now. What can I do to help her? I give them meal worms every day for extra protein but its not working. She has been laying all through the molt though. (the only one laying apart from the Legbar)

 

[ChicagoClucker]

Here are before and after pictures. The before picture is not that great and also is about 8 months old when she was 6 months. As you can see the new feathers have more mottling plus I feel like they are somewhat frizzled or at least not settled. What do you think?

Wow, she got a lot of mottling in!!!! Nice! I don't think she is coming in frizzled. I think her feathers haven't finished coming in yet. My bare back Coco finally has feathers coming in and they look the same, kind of standing straight out. She should smooth out once they all come in. She is beautiful, by the way.

And for helping out your hen that is molting, make her some eggs, and or you can switch her food to something with higher protein.

 

[Faraday40]

Wow, she got a lot of mottling in!!!! Nice! I don't think she is coming in frizzled. I think her feathers haven't finished coming in yet. My bare back Coco finally has feathers coming in and they look the same, kind of standing straight out. She should smooth out once they all come in. She is beautiful, by the way.

And for helping out your hen that is molting, make her some eggs, and or you can switch her food to something with higher protein.

Has anyone tried "meatbird" feed during a molt?? Is that a good or bad idea?
I've used Nutrena's Feather Fixer, but it's expensive. Not sure if it helped, but it didn't harm them. I also used up the chick feed by mixing it with their layer.

 

[Junibutt]

Quote:
I will give them some eggs and the feather fixer. My chickie food is medicated so can't give that. Someone on facebook mentioned game bird feed that apparently has 30% or more protein. I am wondering if that will cause runny poops?

 

[cavemanrich]

Quote:
If you have dog food, or cat food, You can experiment by adding some of it in small quantities. You may need to crush dog food into smaller granules. My chickens seem to smell out cat food that I have in dishes for my cats. They wolf it down like MAD. I use Meow mix. The pieces are bite size for the adult chickens. The protein content is up there.
Check my avatar, It does not lie. I did not really notice runny poop.

Edit: You can also just wet the dry food, and no need to crush into smaller bits.

 

[Junibutt]

If you have dog food, or cat food, You can experiment by adding some of it in small quantities. You may need to crush dog food into smaller granules. My chickens seem to smell out cat food that I have in dishes for my cats. They wolf it down like MAD. I use Meow mix. The pieces are bite size for the adult chickens. The protein content is up there.
Check my avatar, It does not lie. I did not really notice runny poop.

Edit: You can also just wet the dry food, and no need to crush into smaller bits.

Thanks!

 

[jerseyridgearts]

Hello all - would anyone like a couple of fine looking Barred Rock Roosters? They live in Whiteside county in NW Illinois....I bought pullets in May and it seems that at least 50 percent are roos, maybe more (three are crowing so.....). I might be able to meet half way. I'm hoping they go to someone who needs a flock leader and not freezer camp - wishful thinking perhaps. They are well-tempered boys.

Catherine

 

[ChicagoClucker]

Hello all - would anyone like a couple of fine looking Barred Rock Roosters? They live in Whiteside county in NW Illinois....I bought pullets in May and it seems that at least 50 percent are roos, maybe more (three are crowing so.....). I might be able to meet half way. I'm hoping they go to someone who needs a flock leader and not freezer camp - wishful thinking perhaps. They are well-tempered boys.

Catherine

Wish I could help you out, but I have 6 right now myself, not including the young cockerels. My husbands favorite of my chickens is our Barred Rock, she is 1 of my original starter birds and is very friendly and talkative. And likes to sneak in the house all the time. Good luck, and hope they find some good homes.