Illinois...

[Faraday40]

I saw one of my Brahmas leading on the ground on her side with one leg stretched out. I ran over thinking something was wrong. She doesn't up and ran away - I obviously scared her by running. She is acting normal now. Is this normal behavior? This is the first time I saw one of them do this, but everything chicken related is still new to me as this is still our first year with them.

Your Brahma was just trying to soak up some sunshine.... but I'm sure it looked like a melting chicken to you.


Perfectly normal. But your chicken may now think you're odd for disrupting her sun-bath & relaxation. LOL


It's very funny when the whole flock does it!

PS- They also like to roll around like crazy in the dirt = dirt bath.

 

[Molpet]

sunbathing .. normal
but scary the first time

 

[BReeder!]

Your Brahma was just trying to soak up some sunshine.... but I'm sure it looked like a melting chicken to you.

View attachment 1460399 View attachment 1460400 View attachment 1460401
Perfectly normal. But your chicken may now think you're odd for disrupting her sun-bath & relaxation. LOL


It's very funny when the whole flock does it!
View attachment 1460380


PS- They also like to roll around like crazy in the dirt = dirt bath.
View attachment 1460388

Looked just like those first few pics. I was definitely scared at first. Dropped what I was holding and ran over into the chicken run. The hen jumped, looked at me oddly, and then ran off. Glad to know this is normal behavior. Apparently chickens just like to get their tan on.

 

[ChicagoClucker]

Hello to all my chicken people. Oh my goodness, all the cuteness! Missing my bunch horrible. I have someone from the neighborhood looking for some fertile silkie, fizzle or mille fleur. I thought maybe @Faraday40 might have some Silkies? They have a silkie who has always been at the bottom of the pecking order, but since going broody, she has gained some respect. He would like it to stay this way for her. He figures if she could hatch a couple of chicks, she should be good. Can anyone help a broody mama out with a couple of eggs?

 

[Faraday40]

Hello to all my chicken people. Oh my goodness, all the cuteness! Missing my bunch horrible. I have someone from the neighborhood looking for some fertile silkie, fizzle or mille fleur. I thought maybe @Faraday40 might have some Silkies? They have a silkie who has always been at the bottom of the pecking order, but since going broody, she has gained some respect. He would like it to stay this way for her. He figures if she could hatch a couple of chicks, she should be good. Can anyone help a broody mama out with a couple of eggs?

So good to hear from you!!!! Are you loving the new house? Feel free to log on anytime to get your chick fix. I've really missed you. In fact I even borrowed one of your names.

Here's our "Mr Wonderful." He's not really Mr Perfect, so that name wouldn't work. We already used "Mr Nice Guy." I just couldn't think of anything else to call such a wonderful rooster, so I thought of you...,.

He's fathered some very pretty chicks. We had a lot of fertility problems in the start, but I think he's figured it all out now. Of course with this extreme heat, the laced girls have decided to take a break from laying.

Although I have 2 silkie girls, I have no mature bantam roo to breed them. (I hatched a silkie serama roo, so there may be more little useless chickens in the future - just not currently.) If you don't find silkies, I can offer a handful of fertile LF eggs. I find it very amusing to see my tiny bantams cover chicks 2xs their size.

 

[Faraday40]

Looked just like those first few pics. I was definitely scared at first. Dropped what I was holding and ran over into the chicken run. The hen jumped, looked at me oddly, and then ran off. Glad to know this is normal behavior. Apparently chickens just like to get their tan on.

Yes they love to stretch out & relax in the sun. I was frightened the 1st time I saw it too. The 1st chicken dirt bath you encounter is another very scary shocker. They may roll around on the ground like they're having a seizure.

 

[ChicagoClucker]

So good to hear from you!!!! Are you loving the new house? Feel free to log on anytime to get your chick fix. I've really missed you. In fact I even borrowed one of your names.

Here's our "Mr Wonderful." He's not really Mr Perfect, so that name wouldn't work. We already used "Mr Nice Guy." I just couldn't think of anything else to call such a wonderful rooster, so I thought of you...,.
View attachment 1461023
He's fathered some very pretty chicks. We had a lot of fertility problems in the start, but I think he's figured it all out now. Of course with this extreme heat, the laced girls have decided to take a break from laying.

Although I have 2 silkie girls, I have no mature bantam roo to breed them. (I hatched a silkie serama roo, so there may be more little useless chickens in the future - just not currently.) If you don't find silkies, I can offer a handful of fertile LF eggs. I find it veryamusing to see my tiny bantams cover chicks 2xs their size.

Mr Wonderful is handsome! I am sure he makes some adorable babies. I have missed you and all the cute chicken pics/talk also. It took the longest time to get use to not having to go out to feed the guys first thing in the morning. Just didn't feel right for a long time. I am loving the new house, (which isn't so new anymore, almost a year) and 2 new grandbabies, (I have my 1st grand daughter). I will have to jump on more often to chit chat and fill the huge hole from being chickenless.

 

[Faraday40]

Here's our Mr Wonderful this morning:

Since I had my camera with me, I took some more pics......
The Co-Broodies & their 5 chicks

Big Blue Orp Pullet - 18 weeks

Cupcake

GG (adult)

Trouble & her adopted orp chicks

Blue laced 10 weeks

Bubbles

 

[chickendreams24]

I have a bunch and some are tasteless and are the last ones the chickens and coons eat.. 3 trees in the poultry yards and one is the one everything wants to eat, I shake a branch and they fight over it, shake the other tree and the run over and spit them out. 50' apart

That's very odd and I wonder what causes that...

Can't wait to try that jam! Maybe I'll bake the bread & you bring the jelly & PB.

We picked about 2cups of raspberries this afternoon. Only 1 cup made it into the house.
Of course as we were back there picking, the chickens were at our feet eating all the low & dropped ones. I also got exactly 2 blueberries today. It's a daily game of which family member gets there 1st.

I'm not really a pickle person and only eat a few per year. I make pickles b/c DH loves them & we always have a surplus of cucumbers. I think the trick is using fresh herbs like dill & garlic. Although you could eat them after a couple weeks, DH says they taste better with age. That's one reason why I give them out as Christmas gifts. I'll send the recipe later via PM. DS really, really likes fresh cucumbers. We grow several varieties & eat about 2-3 per day in season. They got in late this year, so probably another week before the 1st ones start. I have to get my chicken fence up ASAP. I saw a few tiny ones with peck marks! No cucumbers means NO Pickles. I hope that will inspire DH to help me out.

If you ever have a surplus of cucumbers I would love some we didn't get any planted this year unfortunately.

Your Brahma was just trying to soak up some sunshine.... but I'm sure it looked like a melting chicken to you.

View attachment 1460399 View attachment 1460400 View attachment 1460401
Perfectly normal. But your chicken may now think you're odd for disrupting her sun-bath & relaxation. LOL


It's very funny when the whole flock does it!
View attachment 1460380


PS- They also like to roll around like crazy in the dirt = dirt bath.
View attachment 1460388

Yes dust bathing and sun bathing chickens are hilarious when you know what it is. I do however have some birds that occasionally lay so still I go poke them whrn they're sunbathing because I can't see them breathing. Which is a scary thing when it's one bird on it's own entirely still.

Hello to all my chicken people. Oh my goodness, all the cuteness! Missing my bunch horrible. I have someone from the neighborhood looking for some fertile silkie, fizzle or mille fleur. I thought maybe @Faraday40 might have some Silkies? They have a silkie who has always been at the bottom of the pecking order, but since going broody, she has gained some respect. He would like it to stay this way for her. He figures if she could hatch a couple of chicks, she should be good. Can anyone help a broody mama out with a couple of eggs?

So good to hear from you!!!! Are you loving the new house? Feel free to log on anytime to get your chick fix. I've really missed you. In fact I even borrowed one of your names.

Here's our "Mr Wonderful." He's not really Mr Perfect, so that name wouldn't work. We already used "Mr Nice Guy." I just couldn't think of anything else to call such a wonderful rooster, so I thought of you...,.
View attachment 1461023
He's fathered some very pretty chicks. We had a lot of fertility problems in the start, but I think he's figured it all out now. Of course with this extreme heat, the laced girls have decided to take a break from laying.

Although I have 2 silkie girls, I have no mature bantam roo to breed them. (I hatched a silkie serama roo, so there may be more little useless chickens in the future - just not currently.) If you don't find silkies, I can offer a handful of fertile LF eggs. I find it very amusing to see my tiny bantams cover chicks 2xs their size.

Yes it's so good to hear from you! We all miss hearing from you.

Congratulations on the grandbabies.

I wish you had asked about silkie eggs a month ago. Although I'm a ways away I did have my silkie breeding group set up for the sale of some eggs.

I will be putting it back together after we do some subtracting but it would be a while.

So far from the extra eggs I hatched and sold the chicks I got blacks, blues, whites, splash, buff, gray and possibly partridge. I also got some that I don't know what they will turn out. The buyers are keeping me up to date on the colors.

 

[chickendreams24]

Everyone it's with a heavy heart that I tell you all that my wonderful sweet special white legbar hen HeiHei was found in the morning yesterday having passed in the night.

My grief is horrendous for my sweet girl that was never quite right to begin with. We believe she was half blind. Kind as a puppy and about as friendly as one she never had a mean bone in her body. She will be sorely missed. I only wish I could have gotten some of her babies but sadly none of her eggs ever developed and she wasn't a very regular layer.

She had no signs or symptoms of Marek's and was seemingly always partially blind or visually impaired. With a vaulted skull and huge crest she may have had brain damage but she never let anything stop her.

I didn't have the heart to necropsy my pet and she is going to be buried today and her grave marked with a rose or possibly hydrangea or lilac.

She was bouncy and active right up until her last night. She hadn't layed for some time perhaps she was egg bound or internally laying but her laying had always been sporadic at best.

Goodbye my dear sweet HeiHei my special little girl. Rest now. Mommy loves you and I'll miss your adorable little bunny hop.