Incoming bomb! Buff Wyandottes!

[hbraynard]

So Monday I will finally be getting my Buff Wyandottes. They are from reputable breeders (but are being sold at a supply/feed store). So far I have a storage container set up in the living room with a lamp above it so the crate steady temperature for warmth. The bedding is wood shavings, with paper towels on top so they have traction and cushion (and its easier for me to clean ). I have water for them and have gotten some non-GMO chick starter. (I've read its better for them) I honestly cant wait for them. I am getting 3 females (they have been sexed) and using clicker training to teach them things as I have done with many of my other animals. (I heard chickens are smarter than dogs!) I'm hoping to be showing these girls in 4h, which I have never done before. I have been watching many judging and presentation videos, soon I will be looking at the breed standard, to see if my girls will check out to be nice quality showers. Although I have owned chickens in the past with my parents (probably around 150 over the years) This will be the first time raising them with 100% my own care.

If anyone would like to share their own experiences with Wyandottes, their opinions on them, any facts and tips they have, I would love to hear.

 

[Kooka]

So Monday I will finally be getting my Buff Wyandottes. They are from reputable breeders (but are being sold at a supply/feed store). So far I have a storage container set up in the living room with a lamp above it so the crate steady temperature for warmth. The bedding is wood shavings, with paper towels on top so they have traction and cushion (and its easier for me to clean ). I have water for them and have gotten some non-GMO chick starter. (I've read its better for them) I honestly cant wait for them. I am getting 3 females (they have been sexed) and using clicker training to teach them things as I have done with many of my other animals. (I heard chickens are smarter than dogs!) I'm hoping to be showing these girls in 4h, which I have never done before. I have been watching many judging and presentation videos, soon I will be looking at the breed standard, to see if my girls will check out to be nice quality showers. Although I have owned chickens in the past with my parents (probably around 150 over the years) This will be the first time raising them with 100% my own care.

If anyone would like to share their own experiences with Wyandottes, their opinions on them, any facts and tips they have, I would love to hear.

You will get a laugh out of this for sure.
I have trained horses, Western following the Dorrence bros and Ray Hunt, all have now passed. When I first got my Wyandotte flock, Rooster and three hens they were pen raised, but otherwise flighty. Thought on Bills advice on pray animals and started roundyarding, in a square pen!!
Worked a treat........Monty ROBERTS 'join up' works.
Last night I got 3 new splash point of lay pullets that are totally 'wild' to walk into a roost and get on the perch, its day 2 and first try atgetting them to roost. I have had them for a week and they are doing isolation/quarantine. They spent three nights in an open front brooder to help them get over the fear of humans. Once they stayed at the front and did not back away when I opened to feed they got to move outside. Being free range reared they had no roosts provided so slept head in to each other in a corner. Today they came by, and approached. I picked each up in turn and put them on a perch. They stayed put, watching, no sound, and waited on me walking away calling their food call. No problems so far, early days tho.
I'm very confident your hens will do good things for you, I am new to chooks, but these hens read like a horse, but not at all like a horse if you get my drift. Using personal space, fight flight etc. Works a treat.

Be interesting to explore the different methods, never know could be an opening for chook whispering.........Stetson and boots would be out of place I guess...may be that a bib and brace plus a John Deere cap would be the outfit for the demonstration "round pen"

Ho hum,

Andrew

 

[hbraynard]

Hah! That actually was quite amusing. Just as you tod me about the western training i thought to myself: can you do join up with a chicken? LOL.
Happy to hear about your Wyandottes! It took some deciding to get them, I actually was planning not to due to the fact of reading an article of someone who had such a bad experience with them. But I thought, everyone has their own opinions, and did more reading- I fell in love with them. I'm going to go pick up my girls tomorrow around 7, i'll post a picture then. I cant decide if I am going to get 3 or 4. I'd love to see pics of your chickens!
I'll be very excited to try horse training methods with them. I actually had a gelding that I did liberty (natural horsemanship with) and that was quite a journey. At the end of a year we were going on tackless trails, preforming TONS of liberty actions. I was looking into starting clinics, he was truly an amazing horse. Sadly I moved, and I had to sell him, the climate change and environment was just not for him.
Hopefully chickens will fill the hole I have until I have enough to begin liberty training with horses again.
But that was an unnecessary story. We will have to share our methods as my chicks grow!
Looking forward to it!
-H

 

[Kooka]

Hah! That actually was quite amusing. Just as you tod me about the western training i thought to myself: can you do join up with a chicken? LOL.
Happy to hear about your Wyandottes! It took some deciding to get them, I actually was planning not to due to the fact of reading an article of someone who had such a bad experience with them. But I thought, everyone has their own opinions, and did more reading- I fell in love with them. I'm going to go pick up my girls tomorrow around 7, i'll post a picture then. I cant decide if I am going to get 3 or 4. I'd love to see pics of your chickens!
I'll be very excited to try horse training methods with them. I actually had a gelding that I did liberty (natural horsemanship with) and that was quite a journey. At the end of a year we were going on tackless trails, preforming TONS of liberty actions. I was looking into starting clinics, he was truly an amazing horse. Sadly I moved, and I had to sell him, the climate change and environment was just not for him.
Hopefully chickens will fill the hole I have until I have enough to begin liberty training with horses again.
But that was an unnecessary story. We will have to share our methods as my chicks grow!
Looking forward to it!
-H

Criky!! is all I can say to that, just sold my last horses, Mr Bojangles Dance For Me, is a Clydie cross Arab Quarter horse, picked him as my horse the day he was born, It has been one hell of a wrench letting go, blokes are not supposed to 'feel' about things like that, certainly not supposed to share that stuff.
Started on NH and progressed to the Dorrences. Bills book is so so full of things applicable to Life really. .............

Good luck with the venture, Wyandotts are, like all animals, open to communication. Bill taught me to listen and let the animal know it had been heard immediately. To my mind very few folks can be bothered so its just GREAT to connect with another listener.

Cheers,

I will post, I'm a Photographer, but have not picked up a serious camera through all of this.......shame on me!!

Andrew

Added: just watch a hen with her fresh hatchlings, first sign of danger and they bolt for safety, just like join up....... create the trust and the chicks will come.....and so far they don't forget. Not sure yet if that works outside fresh hatchlings, but I have three "wild" point of lay hens that are getting there day by day!