INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[ChickCrazed]

I have to go down a Roo or two also. I just don't have enough girls and they are all super stressed, bald on their backs and missing all their head feathers

.

Free to good homes (non stew pot homes). Please PM me if you are interested.

Black Cochin Rooster



And Birchen Marans



They are good boys, I am just focusing on my breeding projects and have an absurd Roo/Hen ratio.

 

[bradselig]

Well, here is what has been keeping me busy the last 2 weeks or so! So thankful I got the older chicks outside to the garage or my house would have been FILLED with chickens. Lol

Legbars (1 roo, 3 pullets and 1 pullet I'm unsure if breed at this time.)

Modern game bantams

Silkies and showgirls

Tolbunt polish

Chocolate orp (bantam?)

Partridge barthuhner (I'm having trouble with keeping these guys alive, don't seem to be very hardy)

More tolbunts polish

Blue/gold partridge brahmas

More autosexing breeds. Most are legbars, but may have a bielefelder or two in there.

Buff/buff barred and lavender/lavender barred bantam Cochins (and a blue I believe)

And MORE tolbunts

Buff laced brahma

More silkies and showgirl (most of the silkies are going to @Ardizzone7)

And lavender orps for @PeacefulWalls

 

[bradselig]

And these two mystery chicks! The black one I'm wondering if it's a Cochin or Marans. The yellow with the blue butt I have no idea. Need to start searching

 

[Leahs Mom]

f I separated my SLW girls that are bald on their backs from the boys, how long would it take for them to grow feathers back? They look awful. They have aprons but they dont seem to be helping. I have 2 roos and 18 girls now, so hopefully once they grow back they wont lose them again.

I had one last year that was bald down to the skin. She stayed that way all summer long. No new feather growth. This was from May all the way to late November. I had begun to wonder if she would ever get feathered again.

Then, at molt time, the most beautiful feathers grew in with the new feathers everywhere else.

So...in my experience, they don't just grow in at any random time. They grow in when it's time for them to grow new feathers which would be just after the molt.


Has anyone else ever seen a bird regenerate feathers just because they're broken or gone? Or did they come back after the molt?

 

[number9]

I know I am afraid of that too. Comb on the LH is not nearly as red as it looks in the picture. I have never raised Brahmas and was not sure about the neck hackle. It isn't pointed like a roo so I was keeping my fingers crossed. The GLW I was noticing it yesterday about how pointed the neck hackle is and I am afraid you are right. I guess it doesn't take much longer to dress three birds if that's the case. (we built a whizz bang plucker).

I have been studying my chicks. You said you thought 4 of them were roos. After studying them for awhile I think you are wrong I think all 5 are roos. I bought 6 chicks from RK. I lost one and now the other 6 are going to be roos. They were not supposed to be straight run. I have never bought from a feed store before is this unusual or do I need to look elsewhere.

 

[kabhyper1]

I had one last year that was bald down to the skin. She stayed that way all summer long. No new feather growth. This was from May all the way to late November. I had begun to wonder if she would ever get feathered again.

Then, at molt time, the most beautiful feathers grew in with the new feathers everywhere else.

So...in my experience, they don't just grow in at any random time. They grow in when it's time for them to grow new feathers which would be just after the molt.


Has anyone else ever seen a bird regenerate feathers just because they're broken or gone? Or did they come back after the molt?

Well that makes me feel better. Ive given them vitamins and calf manna and feather fixer, nothing seemed to help. I dont want to take their aprons off they will get sunburnt. I have other girls missing feathers, but these girls are the worst.

 

[Leahs Mom]

The particular girl that was bald for so long last year is starting again this year. Finally got an apron that covers her whole back as hers is mid-back down the the base of the tail. I know that covering it will help it keep from getting worse and, like you said, sunburn.

Poor thing walked around like that all last season and I worried about sunburn then. Just never occurred to me to cover it for some reason. Duh...

 

[Leahs Mom]

Oh...and forgot to say that I thought it was rooster overuse. But this year I noticed that it first started as some disturbed feathers back there. Then I caught one of the BR girls picking her feathers out on the roost as they were going to roost. It wasn't "malicious picking", more like "curious picking". Something was looking different because they were fuzzing. And I think she pecked at it and continued to peck on it every night, plucking more and more.

So while hers started by being scruffed up by the roo, I think Miss BR was doing the plucking.

I've started putting the 2 brs on a roost that I can separate them away from the others at night to alleviate that problem.

No matter how it's happening, though, the problem is still the same. A bare back that really looks like we're malnourishing them or something of the sort.

 

[LonelyPageTurne]

I have been studying my chicks.  You said you thought 4 of them were roos.  After studying them for awhile I think you are wrong I think all 5 are roos.  I bought 6 chicks from RK.  I lost one and now the other 6 are going to be roos.  They were not supposed to be straight run.  I have never bought from a feed store before is this unusual or do I need to look elsewhere.

They should have a 90% guarantee on pullets. So you should get your money back. But I don't think you will have much luck rehoming hatchery roos when everyone is trying to get rid of extra roos right now.

That really stinks though. Im.really sorry.

 

[Minminme]

Hi! I am new here, and new to the whole urban farming thing. We just got our first chicks, and I am super excited! They are all already super awesome with great personalities. 
I am in Hartford City which is pretty much a whole in the wall kind of city. LOL 

Pleased to meet you all!

WELCOME!!!! You will enjoy the people on this thread! They are one big happy/helpful family! Love these guys (and girls). You'll feel right at home in no time.