Jubilee Chicken Flock Updates and Photos.

[Shallon]

Thank you!


Work done in and on the coop this week:
Nest buckets everyone ignored.

Ventilation window from outside:

Second window from inside:

Hen door and ramp:

Bucket feeder and waterer:

And another brooder pic, not shown, but I made a cover for the brooder out of wire cubes.

My favorite chick is my little RIR rooster. He's so teeny and friendly, and the prettiest color.

Widdle biddy feetsies:

 

[Farmer Viola]

Wow you have gotten a lot done! I love the bucket feeder and waterer. the bucket nests will catch on, just give them time. make sure to fill them full of bedding, shavings or straw or whatever you use -- use a lot of it. also, placing fake eggs (feed store) or golf balls will help them get the idea that eggs belong there. or just move recently laid eggs into that nest for them to visually see.

the good thing about chickens is they're very monkey see, monkey do. if you teach 1 to use the nipple waterer, the others will all soon follow! in fact, I have started singling out the "leader" chick/chicken and teaching it, first. then it shows everyone else and I just lean back and relax! sometimes it's a cockerel if they're chicks. sometimes it's a lead hen if they're grown, or a rooster, you never know. just someone with brains and leadership skills

it is usually recommended to keep them in their coop for about a week, so they really feel "at home" and the know where to return at night. I wasn't sure how long they had been with you before they had access to free range.

do you have any neighborhood dogs? I live in the country, but I recently put up fencing because some of the dogs run free around here and I don't want to lose a chicken.

you can also train them to behave how you want by giving them treats like scratch and bread. if they hop into your lap, give them a scratch behind the ear or a pet on the neck, then reward with food. always associate interaction with you (touching) with positive feelings (food) and they will be head over heals in love with you!

Florence is pretty, is she a black copper Marans? one of my Marans girls is very friendly and confident, too. she is my lead girl, Bertha

 

[Shallon]

Thank you!
Today was the chicken's first day out, after a week and a day. After the sun set I wanted them to go back in the coop and that was a pain! I even brought a yummy treat in there, but because they haven't figured out how to use the ramp yet, I had to pick a few of them up and put them in there, and the silkie hens hated that! My RIR, Sadie, was just fine though. She likes to be pet.
I did get some ceramic eggs and put them in the nest, and I rigged up a few different nest styles, a recycled cabinet, and an egg crate piled high with straw (because Florence had really liked the pile of straw in the tote in the corner of the shed.).
Yes, Florence is Copper Maran. So pretty and confident! I wasn't able to find vaxxed Coppers or I would have got some more. I did get some Cuckoo Maran chicks. They look exactly the same as the Dominique and Barred Rock chicks, except one has a different thing on top of their beak. I think the Dominiques?

I have some freeze dried mealworms for treats, I was using some on the chicks earlier. The Wyandottes taught everybody to be handshy so I am winning them over with food. This site has been so helpful. Most questions I just google and pick the top Backyard Chicken link talking about whatever question I have.

 

[Farmer Viola]

for the baby chicks, try giving them oatmeal crushed up in your hand - they will LOVE it! eventually they will all rush your hand when it appears in the brooder, oatmeal or not

there is a lady in Oregon who raises nice BCMs, I will see if she vaccinates. I actually vaccinate my own chicks if I buy vs hatch them, it's $30 but well spent I think.

the best way to move them is to throw food where you want them. if you can go inside the coop and start dropping food in front of the door with a chicken close by, if they see it they'll do the food-alert sound and get inside, then everyone should follow. I use this to trick them all the time! mwahaha

 

[Shallon]

We had the rest of the coop remodel today!
We took the rabbit shelf out, chopped it up to smaller, stuck it back in, and now I can walk around in my coop and refill water and such without hunching and waddling.
BEFORE:

AFTER:
Bunny shelf takes up one corner instead of going across most of it:

Nest boxes. So many nestboxes. As soon as they actually start using a couple, I'll take some out.


The regular waterer for the chickens who haven't figured out the nipple bucket yet, The wire thing to the right is a bunny tractor, that I may use a chick tractor eventually.

My DD having a chat with Florence. Florence loves talking to you. I wish I could understand her very detailed stories.

And Sadie looking pretty in the sunlight!

 

[Shallon]

Now my only two projects left are making a big chick tractor for the yard and building a brooder inside the coop that the big chickens won't be able to access.

 

[Farmer Viola]

Nice improvements!

looking good. your coop is really nice.

love the photo of the hen and your DD they are clearly sharing a higher form of communication there

does your RIR Sadie ever hold her tail up, or is it always down like that? I just noticed it because it can sometimes be a sign of sickness (not always)

 

[Shallon]

It's been down like that a lot!
She's molting like crazy right now (which struck me as weird, I thought they did that in the fall.) She has tons of pinions coming in and is shedding feathers everywhere. She also still has mushy poo. And she lays down often. I posted a thread about her but got no responses here. Meanwhile, her activity level is good, she's eating and drinking just fine.

 

[Shallon]

Actually, I looked back at photos. Her tail has always been down like that. I guess that's why it didn't strike me.

 

[Farmer Viola]

It's been down like that a lot!
She's molting like crazy right now (which struck me as weird, I thought they did that in the fall.) She has tons of pinions coming in and is shedding feathers everywhere. She also still has mushy poo. And she lays down often. I posted a thread about her but got no responses here. Meanwhile, her activity level is good, she's eating and drinking just fine.

Actually, I looked back at photos. Her tail has always been down like that. I guess that's why it didn't strike me.

hmm. if her activity level and appetite are good, I wouldn't worry too much. just keep an eye out for the behavior you've noticed, like laying down a lot. is it because she's tired? hot? is every poo mushy, or just occasionally?

a downward pointed tail, or ruffled or roached feathers along the back and neck can indicate either nausea or pain. fluffed up feathers and dropped wings can also be physical indicators - not that Sadie has that, but something that I watch for to know they're sick. unfortunately, these physical signs can be indicators for.. pretty much any chicken illness.

garlic is a natural antibiotic that I give often preventatively and immediately if anyone looks ill. pro-biotics are also important for overall health of the digestive and immune system. another thing you can give to help her fight off anything that might be ailing her is chicken vitamins, like NutriDrench or PolyViSol. I will give it concentrated if I think someone is really sick (and i give full strength to chicks), or diluted in water a few times a month for general health.