Maine

[superchemicalgirl]

What color are the legs? That will distinguish your rock from your marans.

 

[Widget]

I have a couple turkeys who refuse to stay in the pen at night. The others go right in with no problems. Of course they perch on the top of the pen but they are at least eight feet off the ground so that is fine. This morning I figured out where the other two sleep. I had to leave for work at 4 am so it was still a bit dark out when I left. When I started the truck the headlights lit up the side of the house. On the roof peak above the master bedroom were two turkeys still sound asleep. Guess they do not have to worry about any ground attacks. Air attacks are another story.

 

[lazy gardener]

That hawk who tries to attack your turkeys roosting on your roof top would have to have quite an ego problem!!!

My girls thrashing through the leaves in the woods sound like a couple of axe murderers! They're having a blast poking through the leaves.

 

[buckabucka]

Funny image of your turkeys on the roof top, widget!

Mine are also enjoying rustling through the leaves.

Today we discovered 5 holes dug into the sand at the far end of our field. The holes have a 6" diameter, but there is not a huge pile of sand outside, so I'm not sure there is a deep burrow. Maybe our summer skunk family moved up there. We should know soon. We mounted the game cam on a plastic laundry basket and set it about 15 feet away.

 

[lazy gardener]

Be sure to post pics of your excavator!

I had my first salad from my winter garden today. It was every bit as enjoyable as that first spring harvest.

 

[hoppy]

Hey guys, got a chance to snap a close up of the "rare exotic" and you can get a good look at colors here!

 

[IZZYBELLA]

I have a couple turkeys who refuse to stay in the pen at night. The others go right in with no problems. Of course they perch on the top of the pen but they are at least eight feet off the ground so that is fine. This morning I figured out where the other two sleep. I had to leave for work at 4 am so it was still a bit dark out when I left. When I started the truck the headlights lit up the side of the house. On the roof peak above the master bedroom were two turkeys still sound asleep. Guess they do not have to worry about any ground attacks. Air attacks are another story.

Love this image!

My girls are also loving the leaves. Some take it much more seriously than others... funny the personalities.

Does anyone have any tips on helping the lowest chicken in the pecking order? Some of you may remember a while back I was concerned one of my buffs was ill. I think the issue was/continues to be that the others are not allowing her to get enough food. I separated her two days in a row 2 weeks ago and made sure she got plenty to eat and she perked up. Now I leave a separate bowl for her to eat out of and it seems to be working. She isn't roosting, though... sleeps in the corner on the floor by the door. Should I build her a platform? Just worrying a bit about drafts with the colder weather. I know it's the way nature works, but I just hate seeing the top hen be mean to her for no apparent reason!

 

[longgrove]

Love this image!

My girls are also loving the leaves. Some take it much more seriously than others... funny the personalities.

Does anyone have any tips on helping the lowest chicken in the pecking order? Some of you may remember a while back I was concerned one of my buffs was ill. I think the issue was/continues to be that the others are not allowing her to get enough food. I separated her two days in a row 2 weeks ago and made sure she got plenty to eat and she perked up. Now I leave a separate bowl for her to eat out of and it seems to be working. She isn't roosting, though... sleeps in the corner on the floor by the door. Should I build her a platform? Just worrying a bit about drafts with the colder weather. I know it's the way nature works, but I just hate seeing the top hen be mean to her for no apparent reason!

I have a pen for the chickens (as we have had preditor problems and neighbors let their dogs roam, plus I can't run out and protect them as I am in a wheelchair). I have put a deep (10 to 14 inches) layer of leaves in their pen. When I let them out in the AM, they rush out and start scratching enthusiasticly in the leaves. They keep this up all day (with a little time out for dust bathing and mating). The leaves I put in last Fall were reduced to powder by late Spring. It makesgreat mulch! Such good little garden helpers.

Do you have a roo? Often a roo will interceed when one of the hens gets too rough with another hen. For awhile we didn't have a roo and the boss hen was a tyrant. She was none too pleased when we acquired 2 roos. it took awhile, but the roos eventually got her in line and she is much more agreeable now. I have found that chickens who are low on the pecking order do better with a buddy. If your meek hen is roosting on the floor, perhaps if you got a Silkie, they would roost together and be "buddies". If they were kept together for a few days before the new one was introduced, they might bond. Good luck with your buff.

 

[buckabucka]

I provide more than one food area (to help the lower pecking order birds) and occasionally I'll provide a private dish for our cross-beak hen. As far as roosting on the floor, could you make a large pile of shavings for her to nestle in? The platform would be nice too, if you think she will use it.

 

[Jazor]

What color are the legs? That will distinguish your rock from your marans.

The legs on the BIQ (Bird In Question) are rose, as well as the comb. It's significantly larger than the rest of the flock (which made me think cockerel) and seems to have different behavior than the rest. I have been suspect that it was a BR cockerel, but have no real world experience in the subject matter.

Plenty of people have suggested it is a maran, seeing as how it was a hatchery order that included a free "rare exotic" bird--which would also make sense. The different color of the legs/comb make think it very well could be a maran. Not sure how to sex the bugger, aside from the obvious method of waiting until it starts crowing or laying eggs.

I can try to work out more photos, the one I got in my last post was lucky.