MJ's little flock

[ManueB]

What about the feathers vs comb argument? Has it got any merit?

I think the only way to have a clue is to compare with photos of chicks the same breed and age, because it seems to vary a lot with breeds.

With two hatches of backyard mutts, the males were actually the ones I had no doubt about from about a week of age. Every chick I hesitated about turned out to be female. Even though they had : big red crests and wattles for Laure, huge feet for Laure and Lulu, early wattles before two weeks for Lulu, Mélisse and Laure, and feathers that looked lile sickle feathers for Piou-piou.

 

[MaryJanet]

I was wishing Shad's thread happy third birthday and noticed this thread recently passed 3000 pages, so I got to wondering how old is it? 5.

600 pages/year works out to 1.6 pages a day. That's a lovely pace.

Not too fast.

Not too slow.

Thank you friends!

 

[MaryJanet]

The grit sold here is usually a mix of crushed shells, crushed flint, and other minerals. I have never seen a healthy chicken touch it but when my hens had sour crop they did eat a bit of it.

That sounds very similar to what we have here. The hens nibble it sometimes.

 

[MaryJanet]

This is from a couple of days ago.

Look at those sussexes relaxing on the perch like proper birds!

 

[Grammy60]

This is from a couple of days ago.

View attachment 3995738

Look at those sussexes relaxing on the perch like proper birds!

They are so cute

 

[MaryJanet]

They are so cute

Yeh! It's going to make farewell to the cockerels rather tearful.

I'm hoping at least one is a pullet and I'd love an Australorp pullet now that Mary's ageing.

 

[LozzyR]

They are so cute

I know, right?!

 

[LozzyR]

Yeh! It's going to make farewell to the cockerels rather tearful.

 

[MaryJanet]

I'll be ok. I just have to hold Dr Mark's words in mind: any cockerel who spends his childhood at my place has already won millions in the chicken lottery; they don't live each day contemplating death, they live joyfully in the moment; and a humane death at the vet reduces any pain for the chicken to the absolute minimum, if not removing it entirely.

 

[RoyalChick]

This is from a couple of days ago.

View attachment 3995738

Look at those sussexes relaxing on the perch like proper birds!

Oh how adorable! They are playing at being grown-up.