Hi all, this is my first post, and just basically wanted to run some things by you all.
Ok, so I recently decided to get into this whole "Chicken scene". I have been a long time chicken admirer and have always wanted to have just a few hens in the back yard, to watch them enjoying my pastures and getting fat and providing me with eggs
Fast forward to today. I currently have 4 "Heritage Pheonix" hens and one "rescue rooster" who was on his way on a date with the freezer if I decided not to take him.
They are wonderful beautiful happy birds, I got 3 white Pheonix hens and a matching rooster, and also a "Silver Pheonix" hen. Now, for about 2 weeks now, one of the white hens has been laying on (are you ready for it...) THREE WHOLE EGGS. I see all these posts with people who are hatching out eggs and they have 10-16 eggs sitting under their hens!
Now this hen is a smaller girl, she's not tiny but not huge, she is healthy but she is losing weight. She does not come out from the nest to feed or drink (or poo), and I have for the last week been literally lifting her off her eggs and forcing her to eat and drink (as much as you can with a testy bird). She will sometimes attack the food when she realizes it's in front of her, and then sometimes she will take one bite, and then look at me and my hands on her sides and just FREAK out until I let go and she promptly runs into her nest, collects the eggs the way she wants them and lays back down, clucking and scolding me the whole time. I'm worried she will starve to death.. I mean.. can a bird really live on a couple beak fulls of feed a day?
Now after reading through all these threads and googling for information on hen raised chicks, I've decided to leave her be in her little nest (dog kennel) which is sitting in the coop with the rest of the birds. I have seen other birds IN the kennel with her (it's a big one), but never disturbing or picking on Mama and NEVER on her nest. I have heard people say that she should be completely removed from the rest, but they seem happy together. She doesn't take kindly to interlopers and will threaten, they tend to take her threats seriously and move on out. They have another couple of nest boxes they have been laying a random egg here and there (but egg production has gone WAYYYYY down, is this normal with a setting hen in the coop?). Mister rooster likes to cuddle up next to Mama, and she tolerates him NEXT to her in the kennel, but not any closer. He takes his remaining hens to the top of the coop to roost in the dark.
Does everything I've said on here sound right? I will post photos once I am allowed!
They were sold to me as Special Heritage Breed Pheonix Chickens, are these a special breed?
Ok, so I recently decided to get into this whole "Chicken scene". I have been a long time chicken admirer and have always wanted to have just a few hens in the back yard, to watch them enjoying my pastures and getting fat and providing me with eggs
They are wonderful beautiful happy birds, I got 3 white Pheonix hens and a matching rooster, and also a "Silver Pheonix" hen. Now, for about 2 weeks now, one of the white hens has been laying on (are you ready for it...) THREE WHOLE EGGS. I see all these posts with people who are hatching out eggs and they have 10-16 eggs sitting under their hens!
Now this hen is a smaller girl, she's not tiny but not huge, she is healthy but she is losing weight. She does not come out from the nest to feed or drink (or poo), and I have for the last week been literally lifting her off her eggs and forcing her to eat and drink (as much as you can with a testy bird). She will sometimes attack the food when she realizes it's in front of her, and then sometimes she will take one bite, and then look at me and my hands on her sides and just FREAK out until I let go and she promptly runs into her nest, collects the eggs the way she wants them and lays back down, clucking and scolding me the whole time. I'm worried she will starve to death.. I mean.. can a bird really live on a couple beak fulls of feed a day?
Now after reading through all these threads and googling for information on hen raised chicks, I've decided to leave her be in her little nest (dog kennel) which is sitting in the coop with the rest of the birds. I have seen other birds IN the kennel with her (it's a big one), but never disturbing or picking on Mama and NEVER on her nest. I have heard people say that she should be completely removed from the rest, but they seem happy together. She doesn't take kindly to interlopers and will threaten, they tend to take her threats seriously and move on out. They have another couple of nest boxes they have been laying a random egg here and there (but egg production has gone WAYYYYY down, is this normal with a setting hen in the coop?). Mister rooster likes to cuddle up next to Mama, and she tolerates him NEXT to her in the kennel, but not any closer. He takes his remaining hens to the top of the coop to roost in the dark.
Does everything I've said on here sound right? I will post photos once I am allowed!
They were sold to me as Special Heritage Breed Pheonix Chickens, are these a special breed?
