NY chicken lover!!!!

[marquisella]

Had to turn on the heat this am.....way too early. Hopefully it warms up in a few days...

Getting few nice dark eggs from my Marans now. Its been about 6 weeks since they started to molt so its about time. Sussex are still laying, never really stopped, slowed a little, but also picking up now.

I'm looking for a nice Lt. Sussex roo. If anyone has or knows anyone who has one available, please let me know.

 

[Gramma Chick]

With all due respect, I'd much rather have them go quickly than linger on.
Not that it makes losing a bird any easier.

I agree ...it is best if they pass quickly ...they suffer less .
Sorry to you both of you who lost a hen ...the older first ones are the most missed as you are usually more attached to your 1st ones.

 

[Gramma Chick]

i used to use crumble till a guy told me at the feed store there was alot less waste with pellets ..
I use pellets because there is less dust & they are easy to scoop . I ferment them all so they end up like mush

i have 9 nesting boxes for 21 girls and you would think that would give everyone a chance to lay their egg and move on ..but i noticed they all want to share the same nest..i used the cat litter buckets the big yellow ones ..and i have a nesting table /box i built ..but they are screaming at each other to use the same nest ..the older girls tend to always win the arguments..i notice they dont even use some of the nesting boxes at all ..should i move them around ,add more in other parts of the coop ..i was thinking maybe to just start adding fake eggs to the others and see if they dont start using them ..they make a huge fuss over the one nest . i mean they really squawk at each other over it ..

Try the fake eggs ...1st .Chickens are very much Money see Monkey do .

 

[Gramma Chick]

Has anyone had aggressive drakes ? My 2 of 3 drakes seem to be in a constant wrestling match ...grabbing / biting each others necks .
we have no lady ducks just the 3 boys ..They were on layer ...but I changed them to scratch & finisher .. Maybe there isnt enough protein in the mix ..?
Or is it just a boy issue ? they also are now attacking my Sumatra Hen who has 2 chicks with her ..

 

[LuvMyChicks1491]

Has anyone had aggressive drakes ? My 2 of 3 drakes seem to be in a constant wrestling match ...grabbing / biting each others necks .
we have no lady ducks just the 3 boys ..They were on layer ...but I changed them to scratch & finisher .. Maybe there isnt enough protein in the mix ..?
Or is it just a boy issue ? they also are now attacking my Sumatra Hen who has 2 chicks with her ..

sexual frustration...I have 3 drakes and 3 girls. The Older boy is the more dominate and he will bully the other boys to keep them away from the girls. They may be going after the hen as if she was a duck...Looks like you're going to have to get some girls.

I feed my ducks grower and they help themselves to the chickens pellets too.

 

[Tab's chicken obsession]

Rancher- Fiona my oldest is in first grade this year. Thursday I have to say it took about 3hrs to do all the homework she had. Hannah my middle one is in kindergarten and the homework hasn't yet begun.

With work, home and school I don't sit down much to get on the computer. We're sending birds to auction tomorrow at King's in west Winfield. Downsizing our duck flock, roosters, and hens/pullets we don't want for our breeding projects plus it will be less feed to buy. If anyone is looking for birds and is interested in birds and can come get them within a day or 2 PM me before they are loaded for auction.

I'm not going to be up much longer. I had to work at 2am this morning. Hope everyone is doing well.

 

[rancher hicks]

Had to turn on the heat this am.....way too early. Hopefully it warms up in a few days...

Getting few nice dark eggs from my Marans now. Its been about 6 weeks since they started to molt so its about time. Sussex are still laying, never really stopped, slowed a little, but also picking up now.

I'm looking for a nice Lt. Sussex roo. If anyone has or knows anyone who has one available, please let me know.

This girl from yours has been brooding far to long. She is nice but loves being a momma.

 

[Lynzi777]

Evening all!
Wanted to pop on real quick while I give the chicks some time to settle down in the basement. I left my house this morning at 7, drove up to Lafayette and back home by 6:30 this evening. Loading that coop was easier than I thought it would be thanks to Chris's friend who had one of those "come alongs" and managed to "drag" it up onto the bed of the truck I rented. It was so nice to see my birds again. Especially when Samantha came by with Stella & Ella! Even tho the silkies are my main focus, Stella holds a special spot in my heart because she's been with us since the start of us getting chickens back in 2012. And the fact that I have her daughter and now her daughters son just makes it THAT much more special to me. Have you ever seen this video?

This video reminds me a lot of Stella and how she is with Tess. Not that she'd even cuddle into Tess like that but she's that friendly that she would probably would at some point eventually in her life.

Anywho, it was so nice hearing the chicks "purr" as they slept on the way home. They all looked like drowned rats when I picked them up because it was pouring today when I got up there but by the time I got home everyone was dried off and floofy again. Here are some pics. They're in my basement right now which is kind of dark so the picture stink but sadly, the only ones that get out of the box tonight are the chicks, only because there were so many of them in one box. Where as the rest are pretty much 2-to a box. Oh and it was cool to come home and have not 1 but 2 eggs in the boxes under the hens that laid them! Missed that! So nice to have our own fresh eggs again! Some of which are going into the incubator tomorrow!

One of my Frizzled Sizzle chicks:



Frizzled Sizzles, Smooth Sizzles and a Frizzled Silkie





Stella and her daughter Ella


Tess's Polish/Silkie mix Chickaletta


Kyle's Polish/Silkie mix Henrietta


My coop all loaded and ready to make the 4hr ride home


My silkie hens and sizzle roo, they look crammed in a box but I figure, they sleep in one big ball anyway, so they're good till morning.

The little blue roo that Samantha hatched out of Ella & Gru:



Soooo happy to have everyone here with us! Thanks so much again to Chris & Samantha for taking care of everyone for us while we made this move! couldn't have done it without you!

 

[smazourek]

I have a BR that never roosted and I think she's got problems because of it. I've dusted her area and her. Wormed her and all that thinking she might have mites or something. Lately I've taken to putting her up on the roost at night and she seems to not know how to hold on.

Point being unless you want to change out the bedding each day letting her sleep in the box is not a good idea. Chickens unload at night and they'll be poop each morning.

I didn't get Silkies cuz I'd read that didn't roost, but apparently I was wrong? If you choose to keep her I'd just put her up on the roost each night.

Though I do let my Frenchy sleep in a box since she's my fav.

Ugh, that doesn't make me happy. I have a toddler and thus no time to clean out a box for her everyday

On a different note- went to the poultry auction in Bath today and picked up two pullets that looked like they might be auracanas. Got them home and looked them over- someone had pulled out their tail feathers! I feel like a dunce. At least they're pretty.

 

[Gramma Chick]

Oh and it was cool to come home and have not 1 but 2 eggs in the boxes under the hens that laid them! Missed that! So nice to have our own fresh eggs again! Some of which are going into the incubator tomorrow!

CONGRATULATIONS ! I was wondering if you made it home with them yet



this one above is Adorable & so is Tess ...she looks pretty happy to have them too





Soooo happy to have everyone here with us! Thanks so much again to Chris & Samantha for taking care of everyone for us while we made this move! couldn't have done it without you!
You should send them something nice that has a chicken on it ..

Quote

On a different note- went to the poultry auction in Bath today and picked up two pullets that looked like they might be auracanas. Got them home and looked them over- someone had pulled out their tail feathers! I feel like a dunce. At least they're pretty.

Does this mean their Roos ?