NY chicken lover!!!!

[Gramma Chick]

Quote:
Yes it looks like a bird / chicken to me ! That was my friends shadow ..LOL

 

[Gramma Chick]

@grammachick Well I was actually thinking the opposite,i personally left the light on for months so that if there were a predator in the night it would be easier to shoot at. But then I began to wonder without that natural on/off if that would alter growth negatively due to the lack of real sleep. So i decided to turn it off and see how they act, but like I said I thought it was odd I picked up my girls of April 27th at maybe a week or two old and I picked up an early Feb hatched barred rock two days ago that is roughly 1/3 smaller than my barred rocks but at least 6-8 weeks older,although she was kept without a light...

Are they all Barred Rocks ?
There is some varation in size ...in a breed ...also some hatcheries mix in other breeds for size , laying , meat , etc
1 ) the size of the egg it hatches from
2) the food it was given when it was growing (<- they do great on Game Bird )
3 )where it is on the pecking order / could be a runt
4) different breeders have different sizes
ex : Australops are a standard size - I know a breeder in the state that his are 2 x the size of most birds

 

[fireredcannon]

Are they all Barred Rocks ?

There is some varation in size ...in a breed ...also some hatcheries mix in other breeds for size , laying , meat , etc
1 ) the size of the egg it hatches from
2) the food it was given when it was growing (<- they do great on Game Bird )
3 )where it is on the pecking order / could be a runt
4) different breeders have different sizes
ex : Australops are a standard size - I know a breeder in the state that his are 2 x the size of most birds

So I guess that settles alot of what I've read about differing views on higher protein. I personally have 2 barred rocks that are aprox.15 weeks and I was given one for helping a gentleman but my 2 look like their feathers have developed better and bodies grown larger and his bird 23 weeksish

 

[Chicken girl 15]

So I guess that settles alot of what I've read about differing views on higher protein. I personally have 2 barred rocks that are aprox.15 weeks and I was given one for helping a gentleman but my 2 look like their feathers have developed better and bodies grown larger and his bird 23 weeksish

yours were started and raised on a better feed. His is just going to be small. No big deal as long as your larger birds are not picking on the smaller one.

 

[fireredcannon]

yours were started and raised on a better feed. His is just going to be small. No big deal as long as your larger birds are not picking on the smaller one.

I know everyone always stresses the importance of a drawn out integration but I was curious and added her with the flock in the coop and it has been almost as though they can't tell shes new or they don't care at all.

 

[Chicken girl 15]

So the math is in, chicken math that is. I started with 8 rir from Frog Pond and added a few at a time from various sources. Then I had to move a few birds to freezer camp and dang it is added more. Now I have a grand total of 56 chickens 1 duck 2 rabbits 1 cat 7 kittens 2 dogs and and ,oh wait that's it. Lol. Of the 56 I have 7 boys. 2 white leghorn/ gold spitzhauben who could use a new home if anyone is interested, if not I can put them up for stoup this winter. Oh plus I have 25 cx on the way next week plus the surprise box from cackle.

 

[shodack]

I need some help or advice please...
I have four hens who are somewhere around 18 months old, I've had them since chicks. This spring I added 3 beautiful chicks who are about 4.5 months old at this point.
Three eggs in two weeks have been broken. They aren't eaten, but there's a hole in them. Today's was tossed out of the nest. I know it's not a huge loss, but this is the first time I've had any eggs damaged. The first couple times I actually thought maybe someone had stepped on one, but I'm thinking someone is doing it intentionally...

The main issue though is that I am noticing in the last day or two that the smallest of the older girls is being picked on. She's missing feathers on her face and back. I have seen no aggression at all when I'm in with them, the younger girls mostly stay away, but I do know there's been scuffling in the coop at night as the younger girls are getting big and wanting to take places on the top roosting bar. The little one is now the smallest of the 7.
I do have a friend who was planning on taking one chicken to add to his flock, but I had planned to wait until the new ones start to lay.
Should I rehome one ASAP? Should I rehome the smallest one? I'd love to keep her, but I don't want her being abused. I am also thinking of rehoming the boss hen, as she seems to be really stressing, and I am starting to wonder if she's the pecker, as I suspect she is self mutilating. Would getting rid of the head chicken mess them all up?

My husband has been saying he's going to build a small expansion on the coop, but him saying and doing are two very different stories. I did just tell him about the issue, so hopefully that pushes him to get going.

 

[fireredcannon]

I need some help or advice please...
I have four hens who are somewhere around 18 months old, I've had them since chicks. This spring I added 3 beautiful chicks who are about 4.5 months old at this point.
Three eggs in two weeks have been broken. They aren't eaten, but there's a hole in them. Today's was tossed out of the nest. I know it's not a huge loss, but this is the first time I've had any eggs damaged. The first couple times I actually thought maybe someone had stepped on one, but I'm thinking someone is doing it intentionally...

The main issue though is that I am noticing in the last day or two that the smallest of the older girls is being picked on. She's missing feathers on her face and back. I have seen no aggression at all when I'm in with them, the younger girls mostly stay away, but I do know there's been scuffling in the coop at night as the younger girls are getting big and wanting to take places on the top roosting bar. The little one is now the smallest of the 7. 
I do have a friend who was planning on taking one chicken to add to his flock, but I had planned to wait until the new ones start to lay.
Should I rehome one ASAP? Should I rehome the smallest one? I'd love to keep her, but I don't want her being abused. I am also thinking of rehoming the boss hen, as she seems to be really stressing, and I am starting to wonder if she's the pecker, as I suspect she is self mutilating. Would getting rid of the head chicken mess them all up?

My husband has been saying he's going to build a small expansion on the coop, but him saying and doing are two very different stories. I did just tell him about the issue, so hopefully that pushes him to get going. 

How big is your coop? Do you have always available feed out for them?

 

[shodack]

Yes, they always have feed and water. Right now they are all getting starter/grower because of the younger ones, with egg shells and/or oyster shells free choice for the egg layers.
The coop is small, maybe 4.5' x 4.5' x 4.5', but there are two roosting bars and more than enough space for the seven chickens to have a place and move around as needed. I did have plans to rehome at least one before winter, but now I'm thinking it needs to happen sooner...

 

[Pyxis]

Yes, they always have feed and water. Right now they are all getting starter/grower because of the younger ones, with egg shells and/or oyster shells free choice for the egg layers.
The coop is small, maybe 4.5' x 4.5' x 4.5', but there are two roosting bars and more than enough space for the seven chickens to have a place and move around as needed. I did have plans to rehome at least one before winter, but now I'm thinking it needs to happen sooner...

Your coop size is likely the problem - if it's really that size, you have room in there for five chickens. Each chicken needs four square feet of coop space and your coop is 20 square feet. That's okay for five chickens, but not for seven chickens. Seven chickens should have a coop of at least 28 square feet. And that doesn't count nesting boxes - they can't be counted into the floor space. You're seeing evidence of this - they're beating each other up and picking each other's feathers during the time they're stuck in the coop. You're not seeing it when you're out there with them because they're only doing it at night when they're stuck together in the coop. You need a bigger coop if you plan to keep six chickens - at least a coop that is 6' by 4', and bigger is always better You also want at least 8" of roosting space per bird - they tend to roost altogether in one spot but the space is important so that if one is getting bullied it can move away. That coop extension is a good idea. Tell your husband to get on it, lol.