Are those regular rabbit water bottles? Do they work good with chickens? Stopped at TSC to check out the inventory: 3 tanks of red pullets, 1 large tank of white leghorns, 1 tank of what I think were meaties, and preparing a tank for duckehs. Getting ready for the Easter rush! Hubby is ready for more chicks, but don't even have my brooder tank cleaned. It got swapped with another one at parents farm, so it has lots of dust from the cow barn in it and a hole in the side that needs patching with duct tape. Hubby had 2 more inquiries at work for eggs, but really can only take one more making 3 doz per week. Chicken math kicking in, says we need 12 chicks!DH built "the condo" for cockerels, also works great as a brooder.
NY chicken lover!!!!
- Thread starter peggym
- Start date
yup, regular rabbit waterers with the ball.
I want another one....I LOVE it!
well it sounds like you are doing everything right, i hope all comes out right
Another cockerel has shown himself. Rancher, do you have black Orps or Australorps? This bird is a big guy. We had been debating his gender - he demonstrated that he is indeed a dude by chasing one of the hens and trying to mount her, and getting roundly pecked for his efforts. I'm calling Berkshire View tomorrow and seeing if they can do four or five for me next week. Given how long it takes me to process vs. how long it would take them to process and package them, it's worth it. I need to clean house!
One of my pullets from last year looks awful - were I going to process her, part of the plucking would be done. That's why some of these dudes need to GO.
Here's the List O' Roosters. This is more my thinking to myself than anything - I want to list them so I can consider who stays and who goes.
- Captain Morgan - Speckled Sussex - Papa roo, and the former head of the flock (now working his way back up). He stays. I love him.
- Easter Egger cockerel from Rancher's chicks. He's a beauty, and a sweet little gentleman. I like his beard. He gets to stay as well.
- SS/Jersey Giant cross. Gorgeous, big boy, but getting to be noisy as anything. He'd make a good roaster, really. His big con is that he's related to my pullets. Edited to add that he's bitey - he chomped Alan when being moved for some reason. He's a roaster!
- SS/Brahma cross. Kind of a jackwagon. He's on the To Go list.
- SS/Dominique cross. He's definitely going to Camp Kenmore. Given I had the knife out to do him myself yesterday, he's outta here.
- Delaware (Rancher's stock). Gorgeous bird, but a bit of an adolescent jerk. Pros - size, good breeding, and unrelated to the other birds (except the other Dels, presumably). Cons - he's bitey.
- Black Orp (?) - Also from Rancher's eggs (hey, what's up with all these dudes???). He's a big one as well, but nippy. Pros for him - his size, and the fact that he's completely unrelated to any other bird, so genetic diversity. Cons - he's also nippy, and sort of ill-tempered. Come to think of it, he was a nippy chick. He's done.
What to do... hmm!
The Final Decision: Papa, the EE, and the Del stay - the rest of them go bye-bye next week. Winners winners - NOT chicken dinners!
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Looks as though I have an EE hen broody too.I may give her some marans eggs seeing as they are so hard to hatch. I've got another in the Del coop on six eggs. She seems unbothered by the other hens. Unlike the del who changes nest to often and most likely won't hatch anything at this rate.
Of all the broodies I've had there is only one chick and that's with Buckwheat.
It's very hard when there is not private place to put them. I really need to have a plan cuz they will go broody.
So if you have a hen go broody ...does this teach other hens ..there is such a thing as broody ? Or do you have non hatchery hens ? who go broody more ?
Do you have one of those plastic storage bins ? They seem to be popular broody places for people to use .
Or a strong cardboard box would work too I will bet
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I am suspecting the 2 free chics may be baby roos .
They are already showing roos type behaviors ..
Has anyone had pullets act this way too ..?
they do the tall standing stink eye at each other ..jump fly at each other & even peck each other sometimes too ...At 3 weeks old
Their little feet click on the kitchen floor ...so they get excited ... they race each other around in the kitchen like little speed boats ..
I let them out a couple of times a day ..for exercise ..in the kitchen .
I took them outside yesterday for some sun & fresh air for a few minutes..
We were all fine till the flock found out that I was eating a apple .
My son was trying to catch the babies.. they were running every which way ...
Till they realized I was the shelter ..& hopped up on my arms for protection ...I was almost setting at ground level
They are already showing roos type behaviors ..
Has anyone had pullets act this way too ..?
they do the tall standing stink eye at each other ..jump fly at each other & even peck each other sometimes too ...At 3 weeks old
Their little feet click on the kitchen floor ...so they get excited ... they race each other around in the kitchen like little speed boats ..
I let them out a couple of times a day ..for exercise ..in the kitchen .
I took them outside yesterday for some sun & fresh air for a few minutes..
We were all fine till the flock found out that I was eating a apple .
My son was trying to catch the babies.. they were running every which way ...
Till they realized I was the shelter ..& hopped up on my arms for protection ...I was almost setting at ground level
Yes, girl chicks do this chest bump thing also. Heck, even my hens do it now and then.
(that said, free chicks are often roos lol)
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- Apr 13, 2010
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