NY chicken lover!!!!

[miquwid]

My babies meeting the top hen, or more the top hen getting all the attention she wants from my son.

 

[Gramma Chick]

Quote:
Let the ducks tell you ...are they huddled & in distress ? Peeping Loud / screeching ? they are cold ...
My little babies did that when my son had the window open in the room they are in ...even though the light was above them .
Are they moving around & acting generally happy ? they are warm enough .

 

[Tab's chicken obsession]

That's exactly how they are. When the Rouens were young'uns last year, one or two would try flying when first let out, end up halfway down the yard, then freak out and race back to the rest of the group. Now they just mosey around and hang out together - they don't even attempt flight anymore. The Khaki Campbells stick together like glue no matter where they are. They can't even get off the ground, so when I first let them out they run around like mad flapping their wings, and then calm down, eat grass, and hang by the pool. They all go back to the run at night on their own, which is extremely handy.

The biggest KC hen is claiming the sole drake for her own - she's following him around today bobbing her head with the "he's mine, ladies - back off" vocalization. It cracks me up!

Poolside life is great! All they need is a cabana boy serving fruity umbrella drinks.

I have a confession to make. The drake we got from you we had locked up with my girls for a while to acquaint them with one another. When DH put them out on the pond he flew away and I wasn't able to find him. I feel so guilty that I lost him and don't know what happened to him. I guess my girls gave him too much of a cold shoulder and he didn't want to stick around.

 

[rancher hicks]

Gramma,

Good luck with the new babies -- loved the names you gave a couple already!

Can I get some suggestions from folks with regard to integrating the (3) younger pullets from Marquisella in with the significantly bigger (4) girls from Rancher?

Right now the routine is they sleep in the coop all together, but the young 'uns are in a dog cage.

In the day time, while the big girls go out, the younger ones have the run of the coop, or I take them out to free range for an hour while I am outside watching them.

It complicates things if the bigger girls want to come in the coop during the day. Yesterday, I had to lock them out while I was gone at my son's baseball game which ran late, and I felt bad they they were out there until almost dark. They were not pleased as it ran an hour over where they've been tucking themselves in.

The little ones really are that: little. In relation to the four larger ones, anyway.

THANKS, as always!


TOB

I'd have to see them side by side but I suspect they'd be just fine in the yard. I say put the younger ones on the roost at night in the dark and see what happens.

Last night I put Jackson on the roost next to Jack and this am there they were fine as frog hair. Jackson is the BM rooster youngster I'm keeping. Jack is his dad.

Try them out in the yard together and watch them. You can tell if they're beating up the others or whether they're just working out the order.

 

[Henicillin]

I have a confession to make. The drake we got from you we had locked up with my girls for a while to acquaint them with one another. When DH put them out on the pond he flew away and I wasn't able to find him. I feel so guilty that I lost him and don't know what happened to him. I guess my girls gave him too much of a cold shoulder and he didn't want to stick around.

Stupid quacker. Don't feel guilty - it's not your fault he was a dope.

 

[Lynzi777]

Just came on here to see how pictures came out that I posted from my phone and they weren't here-posted to the KC thread by mistake! LOL I swear there used to be a little trash can icon to delete posts but maybe I was just seeing things. Anyway, I decided to make my duck house into a half coop half run house for them, this way they can have the option of staying inside the coop or in the run at night. It'll be nice for them to get outside during the day too and get used to everything that goes on here during the day. So I worked on the last crate today, sawing windows out and stapling the hardwire mesh on. I think my dog enjoyed this more than I did....

Here it is with the wire-

Door gets cut out tomorrow and the roof will go on as well.

 

[rancher hicks]

As some may remember I had a heck of a time hatching my Marans with the incu. Well the latest edition of Practical Poultry has a nice article on Marans and it states that marans eggs have a thicker membrane than other breeds and chicks have a hard time getting out. You have to get the humidity just right. That broody hens are better at hatching than folks with incubators.

They mentioned Cuckoo's quite a bit and that they were a good utility breed. Caution was advise in buying them. That chicks are "strong and fast growers, and they're also quick to feather." The french variety even faster.

It also mentions crowing at 12 wks. Which I knew already. Jackson has been crowing for awhile now.

"The strength and general hardiness of the Marans means that it's very resistant to all the common poultry ailments. I am not sure what that means.

Jackson has feathers on his legs while his father doesn't. I I can't be sure he won't get the white tail feather cuz his father didn't have his in the beginning. His father also has a crooked toe, but he's all I have to work with. Other chicks don't seem to have feathers but they are young.

In the UK it's a fault but I think I'll be working with this breed.

The hens do go broody rather quickly too.

I had some nice Cuckoos but got rid of them and am now kicking myself as Eric the roo was very large. I suppose for utility egg color shouldn't matter. They are great winter layers and lay an extra large egg. 2+ oz.

They aren't a friendly breed though. Jack has gone after the Mrs. but that may be due to the chicks in the coop. He's only been with Jackson since last night but seems protective of him.

They will not replace Dels but will be second in line of my favorites.

Jack and Jackson

 

[pharmchickrnmom]

Hello fellow peeps! Hotter than Hades out there and I dont know who was panting more....me or the chickens. I came home and released the ladies and silkies and put the tots out in their pen. Ran inside to dig out the fan to cool off. Ran back out to give everyone some ice and water and food. Back in to cool off. Back out to release the terrorists who ran for the woods where it was cooler I guess. Back in. Out again as Gladys was trying to school one of the little boys through the pen and he was giving it right back to her, spilling their water. More water for everyone and back in. Ugh. I keep hoping that things will be better between the ladies and the tots so I can let them be together in the coop but I see its going to take more time. These rir boys are fiesty and I think the ladies want to take them down a peg or two. I am not ready for a bloodbath yet. Guess I will continue keeping the tots in the puppy pen in the coop for another week and separate outdoors. I still have to work on the run and skirting anyways to make it escape proof from the tater tots. Hopefully by then the ladies wont want to kill them, just put them in their place.

My injured silkie chick seems to be healing. Its still limping but not as badly and was trying to race a little bit in the brooder with its brother. Thats a good sign. I will keep them there for the rest of the week and hope that by the weekend it will be significantly improved. I do have someone who is interested in them.

Had a coyote sound off last night in the woods next to us. Dh thought is sounded like a youngster and when he went out he could here deer blowing in the woods. I think the neighbors and their dog scared it off when they came out on their deck. It may have been after the deer if it had a fawn with it. I do know that if it comes around too much, dh will remove it. He rarely misses and nobody messes with his chickens. We have been fortunate so far to not have had any predator problems. Of course, dh does mark the property so maybe that helps.

Rancher--nice pics of Jack and Jackson. Very impressive.

 

[miquwid]

As some may remember I had a heck of a time hatching my Marans with the incu. Well the latest edition of Practical Poultry has a nice article on Marans and it states that marans eggs have a thicker membrane than other breeds and chicks have a hard time getting out. You have to get the humidity just right. That broody hens are better at hatching than folks with incubators.

They mentioned Cuckoo's quite a bit and that they were a good utility breed. Caution was advise in buying them. That chicks are "strong and fast growers, and they're also quick to feather." The french variety even faster.

It also mentions crowing at 12 wks. Which I knew already. Jackson has been crowing for awhile now.

"The strength and general hardiness of the Marans means that it's very resistant to all the common poultry ailments. I am not sure what that means.

Jackson has feathers on his legs while his father doesn't. I I can't be sure he won't get the white tail feather cuz his father didn't have his in the beginning. His father also has a crooked toe, but he's all I have to work with. Other chicks don't seem to have feathers but they are young.

In the UK it's a fault but I think I'll be working with this breed.

The hens do go broody rather quickly too.

I had some nice Cuckoos but got rid of them and am now kicking myself as Eric the roo was very large. I suppose for utility egg color shouldn't matter. They are great winter layers and lay an extra large egg. 2+ oz.

They aren't a friendly breed though. Jack has gone after the Mrs. but that may be due to the chicks in the coop. He's only been with Jackson since last night but seems protective of him.

They will not replace Dels but will be second in line of my favorites.

Jack and Jackson

The boys are good looking!

Hello fellow peeps! Hotter than Hades out there and I dont know who was panting more....me or the chickens. I came home and released the ladies and silkies and put the tots out in their pen. Ran inside to dig out the fan to cool off. Ran back out to give everyone some ice and water and food. Back in to cool off. Back out to release the terrorists who ran for the woods where it was cooler I guess. Back in. Out again as Gladys was trying to school one of the little boys through the pen and he was giving it right back to her, spilling their water. More water for everyone and back in. Ugh. I keep hoping that things will be better between the ladies and the tots so I can let them be together in the coop but I see its going to take more time. These rir boys are fiesty and I think the ladies want to take them down a peg or two. I am not ready for a bloodbath yet. Guess I will continue keeping the tots in the puppy pen in the coop for another week and separate outdoors. I still have to work on the run and skirting anyways to make it escape proof from the tater tots. Hopefully by then the ladies wont want to kill them, just put them in their place.

My injured silkie chick seems to be healing. Its still limping but not as badly and was trying to race a little bit in the brooder with its brother. Thats a good sign. I will keep them there for the rest of the week and hope that by the weekend it will be significantly improved. I do have someone who is interested in them.

Had a coyote sound off last night in the woods next to us. Dh thought is sounded like a youngster and when he went out he could here deer blowing in the woods. I think the neighbors and their dog scared it off when they came out on their deck. It may have been after the deer if it had a fawn with it. I do know that if it comes around too much, dh will remove it. He rarely misses and nobody messes with his chickens. We have been fortunate so far to not have had any predator problems. Of course, dh does mark the property so maybe that helps.

Rancher--nice pics of Jack and Jackson. Very impressive.

I hope that it works out for you, I'm lucky that my coop and run get a lot of cool air even during the summer @ 88 degrees. Well I did find some very minor leaks in the run which bother me more than the chickens LOL I'm so determined to fix! I had the babies out today and I've been slowly introducing the young ones to girls. So I've only let my oldest girls freely around the babies because they are calmer and mainly want mine or my sons attention. It's my younger ones that I'm worry about they are super feisty and learning to flap their wings and making all sorts of noises so I keep doing the same putting them back lol. So I understand it's hard sometimes trying to introduce babies. Plus one is taking forever to feather out while the others surround her to keep her warm when in shade so they are still the brooder because of her but not all the time. My babies make me worry so I mean nothing like my child but pretty **** close. Speaking of which OMG for a young man he's been great at taking care of all our animals. He's ten years old now and walks and trains our dogs feeds the cats hamster baby chicks and chickens.


Well to all a good night!

 

[brahmapapa]

Hi Tom , Thanks for the great eggs ...Thanks for marking them too ..
I hope our 1st hatch isnt too bad ,
We started up the incubator this afternoon .
I dont know what we are going to do with 23 chicks - 11 from Cass LOL

You are very welcome, i hope you have a great first hatch, but if not don't fret, there are more eggs where those came from.