***OKIES in the BYC III ***

[TaraBellaBirds]

Okay Okies, I have a question.

I am placing an order on MM (this will make my second order for 2014

), These are mostly meat birds so at probably 3 to 4 weeks they will be put in a completely different area than any other chicks. I decided (you know how that goes right?) I wanted some hens to breed the Partridge Cochin I ordered for my son....

AND I want my first batch of NN!!!
I plan to cull the males in the butcher-bird pen after the CX have met the freezer at 6 to 8 weeks.

So here's my ?, will the 2 little Cochin pullets be okay with a straight run of NN until aprox. 8 weeks, and with the NN pullets until they join the big flock at 12+ weeks?

 

[bardies]

Robin, I have a little bottle of Quik-Stop I bought literally 15 yrs ago. It's lasted through thousands of dog toenail trimmings, beak trimming and cuts on goats, sheep, people, you name it. I need to try to find you some. It's like magic yellow powder.

Loved the auction stories. Bardies, you're a great writer and your post about the realities of chicken-hood should be framed. I just can't trust myself at auctions. What I've finally figured out is to have a permanent place set up beforehand for birds before I get them. And beings it's winter and freezing cold I haven't had the chance to build any more pens. So I know better than to go to the auctions.

I've been losing chicks at a high rate of speed and am so frustrated. My guess would be coccidia except they haven't been anywhere around adults or on ground yet. At this point I'm a bit numb and just waiting to see who makes it out alive come spring. It occurred to me that maybe winter chicks aren't as healthy, I don't know. I've even got full spectrum lighting on them during the day, they're on a 10x10 enclosed deck with a roof and heated. There's so many hundreds of things it could be that there's no way to know. And in thinking back.....I lost a bunch of chicks 18 months ago that were this age. Maybe the 3-4 month age range is one of the more dangerous ones for chicks.

My Silver Blue Modern Game bantam boy and his girl also have frostbite on their feet! They had an 18" round by 12" tall cookie tin heater covered with a rug in their 4x4 pen they were in and lots of shavings. I couldn't figure out why she was limping and had what looked like burn marks on the bottom of her feet. I thought she was roosting too long on the heat even though it wasn't that hot and was covered by the rug so I unplugged it a week or so ago. All of a sudden last night it occurred to me it was frostbite! They must have gotten it from standing on the brick their foot and water was on. The boy doesn't look as bad but won't put down his right leg and the foot looks swollen. His OEGB girl is going to lose some toes on both her feet. It makes me just sick. They were in a pen under an 8x30 roof that's covered on 3 sides. I made sure they had heat and heated water. The Bantam Cochin pair next to them have the same setup (minus a heat source) and are fine. Spidey and his girl are now inside and that's where they're going to stay til spring. I've had him for 2 yrs, it just never got so bitter cold before :-(

Sorry to hear about this chick loss - is it the fluffies (I am having a hard time keeping track of baby hatch dates). Catching up with posts and it looks like the weather has been tough on us chicken keepers. Just spent some time at the vets with a silkie roo that I got in Shawnee. Sour crop. I've been so busy with working the weekend, etc that I have not really looked at the silkies after the kids moved them from the garage back to their pens on Friday. Cheyenne told me about the bird, and described it to me and I said...its just the crop. But never looked. VERY BAD chicken mom.

When I opened everyone up this morning, it was obvious he was not well. Big sigh, and we all have a lot more winter and weird weather to go through.

I get the too many chickens thing - sadly, it does not occur to me that chicks count. They don't take up too much room at all!

Speaking of Shawnee - how is the showgirl roo doing?

 

[bardies]

That is more excitement then anyone wants! Glad everything is okay there, it is much to windy for any fires today

Concur! I was in a building all day - but came home to find we lost a dead tree onto our backyard fence. Good thing I had strung a length of barbed wire across the top that sprang back after dh removed the tree top from it. (All baby cows accounted for!) Trees are not used to strong winds coming from the south! Happily no fires that I know of in my area. VERY VERY GLAD the fire dept was on top of MJGigax's and Jack's fire.

 

[bardies]

~~I finished my Weeping Angel block, I am so excited w/ how it turned out!!!!!!!! Well over 300 pieces and most all my points and matches are perfect!!!!!!!

OH WOW!!!!!!

 

[Kassaundra]

Okay Okies, I have a question.

I am placing an order on MM (this will make my second order for 2014

), These are mostly meat birds so at probably 3 to 4 weeks they will be put in a completely different area than any other chicks. I decided (you know how that goes right?) I wanted some hens to breed the Partridge Cochin I ordered for my son....

AND I want my first batch of NN!!!
I plan to cull the males in the butcher-bird pen after the CX have met the freezer at 6 to 8 weeks.

So here's my ?, will the 2 little Cochin pullets be okay with a straight run of NN until aprox. 8 weeks, and with the NN pullets until they join the big flock at 12+ weeks?

I don't actually understand your question, but if your asking about NN living in harmony w/ other breeds of chicks, yes they get along well w/ others, just like other chickens they need to be somewhat similar in size (I wouldn't put a 3 day old w/ a 3 week old of any breed)

 

[TaraBellaBirds]

I don't actually understand your question, but if your asking about NN living in harmony w/ other breeds of chicks, yes they get along well w/ others, just like other chickens they need to be somewhat similar in size (I wouldn't put a 3 day old w/ a 3 week old of any breed)

Sorry if I wasn't clear. Yes, I was asking if the NN were as docile as the Cochins. I don't want anyone getting picked on, and they should all be the same age.

 

[Kassaundra]

Sorry if I wasn't clear. Yes, I was asking if the NN were as docile as the Cochins. I don't want anyone getting picked on, and they should all be the same age.

Should be fine then, my NN mixed well w/ my EE and they were pretty docile. Even w/ my sweetheart good natured araucana who was quite a bit smaller then them was not picked on.

 

[CayuseRanch]

Does anyone else find that the cochin develops slower than other standard sized birds?

 

[artsyrobin]

absolutely they are slower to mature- i think 2 years to attain their full weight, right nana?

 

[artsyrobin]

Quote: kass... i sure couldn't sleep under that! Wow!