***OKIES in the BYC III ***

[Kassaundra]

@jrjoplin very rarely do the Cochin crow. My oldest cock will crow in the morning in their pen in answer to the others roosters in their pens and then stays quiet the rest of the day. We do hear a lot of Oohhh Oohhh Oohhh from the roosters as they talk to each other.
The three younger cockerels (11 month) don't crow at all yet.

We had a scare this evening. I had just finished in the hen house and was beginning to fill the feeders in the outside pens. All the pens were open as all birds were still free ranging and/or returning to their coops. Suddenly there was a HUGE ruckus going on in the hen house in the barn....where the layer flock and brood hens are located. I ran back to the barn thinking there was a big fight going on because hens are squawking and chicks are alarmed and birds are fleeing the hen house thru all doors. As I started thru the human door to the hen house ANSEL is flogging a hawk and has the hawk down on the floor jumping all over him...not a big rooster in sight. Just the mighty little Seabright. I grab a hoe near the door and make the final blow. Ansel jumps on the roost and crows in triumph. It was a sparrow hawk with a 20 inch wing spread...granted Ansel outweighed the hawk, but the hawk had talons and a vicious beak. It took a while to settle the moms and babies. Even the mothers inside brood cages had been slamming their bodies against their cage walls to get out. Fortunately no one was injured. I checked Ansel thoroughly for any sign of injury...not a scratch on him. What a great flock protector!

Wow, great job Ansel, he has always been "as big as the big boys" in his heart!!!! I will have to tell Gary about this when I get home tomorrow.

 

[michiele]

Hi all! I am trying to do some research to find BBS cochin hatching eggs (LF) so I know who has them next time my hens go broody. We lost our big blue cochin too to a hawk a month ago. I would like replace him with a Splash too to cover my black hens. I would prefer to hatch eggs that might produce a splash so I don't have to worry about introducing germs into my flock. Anyone raise BBS LF cochin? Thanks.

Michiele

 

[NanaKat]

Thought I'd post a few....maybe more...photos from this week.

The ducklings took a bath today...they are now 24 days old.


Then the broody hens and moms with chicks.....several are bantams and several are large breeds.
The Cochin girls are sharing the job of brooding 11 eggs...there are four of them on that pile. The Blue hens have decided not to lay right now. The Wyandotte hens with chicks that went to the floor today. Two of the four Bantams hens either on eggs or with their tiny babies. There were a few Serama eggs under those girls. And then two Bantam Delaware chicks Mom is trying to wean.





For Jrjoplin...
these are the three 11 month old Cochin cockerels and the older rooster. He is outside the pen enticing the boys to come outside. Will have to get a good picture of the Blue...he is hiding behind the other two. The Splash cockerel is beginning to look too leggy to use in the breed pen.
.

And the change in temperatures made me decide to fix a couple of crocks of hamburger vegetable soup for the extended family.

 

[jrjoplin]

I suppose the trick is to stand in the middle of the chicken yard and say "If I don't see some eggs soon, I'll at least have some fried chicken". Look what I found this evening.



I'm not sure which of the 4 older ladies laid it but my guess is one of the Silver Pencilled Rock hens but thats' more odds than educated guess. I only have 4 hens close to laying and they are 3 SPRs and 1 WW.

I snapped a few pictures while I was out this evening.

This is the young Speckled Sussex Rooster looking a lille wind blown. He's first in the running if I keep one of the younger roosters


My WW, his name is Grigori but I forget that I named him most of the time.


The young Partridge Rock rooster.


The Young RIR rooster,


Some of the flock. You can see the SPR rooster and also the young White Cochin rooster that I forget about. He was the extra chick in my last MMM order. From him I've learned that white feathered feet and red dirt don't mix well. He's more of a dust colored Cochin most of the time.


more of the flock.



@NanaKat Those are some good looking guys. I've never been a big fan of Cochins but my Blue rooster is warming me to the idea of having a few around.

 

[NanaKat]

Sure hope everyone is watching the storms tonight and are safe!

@jrjoplin You have a nice diverse flock.

My White Wyandotte and his hens are free ranging now and have taken over a Columbian Wyandotte pen. He has also convinced the Buckeye hens to join them.

While out locking up tonight, I snapped this photo of my Blue Cochin hens and the Black Cochin I got from a friend who bought them from Bo Garrett. I have a white hen from Bo also. The young pullets are out of the older hens and a rooster from my strain. The picture is a little washed out since the light was beginning to fade.


Here are a few of my Columbian Wyandotte.

 

[CLSranch]

How did everyone fare the weather last night? We barely go a drop last night.

 

[Kassaundra]

It stormed a lot, lots of lightening and thunder and over 1.5 inches of rain last night. My dogs were inconsolable! making it a looooong night.

 

[jrjoplin]

Just a little rain here, looks like we just caught the edge. We did have a nice light show which turns my 100 pound lab into a lap dog for the evening.

 

[limited25]

9/25/16 Integration day: Chickens have all been beside each other for 2 months now (1 month in coop divided by screen). Reggie freaked out (along with everyone else) and danced in front of everyone (including the Buff Orp cockerel) and mated a couple molting hens. Put him and the Buff in separate crates and took them to the garage. Next day Buff got re-homed, and Reggie was put in the front run by himself to chill (where he remains).


A cartoon photo of our coop with front on (from a new app I bought) which is fun to play with.


Same.


Hilde (aka Bare Butt) guarding "her side" of the run so newbies cannot enter. She is hostile.


My son was taking a video of Reggie, and after he got done crowing, BB & Tricky get into it in the coop. This is the surprised look on his face when he heard them.


Same as above.


BB and Tricky getting into it under the coop. They jumped at each other feet first, and Tricky (who has always been at the bottom of the pecking order now emerges as 2nd in the pecking order. BB is wearing pinless-peepers because she is so aggressive to the newbies, and enjoys being a jerk.


The newbies ran to center stage to get a good view of the showdown.


BB, now being 3rd in the pecking order, and wearing peepers is now depressed and in the coop alone. She has been hanging out with the newbies and all appears friendly and not hostile now. Feel sorry for her and take her peepers off that evening (her 3rd day of wearing them), hoping she has learned something.


3 of the newbies, Tinker Bell, Taylor, and Azure. (love them!!)


Tinker Bell (wish I had 2 of her).

Integration of the hens is complete and everyone seems reasonably happy. Honey (original flock - PR) is still top hen. She doesn't ever pick on anyone but does peck them if they step out of line with her. The 1st night the newbies went to sleep where they were used to sleeping with the screen up. Honey was sitting in her spot and the newbie pecked Honey to get her to move. LOL Honey pecked her back, got pecked again, and pecked back. I trust Honey with any of them.

Tricky is now 2nd in the pecking order, and has put up with a lot of chasing and pecking during her 1 1/2 years here. She is getting new feathers on her back, and is enjoying her status.

My little BB (always so intimidating to other chickens, and so timid when I catch her) is in 3rd place, but she now has 4 friends; the newbies. They sleep side by side, and get close to each other in the runs with no problem. She seems quite happy, and I am glad we put the peepers on and took them off when we did. She looks like a porcupine with all the quills sticking out.

Daisy (not pictured) has always been the top of the pecking order in the newbies. She sleeps the closest to BB. She is a Buckeye (not a Russian Orloff) which is what they told me I purchased. She looks like the PRs except she has a pea comb. She has a great personality, and we are glad we got her.

Know we will not integrate Reggie before everyone has new feathers, but real unsure how that will go when the time comes.

 

[Okla-doodle-doo]

I was talking to my feed store man today and he said after the first of the year you will have to have a slip from the vet to buy medicated chick starter! this in Tennessee. I figure if you go to the vet he has to report it to the state and they will then "raid" your place to see what diseases your birds have! I use medicated starter for my pigeons as a supplement. it keeps them fat and healthy. Guess I better start weaning them off it.More big brother trying to close the little guys out in my opinion.Sorry,just needed to vent!