***OKIES in the BYC III ***

[Elbert Garrett]

Breakfast....

 

[BetsyOK]

Pretty blue partridges, Elbert!

 

[Elbert Garrett]

Pretty blue partridges, Elbert!

Thank you! I really like them and hope to learn all I can about them.

 

[artsyrobin]

Has anyone ever let a broody hen hatch and raise babies in the winter. I have a broody, and was thinking of letting her hatch and raise some babies, she has hatched and raised babies before and is an awesome mom. It just scares me they may not make it in the colder weather. Thanks

Quote: @greenbeetle i put them in dog playpens in the house if it happens in the winter- good socializing too-

well like everyone i have an abundance of roos, i have these 3 available

this first one just started crowing, and will look like his dad in the next photo - all bantam cochins- pm me if interested, too many boys lol!

 

[dunnmom]

My poor girls haven't been able to free range since early summer. They are clearly getting bored. Ideas for entertaining confined pullets? Chicken toys? Also, I have a couple of pullets laying in the sand in the run for no particularly obvious reason.

 

[NanaKat]

I got back from Michigan and my house/chicken sitters informed me that the young birds have learned to escape the yard. Turns out they are good flyers and can make it over, or at least to the top of, the 5' fence surrounding the chicken yard. Long story short wings are clipped and we haven't had an escapee since. Luckily, I only lost one in the week I was out of town. Apparently they were just as good at flying in as they were flying out. My parents were watching the house and animals and I let them know they were under no obligation to chase chickens back into the yard. I've got two of the young roosters in the isolation pen and will caponize tomorrow. Counting them, I have a total of 7 roosters and need to get that down to 3 for my and the neighbors happiness. I keep going back and forth on the other 2 that will either be caponized or freezerized. My remaining 5 are the White Wyandotte My two favorites are the WW and the SS. The PR looks a little rough now but I think he'll grow into a nice rooster. I'm leaning towards sending the SPR to the freezer and caponizing the Blue Cochin. If anything happens to the Cochin I'll never hear the end of it and for that reason alone he may remain intact. I jinxed myself with my last post as he now crows, but only in the morning, and is making his move on the ladies. If I keep him intact I'll caponize the PR. The young ones are getting amorous and the hens are getting harassed a little too much. The Freezer is getting full so I may attempt to caponize the SPR but he would be the largest bird I've worked on. Come to think of it I may caponize him to build up my confidence with the Cochin.

The young ones are 16 weeks, about a month later than I would usually work on them. I've been procrastinating because I have been indecisive about which ones to keep intact. I did two of the younger ones this morning with no complications during the procedure so hopefully everything will work out. I've never caponized an adult bird before but no one wants the Cochin to go to the freezer and I don't want to keep him as a rooster so I think I'll do a practice run with the SPR and if all goes well I'll attempt the Cochin. I'm keeping the Wyandotte, Sussex, and Partridge Rock intact.

What criteria are you using for keeping the White Wyandotte as a breeder? I noticed your hens in the photo with him. Are you planning to use him to cover them? Were he mine, he would be a candidate for freezer camp because he has several characteristics that don't conform to the Standard for Wyandotte that I have been been working hard to breed out of my flock: His comb is too large and bumpy. He is too tall His body type looks more Plymouth Rock than Wyandotte. The items mentioned, once bred into your flock will take a long time to remove. Of course, if you are not hatching eggs from his hens, you probably won't need to worry.

 

[NanaKat]

My poor girls haven't been able to free range since early summer. They are clearly getting bored. Ideas for entertaining confined pullets? Chicken toys? Also, I have a couple of pullets laying in the sand in the run for no particularly obvious reason.

Pens that can't free range during the breeding season get green treats to compensate for that loss.
I hang lettuce and cabbage leaves in a wire mesh net for the birds to peck at.
Weeds from the garden are always appreciated, especially if dirt clumps are still intact for them to scratch thru.

 

[jrjoplin]

What criteria are you using for keeping the White Wyandotte as a breeder?
I noticed your hens in the photo with him. Are you planning to use him to cover them?
Were he mine, he would be a candidate for freezer camp because he has several characteristics that don't conform to the Standard for Wyandotte that I have been been working hard to breed out of my flock:
His comb is too large and bumpy.
He is too tall
His body type looks more Plymouth Rock than Wyandotte.

The items mentioned, once bred into your flock will take a long time to remove.
Of course, if you are not hatching eggs from his hens, you probably won't need to worry.

You bring up some good points, but I chose to keep him more for his temperament. He is my dominant rooster and does a pretty good job of keeping the others in line. If he wasn't so good a flock protector he'd probably already be in the freezer. I don't mind his size so much but that comb is off putting. My parents called and asked if it was a tumor while they were house sitting for me.

I've got over 30 chickens now so unless there are some losses over the winter I don't plan on hatching any chicks in the spring. When/if my numbers get to a point where I need to hatch out some chicks I'll most likely separate out either the Speckled Sussex with his 4 hens or the Partridge Rock with his 5. Then again I do like diversity in the flock so I could order something new and different if I need to add to the numbers.

 

[dunnmom]

Thanks @NanaKat . I was also wondering if there were things I could give them to do that doesn't always involve food. I can tell they are bored because they've been stripping the fluff off of large fallen feathers. They get plenty of protein in their feed and I give them BOSS as a scratch once and sometimes twice a day. They lay well, so I suspect it's boredom more than anything else.

 

[NanaKat]

Quote: Sounds like a good plan.