Pennsylvania!! Unite!!

[chippysmom327]

I need some wisdom from my pennsylvania peeps. I have an 8 month old bantam mottled cochin that I swear is broody. She is flat as a pancake on the nest and has picked the feathers on her chest and belly out. She often returns to the nest if I take her out. Is this possible this early? Advice on breaking her.

Yes, she definitely can be I would either put her in an elevated wire-bottom cage for a few days (sitting the cage on something as low as a 2x4 should work) or if that doesn't work, putting her in a shallow tub of cool water can bring her body temperature down. Make sure you don't stick her outside immediately after this though, she can freeze.

If you want, you can give her some eggs or chicks. Now would be a good time to hatch a few spring layers. They'd start around April or May.

Hey guys, just wanted to pop in. I'm playing hooky today, and should be cleaning my room right now.

I lost one of my favorites to a hawk last week. My mommy chicken Penelope that was happy to raise anything you gave her. She raised a duckling for me this fall.

If I don't talk to you guys, have a great Thanksgiving!

I'm so sorry for your loss

Thanks, Aurora. :

 

[stake]

I've started plotting to fire up the incubator again. The garage brooder got empty again after this weekend so obviously, I had to put something in it again lol. My new Marans roo is getting picked on pretty good by the flock so I decide, I'll hatch out some marans babies. 1. I can see how dark of an egg color he carries, 2. I can see how well the babies grow out from him and how their color is, and 3. If he's never accepted into the flock, one of his sons can replace him since it's easier to integrate a young cockerel than an adult. I have my two Marans ladies out there in the brooder now. As soon as their eggs are infertile, I'll add Tucker then work on collecting to hatch

maybe I'll be able join the new years hatch along with them

ETA: if anyone is interested in a sweet heart of a Marans rooster, Tucker will probably be looking for a home eventually. He's only 6 months old right now.

Auro:

It can take some time for a junior boy to get his game on....he'll probably first start with the other low ranking girls and have to work his way up to your more dominant girls...my boy is only covering a couple of my girls and the more dominant ones kick his tucas....my boy is the same age as your Tucker,,,,my two cents...

 

[stake]

Ok I need some help.....PLEASE. I'm in Elmhurst pa and I cannot find anything online about the ordinance in my area about byc. I would really like to find out, I'm trying to get started in the chicken world and I have 3 acres to do it on. Any help is greatly appreciated.

Big:

This is my two cents....

a) most local codes replicate the county codes...most are online somewhere..
b) if nobody around you complains, you can do whatever you want...I talked to my neighbors before starting and they were ok with it (even my roos)...be neighborly..
c) three acres is great for a small flock....I can free range about 12 in a 1/2 acre (fenced)....without having the birds be destructive to my backyard...

hope this helps.....

 

[OneMountainAcres]

Auro:

It can take some time for a junior boy to get his game on....he'll probably first start with the other low ranking girls and have to work his way up to your more dominant girls...my boy is only covering a couple of my girls and the more dominant ones kick his tucas....my boy is the same age as your Tucker,,,,my two cents...

Thanks it's my other roosters that are giving him a hard time. He just runs from them or hides from them now. The ladies don't bother him any and a couple will follow him if he manages to get their attention before he gets chased away. He's actualy adopted me as his flock mate lol. He calls me to "treats" that he's found for me and is the only rooster I've ever had that will willingly come to me and let me pick him up and pet him. He's such a sweetie. If he's getting chased and I'm outside, he runs to me because he knows I'll protect him lol. I love him to death, I just feel bad for him.

 

[KJoyce1111]

Hello all from Berks County! Just got done spending some much needed time in the barn shuffling around chickens and getting everything in "winter mode". Took out the automatic waterer for the alpacas and replaced it with the tank...not quite ready to put the heater in it yet and finally divided chicken coop into two sections. Instead of having the partridge cochins on one side of the barn and the gold lace on the other they are each in their own section of the big coop. I was surprised the everything went so smoothly, my roosters Grantham and Branson are so easy going. Then I decided it was time for the two "hatchery" partridge pullets to make the move into the section with the other partridges, boy was I wrong! They raised a ruckus and got everyone a riled up, so they are back with the gold lace for the moment. I will have to decide weather to keep them or rehome them, which I thought about doing anyway after I got three much nicer pullets. Have not yet decided how to handle the chickens water yet over winter. Last year I left them loose in the barn and they drank from the alpacas heated tank, but right towards the end of water that proved fatal for my absolute favorite blue cochin hen. So that combined with the fact that I am keeping the two varieties separated, leaves me wondering how to handle their water. What does everyone else do?

 

[dheltzel]

Hello all from Berks County! Just got done spending some much needed time in the barn shuffling around chickens and getting everything in "winter mode". Took out the automatic waterer for the alpacas and replaced it with the tank...not quite ready to put the heater in it yet and finally divided chicken coop into two sections. Instead of having the partridge cochins on one side of the barn and the gold lace on the other they are each in their own section of the big coop. I was surprised the everything went so smoothly, my roosters Grantham and Branson are so easy going. Then I decided it was time for the two "hatchery" partridge pullets to make the move into the section with the other partridges, boy was I wrong! They raised a ruckus and got everyone a riled up, so they are back with the gold lace for the moment. I will have to decide weather to keep them or rehome them, which I thought about doing anyway after I got three much nicer pullets. Have not yet decided how to handle the chickens water yet over winter. Last year I left them loose in the barn and they drank from the alpacas heated tank, but right towards the end of water that proved fatal for my absolute favorite blue cochin hen. So that combined with the fact that I am keeping the two varieties separated, leaves me wondering how to handle their water. What does everyone else do?

I use heated dog water bowls, $19.99 at TSC.

 

[OneMountainAcres]

Hello all from Berks County! Just got done spending some much needed time in the barn shuffling around chickens and getting everything in "winter mode". Took out the automatic waterer for the alpacas and replaced it with the tank...not quite ready to put the heater in it yet and finally divided chicken coop into two sections. Instead of having the partridge cochins on one side of the barn and the gold lace on the other they are each in their own section of the big coop. I was surprised the everything went so smoothly, my roosters Grantham and Branson are so easy going. Then I decided it was time for the two "hatchery" partridge pullets to make the move into the section with  the other partridges, boy was I wrong! They raised a ruckus and got everyone a riled up, so they are back with the gold lace for the moment. I will have to decide weather to keep them or rehome them, which I thought about doing anyway after I got three much nicer pullets. Have not yet decided how to handle the chickens water yet over winter. Last year I left them loose in the barn and they drank from the alpacas heated tank, but right towards the end of water that proved fatal for my absolute favorite blue cochin hen. So that combined with the fact that I am keeping the two varieties separated, leaves me wondering how to handle their water. What does everyone else do?

I have a heated water bowl from TSC in with the turkeys. The chickens have a 5 gallon with nipples in the bottom. I use a submersible heater, also from TSC in it for them. Both work great

 

[KJoyce1111]

Thanks Dheltzel I did look at those last week I wasn't sure how they would hold up, good to know they work. I think I saw that they were not just constantly on but had a thermostat.

Aurora, I am assuming the nipples don't freeze?

 

[OneMountainAcres]

Thanks Dheltzel I did look at those last week I wasn't sure how they would hold up, good to know they work. I think I saw that they were not just constantly on but had a thermostat.

Aurora, I am assuming the nipples don't freeze?

Not usually no. I only have problems when it dips below zero out but my run is covered in plastic this year so I doubt I'll have that problem again with no wind blowing through.

 

[eeverett]

I need some wisdom from my pennsylvania peeps. I have an 8 month old bantam mottled cochin that I swear is broody. She is flat as a pancake on the nest and has picked the feathers on her chest and belly out. She often returns to the nest if I take her out. Is this possible this early? Advice on breaking her.

Bantam cochins can absolutely go broody at that age. And once mine started, they spent more than 50% of their time being broody. The silkies are even more so, but I've seen both sit on nothing for several months at a time. I wouldn't bother trying to break her, just let her be. Of get some fertile eggs for her to hatch.

Thanks D, I thought so. Knew what i was in for when i got these two little fluffy butts! Not sure I'm ready for more chicks now so I'll leave he be if she doesn't break after 3 days in the broody cage of shame.