Pipd's Peeps!

[Crazy Maizie]

Grrrr ... this phone browser is messing with my posts!































Anyway, my temp set up was foiled by the wind and the 2 cochins are in the mix with my 3 full size.

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

My brooder has lots of room, but they stay closer to the heated side. They are branching out more everyday. I clean their bottoms and check at least 3 times a day. It's not a lot, but just had to ask.

No harm in asking! Glad they're doing well.

Grrrr ... this phone browser is messing with my posts!

Anyway, my temp set up was foiled by the wind and the 2 cochins are in the mix with my 3 full size.

Whoops! Looks like they're doing okay in there, though, and seem to be making themselves right at home. No fighting or anything?

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

I went ahead and took better pictures of the 8-month-old boys today since it's overcast. Much happier with these pictures of them! The lighting was much better and they actually posed decently to boot.

Here's Dean again:

Levi:

Wyatt, plus an over-the-shoulder glam shot of him

Zeke:

And Mack:

And I was out there again, so of course I took a few more pictures of the rest of the flock, too.

Wynne and Mavis having a nice sit down, with Flury in the background:

Lovely Myrna:

Merlin, the oldest chicken I've ever owned. She'll be 13 years old this April!

Sylvie, all filled in from her molt:

Mallow being a butthead. Every time I try to take pictures of him, all he wants to do is fight the camera lens, the doofus!

Sumi giving me some attitude, too

And EGGS, glorious EGGS! That's a Dorking egg on the left, a Ganymede egg on the right, and I'm not 100% sure whose egg is in the middle, maybe Fifi? Edit, no, I think that's from Endymion.

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

Pretty sure a new pullet is laying out in the Cochin coop!! I'm not sure which it is, but Inara did squat for me yesterday so maybe her?

 

[Crazy Maizie]

No harm in asking! Glad they're doing well.




Whoops! Looks like they're doing okay in there, though, and seem to be making themselves right at home. No fighting or anything?

Well, I'm not sure. He does have some peck marks on his face.
I was at work when this happened. I had a tarp up so that they couldn't jump out. But, I guess the wind picked up and the way I had the tarp it acted like a sail and pulled the plastic post I had attached to the tarp and fencing. My husband took the tarp down. What I could see on the camera - he was just doing chicken things and there weren't scuffles. But there must have been a few. Not sure if I should chance it tomorrow since I can't be there to supervise. They sure like being out in the run though.

As for the chicks, 3 have a little poo on their bums. Not a lot and not plugged. One was sleeping quite a bit when I went to check on them tonight. But, it has the most feather growth, so I'm not sure if it's just reserving its energy or what to think. It's not chirping any differently than the others except it didn't want me picking it up. I'm keeping an eye on her of course.

The oegbs are doing super (with the exception of the bare bottomed barred) and the cochin is fine. It doesn't like to be picked up at all. And, its huge compared to the rest. Looks like a a cartoon character that's out of place.

 

[Crazy Maizie]

You have a gorgeous flock! Is Merlin an EE? That's quite an accomplishment to have a chicken that is 13! How long have you been keeping chickens?

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

Well, I'm not sure. He does have some peck marks on his face.
I was at work when this happened. I had a tarp up so that they couldn't jump out. But, I guess the wind picked up and the way I had the tarp it acted like a sail and pulled the plastic post I had attached to the tarp and fencing. My husband took the tarp down. What I could see on the camera - he was just doing chicken things and there weren't scuffles. But there must have been a few. Not sure if I should chance it tomorrow since I can't be there to supervise. They sure like being out in the run though.

As for the chicks, 3 have a little poo on their bums. Not a lot and not plugged. One was sleeping quite a bit when I went to check on them tonight. But, it has the most feather growth, so I'm not sure if it's just reserving its energy or what to think. It's not chirping any differently than the others except it didn't want me picking it up. I'm keeping an eye on her of course.

The oegbs are doing super (with the exception of the bare bottomed barred) and the cochin is fine. It doesn't like to be picked up at all. And, its huge compared to the rest. Looks like a a cartoon character that's out of place.

Hmm, it does sound like they had a bit of a scuffle... But if they were acting normal, they've probably fought it out and figured out who's boss. You can always keep them split until your next day off so that you can keep an eye on them; if there's only fence between them and they can still see each other, they won't forget who won the scuffle.

As for the chicks, it doesn't sound too concerning to me yet, but keep an eye out on them. Those OEGBs are so very tiny, even next to other bantams. They use their tiny size to sneak in and steal your heart away, the little bandits.

You have a gorgeous flock! Is Merlin an EE? That's quite an accomplishment to have a chicken that is 13! How long have you been keeping chickens?

Merlin is an EE, yes! As is Wynne, two pictures up, who I believe is 12 in June? Seems like my EEs have had the most longevity out of all the breeds I've owned.

I've had chickens since childhood. My sister went with a friend to their family's farm for a weekend one spring and came back with chicks despite being told not to by our parents. Can't say I hate that she did that, though, as I had been asking for chickens for a long time before that and the answer was always NO, so I may not have even gotten my birds if she hadn't snuck some home!

 

[Crazy Maizie]

The one chick I'm worried about (a barred rock) has some stringy poop. It isn't as active as the others. I fed it some scrambled egg and it did eat a little on it's own. It doesn't like when I remove it from the brooder to check it. Gave it a tiny drop of nutri-drench. It likes to stand in the warmest part of the brooder and it was panting. It has lots of other areas to venture to and I've moved it around to different spots so that it could find these on it's own. It continues to go back to the warmest spot. Should I just move the heat lamp up a bit even though there are other places for it to be?
Thanks for your help. I got extra standard size just in case, but I don't want to lose one if I can help it.

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

Hmm... What's the temperature in the warmest spot? If it's over 100°F, then yes, adjust it, but if it's under that, then I wouldn't move the lamp.

Nutri-drench is good, that should help give her a little energy. Good to hear that she ate some egg as well, as that should also give her a boost. Has she been drinking on her own? You may want to dip the tip of her beak in their waterer a few times to show her where to drink and get some water in her, just to make sure she's staying hydrated. Usually if one is drinking then the rest of the brood will see that and figure it out, but sometimes you have one that needs to be shown individually. Just be careful not to dunk too far as you don't want water in her nostrils. She should feel it in her beak and tip her head back to drink it on her own after each dip.

Sometimes all you can do is keep their bottom clean, keep them hydrated, and hope for the best. It's not super common, but occasionally you get a chick that just doesn't thrive. Hopefully yours isn't one of those and will bounce back with some extra care.

 

[Crazy Maizie]

The warmest spot is 100° That is where she stands. I've shown her the water a few times. I've shown her feed. I put the scrambled egg in the area and showed her that. The others ate it up! She is as big as the ones her size. It's just her energy level isn't what I expect. She stands with her wings out - -which I thought was her feather growth bothering her.



I'm going to check on her at lunch. This will probably post weird as im on my phone. Ugh.