Processing Day Support Group ~ HELP us through the Emotions PLEASE!

[jajeanpierre]

Mine are out at 2-3 wks and I find they aren't much of a target for aerial preds at that age, being too small for decent meal, and they are also very quick to duck into small hides. As they age, they live on the edge of shelter and don't range too far from it much until they are 3-4 mo. of age. Also..take note....all the white chicks in the bottom 4-5 pics did not range with the older flock or anywhere near the rooster's protection....not a one was lost to aerial preds. The chicks in the top pics only has this rooster for guidance until the week following these pics, when he was dispatched and then they too ranged on their own....52 white CX chicks...hawks all around...not one lost to hawks.

Beekissed, I need a bit of your common sense and advice.

I have 12 6-week old Ameraucana chicks, slow growing and not very big. I'm leaving for a trip to Canada in two weeks. I desperately want them out with the free range flock--it is just too difficult for my husband to take care of so many different flocks.

Right now, I've got them out in a 20' x 8' (parrot) aviary during the day and in a big tote in my office at night. The aviary is right beside the coop of the flock I want them to go into. The one Ameraucana rooster I have protecting that flock is super vigilant. His flock consists of an Ameraucana hen, two Polish hens and a bantam Plymouth Rock. I will be integrating two Ameraucana hens back into his flock anytime after next weekend when their quarantine ends. They've been quarantined because they were housed in the garage due to some health (crop) issues with the some other birds I was showing, hence the quarantine for the show birds and the birds in contact with the show birds.

I think I should let the little ones out before I put the quarantined birds back in the flock. I have not found Ameraucanas to be a mellow bird at all.

How do I do it? Do I just let them out with the free ranging flock one morning?

If I get the little chicks integrated safely with the main flock, how do I put the other two back in? My worry is that they might beat up on the chicks when I am not there, especially if I put them in at night and they wake up in their old coop with a dozen strange chicks. I guess I could crate the chicks at night until I know all is well.

I have an open area where the septic field is and I will be adding something in that area for them to hide under. The rest of the property is covered with live oak. My neighbor lost a chicken this spring to a red tailed hawk. We have a nesting pair of red shouldered hawks very close. Or, we had a pair--I've only seen one this spring. How far apart should I put up places for them to hide under in the open area.

The Ameraucana chicks are breeding stock so have a bit more value, emotional and otherwise, than just replacing a meat bird chick. I probably would not be able to replace them easily until next year.

 

[Tomtommom]

Breakfast didn't come fast enough today, so one of the 5 week old barred rock cockerals decided to break out and hang with the hens.. try and get their food

Gutsy little guy. Most of my hens are pretty good about tolorating the little ones, except for my partridge rocks... they're rather territorial. Not sure what that's all about.

Those 5 week old rocks are looking like mini-chickens now.. I am impressed with their rapid growth and feathering. I really think the heat plate and moving outdoors early made a difference. Now to fatten 'em up *laugh* they could pass for little cornish hens right now.... grow babies grow! They're dangerous to feed though... when I still my hand in their area to grab their bowl, I got a half dozen little piranhas attacking my hand

Added 3 Jersey giants, they're supposed to be only a few days younger, I think.. but they're a good bit smaller/less feathered. They've adjusted well though. Expecting it to be two gals and a fellah.. with my single 'maybe' barred rock pullet, I feel I am not entirely wasting my time raising chicks. 3 egg layers, 5 dinners, 1 possible dinner/pass-it-on cockeral.

 

[Beekissed]

Beekissed, I need a bit of your common sense and advice.

I have 12 6-week old Ameraucana chicks, slow growing and not very big. I'm leaving for a trip to Canada in two weeks. I desperately want them out with the free range flock--it is just too difficult for my husband to take care of so many different flocks.

Right now, I've got them out in a 20' x 8' (parrot) aviary during the day and in a big tote in my office at night. The aviary is right beside the coop of the flock I want them to go into. The one Ameraucana rooster I have protecting that flock is super vigilant. His flock consists of an Ameraucana hen, two Polish hens and a bantam Plymouth Rock. I will be integrating two Ameraucana hens back into his flock anytime after next weekend when their quarantine ends. They've been quarantined because they were housed in the garage due to some health (crop) issues with the some other birds I was showing, hence the quarantine for the show birds and the birds in contact with the show birds.

I think I should let the little ones out before I put the quarantined birds back in the flock. I have not found Ameraucanas to be a mellow bird at all.

How do I do it? Do I just let them out with the free ranging flock one morning?

If I get the little chicks integrated safely with the main flock, how do I put the other two back in? My worry is that they might beat up on the chicks when I am not there, especially if I put them in at night and they wake up in their old coop with a dozen strange chicks. I guess I could crate the chicks at night until I know all is well.

I have an open area where the septic field is and I will be adding something in that area for them to hide under. The rest of the property is covered with live oak. My neighbor lost a chicken this spring to a red tailed hawk. We have a nesting pair of red shouldered hawks very close. Or, we had a pair--I've only seen one this spring. How far apart should I put up places for them to hide under in the open area.

The Ameraucana chicks are breeding stock so have a bit more value, emotional and otherwise, than just replacing a meat bird chick. I probably would not be able to replace them easily until next year.

If your free range flock is like mine, they aren't even in the coop all day unless it's to eat breakfast or to lay an egg. This makes for a perfect situation for integration because the young ones have time to acclimate to the coop with just the occasional hen traipsing through to get to the nest boxes.

This is how I do such things....just let them out and observe the interaction. After the big flock have already had breakfast and are heading out to the world of foraging, I'd let the chicks out into the coop and also those quarantined birds, but I'd put those hens outside the coop when letting them out. That way none of these groups are all in one place, their attention is on other things than each other and they have all day to get used to one another before they have to come together in one spot for roosting. This also gives the new birds room to run, to hang about on the periphery while they learn social cues, etc.

Keep a long switch or guide stick handy and discourage any overt attention towards the new birds by a tap on the head or shoulder to the aggressor and move her along. Be the referee at first and things generally go as slick as a whistle. I've never had to break up any fights or bullying of new birds or young chicks with this method.

Let us know how it all goes? Should be educational!

I have 1 wk old meat chicks that will be integrated with the flock next week but some have already escaped the brooder into the big, bad coop world and my chickens completely ignored them. As they will next week also. When they are that little the big birds just don't seem to see them as a threat.

 

[jajeanpierre]

If your free range flock is like mine, they aren't even in the coop all day unless it's to eat breakfast or to lay an egg. This makes for a perfect situation for integration because the young ones have time to acclimate to the coop with just the occasional hen traipsing through to get to the nest boxes.

This is how I do such things....just let them out and observe the interaction. After the big flock have already had breakfast and are heading out to the world of foraging, I'd let the chicks out into the coop and also those quarantined birds, but I'd put those hens outside the coop when letting them out. That way none of these groups are all in one place, their attention is on other things than each other and they have all day to get used to one another before they have to come together in one spot for roosting. This also gives the new birds room to run, to hang about on the periphery while they learn social cues, etc.

Keep a long switch or guide stick handy and discourage any overt attention towards the new birds by a tap on the head or shoulder to the aggressor and move her along. Be the referee at first and things generally go as slick as a whistle. I've never had to break up any fights or bullying of new birds or young chicks with this method.

Let us know how it all goes? Should be educational!

I have 1 wk old meat chicks that will be integrated with the flock next week but some have already escaped the brooder into the big, bad coop world and my chickens completely ignored them. As they will next week also. When they are that little the big birds just don't seem to see them as a threat.

Thanks. I'm just having trouble letting them out into the big bad world. I'm also afraid one or two of my mini Dachshunds will get them--the Dacshunds are okay with the big birds, even the bantams, but chicks are just soooooo tantalizing for them. I can see it on their faces. I might just build them a box to stay out in the parrot aviary (where they are during the day) until I get back at the end of April. Then, any screw ups will be my screw ups. Last time I left chicks behind for others to care for I lost about 10 or so chicks--complete sloppiness and inattention by my son.

 

[Happy Chooks]

Close call with the little peanut meatie yesterday. I went out yesterday (it was cold and snowing) and it had ventured outside, got wet and cold and was in it's final death moments. Head was curled back, when I picked it up it made one gasp with it's mouth, then nothing. Thanks to a friends video, I brought it inside and put the blow dryer on it. It took about 30 minutes, but the little peanut is alive and doing well.

Here is her video:
http://www.theeggfarm.com/blog/2013/02/07/chick-resuscitation/

During this process of moving the chick and warming it, I found out what is wrong with it. It has wry neck that curls front to back, so it wasn't noticeable. I'm going to start vitamin E with it today - it may be too late, but it's worth a try. All of my chicks go on vitamins when they arrive, but it must have not been enough.

 

[Sally Sunshine]

Close call with the little peanut meatie yesterday. I went out yesterday (it was cold and snowing) and it had ventured outside, got wet and cold and was in it's final death moments. Head was curled back, when I picked it up it made one gasp with it's mouth, then nothing. Thanks to a friends video, I brought it inside and put the blow dryer on it. It took about 30 minutes, but the little peanut is alive and doing well.

Here is her video:
http://www.theeggfarm.com/blog/2013/02/07/chick-resuscitation/

During this process of moving the chick and warming it, I found out what is wrong with it. It has wry neck that curls front to back, so it wasn't noticeable. I'm going to start vitamin E with it today - it may be too late, but it's worth a try. All of my chicks go on vitamins when they arrive, but it must have not been enough.

I love that video, I had a hen who left three eggs pipped in her nest and went off it, this saved those three babies and they were frozen, temp on the eggs had to be in the 40's too.

 

[jajeanpierre]

Close call with the little peanut meatie yesterday. I went out yesterday (it was cold and snowing) and it had ventured outside, got wet and cold and was in it's final death moments. Head was curled back, when I picked it up it made one gasp with it's mouth, then nothing. Thanks to a friends video, I brought it inside and put the blow dryer on it. It took about 30 minutes, but the little peanut is alive and doing well.

Here is her video:
http://www.theeggfarm.com/blog/2013/02/07/chick-resuscitation/

During this process of moving the chick and warming it, I found out what is wrong with it. It has wry neck that curls front to back, so it wasn't noticeable. I'm going to start vitamin E with it today - it may be too late, but it's worth a try. All of my chicks go on vitamins when they arrive, but it must have not been enough.

When my chicks were about two weeks old, they tromped through their water and (wet) fermented feed. They were all soaked and instead of going under the brooder plate, they huddled in the wet bedding. Two were almost lifeless. I used a hair dryer just like that video. My hairdryer is very hot and powerful and I didn't think to put it on the table like the video, instead holding it away from them at arms length on low. One chick, the coldest one, lost the down on the back of his/her neck and back even though I always had my hand where I was blowing to make sure it wasn't too hot. I'll know next time to just lay the blow drying on the table. S/he's the black chick behind the splash and, thankfully, the feathers on the neck and back are growing in normally.

 

[Happy Chooks]

Awww, she had a bad hair day! Glad you guys were able to use it too! I saw the video, but it's so much more real doing it yourself!

 

[IttyBiddyRedHen]

I have a post processing question.....(been following along reading ....) ....anyhoo......how much freezer space does one need for a bunch of chicken carcass's? I did 7 last October, and was scrambling to find them space in my almost full freezers

 

[Happy Chooks]

I have a post processing question.....(been following along reading ....) ....anyhoo......how much freezer space does one need for a bunch of chicken carcass's? I did 7 last October, and was scrambling to find them space in my almost full freezers

If you halve them, they will take up less space. If whole, they will take up a lot more. I have several dual purpose in the freezer (having one for dinner tonight), and they don't take up much space (whole) but it's not easy to stack them.