Sara Ranch
Songster
- Jun 7, 2017
- 916
- 970
- 183
Some questions about the leghorns (they are 5 weeks old, got them at 3 days old)...
1. One of my leghorns will lay down with her feet off to a side. Like she was stepped on and that's where the legs ended up. She will get up and move when I enter the chicken area. I couldn't tell her apart from the other 5 leghorns, once she's up and moving. She does not appear to have any movement issues. Or flying issues. And at night, she roosts with the other leghorn chicks as high as they can get.
Is it normal for the chickens to lay with their feet off to the side instead of under them?
2. I have two or three leghorns that are antisocial - often. They are in a large space, surrounded by an exercise kennel fence and have 2 branches as roosting bars. Of course, at night, all 6 leghorns are sitting/roosting on top of a box that is taller than the kennel fence. During the day, several of the leghorns will sit on the branch (top one) and keep their backs to the rest of the chickens.
Is that normal?
3. I have another leghorn that is antisocial. Or adventurous. She constantly leaves the enclosed area and walks the entire sunroom. She joins the ducks often. She comes up to the door to the house and knocks with her beek. She is the first one to fly up to the kennel fence and patiently wait for me to offer lettuce. She's ahead of the pack when I do "chicken" time. She appears to have NO interest in the other chickens during the day, but will roost with them at night. Lol - or rather, they will roost with HER, wherever she is. This gal starting flying our of her enclosure at 3 days old.
Is that normal?
4. The above mentioned adventures gal and one other leghorn come running when I have treats. The other 3-4 chicks will not. They have no interest in treats. Will not get up for them. Don't care for them. If they are already up and moving, they might go after a piece. They appear to be healthy and gaining weight/increasing in size.
Is that normal, not to be interested in treats?
5. I have 3 buff orpington (1 gal, 2 roosters) and 3 austrolops sharing the same space with the leghorns. These guys all step on each other and sleep on each other. I have never seen such a scaredy group! They do this when I go into their space and at night. I got them when they were 2 weeks old. Their previous living conditions were not very good. Here they have space to run around, natural daylight all day, food, water, and love.
They are now 6 weeks old.
Is it normal that they pile up on each other, step on each other, dig to the bottom of the pile, and seriously huddle together?
Is this a sign that they were severely traumatized when they were in the first home?
Is there anything I can do to help them be less scared?
6. I started doing "chicken" time with them. I open up their space and I sit on the steps with lettuce. They LOVE lettuce. My thinking was to get them comfortable with me... one of the leghorns, often two of the leghorns, come running over to me and will eat the lettuce from my hands. The buffs are often willing to do the same, but it's usually the two roosters that do it with the girl being a little afraid to push her way to the front. If no one else is around, she will come forward and eat from my hand. Ya know, take a bite and run. Venture back, if no one else is on the steps, she'll come up, snatch a piece of lettuce, and run. Only one of the astrolops will come up and eat. The other two wait for someone to drop a piece away from me..or they chase someone with a piece of lettuce.
Normal?
7. At what point will my roosters start being protective of the hens? Initially, when I introduced the 2 week old chicks to my 1 week old chicks, the guys would separate into two piles with a rooster in each pile. Now, forget. My leghorns want nothing to do with the roosters. And the darn roosters are scaredy's as well.
8. One of my astrolops -- she has all the signs of being a girl and she's 6 weeks old - did a very soft, cock-a-doodle-do. Seriously. It was clear as day! My roosters don't talk. They don't chirp. They don't crow. They are silent, except for the one that SNORES! Is my girl confused about her gender???? Or can chicks really crow?
Thanks for all the feedback. I've read as much as I can, but haven't found answers to the above questions.
1. One of my leghorns will lay down with her feet off to a side. Like she was stepped on and that's where the legs ended up. She will get up and move when I enter the chicken area. I couldn't tell her apart from the other 5 leghorns, once she's up and moving. She does not appear to have any movement issues. Or flying issues. And at night, she roosts with the other leghorn chicks as high as they can get.
Is it normal for the chickens to lay with their feet off to the side instead of under them?
2. I have two or three leghorns that are antisocial - often. They are in a large space, surrounded by an exercise kennel fence and have 2 branches as roosting bars. Of course, at night, all 6 leghorns are sitting/roosting on top of a box that is taller than the kennel fence. During the day, several of the leghorns will sit on the branch (top one) and keep their backs to the rest of the chickens.
Is that normal?
3. I have another leghorn that is antisocial. Or adventurous. She constantly leaves the enclosed area and walks the entire sunroom. She joins the ducks often. She comes up to the door to the house and knocks with her beek. She is the first one to fly up to the kennel fence and patiently wait for me to offer lettuce. She's ahead of the pack when I do "chicken" time. She appears to have NO interest in the other chickens during the day, but will roost with them at night. Lol - or rather, they will roost with HER, wherever she is. This gal starting flying our of her enclosure at 3 days old.
Is that normal?
4. The above mentioned adventures gal and one other leghorn come running when I have treats. The other 3-4 chicks will not. They have no interest in treats. Will not get up for them. Don't care for them. If they are already up and moving, they might go after a piece. They appear to be healthy and gaining weight/increasing in size.
Is that normal, not to be interested in treats?
5. I have 3 buff orpington (1 gal, 2 roosters) and 3 austrolops sharing the same space with the leghorns. These guys all step on each other and sleep on each other. I have never seen such a scaredy group! They do this when I go into their space and at night. I got them when they were 2 weeks old. Their previous living conditions were not very good. Here they have space to run around, natural daylight all day, food, water, and love.
They are now 6 weeks old.
Is it normal that they pile up on each other, step on each other, dig to the bottom of the pile, and seriously huddle together?
Is this a sign that they were severely traumatized when they were in the first home?
Is there anything I can do to help them be less scared?
6. I started doing "chicken" time with them. I open up their space and I sit on the steps with lettuce. They LOVE lettuce. My thinking was to get them comfortable with me... one of the leghorns, often two of the leghorns, come running over to me and will eat the lettuce from my hands. The buffs are often willing to do the same, but it's usually the two roosters that do it with the girl being a little afraid to push her way to the front. If no one else is around, she will come forward and eat from my hand. Ya know, take a bite and run. Venture back, if no one else is on the steps, she'll come up, snatch a piece of lettuce, and run. Only one of the astrolops will come up and eat. The other two wait for someone to drop a piece away from me..or they chase someone with a piece of lettuce.
Normal?
7. At what point will my roosters start being protective of the hens? Initially, when I introduced the 2 week old chicks to my 1 week old chicks, the guys would separate into two piles with a rooster in each pile. Now, forget. My leghorns want nothing to do with the roosters. And the darn roosters are scaredy's as well.
8. One of my astrolops -- she has all the signs of being a girl and she's 6 weeks old - did a very soft, cock-a-doodle-do. Seriously. It was clear as day! My roosters don't talk. They don't chirp. They don't crow. They are silent, except for the one that SNORES! Is my girl confused about her gender???? Or can chicks really crow?
Thanks for all the feedback. I've read as much as I can, but haven't found answers to the above questions.