Raising Baby Chick-Along

[orrpeople]

Strange but true: I had to tell HE that we should NOT order more chicks right now!
I know. Can't believe (A) that I'm saying no to more of any animal and (B) that it's HE that wants more chicks. I did check around for a giant alien pod. Nope. Must still be him. Still, it's very weird.

Awesome, truly awesome! What color kool-aid did you use? My DH is hot and cold about my bird obsession.

I decided I needed to get my flock down to 8 before colder weather sets it, and the little cockerel had a better chance of being sold if I offered him in a package deal. So I decided to sell him, the EE who raised the July babies, and my February BO pullet. They got picked up today, and already my little flock is more peaceful, as the EE and BO were by far the most aggressive of my birds.

That leaves me with...

Ethel, my odd looking EE who lays sky blue eggs and grumbles at me any time I clean the coop or collect eggs:
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Minnie, my gorgeous SS pullet, who lays pink eggs and likes to be picked up and cuddled every night before bed:
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The June chicks, now almost 3 months old, Xena (Australorp), Sophie (Delaware), Reba (RIR), and Puff (Salmon Faverolles):
View attachment 1128644 View attachment 1128645

And the two July pullets, at almost two months old, Bella (Lemon Cuckoo Niederrheiner - so sweet!) and she who has yet to be named (very tiny and VERY flighty OE):
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Nice! I love the pics - I think I may own Ethel's long lost sister!

I'm still trying to figure out how it happened, but I got a RIW in with my last batch of babies to the pasture. She will not interact with the dels and generally hangs out with one particular turkey and an IL leghorn. She won't go into her shelter at night and I find her free ranging in the lower pasture every morning. btw, she belongs in the upper pasture.

This is the first year I've ever had such stubborn birds - mine are my Exchequer Leghorns. They may have a death wish - apparently they have not seen the gigantic raccoon that lavender our neighbor's shed.

 

[calichicken]

So my Fiona who is 5 months old has gotten REALLY clucky since this past week? Is she too young to think about going broody? She hasn't started sitting in the nest box on her eggs, but she sure is chatty!!!!

 

[Jessimom]

This is the first year I've ever had such stubborn birds - mine are my Exchequer Leghorns. They may have a death wish - apparently they have not seen the gigantic raccoon that lavender our neighbor's shed.[/QUOTE]

I'm guessing that should be "live under" our neighbor's shed.....

 

[CapricornFarm]

sometimes there's a learning curve that no one manages to ascend!! Too funny!

They finally figured it out because i put a light in the coop for my chicks in the other side!

 

[orrpeople]

They finally figured it out because i put a light in the coop for my chicks in the other side!

Good thinking!

 

[orrpeople]

This is the first year I've ever had such stubborn birds - mine are my Exchequer Leghorns. They may have a death wish - apparently they have not seen the gigantic raccoon that lavender our neighbor's shed.

I'm guessing that should be "live under" our neighbor's shed.....[/QUOTE]
Haha - auto correct... you know - they lavender - makes them smell better!

 

[orrpeople]

So my Fiona who is 5 months old has gotten REALLY clucky since this past week? Is she too young to think about going broody? She hasn't started sitting in the nest box on her eggs, but she sure is chatty!!!!

Oh my goodness, some of them are so stinking loud! One of our buff Orpington girls yells for about an hour before and after she lays an egg. And who said roosters were noisy??

 

[rjohns39]

Oh my.... How about when the nest box is full and there's a line waiting?

 

[Finge]

Welp, no chicks from my own incubation, not sure if they're even alive, sadly, but I came home with 4 10+ week old pullets(one's not certain yet, but the breeder told me it looked like I got away with a 45 dollar worth pullet for 15 xD. We went there, only looking to buy two birds, a polish girl, and a silkie girl, ended up coming home with a silkie, two polish girls, and a Show Girl.

I also found out my parents are addicted to chickens, in their own way. My mother, who drove me to get the chickens, is completely fine with me collecting silkies and polish, while my dad wants a rooster for every breed I get xD.

I've fallen in love with my polish girls, which only one has a name, coco, she's a chocolate beauty with some white on her crest feathers, the I have a pretty buff girl, not sure what to name her. then we have lucy, my Show Girl, who likes to sit on the feed bowl like it's a nest, which I have a bucket nest for them, as I intend to keep them, and my bullied polish rooster, Psycho Syde, who ran into their pen the second day in the morning before my school bus showed up, until they all start laying, which will hopefully be in October.

Which brings me to another dilemma, I need to now come up with four names instead of just two (my Wyandotte girls are identical and i'm waiting for their comes to grow a bit). I've named 12, now 14 including my two new girls that have been named.

 

[calichicken]

I think my Fiona IS going broody!!! This is her.. in the box all puffy and screachy she has only been laying for MAYBE 3 weeks???? Her poor sister Sydney is sure Fiona has lost her mind!