Ribh's D'Coopage

[Shadrach]

I live that girl. Their personalities emerge so quickly. Here was Jabberwocky as a chick. He broke out of the brooder through the roof at 4 weeks old I believe. Jabber was trying to tell me something about his personality. Luckily for me Davis was there to keep track of him for me. That cat won't harm any animal. He is a big old softie.
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He was T-Rex posing for me at a week old. How naive I was to think he was a pullet for so long.
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He grew into a lovely looking chap I thought. Such a shame you tow couldn't come to some arrangement.

 

[BY Bob]

You tell her Bob. Honestly the way she goes on one would think I was a witch.

I got your back Shad.

 

[BY Bob]

There are other treats for bribery.....a bit of white fish for example.

Once they know what it is lots of things will work, cabbage, blueberries, and pasta for example. The difference seems to be that they seem to know that mealworms are delicious instinctively.

 

[Ribh]

I got your back Shad.

Wow, talk about getting ganged up on.

 

[BY Bob]

Ok, to be clear because I am totally clueless for this size & age, I can give pretty much anything I would give my big girls ~ just in smaller amounts? I don't give many treats but I do use them with newbies so they know I bring good things their way.

I use grower feed and whatever else I give the big girls. Mom will feed them what she eats so you can as well. Make sure they have grit access. Watch for what they really like and save it as a treat. It will be different by hen.

• Sansa blueberries
• Sydney Corn
• Phyllis Mealworms
• Hattie corn
• Lilly pasta

And yes @Shadrach , Pasta is a treat, not a dietary staple.

 

[Ribh]

The circus happened in the big coop this morning. I had blocked all the nesting boxes last night to discourage Alpia from getting back in one as soon as my back was turned. Alpia was the only one still in the coop when I went out, pacing frantically & bokking sadly. The next thing I knew Luna was dragging a screaming Alpia down the steps by the scruff of her neck. She knew it was Alpia's fault all the nesting boxes were closed off & she was making her views on the matter very plain indeed. I've opened them up again. Luna has an end one, Wrold has one & Alpia is hogging one. Ha'penny was waiting patiently though there was still a free one.

Morrigu, who is such a feral chicken, has made herself a nest under the stairs & has been laying there for days. I sometimes find Aoife's egg there too. Sounds like the flock has had enough of Alpia's broodiness too. ​

 

[BY Bob]

He grew into a lovely looking chap I thought. Such a shame you tow couldn't come to some arrangement.

In the end it was a combination of us at constant violent odds and my next door neighbor reporting him. I was at my wits end but I wasn't going to give up unless I could find him a new home. However, when the township called and said he had to go, sadly he had to go. I just can't have roosters here. The rest of my neighbors were upset that she reported him and remain so, they loved his crowing.

I will say that my relationship with the ladies is just so much easier without him.

 

[Ribh]

I use grower feed and whatever else I give the big girls. Mom will feed them what she eats so you can as well. Make sure they have grit access. Watch for what they really like and save it as a treat. It will be different by hen.

• Sansa blueberries
• Sydney Corn
• Phyllis Mealworms
• Hattie corn
• Lilly pasta

And yes @Shadrach , Pasta is a treat, not a dietary staple.

Grit I haven't done but I have plenty & can put some out easily. I tried the Blueberries yesterday. The big girls loved them, the littlies ignored them ~ until they suddenly discovered them hidden in the mulch this morning & all out war broke out over who got to scoff them.

 

[Shadrach]

Funny, I didn't know that, but when the two Little Princesses were tiny chicks I just put my hand in their brooder and let them explore me. They were quite interested in my hand and having their little feet all over my arm was a lovely feeling.

There are a few reasons why it isn't a good idea to handle young chicks.
It is incredibly easy to dislocate a leg. You wont even know you've done it in many cases. How this usually happens is someone picks up a chick, holds it their hand a yard off the floor and the chick suddenly panics and either falls off the hand, or the person grabs the chick to prevent the fall and sqeezes.
Keep your hand on the floor and if the chick panics then let it go.
Chicks at a few days old are susceptible to lots of bacteria. It takes a few days out with mum for them to start to build up a tolerance to the bacteria and pathogens around them. Hands are often a bacterial breeding ground.
You aint mum and mums make sure that in the early days, only mum tells them what to do and only mum touches them.
If you want chickens that are going to survive then you want chicks that run from anything strange. You might think you're lovely but you are actually their worst predator.
For me, here in my keeping circumstances I want the chicks to just trust their mum and not leave mums side no matter what treats they may think I have. If I appraoch them, I want them to run to mum or hide while they are that young. It helps to keep them alive later. They can be my friend when they are old enough to know what I am; not before.
At the age Ribh's pullets are I will touch their beaks but not pick them up unless it's necessary. This is partly out of respect for what they are. Chickens have not evolved to be my pets. If a chicken decides I'm okay that's different. This helps to make me okay and midful that a chicken is not a toy for me to play with.


I'll just press the like button for a bit I think.

 

[BY Bob]

Wow, talk about getting ganged up on.

If it's true; it's true. Know thine own self mi'lady.