Ribh's D'Coopage

[MaryJanet]

A little vid...

She knew you were talking to her!

 

[RoyalChick]

No trouble with the little ones coming downstairs this morning. In the end I had left the door closed as it was blowing a gale all night & threatening rain. I'm an early riser so they didn't have to wait too long to be let out but they were all up & looking for me. I sorted their food before popping the door & everyone was out quick smart. They are starting to learn the routine.

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I am sorry, but they are ridiculously adorable!

 

[MaryJanet]

I finally got around to my boiled egg & vegemite soldiers
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Yummy!

 

[BY Bob]

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.

You know that we all value your opinion. I hope that you also know by now that I do very little handling. However I do work hard to create an environment where they choose and want to be with me. Hopefully to the point they will jump in my lap and spend time with me.

I am however vexed and frustrated by my inability to check Aurora out. I do think I should have handled her more as a pullet. She was so desperately afraid of me touching her then and remains so now. Perhaps I could have taught her that nothing bad was going to happen. She learned nothing from any of the other hens I have. No one volunteers to be picked up but once so corralled no one else fights to get away. The rest tolerate me checking then over and that is plenty for me. I feel I have failed Aurora in this and other ways to where I have problems with her. She fights so hard I worry I'm going to hurt her just trying to look her over.

 

[Shadrach]

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.

Yup, at their age you can feed them whatever they will eat, within reason of course. It's quantity and how often that is often the problem. With some people, as soon as they discover a chicken will respond to treats they sit there feeding the chicken just to have it respond and be close by.
A cheese treat here is about two millimeters square. They may get two or three like this in a day.
I know, I'm mean.

 

[RoyalChick]

Thank you for reposting my post without any comment. Was there something you wanted to say or were just reposting my greatness?

She did respond but it was weirdly embedded in your post. Essence was:
1) Don't have grit but can get some
2) Ignored blueberries but fought over them when they discovered them in the bedding

On #1 I think you need finer grit than the bigger ladies have - I got a small bag of 'chick grit' which is the consistency of very coarse sand.
On #2 I forgot that - mine were the same - they wouldn't eat anything they didn't find for themselves

 

[MaryJanet]

I'm thinking about creating photos charts to post in my office.

You spelled "on my thread" wrong Bob seriously, should you get around to it, may I please have a copy? Or I can help you make it?

 

[RoyalChick]

Yup, at their age you can feed them whatever they will eat, within reason of course. It's quantity and how often that is often the problem. With some people, as soon as they discover a chicken will respond to treats they sit there feeding the chicken just to have it respond and be close by.
A cheese treat here is about two millimeters square. They may get two or three like this in a day.
I know, I'm mean.

I don't think mine particularly like cheese. I don't usually have cheese left-overs so I am not sure I have tried.

 

[Ribh]

She knew you were talking to her!

I think so. She certainly talked back.

 

[BY Bob]

This one.