Ribh's D'Coopage

[Ribh]

Morning Jeannie

Hey, Bob. Heading out to check the girls before the rain comes down again. Only just getting light now but the body alarm is working on the summer system.

 

[MaryJanet]

Mine too up at the crack of dawn to go see the chooks and watch them noodle about until someone decides Sandy is stepping out of line by daring to blink. Then I let them all out together, but Sandy lingers to pick up a snack in peace.

You know, I'm not at all sure she's a RIR. She's rather smallish. And there are lots of white feathers in her tail. And she was de-beaked at some point. I think she's a red hybrid layer of some sort. Her eggs are huge, apart from that one fairy egg that time.

 

[MaryJanet]

I may invent a backstory for her. With swashbuckling in it

 

[rjohns39]

Well enjoy the cooler weather. I had a cool day today and loved it.

 

[Ribh]

Mine too up at the crack of dawn to go see the chooks and watch them noodle about until someone decides Sandy is stepping out of line by daring to blink. Then I let them all out together, but Sandy lingers to pick up a snack in peace.

You know, I'm not at all sure she's a RIR. She's rather smallish. And there are lots of white feathers in her tail. And she was de-beaked at some point. I think she's a red hybrid layer of some sort. Her eggs are huge, apart from that one fairy egg that time.

I'm not super good @ breeds unless they're quite distinct ~ or one I know well. lol I always though Sandy looked a bit like the ISA Browns we used to have. Round here ISAs are the most common BY chook, if only because so many people do rescues because they are cheap to buy. They lay large eggs, are prolific layers [ours layed until the day they died] but their life span is pretty short compared to heritage breeds. I think they are smaller than RIRs, certainly not as *meaty*. It doesn't really matter. She seems sweet & to be fitting in well with your established girls.

 

[Ribh]

I may invent a backstory for her. With swashbuckling in it

If you do you will have to share. I love a good swashbuckling yarn!

 

[Ribh]

Well enjoy the cooler weather. I had a cool day today and loved it.

It's about how I like it just now ~ neither too hot nor too cold.

 

[Ribh]

So all my reading said about 2 weeks to integrate new birds & it's been about that & we have a new normal. It is calm. It is peaceful ~ & it is bound to change as everyone else comes on the lay.

I am basically operating 2 flocks: layers & non~layers. The layers hang together, prefer the open run & are all @ the top of the totem pole. The non~layers are a more eclectic flock with no one hen really dominating. I have 3 rotating @ the top, Campines, a law unto themselves & Lottie on her own. It is not dysfunctional, just weird. I found Lottie outside the run yesterday, just pottering round the yard & perfectly happy only she is cat snack size so back she went in the coop.

Roosting, which should be a good indication of whose who in the pecking order is just confusing right now. Lottie often manages to snag a top roost ~ but is easily pushed off & ends up on her own. Last night she was right on the bottom roost, cold & all alone so I popped her up with Lavender, who is an incredibly laid back chook! Soda & Pebbles were together on the middle bar & Soda is not slow about pushing herself forward but I've noticed the BAs & other BR are really putting her in her place. I don't think she's happy about it. She thinks much more highly of herself than that!

As Pebbles & Soda are both pushy, feisty personalities it is a little surprising to find them so routed but then my top girls are strong without being pushy or overly domineering. The BAs have managed to keep their status despite molting & being off the lay but egg laying brings status so they may yet be in trouble as the new girls grow up. Stay tuned...

 

[Kris5902]

You know, I'm not at all sure she's a RIR. She's rather smallish. And there are lots of white feathers in her tail. And she was de-beaked at some point. I think she's a red hybrid layer of some sort. Her eggs are huge, apart from that one fairy egg that time.

Poor baby! I hate debeaking... I can understand trimming as needed for function, but the way they lop off most of their beaks is just awful it really should be illegal! All the outside girls with Chickie Hawk were grossly trimmed/debeaked when we got them. I keep thinking about trying to file or trim the lowers up so they are closer to normal for eating, but don’t have any experience in it. Now they are on grass I make sure they always have some rocks in their tractor, hoping they will do the job a bit themselves

It’s funny, I know Puffy doesn’t have too long left, and in a way that made it easier for me to drain her... sure I jabbed a needle into her body, but if I screwed up I was ready to end her suffering, it was a “nothing to lose” for her situation. The thought of maybe making a mistake on something on a perfectly healthy chicken is scary.

I agree, you should get her a good backstory, with plenty of adventure and peril, and triumph over evil and such. You both deserve it... and that I’m also a sucker for a good tale, and you would of course have to share it with us has absolutely nothing to do with it

 

[Aussie-Chookmum]

We moved my baby chooks (almost 8 weeks old) into their new coop tonight.
There is only a chicken wire fence separating their new run from my big girls run. It will be interesting to see how they behave tomorrow!