The Old Folks Home

[tnspursfan09]

Well it seems I have 2 birds. The pair in the apple tree look like starlings, but they weren't the ones making the drippy sound. I saw it and looked it up. Brown-headed cow bird.

 

[Bunnylady]

Well it seems I have 2 birds. The pair in the apple tree look like starlings, but they weren't the ones making the drippy sound. I saw it and looked it up. Brown-headed cow bird.

Cowbirds are brood parasites - they lay their eggs in the nests of other birds, which then raise the young instead of their own.

 

[tnspursfan09]

You don't think they'd lay their eggs in a hen's nest, do you? What an unpleasant surprise that would be for the poor hen.

 

[Bunnylady]

You don't think they'd lay their eggs in a hen's nest, do you? What an unpleasant surprise that would be for the poor hen.

I don't think you'd need to worry about that - I suspect the hen and her nest would be too big to attract them. They need a certain parenting model, too; that of relatively helpless babies that stay in the nest and parents that bring insects to them.

 

[tnspursfan09]

I'm sure there are plenty of nests to choose from. The area we live in is a bird sanctuary.

 

[dsqard]

Another interesting fact about starlings is that they were not indigenous to the US. They were introduced to the US in 1890-91 because they were mentioned by William Shakespeare in Henry IV. Boy I would love to have a chat with those dummies that thought this invasive species was a good thing. The least they could have done was introduce a pretty version on starlings.

 

[Cynthia12]

21 silkie babies hatched, out of 26 that went into lock down! I think this is the best silkie hatch I've had. I want a splash pretty bad, and I think some of those light blue ones just could be splash.

 

[Arielle]

21 silkie babies hatched, out of 26 that went into lock down! I think this is the best silkie hatch I've had. I want a splash pretty bad, and I think some of those light blue ones just could be splash.

Nice job incubating!!!! 21/26 is fantastic!!


I'm not sure what a splash chick looks like. In my blue/black Am pen, this is the first year for splash. One yellow chick-- probably white hen; a few black chicks; blue chicks; and one yellow ish- white chick with grey mottling in the down--- me thinks this might be a splash . . .?

 

[superchemicalgirl]

I love baby silkies. Please post some pictures. Nice job incubating, too.

 

[Cynthia12]

Nice job incubating!!!! 21/26 is fantastic!!


I'm not sure what a splash chick looks like. In my blue/black Am pen, this is the first year for splash. One yellow chick-- probably white hen; a few black chicks; blue chicks; and one yellow ish- white chick with grey mottling in the down--- me thinks this might be a splash . . .?

Here is a photo of one of my favs from the past..silkies. She is pretty.