the sultan thread

[OlivesMama]

Mind if I join your Sultan thread? I have an almost 3 month old Sultan that was labeled as a Polish at the feed store. After posting pictures here, I was told it was a Sultan because of it's feathered feet. Oops! Nugget is very different from the rest of the flock. She (I think) is in a flock with a broody SIlkie (surrogate mama hen) and 3 Barred Rocks. Nugget is very, very shy and doesn't like to be handled at all. She still tries to hide under the Silkie, like she did when she was a chick. She doesn't forage well and makes the strangest noises! She stays away from the rest of the flock and pretty much walks around and peeps all day or naps off in a corner by herself. The Barred Rocks are very active and she is not. Silly little Sultan! I can hold her and get her to nap in my lap, but I don't often because she's so nervous. Chicken Little would be an appropriate name for her! She dove into the wood pile the other day when she heard a loud noise, head stuck in the logs and fluffy butt in the air. What a strange little chicken!


Nugget- Not posing for the camera!




Nugget with the Barred Rocks




A few weeks ago, before her tail feathers really came in





Typical Nuggie, hiding under Olive the first day in the new coop. The new coop was scary!



Baby Nugget

 

[cluck-cluck]

Awww, poor little cutie! My Sultans are a bit over 6 months old now, and I've noticed that around 6 months of age, they finally started being much more friendly and more curious. If you read a little above, you'll see among others, I also trimmed their crest feathers back so they could see better, which helped a bit, still nobody is roosting at night, they sleep in a huddle, LOL. Keep holding her, and have patience, she'll get better with time She really is adorable, and if the other birds are being nice to her, she should do super well!! My 8 hens give me an average of 6 eggs a day, I think that's pretty darn good! Mine are bantams, so 2 of their eggs = 1 large egg it seems

Congratulations! She's beautiful!

 

[Jharper]

Here is an update.

It's crest is looking more girly than boyish and the red is calming down, too.

 

[OlivesMama]

Cluck cluck- it's so nice to hear your Sultans are becoming more friendly. I think they just mature slower, like Silkies do. Olive and Nugget seem to act about the same in terms of foraging and temperament. I was trimming Olive's "fluff" around her eyes so she could see better, but I had a hard time keeping up with it. I need to start doing it again. Nugget is just now starting to get longer feathers around her eyes. Mine still huddle too! They jump up on the roosts when they first come in the coop, then end up huddling and peeping together. Nugget always has to be at the bottom of the huddle, head tucked under someone. She is very entertaining to watch and a great addition to my flock.

Jharper- What a little cutie! I hope you do have a hen.

 

[OlivesMama]

Jharper....I just read back through some of this thread and saw that your dog got a hold of one of your Sultans. I'm so sorry.

Did you find the others that were missing? I love my babies and would be devastated if that happened. I luckily have a fence within my entire fenced yard that keeps the dogs out when the chickens are out in the yard. I (hopefully) can keep them safe that way, but I worry something could happen if I'm not careful.

 

[Jharper]

Jharper....I just read back through some of this thread and saw that your dog got a hold of one of your Sultans. I'm so sorry.

Did you find the others that were missing? I love my babies and would be devastated if that happened. I luckily have a fence within my entire fenced yard that keeps the dogs out when the chickens are out in the yard. I (hopefully) can keep them safe that way, but I worry something could happen if I'm not careful.

I was unable to find them. My Cochin bantam chick is doing better though. I think his akin is drying out though on his back.

 

[Jharper]

Cluck cluck- it's so nice to hear your Sultans are becoming more friendly. I think they just mature slower, like Silkies do. Olive and Nugget seem to act about the same in terms of foraging and temperament. I was trimming Olive's "fluff" around her eyes so she could see better, but I had a hard time keeping up with it. I need to start doing it again. Nugget is just now starting to get longer feathers around her eyes. Mine still huddle too! They jump up on the roosts when they first come in the coop, then end up huddling and peeping together. Nugget always has to be at the bottom of the huddle, head tucked under someone. She is very entertaining to watch and a great addition to my flock.

Jharper- What a little cutie! I hope you do have a hen.

Me 2! Her name is fatty patty

 

[hokankai]

Awww, poor little cutie! My Sultans are a bit over 6 months old now, and I've noticed that around 6 months of age, they finally started being much more friendly and more curious. If you read a little above, you'll see among others, I also trimmed their crest feathers back so they could see better, which helped a bit, still nobody is roosting at night, they sleep in a huddle, LOL. Keep holding her, and have patience, she'll get better with time She really is adorable, and if the other birds are being nice to her, she should do super well!! My 8 hens give me an average of 6 eggs a day, I think that's pretty darn good! Mine are bantams, so 2 of their eggs = 1 large egg it seems

Congratulations! She's beautiful!

That's so interesting, all of my sultans roost just fine. They flew up to the 2ft roost last night all by themselves

 

[cluck-cluck]

Here is an update.

It's crest is looking more girly than boyish and the red is calming down, too.

She does look like a girl! So pretty!

Cluck cluck- it's so nice to hear your Sultans are becoming more friendly. I think they just mature slower, like Silkies do. Olive and Nugget seem to act about the same in terms of foraging and temperament. I was trimming Olive's "fluff" around her eyes so she could see better, but I had a hard time keeping up with it. I need to start doing it again. Nugget is just now starting to get longer feathers around her eyes. Mine still huddle too! They jump up on the roosts when they first come in the coop, then end up huddling and peeping together. Nugget always has to be at the bottom of the huddle, head tucked under someone. She is very entertaining to watch and a great addition to my flock.

Jharper- What a little cutie! I hope you do have a hen.

They're definitely funny birds! I am enjoying them a lot more now, and that they're laying so well is also a plus! It seems 2 of their eggs = 1 large AA store bought egg (but not one of my 2 leghorns that lay HUGE eggs that make me think "OUCH!" when I see them, LOL)

Me 2! Her name is fatty patty

Ohhhh, you're so mean! LOL.

That's so interesting, all of my sultans roost just fine. They flew up to the 2ft roost last night all by themselves

I think it is because they spent so much time in the "brooder" I made...though they did have a roost there as well, it might have been too small for their feet? It was a 1X2 board. They now have a 2X4 with of course the wide side horizontal, and I've seen them jump up there, but they're not roosting yet. I think as the summer gets super hot, they might start. We still have cool enough evenings right now, but tomorrow, it'll be 96 degrees, so I'll have to see how they do!

 

[Maligator]

Hi sultan lovers!

I, too, got a sultan in my batch of Polish. It was given to me free because I didn't want to leave it alone and neither did the feed store. My Raja sounds just like Nugget! Such a scardy bird, always off by herself and kind of in her own world. She has the funny little gait/hop/trot thing going on, too. She is really a gorgeous bird! Her feathers are very silky and shiny, distinctly different than my polish! She never catches on when I bring out treats or nibbles for them to nom on during the day. Very silly little thing, so I hope she matures and chills a bit.

Since I got her on accident, I decided to pick up some friends of her own kind. I have 3 baby sultans feathering out in the brooder right now so that she has company. Those three don't exactly like me much, either. They calm nicely when I hold them, though! Hoping they turn out a little more calm and friendly. When I picked them out from the batch, I chose two silver/white ones and one fluffy yellow. All have excellent feathering on their legs, and my Raja is very good looking for hatchery stock! I keep getting told they are weak birds, and have read that they are pretty sensitive. Hoping mine make it through this winter, and if they do, I may pick them up as a breeding project.