The ups & downs of novice chicken owners.

[SuzanneW]

Yep I would not be able to turn away from any creature who is in need.

 

[nova022]

Thank you for the delightful story of your family's adventures in your new home. If you are not a professional writer you have missed your calling. Your stories are informative, entertaining and heartwarming. I look forward to reading more of your stories.

 

[NovaAman]

LOOK! Another Nova on the thread! ON the Forum! Is Nova your name also, or do you just like the car? I mean stars? I mean telling people how you got your name when you were born, named after a car? LOL

 

[Briezeechicks]

My son, BJ, came home yesterday afternoon from school with a dove in his backpack...poor dove! Anyway, the poor thing, I think had been hit by a car. It's nose was all bloody, and it's wing was most definitely broken. We splinted the wing against it's body so it couldn't move, and cleaned it's face, then gave it some electrolytes with a dropper, which it readily accepted. We put it in a small dog crate and put a towel over it, thinking that the darkness would entice it to be still. Alas, it is not alive this morning, but at least BJ tried. I think he has the heart of his grandmother, and I, sadly lack her healing skills. However, a small bird and a car...not a very positive outcome, ever. He will understand, but that is the first place he'll go when he gets up in about a half hour.

The children, oddly, accept death a lot easier than I do. When I destroyed the Silky chickens, which, in my mind anyway, was the only responsible thing to do, they understood, and solemnly supported me in my decision to protect our healthy flock. At the same time though, they defended their father steadfastly. I had never uttered a word blaming their father for the fate of the birds. His only crime was thinking I'd like to have them. I did ask him to be a little more observant in the future, but it was not an accusation.

When we voted to raise and show chickens as a family, I was the odd man out. I had never been around chickens except through my M-I-L on visits, but the children had spent their summers here with her, and so had been baptized in chicken water! Bryan has had it flowing in his veins his entire life! I am trying hard to catch up.

I am up and out right behind the school bus (which I hate, by the way. The bus, not the hour) to go feed, water, clean and see to whatever needs arise. I'm learning each individual chicken, their looks of "normalcy" paying attention to food amounts consumed, water consumption, and poop texture! I've even taken to making chicken sounds as I clean waterers and add ACV to fresh water.

The plastic chair and my butt have become good friends as I sit and observe hens pecking and scratching the ground. I have even taken to taking an extra cup of coffee in a thermos to enjoy while I observe. This is fast becoming my favorite activity of the day!

I am impressed that the layer chicks are already jockeying for position on the roosts instead of sleeping under the brooder. Some of them are still sticking to the brooder, but not many. We have already taken two of the four light bulbs out! We have decided to keep them in the coop for another day. We bought chicken wire to put up against the chain link in the covered run to keep them from walking through it. It will be temporarily wired up (I can handle that wire-lol) today so they can go outside. I will try to get that accomplished this morning so they can enjoy the sunshine this afternoon. The kids will be pleased to see them out, pecking and scratching and being chickens. I have to admit...I will too. These are my first babies, and I feel an extra connection there. And, I am anxious to observe how long it will take them to find the "pop" door and go outside.

Well, It's almost 6:00, so must get the kids up and fed, and this day started. Mr. Welling says: "Getting up with the chickens gives you enough time for an extra cup of coffee...it's still too dark outside to do any work..."

Brie

 

[galanie]

Keep sitting and watching those chickens! You will learn quite a bit about them by doing that. Observe. I learned more by observing that I did any other way, I think. Goes to show how much I still need to learn

 

[NovaAman]

How very true. You learn each quirk, so you can tell almost immediately when a bird is not right. Sometimes it is just nothing, sometimes it is something. AND most times, when they do show that something is wrong, it is much more into it than is good. Chickens are a lot like tough people in that way. You'll see a lot of post in the EM thread, "She was fine yesterday but today..." Yeah. But when you are a real good chicken watcher, you can see if faster. Feathers a little more fluffed, not much but a little, running for the treats, but not really eating... That sort of thing...

 

[SuzanneW]

I admit with computer obession, I went out once in the day to see our motley crew, then we got a couple of rabbits, and I had no choice but to go out more and plus, my computer was taken from me (for very good reasons) and so I had plenty of time to get aquainted with our children. I also realised pretty quickly that my once a week clean was not enough and now do it a minimum of twice a week and go out at least 3 times to feed them all, which means that I recognised straight away an invalidid chicken and happily, she is much better and has rejoined the rest in fighting for food.

It is beautiful to be amongst them all and have them not being frightened. All that is missing is me dressed in my long victorian dress lol - but come to think of it - not so practical!!

The thought of life without our animals is not worth thinking about.

 

[KnobbyOaks]

Well, I did something I said I wouldn't do, I put the chicks out in their coop before their time. They're just barely 2 week old chicks but I got tired of their smell and the horrible dust, mostly the dust, and the close proximity to the dog. They were in a big rubbermaid tub and all they could do was stare at the gray walls and peck at each other.

They loved it, constantly sprawled out in the sunshine. Others would step all over them and yet they didn't complain. They took dust baths, flinging sand everywhere, then picking sand off their neighbors. One would announce that she had a leaf or a piece of bark and the other 7 would chase her all over. Then they'd pretend they were tired so the chasee would stop to investigate what she had and then the others would jump her for the treasure. So funny. I put my plastic chair inside the pen so I could observe until the sun went down. Neighbor's Pyrenees came over to investigate and laid down outside the fence. She doesn't have a good reputation with chickens though.

I decided to leave them in the coop with a light bulb. Someone had mentioned having a baby monitor in the coop with them to make sure everything would be safe overnight. I heard a cow mooing, a donkey braying, coyote packs talking between themselves and now the chickies are chasing bugs from the light. "Cheep, cheep, cheep, thump, thump, thump. Think I will get any sleep? They're evidently not going to get any.

 

[roohugger]

Over the past two years keeping chickens we have had many babies. We don't incubate our eggs. I put them under clucky my good ol faithful broody silkie hen. She will brood anything. Watching the little ones interact, ive noticed something. There is always one chick that is the cheekiest, the last one to run away from danger, back under momma hen, the one that wanders furthest from momma and does the best job scrapping for food. Most of the titbits momma finds and gives to her babies this particular chick usually grabs. There is one in every clutch. Here is my theory...because every clutch we have had that chick has turned out to be a hen! So each time we have new babies I spend hours watching them carefully. My husband says its odd to watch chicks so much, but I told him Im conducting groundbreaking scientific research. I am interested to hear what ya'll think.

 

[NovaAman]

Lol, let me know how that turns out. Lol. Now I am going to have to pay attention and see!