They nearly pecked her head off =o(

[ovaunda]

Quote:
Not enough room? That surprises me - hubby built it actually larger than recommended for the number of birds we had. Guess that person was not very smart. I suggested that to him and he was none too thrilled with that idea.

I have zucchini galore in my garden and broccoli, I will put some of that in tonight for them to have a go at.

Cat food? I thought I read somewhere on BYC that cat food was actually NOT recommended? We do offer oyster shell freely.

We've setup a separate dog run for the one that is struggling. Got a good size area to roam around now. Yesterday we also put in an old shelf on it's side for them get in.

And I thought chickens were "low maintenance". LOL

 

[Wildsky]

what are you feeding them?
They only need oyster shell when they start laying - still a month or so to go.

If you got straight run chicks - probably 50% are Roosters.

 

[Wynette]

Wildsky's right - I had assumed they were over 18 weeks; sorry for the bad advice if they're not.

The problem with getting info. from a book that tells you how much space they need is that it's not always accurate with all chickens. Don't get me wrong - I'm a huge advocate of educating yourself as much as possible. I honestly don't know what a good chicken book would recommend; I was just visualizing 12x12 (I've got 12x12 horse stalls) and that many chickens in there, 24/7....and it just seems to me like that's pushing the limits on having enough room for them, if you want them to be as happy and healthy as possible.

DH's can be tough nuts to crack; mine was resistant to the chickens for about a year, but has slowly been coming around. Good luck with that!! I think you'll be fine, so long as your girls have plenty to do to distract them from picking at each other!! Good luck!!

 

[ovaunda]

Quote:
I can't count either..we got them in March and were already a couple weeks old so they are older than I thought (closer to 20 weeks). We're waiting for our first egg.

I am confused though...catfood is ok if they're OVER 18 weeks? They are getting a layer feed already as well as the oyster shell. This was recommended by the feed store and it's all so new to me that I pretty much take all the advice I can get.

So now to find things to keep them distracted...I'll have to get creative.

 

[ovaunda]

Here are some pictures as requested:

I say 4 or 5 are roosters:


Blackie (rooster for sure - he crows)

Chubs (rooster for sure too - crows day and night)

Clucky (???)

Crook (has 2 crooked toes)

I think these are all my girls - they sound like they are purring when I talk to them

Pip (was getting picked on, lost all the tail feathers and some of the comb - is now in a separate area)

Ruby (or Rudy?? - was my favorite but seems to be the one picking on the others and doesn't crow)

Sparrow (we thought was a roo but doesn't crow)

Sparrow & Miley

Sparrow

One more not pictured is Miss Ray Ray, she has one leg that she doesn't use and her toes on the bad leg curl. She's separate while we try to rehabilitate her with some TLC, vitamins and extra treats.

 

[ovaunda]

An update on my flock...

we have 10 left and 8 are roos!! We only have 2 girls, both RIR's and they just starting laying this past week.

Sadly, Miss Ray Ray died after a lot of TLC. Veronica was pecked to pieces by the others for unknown reasons. And we came out to find Lulu laying in the coop, unknown cause.

The 2 girls are now in a separate coop with Pip who was also getting picked on and happy happy happy.

 

[The Vargas Chics]

Sorry to hear about your problems. I have one chicken that is not laying well and the other chickens are picking on her. I caught one pecking at her behind and pulling out her feathers then eating them. Gross. Not sure what to do with her. She doesn't do it to the others only the weak one. I hear they will pick on the weak ones until they are dead, hopefully that is not true. I hope your girls are doing better and you can enjoy the eggs. I hear it gets better, we just need to stick together.

 

[silkiechicken]

Sorry you ended up with so many roos and had all these problems. I was reading though the posts and saw the pics and was like... you've got a bunch of roos and that's probably the reason for the pecking. And turns out you did get a bunch of roos that were probably beating each other up for the two prize girls living with them.

Often the recommended spaces aren't necessilary optimal for all types of birds. Some can do with less, some need more. What's in the run and coop can also make a difference. 100sq feet of bare dirt run with attached coop is much less stimulating than 100sq feet of woods filled with under brush with attached coop.

Best of luck with your flock. If you get more, do remember to quarantine. I'd suggest at least 2 more hens, if not 4 or even 6 for the lucky guy since just two will get very worn out with roo attention.

 

[ovaunda]

We will be looking to get some more hens - won't get a straight run ever again.

Their run is straight dirt unfortunately, no woods nearby.

 

[picklespickles]

better luck next time.

even with just girls, though, you may still wind up with some roos. (unless you buy full grown) cause sexing is not perfect. so, just remember to pay attention as they develop so you can give away (or whatever) and keep your m to f ratio good for your space.

take care