Thistlewick Smallholding - Chickens & Sheep (for now)

[thistlewick]

Are you able to see if there's still umbilical or unabsorbed yolk attached?

I wouldn't expect the humidity from the incubator to help much when it's that stuck, but I'd want to check it's "fully cooked" first before giving it a bath.

I ended up getting it out without much fuss - just qtips and warm water -- it was indeed fully cooked! It was just stuck in a TIGHT sac, also as I was telling Perris in the thread I made about it on the incubating and hatching forum here, there was some weird thick deposits INSIDE the egg sac, a large bit too -- it looked like very hard white meaty bits or very soft squishy calcium bits -- it was INSIDE the egg sac, next to the chick. Very weird.

But, it wanted to live, it was moving and peeping and pushing and trying, it seemed so relieved when I got it out of the sac.

I never, ever, thought I'd help a chick hatch -- I thought I would be pretty Darwin about it.

But seeing it alive and trying to live. I HAD to do something. I HAD to.

 

[thistlewick]

Here is the little sweet:

breathing strong, peeping loud when it peeps <3 hopefully it dries and stands and walks.


Will Tilly take it if I put it under her at night? Or will she suddenly see 4 and say NO!

 

[kattabelly]

there was some weird thick deposits INSIDE the egg sac, a large bit too -- it looked like very hard white meaty bits or very soft squishy calcium bits -- it was INSIDE the egg sac, next to the chick.

Did it look anything like this?

 

[thistlewick]

Did it look anything like this?
View attachment 4200309

Yes, but about four times that much - it was large, about a third of the shell, I'd say.

more news;


I went to check and it smelled and stank to high heaven, I opened the incubator to give the chick an ant's fart of nutri-drench and realized it was STICKY with yolk.

So I gave it a warm toasty bath, which it LOVED <3 (omg it was so cute) and the poor little thing is now back in the incubator.

This little one is a fighter, I gotta say.

 

[thistlewick]

Yeah, the chick died overnight in the incubator.. Not at all surprised. I think the yolk it was supposed to absorb got eaten.

This hatch has been very strange -- as the eggs that are laid are completely left alone.

I don't go gather until 3pm - they're basically all done by that time. I don't have early chickens, when I let them out at 8:00-8:30am, no one has laid but the duck lol So yeah, the 'egg eater' was only interested in these eggs.

MAYBE it was Tilly? MAYBE she knew which ones were right and which ones weren't??

 

[thistlewick]

We removed Cream to exile today - he was ambushing hens, and the real kicker was when I went to fill up the food bins today, he was pecking EVERYONE to get out of the way so HE could eat.

Nope. Bye. He went in the bachelor pen. Cracker's up!

 

[thistlewick]

Cracker is so chill I forget he's a Cockerel - he doesn't crow when we're around, he's the first Cockerel to do that. He doesn't just 'show up' when I do chicken chores, either - he stays with the hens in the hedge. He doesn't 'mind' me being around.

I got a video yesterday of him taking several hens back to the hen house midday, they were following him - so this is all looking much better so far.

He is an Olive Egger Cockerel (being EExMaran cross, Sophia is his mama, Chuck his papa) so if we wanted to hatch his babies, I'd hope he'd get on some of our Marans to make some nice dark olive eggs, possibly. But as it stands now we have too many chickens and we won't be adding more.

There is definitely a hidden nest somewhere, because while Tilly has a reason not to lay, I'm seeing maybe 1 other Maran egg 2x a week. I have at least 2 laying Marans. Hmm.

These chicks are dingydarn adorable, the chocolate chick is there by the yellow one - great camo color. Tilly and Ginger are freakin unbelievable moms. Just excellent. I love that they have co-brooded twice <3

My darling lollipops - my husband got this pic, who are all the chummiest sweetbombs. Ruby and Cocoa sleep out in the outside part of the hen house, so they are a little bit of outcasts but during the day they all hang together.

These guys though, they are 13/14 weeks old (I lose track) and they only JUST are starting to forage. Absolute wastrels LOL

 

[thistlewick]

Things are just trucking along. Babies are doing well, Ginger and Tilly are exceptional mothers. The little white one isn't white, it's Ermine and looks like a cockerel, which will be nice - I could breed them I got 3 girls out of the other bunch. Something to consider.

We have had visits from a Cooper's Hawk the past couple of days and yesterday it was bad, scared my babies.

I am thinking it must have got one of the Dorkings, which just went flat missing a while ago - 2 weeks it's been... and has come back, but they're wiser.

Little Wing passed as well, but because of her issues, not predator attack. Had to fish her out of the hedge, she died in there.

So since the hawk has been making attack dives, I've been keeping track and counting at night. 66 Chickens. And no (other) losses to this Cooper's Hawk so far.

I was reading about it last night and apparently Cooper's Hawks try and learn the routines - smart birds. So going out and being around at any and all times randomly is the best way to teach the hawk that it's not a great place to hunt.

But I think it came back because it must have grabbed one of the Dorkings.

The thing is, the girls act weird as hell when a hawk is around - and when Maisy went missing they were not acting weird at all. So not 100% sure it was the Hawk that got her.

I think the best thing ever, though, is that when I go and sit with them, they relax and calm down. They know I have their back and they are safer with me around and that just fills my heart <3

Cracker is still almost useless - but he isn't aggressive lol

 

[thistlewick]

Update; the chickens have gotten back to a slight semblance of normalcy after much harangue from a Cooper's Hawk. 0 losses, unfortunately that one earlier loss a couple weeks ago of the one Dorking apparently taught everyone a valuable lesson.

A sidenote to this as well; this harassment by the hawk over several days has bonded them, they intermingle like I've never seen before..age doesn't matter, they all mingle/cuddle/eat/roost together now. Intense stress completely erased any and all curiosity or annoyance with age... and they are a cohesive flock all together. What a bright side.

I made a print out with all their names (and some of them still, just numbers) to take an inventory, if you will, one evening at roosting time.

Around the evening, after all this cozy intermingling has taken place, I come to realize that I have THREE Welsummer pullets. Where they have been hiding is anyone's guess, but they are rambunctious little ladies and run all over the place now. 3 Cockerels too. Gorgeous lads.

All in all, including the exiled boys, I have a grand total of 73 chickens. I think LOL

It is indeed hard to count that many heads when the young ones are still in a pile on the floor -- though some of them jump up to roost with the bigs.

This evening I was sitting out with them and just enjoying the weather (finally) and witnessed, for the first time from ANY Cockerel, a hen get danced to, squat by CHOICE, and then be mated by the proferring male; which was Cracker. He really is learning his lessons. The whole thing happened quickly, quietly and peacefully. I was blown away.

We correct him if he ambushes a hen who is NOT interested, and the hens correct him too with a peck. He still tries, but hopefully with an experience like he had tonight he will learn what's appropriate. I was proud of him. He was also busy correcting a younger Cockerel Batman, who is starting to be a bully and is going to be exiled -- when we get around to going out there at night. lol

These two are the best mommas out there I swear <3

Our friendliest chicken by a mile, Whoopie - she's charming and so so affable. She also loves a cuddle and pet!

 

[thistlewick]

Chased off a Cooper's Hawk flying overhead yesterday. I was sitting down out there hanging out with them doing afternoon chores (re-filling spitfire's pond, etc) and heard it first, then saw it and it was pretty high in the sky when I saw it but I watched it make it's sweeps and once it came towards the direction of the hen house I stood up, arms out (I may have yelled F*** O**, LOUDLY) and it flew right away off in a different direction, a beeline to the woods.

So far still no more losses. I was worried because I couldn't find Daisy (our other Dorking) all day, but late afternoon I see her relaxing in the run area, completely chilling. I screeched her name when I saw her I was so happy to see her.

I really want less chickens. ~70 is too many gonna have to make a list of who I can stomach to sell.

Exiled Batman day before yesterday as well. That went hilariously well as when we put him in there with the boys he was scared of course and Oscar tried to go at him and Chuck came in to moderate.

Next morning I walk up there (this was yesterday) and they are all laying in a cuddle puddle soaking up the sun. LOL ADORABLE

I am 100% sure we'd have less trouble with the hawk of Chuck was back -- he was magnificent for that.


But the change in the happiness of my girls is like night and day. LIKE NIGHT AND DAY. The tempo and vibe of the flock, the energy, has dipped to extremely chill and calm levels. Cracker is learning the ropes and is EXTREMELY chill. He still sometimes messes up, but he also still gets things right so we're giving him some time.

Chuck was over vigilant and bossy and a bully. Cracker is more like The Dude.