Thistlewick Smallholding - Chickens & Sheep (for now)

[thistlewick]

Watching heath court Helga it's so sweet

He danced and tid bit and danced and then tried on her, was successful and she floofed in acceptance. Then they hung out together for the next five minutes and he spent it tid bitting for her the whole time


My heart!!

Maybe he will calm down and stop chasing the big girls and stay in his own lane

 

[thistlewick]

more pics, this is becoming a little photo blog of my flock heh

Ginger, a "Jersey Giant" being much smaller than my big ol Buff Orpington Blanche.

Ginger was telling me a story this evening, she stopped by where I was sitting and told me a long tale and made sure I listened. I haven't had a visit from her in weeks and weeks since she went broody and then mothered the chicks (who are 5 weeks old!)

Whatever story it was, it was a sweet tale of coos and gentle clucks, it must have had a nice ending

Finally getting close ups of Tilly's chicks, who are becoming independent and roaming around some. She has quite a few little cockerels, but I think this pretty blue one is a girl.

Chuck's beautiful red leakage is *everywhere* in our boy chicks. He throws gorgeous babies, imo

Spitfire took a nap like this. She is 20 weeks old - will be looking for eggs from her soon.

Here is a multi-generational shot; one chicken from every 'group' eating peacefully together. Coffee, Dulce, Puff, Scarlett and the wee new chicks that were just let out yesterday.

 

[lightm]

Got some pics today;

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Coffee, sitting a nest very prim.

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CROWDED BROODER!!!!!! This stresses me out lol

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7 week olds and 3 week olds hanging out. Also Misserschmidt, who is woefully small for her age, but is sweet. (Cross beak)

ALL those 3 week olds will be sold/auctioned. Though, they are very sweet.

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Whoopie and Ruby, my two sweet Lollipop darlings <3

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Rain today, the lean-to next to the barn is a favorite dry spot.

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They did indeed, deem it lay worthy lololol LOVE it, cute as heck

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Perfect opportunity to have a Spa day in the permanently dry dirt here hahah

Whoopie and Ruby are so cute.

 

[thistlewick]

So this morning when I was doing my regular chicken chores, I check on the brooder and see on the brooder plate a little reddish poop. Hmm, no cocci for me!


They have only been in there a little less than 2 weeks and I've refreshed the bedding 3x already but I decided, no, it's time for a full clean.

OH man, 20 chicks in a 4x2 brooder is disgusting. So, since they are almost 2 weeks old (!!! I am clearly insane) I chucked out the Welsummers to the hen house floor.

YEP lol all 8 of em.

The surprising thing was that the bator batch (as I call them) of 17 3-4 week olds were like "OH NEW FRIENDS??" and immediately just were like okay more of us, more of us, more of us!

So now I'm considering just putting them all down. Except that the ones (12) in the brooder were like... happy. They have .67 square feet of space so they will be okay for a couple more weeks for now. I made a little roost for them with bricks and a 2x4 lol I took the heat plate away, there is zero need for it for now.

Caught Ginger laying on the straw hehe

AYU Being all sweet and cute on the nest, she's SO tiny - but this breed of chicken, Ayam Ketawa, is very small. She will be max 3lbs

Clouds being awesome (also sheeps!)

Chuck obliging to be very barnyardesque Roostery

 

[thistlewick]

Yesterday we had an appraisal done - she was lovely and we chatted quite a bit. She wants to get into chickens - of course! heheh

Anyway we went to to the hen house to see the baby chicks and Chuck did NOT LIKE IT.

He sat outside the hen house giving a big call I've never heard before, I can only assume it was "I DO NOT KNOW THIS PERSON AND SHE IS IN WITH THE BABIES AND WHERE MY HENS NEST."

I was reassuring him, and it did work !!! which was nice that he listens to me. But he didn't really calm down until she walked fully out of the pasture and away from the gate.

Only he came out, only he gave the call. It was awesome. She was not offended, in fact, she said "he's just doing his job!!"

It was fun to observe something new.

Yes, I did think about "bio-security" of course but, I've had visitors before and I am just like... it is what it is.

 

[thistlewick]

So we got a new egg today!

It was out in the extension this morning, all muddy -- it COULD possibly be a second from Custard -- but I doubt it. I've collected Custard's eggs yesterday and today. She always leaves some Calcium on the tip.

Sophia is trying to get her bloom going again, but in the meantime it;s a lovely speckling.

Tilly laid for the first time in months! She's given up taking care of the babies as well. They are almost 6 weeks old.

Harriet, on the other hand, still is keeping them together.

Harriet is looking rough, thin and her feathers look ratty. She needs to ditch these babies I don't think I am keeping them anyway, not sure.

We need to get rid of about 30 chickens and I think next week we will just bring a bunch to auction.

 

[thistlewick]

So I think this is possibly the duck egg?? I don't know it just feels different in my hand lol

Here are both mystery eggs in comparison. Smaller one 2 days ago. Bigger one today.

It's giant for a pullet egg so I don't think it's a pullet. Maybe Custard fixed her egg maker. This is her light olive that she lays. Kinda.

It's a mystery!!

Decided to build a brooder in the barn for non-flock breeding. Long and skinny against the wall. Barn has power and insulation. It's more like a barn shaped garage. Lol

Anyway will be a great spot to keep separate chicks.

The chicks I don't want being IN the flock is driving me nuts lol

I could drag them up to where the rooster pad is. No roosters currently living there

But it needs a hwc bottom. It has a hwc skirt but adults were in before, so I didn't need to cover the holes

It's a really nice pen (pics are on the first page of this thread I believe) but babies can slip right through.

But in reality this Thursday coming up we are gonna take them down to the local auction and just sell em off.

Oscar is harassing Spitfire, the duck, by endlessly mating her. She doesn't want anything to do with it. She used to love him and was bonded to him, they grew up together but she is like LEAVE ME ALONE.

I think I might just have the Marans in a pen for breeding perhaps??? I h a t e the idea of penning anyone up. Hate it.

Ugh. First world problems.

 

[StinkyAcres]

So I think this is possibly the duck egg?? I don't know it just feels different in my hand lol

Here are both mystery eggs in comparison. Smaller one 2 days ago. Bigger one today.

Those look like duck eggs to me! Duck eggs have thicker shells and larger, denser yolks, so they feel heavier and stronger. What kind of duck?

 

[thistlewick]

Those look like duck eggs to me! Duck eggs have thicker shells and larger, denser yolks, so they feel heavier and stronger. What kind of duck?

She is a Pekin hybrid for laying - I got her from Tractor Supply

The second egg she laid in a nest

Every day around 3, when it's the hottest, I go out and refresh her pond to cold, fresh water. She comes RUNNING from the hedge when she hears me start to fill it up. It's really far away so she's got some great hearing but its so adorable to see her coming to get her cool dip

 

[lightm]

So we got a new egg today!

View attachment 4171103

It was out in the extension this morning, all muddy -- it COULD possibly be a second from Custard -- but I doubt it. I've collected Custard's eggs yesterday and today. She always leaves some Calcium on the tip.

Sophia is trying to get her bloom going again, but in the meantime it;s a lovely speckling.

Tilly laid for the first time in months! She's given up taking care of the babies as well. They are almost 6 weeks old.

Harriet, on the other hand, still is keeping them together.

View attachment 4171104

Harriet is looking rough, thin and her feathers look ratty. She needs to ditch these babies I don't think I am keeping them anyway, not sure.

We need to get rid of about 30 chickens and I think next week we will just bring a bunch to auction.

Harriet is such a good mama.