Washingtonians Come Together! Washington Peeps

[Hinotori]

Quote:
It wasn't conflict between members. I don't think anyone is not speaking to each other.

 

[Slinglings]

Quote: There was absolutely no conflict between the people posting on this thread. That isn't why people left. We are still communicating, just not here.

 

[Flaming Chicken]

I have 5 cream leg bar chicks hat hatched overnight including a rare sport white. 2 chicks expired after zipping. . And 1 more that was peeping and zipping this morning. Hopefully it busts out today while I am at work. Pictures to follow.

 

[SplendidsChicke]

I have an unrealistic goal of our dogs not thinking the chickens are food. I have hope though because both dogs were formerly "city dogs" and don't always understand that farm animals are mostly harmless. Minnie (dog in the pictures) is a 2 year old lab/ border collie mix and Mandy is a 6 year old cattle dog mix. Minnie LOVES my Mom's chickens, not to chase, just to "herd" their pen. One chicken likes to escape all of the time, and Minnie just keeps herding the coop. So the chicken will sit outside the pen and watch her circle it. Its quite funny. Mandy likes to lick things... Doesn't matter what it is, your arm, dirt, horse poo, chick, fence, ball etc. Both dogs don't know what to think about the chicks. Minnie sort of freezes and leans away. Mandy stares at them and trys to lick them...
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Any tips for desensitizing the dogs to the chickens?

 

[Hinotori]

I have an unrealistic goal of our dogs not thinking the chickens are food. I have hope though because both dogs were formerly "city dogs" and don't always understand that farm animals are mostly harmless. Minnie (dog in the pictures) is a 2 year old lab/ border collie mix and Mandy is a 6 year old cattle dog mix. Minnie LOVES my Mom's chickens, not to chase, just to "herd" their pen. One chicken likes to escape all of the time, and Minnie just keeps herding the coop. So the chicken will sit outside the pen and watch her circle it. Its quite funny. Mandy likes to lick things... Doesn't matter what it is, your arm, dirt, horse poo, chick, fence, ball etc. Both dogs don't know what to think about the chicks. Minnie sort of freezes and leans away. Mandy stares at them and trys to lick them...




Any tips for desensitizing the dogs to the chickens?

Keep at it. I used a spray bottle on my old schipperke. That didn't really work. She was old and wily. She'd just wait until I was doing something then do what she wanted.

My two dogs now grew up with the chickens. They were 6 and 5 months old when I got the birds so to them chickens are normal. The GSD will herd them one at a time into the pen if I ask her. The Aussie/Heeler mix still thinks they might try and kill him because some of the birds will challenge him. I've taught both of them to kill rodents. They will chase the geese off the lawn and will go after small birds, except for the killdeer that keep nesting in the drive. I kept telling the dogs no and leave it and now they ignore them.

Now teaching cats to leave chicks alone. That takes work. I think one of the kittens has figured that out.

 

[mikeyb]

Quote: arguing over which chick flick to watch

 

[mikeyb]

Quote: There was absolutely no conflict between the people posting on this thread. That isn't why people left. We are still communicating, just not here.
no conflict with each other. the others can be found on a social site. Even so, I still come here daily. I still like our forum here and wish and hope that the cause of the exodus can be remedied to everyone's satisfaction.

 

[SplendidsChicke]

Keep at it. I used a spray bottle on my old schipperke. That didn't really work. She was old and wily. She'd just wait until I was doing something then do what she wanted.

My two dogs now grew up with the chickens. They were 6 and 5 months old when I got the birds so to them chickens are normal. The GSD will herd them one at a time into the pen if I ask her. The Aussie/Heeler mix still thinks they might try and kill him because some of the birds will challenge him. I've taught both of them to kill rodents. They will chase the geese off the lawn and will go after small birds, except for the killdeer that keep nesting in the drive. I kept telling the dogs no and leave it and now they ignore them.

Now teaching cats to leave chicks alone. That takes work. I think one of the kittens has figured that out.

Thanks! We are the final home for both dogs, so it's been interesting retraining them from old habits. Minnie was easy as she was only two when we got her. Mandy however, we have had for 3 months now, but has 6 years of terrible habits to over come! I'll just keep exposing them to the chicks. It helps that we have the brooder in the house so they have to hear & see them with out touching as well. Luckily we don't have cats, just horses, dogs and how chickens!

Thanks for the advice!

 

[Hinotori]

So it's day 28 for my silkie eggs. There was still movement last night and one pipped internally yesterday. Right now it's zipped about a quarter of the way out and another egg has pipped externally. These two eggs are the only ones I have really been holding out hope for. They developed better. We'll see if I get live healthy chicks. What color they will be is anyone's guess. I'd thought that the mother was just a splash with odd pigment holes, but she's apparently a cuckoo splash that's split for porcelain. The last four eggs of hers I hatched I got blue, splash, blue cuckoo, and porcelain out of. So my head rooster in there is split for the porcelain as well then. That is if I understand the genetics right. I'm hatching for more broodies, not for showing so the color doesn't really matter.

 

[mikeyb]

13 chicks from CL of which I believe only 3 are cockerals. yay! That leaves me with 10 more hens, 3 weeks old and doing well. Jersey Giants but I may have a black copper maran or two in the mix.
7 hens, 1 broody sitting on 6, make that 5 eggs (I just found 1 broke) which will be mystry chicks until they are older. Could be Eng Orps, JG/RIR, or EngOrp/RIR, or JG/Eng Orps.
So I could be having 20 hens. (I am outta my mind. this was just suppose to be an activity for me to get me outta the house everyday and provide a few eggs through the week)

Had a hawk come visiting 2 days ago.
Blue, (my blue jersey giant rooster) herded his girls close to the coop wall and was standing guard in front of them with his eye firmly on the circling hawk. The hawk made about 5 passes overhead and finally went on to better hunting grounds. Perhaps he didn't see the chickens or maybe he saw Blue who is as big or bigger then most hawks and decided it wasn't worth the fight.