Washingtonians Come Together! Washington Peeps

[Manningjw]

I picked these two out yesterday. I know the right one is from Dottie; she was in the coop laying while I was poking around. I'm not sure who the left egg was from. This is Dottie's 5th egg with a double yolk. Will she always lay doubles?

Some chickens are more likely than others to lay double yolkers, much much more common when young and 'working the kinks out' of laying. I had a hen lay two eggs, fully formed but soft shelled over night, that was quite odd.

 

[Chickielady]

Rainier 15 roos out of 20 chicks, boy, who did you tick off??

X2 ! WOW 15 out of 20 ????????????????

 

[Chickielady]

75% boys is bad odds. Thats a lot of boys

That's alot of soup !

 

[Chickielady]

Howdy!! We just moved to the northern Seattle area last month to join my husband that started his new job a month before our move. We are still getting settled in. My hens and baby girls made the 4 day journey across the country (from eastern TN) along with me, my mom, my two kids, 4 dogs, and 2 rabbits. Whew, I'll be happy if I never see another UHaul as long as I live! The wind we encountered in South Dakota about did us in (tough on the trailer, ate through 3 tarps and a machine cloth cover on the baby brooder) but the girls were troopers (and they said the treats they got at every stop didn't hurt ). We love Seattle so far and found a great coop builder that's delivering a new coop for us on Thursday. I'm so excited! We built the coops at our last two houses but this move I hurt my back and just couldn't find the oomph needed to build another. Right now the chickens have elected our littlest dog, Tink (old breeding dog that was adopted out to us a few years ago), as the chicken leader. It's hilarious how they all just follow her around the yard. The kids have also discovered "Chicken Football" at our new house. They throw out a bread/fruit and watch the frenzy and chase that entails. We're all so happy to have a large, flat yard to play in.

Released in their new yard (with some scratch!) and they are sooooo happy!

The kiddos on the trip (we were pretty squished together).

The baby brooder, machine cloth was ripped away in the wind.

Not much tarp left (this was tarp number 2 of 4)

So tired from all the moving

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The chickens were caught exploring the trampoline, the kids thought they wanted to jump, the chickens quickly learned they did not want to be on the trampoline

New bunny home - temporarily closed until we can get the perimeter of the kennel secured, Izzy is an escape artist. Hamilton just likes digging out a warren and hiding down there

.

They're not used to such a small space!

The baby chickens have grown so much in the last month, they're borrowing the bunny kennel as their "grow out" space.

Cranberry is turning 11 in November, she says she deserves her beauty rest.

Wicket is Cranberry's brother, he's our first baby.

And wow a 4 day trip with all those critters ?????????????????

 

[Chickielady]

3 partridge silkie chicks out. Still waiting on others. Mama is being less grabby on me. She knows they are hatching and that I'll remove the broken shells to make her more comfortable. Well less grabby as not as I don't spend to long messing with her and them. She doesn't peck and it's not really a bite. She more of tries to grab and push my hand away.

You still hatching in August ?
Crazy woman !

I say that but you know I'll be raring to plug my bators in, in December~~~

 

[Chickielady]

Is there such a thing as a runt chicken or a late bloomer? Two of my hens (18 weeks old) have nice full combs and wattles but the third hardly has any. She's not much smaller than the others and eats plenty, seems very healthy.

Maybe the 2 with full combs & wattles are cockerels ?

 

[Hinotori]

Quote:
I had THREE silkie hens broody. As these chicks have hatched, the other two decided "oh, time to get up. We're done" I haven't gotten a silkie egg for a while. The black isn't laying yet and the other partridge just quit caring for her chick.

8 chicks. I had to peel the last, very late one, last night. It's running around with the others and mama.

 

[Hinotori]

Is there such a thing as a runt chicken or a late bloomer? Two of my hens (18 weeks old) have nice full combs and wattles but the third hardly has any. She's not much smaller than the others and eats plenty, seems very healthy.

My 20 week old hatchery New Hampshires are like this. One has big comb and wattles and a second one is getting there. The other three still have small ones. They are all girls, just are each developing at their own rates.

 

[Chickielady]

I had THREE silkie hens broody. As these chicks have hatched, the other two decided "oh, time to get up. We're done" I haven't gotten a silkie egg for a while. The black isn't laying yet and the other partridge just quit caring for her chick.

8 chicks. I had to peel the last, very late one, last night. It's running around with the others and mama.

I have had alot of people tell me Silkies are like that...they go broody at the drop of a hat, but make awful Mothers afterwards.
Good for hatching, not for raising their chicks, though.

 

[Hinotori]

I have had alot of people tell me Silkies are like that...they go broody at the drop of a hat, but make awful Mothers afterwards.
Good for hatching, not for raising their chicks, though.

The other two didn't have any eggs. The splash refuses to sit eggs while broody but will raise chicks if you give them to her. The other partridge kept trying to steal eggs from the hen who had some. All of these hens have raised chicks for me before and been good at it. They both would check on the peeping and hen with eggs when they were hatching. There have been a few attempts by the other partridge hen to convince a few chicks to come to her, but I think she's mostly accepted that she doesn't have to raise chicks this time around.

On the plus side, the new chicks have caused the silkie rooster to stick by the pen and help watch and feed them and quit running off to beat up the large fowl roosters