Washingtonians Come Together! Washington Peeps

[CarolynF]

Geez... I am jealous. I don't have much time to spend on the computer anymore. Too busy with my husband and his poor health, and my chores and other odd jobs. I still need to get plans drawn up for a bigger chicken house after the windstorm that took down a tree that crunched my old one.


a big welcome to all the new posting people. I look forward to hearing about your chickens and other birds.

I have eleven 6 week old chicks. Four are Partridge Penedesencas and 7 are Cream Legbars. Very exciting as I have been planning this for about a year and a half. I'm not sure of the hen to cockerel ratio on the Legbars but the Penes are 2 & 2. I so needed another Pene roo and now I have a total of three of them.

I think I will build a couple of portable coops for raising the chicks in... they need to be moved out of my brooder pen one day quite soon.

I started this post before noon, and I am just getting back to finish it. (It's 11 PM.) I had to go to Costco in Silverdale for prescriptions. Took some time and shopped for shrubs but did not find any that struck my fancy at this time. I already have one gold & green fitzer (sp?) that is huge and needs pruning back so the hens don't think it is the best place in the yard to lay their eggs.

Take care of yourself, too. I hope things calm down a bit with time. As the chicks get older maybe they'll be a source of relaxation in the bit of time you carve out from all your other responsibilities.

 

[CarolynF]

I'm having quite the dilemma with my birds this spring. I thought I had the perfect plan. I should have known better, right? At the beginning of the year I had 4 layers, each laying a different color egg. Blue, lt brown, med. brown, & dark brown, just the way I like. Betsy is the oldest and her laying had gotten very sporadic while she took more time off that she spent laying, although she has beautiful terra cotta colored, huge eggs when she does honor us with a few. An easy choice of who to cull.

So I decided to get 3 chicks figuring I could easily keep just one to replace Betsy. I could even keep 2 if I really wanted to. Easy Peasy.

So I chose the breeds and found a local source and plowed ahead knowing I had a sound, doable plan. Famous last words!

Thus began what I now refer to as "The Great Debacle". The short version is, none of the 3 chicks I bought (from a local person) were the breed promised. She replaced one, and IT's not the breed promised either. But she's a very sweet and clever little EE. Although she's kind of small. So I sold the other 2 and replaced them with 2 Heritage RIRs. So I ended up with 2 HRIRs and the little EE. Ok fine.

When I added them to my flock my sweet Blue Marans who is at the bottom of the pecking order became the hen from H*LL. She seeks out the littles to terrorize them. She goes at them with beak and claws every chance she gets. So you can imagine what happens at night when the littles try to get onto the perch. She reaches over to peck them ruthlessly, and if that doesn't force them out she changes roosts to go and push/peck/flail until they flee! She is relentless, day and night.

Now Betsy is laying up a storm. No long vacations -- yet. And she gets along fine with the littles, as do the other 2 hens. The only bump in the road at this point is the Marans being such a holy terror. Grrr.

I need to decide what to do. I want to be able to leave my flock for a long weekend, and it would be totally ok if I wasn't worried about the terrorist in their midst. The secure pen is fine for them to co-habitate for several days, except for that. So I'm left with the questions.....

1) Should I re-home the Marans for the sake of peace in the village, even though I love her dark brown eggs and I went through a LOT last year just to get a Blue Marans. She has been, up until now, a very gentle chicken. Does a situation/attitude like this generally resolve, or should I expect to see her continue brutalizing any Little I add year after year? If that's the case I could easily re-home her now!

2) Now that Betsy is laying SO well, do I send her to freezer camp as planned? If I knew she was going to stop laying for long periods again I would. But I SO love her eggs especially while she's laying so well. And she's a very gentle lady.


This became a very long post. Sorry! But if you made it all the way through and have a thought, I'd enjoy hearing back.
Thanks!

 

[ochochicas]

Carolyn - How old are your chicks? Did you do any kind of introduction with them before putting them in the coop with your hens? It is normal for older hens to pick on the small ones. However, there are things you can do to prevent the younger ones from getting hurt. Is your coop big enough for everyone, and are there places for the chicks to hide from the mean one?

My coop has 18 hens and one rooster. Some are nice, some are mean, and some just mind their own business. I routinely add new pullets to the coop all the time. They go in a small coop in the yard while the other birds free range. Then I start letting them out together so they can interact, but the new ones have room to run and hide if they get picked on. Finally, the key is to put them in the coop at night for the first time. Turn off the lights. Chickens can't see in the dark so their chances of fighting are practically zero. You still might have to watch/move them during the day, but after a few nights in the coop in the dark the other hens will eventually accept them as part of the flock.

You can also use this technique with older hens. Last summer I got two old hens to put in my coop. After a 4 week quarantine, I introduced them to the yard. One of the new hens fought with one of the other hens. Then all the old and new started ganging up on each other. It was pretty ugly for a few days until they learned to get along. Some feathers were lost and blood was shed. Within a week they were sleeping together in the coop (in the dark) and later became friends. You do have to have separate space for them in the beginning and give them some time to get along.

 

[Chickielady]

Thankyou for Your thoughtfulness….Most of what little i know is from learning the hard way….

Me too !

 

[Chickielady]

If Lynn doesn't maybe Karen Carpenter in Burlington will, She has BBS Am….. I brought home a beautiful splash cockerel and blue pullet from her a few months ago…(She is NPIP too and has many other birds and especially silkies). Sillie70 on BYC,,,,,,,,I may have some later on. they are just laying now but i am not NPIP.

Lyn says she has lav orp...so I am working on that......@jbkirk wanted some I think ???

 

[Chickielady]

I'm having quite the dilemma with my birds this spring. I thought I had the perfect plan. I should have known better, right? At the beginning of the year I had 4 layers, each laying a different color egg. Blue, lt brown, med. brown, & dark brown, just the way I like. Betsy is the oldest and her laying had gotten very sporadic while she took more time off that she spent laying, although she has beautiful terra cotta colored, huge eggs when she does honor us with a few. An easy choice of who to cull.

So I decided to get 3 chicks figuring I could easily keep just one to replace Betsy. I could even keep 2 if I really wanted to. Easy Peasy.

So I chose the breeds and found a local source and plowed ahead knowing I had a sound, doable plan. Famous last words!

Thus began what I now refer to as "The Great Debacle". The short version is, none of the 3 chicks I bought (from a local person) were the breed promised. She replaced one, and IT's not the breed promised either. But she's a very sweet and clever little EE. Although she's kind of small. So I sold the other 2 and replaced them with 2 Heritage RIRs. So I ended up with 2 HRIRs and the little EE. Ok fine.

When I added them to my flock my sweet Blue Marans who is at the bottom of the pecking order became the hen from H*LL. She seeks out the littles to terrorize them. She goes at them with beak and claws every chance she gets. So you can imagine what happens at night when the littles try to get onto the perch. She reaches over to peck them ruthlessly, and if that doesn't force them out she changes roosts to go and push/peck/flail until they flee! She is relentless, day and night.

Now Betsy is laying up a storm. No long vacations -- yet. And she gets along fine with the littles, as do the other 2 hens. The only bump in the road at this point is the Marans being such a holy terror. Grrr.

I need to decide what to do. I want to be able to leave my flock for a long weekend, and it would be totally ok if I wasn't worried about the terrorist in their midst. The secure pen is fine for them to co-habitate for several days, except for that. So I'm left with the questions.....

1) Should I re-home the Marans for the sake of peace in the village, even though I love her dark brown eggs and I went through a LOT last year just to get a Blue Marans. She has been, up until now, a very gentle chicken. Does a situation/attitude like this generally resolve, or should I expect to see her continue brutalizing any Little I add year after year? If that's the case I could easily re-home her now!

2) Now that Betsy is laying SO well, do I send her to freezer camp as planned? If I knew she was going to stop laying for long periods again I would. But I SO love her eggs especially while she's laying so well. And she's a very gentle lady.


This became a very long post. Sorry! But if you made it all the way through and have a thought, I'd enjoy hearing back.
Thanks!

I would give them all time, Carolyn, and if possible, toss a cock in there to keep the ladies quiet & under some control.
most cocks will, as long as they are the only cock bird in the coop.
I have a few "pure layer" coops, what with various breeds strictly for my egg 'basket' and I keep a cock in each just to keep the argueing down to a minimum, and surprisingly, as soon as a mature cock is introduced, (TA DA!!!!!!!!) all the hens mellow out...imagine that !

As for the question of "when I add a little one year after year" the answer is yes.
Even when you add the "little one " in the dark of night....she will exhibit the personality of a foreigner, freaking out & so then the older hens will pick on her.
A cock bird helps.

 

[Chickielady]

GUESS WHO JUST CALLED ME!!!!!!

Elvis ?

 

[Chickielady]

I'm having quite the dilemma with my birds this spring. I thought I had the perfect plan. I should have known better, right? At the beginning of the year I had 4 layers, each laying a different color egg. Blue, lt brown, med. brown, & dark brown, just the way I like. Betsy is the oldest and her laying had gotten very sporadic while she took more time off that she spent laying, although she has beautiful terra cotta colored, huge eggs when she does honor us with a few. An easy choice of who to cull.

So I decided to get 3 chicks figuring I could easily keep just one to replace Betsy. I could even keep 2 if I really wanted to. Easy Peasy.

So I chose the breeds and found a local source and plowed ahead knowing I had a sound, doable plan. Famous last words!

Thus began what I now refer to as "The Great Debacle". The short version is, none of the 3 chicks I bought (from a local person) were the breed promised. She replaced one, and IT's not the breed promised either. But she's a very sweet and clever little EE. Although she's kind of small. So I sold the other 2 and replaced them with 2 Heritage RIRs. So I ended up with 2 HRIRs and the little EE. Ok fine.

When I added them to my flock my sweet Blue Marans who is at the bottom of the pecking order became the hen from H*LL. She seeks out the littles to terrorize them. She goes at them with beak and claws every chance she gets. So you can imagine what happens at night when the littles try to get onto the perch. She reaches over to peck them ruthlessly, and if that doesn't force them out she changes roosts to go and push/peck/flail until they flee! She is relentless, day and night.

Now Betsy is laying up a storm. No long vacations -- yet. And she gets along fine with the littles, as do the other 2 hens. The only bump in the road at this point is the Marans being such a holy terror. Grrr.

I need to decide what to do. I want to be able to leave my flock for a long weekend, and it would be totally ok if I wasn't worried about the terrorist in their midst. The secure pen is fine for them to co-habitate for several days, except for that. So I'm left with the questions.....

1) Should I re-home the Marans for the sake of peace in the village, even though I love her dark brown eggs and I went through a LOT last year just to get a Blue Marans. She has been, up until now, a very gentle chicken. Does a situation/attitude like this generally resolve, or should I expect to see her continue brutalizing any Little I add year after year? If that's the case I could easily re-home her now!

2) Now that Betsy is laying SO well, do I send her to freezer camp as planned? If I knew she was going to stop laying for long periods again I would. But I SO love her eggs especially while she's laying so well. And she's a very gentle lady.


This became a very long post. Sorry! But if you made it all the way through and have a thought, I'd enjoy hearing back.
Thanks!

Carolyn maybe this would help~

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/971960/how-to-introduce-new-birds-to-your-flock

 

[CarolynF]

Carolyn - How old are your chicks?  Did you do any kind of introduction with them before putting them in the coop with your hens?  It is normal for older hens to pick on the small ones.  However, there are things you can do to prevent the younger ones from getting hurt.    Is your coop big enough for everyone, and are there places for the chicks to hide from the mean one?  

My coop has 18 hens and one rooster.  Some are nice, some are mean, and some just mind their own business.  I routinely add new pullets to the coop all the time.  They go in a small coop in the yard while the other birds free range.  Then I start letting them out together so they can interact, but the new ones have room to run and hide if they get picked on.  Finally, the key is to put them in the coop at night for the first time.  Turn off the lights.  Chickens can't see in the dark so their chances of fighting are practically zero.  You still might have to watch/move them during the day, but after a few nights in the coop in the dark the other hens will eventually accept them as part of the flock.

You can also use this technique with older hens.  Last summer I got two old hens to put in my coop.  After a 4 week quarantine, I introduced them to the yard.  One of the new hens fought with one of the other hens.  Then all the old and new started ganging up on each other.  It was pretty ugly for a few days until they learned to get along.  Some feathers were lost and blood was shed.  Within a week they were sleeping together in the coop (in the dark) and later became friends.  You do have to have separate space for them in the beginning and give them some time to get along.

Yes, I've done ALL of those things, except the rooster. The Littles are old enough to cluck now. They have several places to dodge the bully during the day, but not at night. The coop is tight and that's part of why I'm stressing about who and when to thin them out. It needs to be done before too long. The bully can certainly see well enough to target and attack the littles. This is the first time I've had a hen so determined to be this mean.

Thank you for your suggestions! Ideas often lead to more ideas.

 

[CarolynF]

...

 
As for the question of "when I add a little one year after year" the answer is yes.
Even when you add the "little one " in the dark of night....she will exhibit the personality of a foreigner, freaking out & so then the older hens will pick on her.
A cock bird helps.

Although I'm sure you're right about the presence of a roo, I can't.

If I understand you coeectly, you believe this particular hen will always be excessively brutal to new chicks? That's unfortunate. The other 3 hens are so much more accepting of them. They peck but don't brutalize.