What did you do in the garden today?

[BirdsBeesTrees]

Trying not to be jealous... We haven't had rain for months here in mid southern Iowa.

 

[TJAnonymous]

I've had a rough day... I had three 3-week old chicks that I moved into the Silkie coop over a week ago. One was pecked to death earlier this week. That left 2 chicks. The 2 chicks have generally integrated with the adults decently well but in the evening have still been putting them in a dog crate for their protection from the adults. About 3 days ago, one of the game hens hatched out 2 Silkie-Game hen chicks. Today was the first day she has brought them out of the coop. Still, everyone seemed to be getting along.

Tonight I put the 2 older chicks in the dog crate like usual. I left to go find a different waterer to give them inside the crate. I was gone maybe 10 minutes. When I came back, I saw one of the chicks in the chicken run. It was clearly panicked. I opened the coop to find that the game hen had attacked one of the chicks when it stuck its head through the bars of the crate. She nearly decapitated the poor thing.... It was impossible to save her.

I was so angry at the game hen. She has been around this chick for over a week and didn't do anything like this... Even after she hatched her own chicks, she has never attacked poor defenseless babies.

She has shown aggressive behavior towards some adults a long time ago when she was not penned up but never like today. I made DH put her down. I simply can't tolerate what she did... It was senseless violence. I brought the remaining chick and her 3 day old babies into the house. I will have to hand raise them. The poor remaining 3 week old chick is looking desperately for her friend. It is just breaking my heart. She is ignoring the 2 younger chicks who will NOT stop chirping for their mama....

This whole tragedy just has me heartsick. I have a different game hen who is still sitting on some eggs. I'm really tempted to move her somewhere else but I don't have any place to keep her separate from the others except a 2 ft x2 ft dog crate which seems too small for this situation. Thoughts?

 

[NewBoots]

Trying not to be jealous... We haven't had rain for months here in mid southern Iowa.

This is our first rain since early June so really need it, but I feel for you.

This whole tragedy just has me heartsick. I have a different game hen who is still sitting on some eggs. I'm really tempted to move her somewhere else but I don't have any place to keep her separate from the others except a 2 ft x2 ft dog crate which seems too small for this situation. Thoughts?

I'm so sorry TJ, I've had disasters in my coop that I still mourn. The guilt is terrible. As far as integration goes, with my coop I have an overhang under the poop boards that I have caged in with chicken wire. Once the kids get a little bigger and the big girls were well used to them, I cut a little door the kids could get through but not the big girls. Is the any way to divide off a portion of the coop and or run?

 

[TJAnonymous]

This is our first rain since early June so really need it, but I feel for you.



I'm so sorry TJ, I've had disasters in my coop that I still mourn. The guilt is terrible. As far as integration goes, with my coop I have an overhang under the poop boards that I have caged in with chicken wire. Once the kids get a little bigger and the big girls were well used to them, I cut a little door the kids could get through but not the big girls. Is the any way to divide off a portion of the coop and or run?

I'm considering getting another one of these cages and using it for chicks in the coop -

Living World Deluxe Habitat https://www.amazon.com/dp/B007BNE1Y...abc_ENE0ZKTZZEQ4H942C6P8?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

The question is room. The coop is only 6 ft x and 7 ft. There are 8 Silkies who generally make a cuddle puddle in the corner of the coop. There's 9 game hens who also stay in the coop at night. They sleep on the roosts. I let the game hens out each morning to free range so they don't stay in the run.

Currently the lone 3 week old chick is cuddled up under my chin. It was the only way to get her quiet. She is very attached to me. She was hatched in the incubator and hand raised before I moved her and the others into the Silkie coop to give them more room and time outside. She is not yet fully feathered.

I'm quite concerned that I will have to hand raise her alone

 

[TJAnonymous]

I bought this cage to use for the baby chicks... It was cheaper but still good sized. She shouldn't be able to escape this one.

MidWest Homes for Pets Wabbitat Deluxe Rabbit Home Kit https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07CDXJVP2/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_glt_fabc_VK6JACGW860PWE0907BE

I currently have a sock diaper on the baby so she doesn't poop on me. She is snuggled under my chin and fast asleep...

 

[pennyJo1960]

I bought this cage to use for the baby chicks... It was cheaper but still good sized. She shouldn't be able to escape this one.

MidWest Homes for Pets Wabbitat Deluxe Rabbit Home Kit https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07CDXJVP2/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_glt_fabc_VK6JACGW860PWE0907BE

I currently have a sock diaper on the baby so she doesn't poop on me. She is snuggled under my chin and fast asleep...

View attachment 2837905

Gee why is so spoiled I would do the same

 

[lifein1840]

I've had a rough day... I had three 3-week old chicks that I moved into the Silkie coop over a week ago. One was pecked to death earlier this week. That left 2 chicks. The 2 chicks have generally integrated with the adults decently well but in the evening have still been putting them in a dog crate for their protection from the adults. About 3 days ago, one of the game hens hatched out 2 Silkie-Game hen chicks. Today was the first day she has brought them out of the coop. Still, everyone seemed to be getting along.

Tonight I put the 2 older chicks in the dog crate like usual. I left to go find a different waterer to give them inside the crate. I was gone maybe 10 minutes. When I came back, I saw one of the chicks in the chicken run. It was clearly panicked. I opened the coop to find that the game hen had attacked one of the chicks when it stuck its head through the bars of the crate. She nearly decapitated the poor thing.... It was impossible to save her.

I was so angry at the game hen. She has been around this chick for over a week and didn't do anything like this... Even after she hatched her own chicks, she has never attacked poor defenseless babies.

She has shown aggressive behavior towards some adults a long time ago when she was not penned up but never like today. I made DH put her down. I simply can't tolerate what she did... It was senseless violence. I brought the remaining chick and her 3 day old babies into the house. I will have to hand raise them. The poor remaining 3 week old chick is looking desperately for her friend. It is just breaking my heart. She is ignoring the 2 younger chicks who will NOT stop chirping for their mama....

This whole tragedy just has me heartsick. I have a different game hen who is still sitting on some eggs. I'm really tempted to move her somewhere else but I don't have any place to keep her separate from the others except a 2 ft x2 ft dog crate which seems too small for this situation. Thoughts?

Aren't gamehens just an aggressive breed? I know they are supposed to be good broodies but maybe cull them and get a more docile breed of hens? If you are looking for good broodies, there are several - Dorkings (my absolute favorites), Speckled Sussex, Cochin, Buff Orpingtons, Australorps....I know I forgot several breeds....the point is, it's just not worth it to keep aggressive hens or roosters....they always bring heartache I'm so sorry for your losses...I know how it feels

 

[TJAnonymous]

Aren't gamehens just an aggressive breed? I know they are supposed to be good broodies but maybe cull them and get a more docile breed of hens? If you are looking for good broodies, there are several - Dorkings (my absolute favorites), Speckled Sussex, Cochin, Buff Orpingtons, Australorps....I know I forgot several breeds....the point is, it's just not worth it to keep aggressive hens or roosters....they always bring heartache

Yes, they are aggressive. These game hens are adopted. I've had them about 10 months. I have a special area sectioned off at the back of the run for a broody game hen but there's another hen back there at the moment with 5 babies.

I thought this particular (murderous) game hen would be OK because she hadn't shown any aggression towards the chicks in the week+ that they were out there, including after her own chicks were hatched.

Also I raised 7 other chicks in that coop in May/June at the same time that this game hen was raising a single baby. She was fine with those chicks too....

I really have no clue why she up and decided to become aggressive against these chicks this time around.

But she is gone now. We culled her because of the aggressiveness.

 

[lifein1840]

Yes, they are aggressive. These game hens are adopted. I've had them about 10 months. I have a special area sectioned off at the back of the run for a broody game hen but there's another hen back there at the moment with 5 babies.

I thought this particular (murderous) game hen would be OK because she hadn't shown any aggression towards the chicks in the week+ that they were out there, including after her own chicks were hatched.

Also I raised 7 other chicks in that coop in May/June at the same time that this game hen was raising a single baby. She was fine with those chicks too....

I really have no clue why she up and decided to become aggressive against these chicks this time around.

But she is gone now. We culled her because of the aggressiveness.

I'm sending you a long distance hug!

 

[Elyrian1]

Fast asleep with tiny claws digging in no less. Kinda universal I suppose.

I bought this cage to use for the baby chicks... It was cheaper but still good sized. She shouldn't be able to escape this one.

MidWest Homes for Pets Wabbitat Deluxe Rabbit Home Kit https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07CDXJVP2/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_glt_fabc_VK6JACGW860PWE0907BE

I currently have a sock diaper on the baby so she doesn't poop on me. She is snuggled under my chin and fast asleep...

View attachment 2837905

I hand raised a rooster like that once. He thought I was his mama. Other than being a bit unruly in his teens, he was a good boy. He sat on my shoulder like a parrot. A big parrot! Sadly couldn't keep him though, at the time we lived in city limits.