What did you do with your flock today?

[Shetland lover]

Thank you for the excellent and well-detailed response. I don't have an alternate location to keep my girls if I find mites. Is there a method you know of that would allow the girls to stay where they are while dealing with the mites or other pests?

It's really only the use of the smoke bomb where you can't keep the girls in the coop during treatment. Most products allow you to return them to the coop once the treatment is dry. You would need to check the label of the specific product you want to use. I normally treat early morning and exclude them for as much of the day as possible.

 

[Shetland lover]

I've never tried sharing a YouTube video... This works!

LOVED that! It was sooo funny. I think mine are fairly well behaved and come individually when they're called by name but that takes the biscuit!

 

[Shetland lover]

They have been outside for a while now. I didn't know you had to worm them. I'm on vacation now so I will be getting everything done ASAP. I feed them a lot of food. It's chick medicated starter feed and some meal worm and sunflower mix.

I asked about worming to rule worms out as a potential cause for the weight loss. Depending on the wormer used, not all species of worm will be destroyed anyway. For example, some wormers will kill round worm species but might not be effective on tapeworm.
I actually don't generally worm until the bird is 16 weeks old unless I think there's a worm issue. You can, if essential, worm from 6 weeks or so but I try to avoid it. I'd check all your chicks' breast bones as if it's a worm issue usually more than one bird is affected.
At this stage, I'd say it's most likely a feeding issue if there's no symtoms of illness (her position in the pecking order, bullied off the feed etc.) so I'd concentrate on trying to feed her more on her own. The chick starter is great for that, as it's nutrient dense and higher in protein. I'd make it into a mash for her with some treats mixed in. See how that goes for a week then check her weight. If she's not any heavier, you'll need to explore further.

 

[Shetland lover]

I only have one side filled right now, but they are loving it!! :-D Shade cloth is up so they don’t bake and I had to add some mesh because they’re still small enough to fit through the run fence. But otherwise they’re good to go!

Lucky chickens! It's stunning

 

[Shetland lover]

About an hour before sunset yesterday I finally let my new cockerels meet my pullets face to face. There were a few little skirmishes, but nothing that caused injury.

They all seemed to get along with the hex fence separating them, so I figured I'd give first contact a try. I decided that out in the open would be best so they could run and hide if they felt the need. I tossed out some scratch and fed them some treats as a distraction.

Overall, I think it was a success. But for now, seems the pullets rule the roost. LOL

The cockerels have been in the coop. When I opened it up they didn't come out until I let out the pullets and threw down some scratch.

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So far, so good...

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The boys separated from the girls, but it might have been that they just wanted to eat some greens.

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Then the tussles began...

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This guy got a little payback. LOL

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They were civil most of the time...

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But not always. Was this one just asserting dominance or trying to mate???

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And after all that, they still seemed to get along over the scratch pile. Mostly.

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When it was almost dark I coaxed the pullets into their run area. The cockerels jumped up on the wooden fence next to the coop, then the subordinate one jumped down and hopped into his coop. After a bit I picked up the remaining one from the fence, carried him around a little and put him into the coop and closed it up for the night.

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The hens acted really strange in the run after the encounter. They were all piled up in the front corner closest to the coop, like they all really wanted to be with their new flockmates.

All in all, I think it was a successful meeting.

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My girls gave the boys hell for a couple of weeks until they felt they'd trained them enough!

 

[Shetland lover]

Put the tarp on the run today. I'd like to roof it eventually, but I already overshot my budget for this project (lumber is ridiculous!). I got a super heavy-duty tarp, and am hoping it lasts at least a year. View attachment 3538201View attachment 3538202View attachment 3538203

Looks really good! I have a tarp on my run too (similar reasons) but I'm about to replace it with a corrugated roof. The tarp has done it's job but I can't wait to get a solid roof on.

 

[Jad1977]

Hehe thanks for sharing! That was fun! The Australorp really tried hard to take those eggs away from her!

Yep. I wasnt expecting such a good show

 

[ChicksnMore]

I found my chooks had made a new nest, had been stashing a bunch of eggs and made a video of them!

Wonderful footage! Amazing catching an egg being laid like that

 

[ChicksnMore]

Java peababy

 

[TropicalBabies]

Java peababy View attachment 3538767

Oh goodness!!! Congratulations