What did you do with your flock today?

[TropicalBabies]

Great day. My compost catch was full of soldier fly larve

So girls got a good snack.
And I finished my pile!

Despite my helpers. Time to make a new pile. Just not so big this time, gets kinda daunting.
14 eggs today. Not horrible but I feel the summer slow coming on. Time to warn my customers the egg factory will be closing in about 3-4 weeks.

Tomorrow I get to ride Boo up to Koke'e Lodge and deliver bags and then go figure out coop roof pitch with DH.

 

[Shetland lover]

INTRODUCTION DAY!

Today my pullets saw their new roosters for the first time through a panel of mesh fencing. The girls seemed extremely interested. The cockerels, not so much. Food was more important at the moment. LOL

But the roos were distracted with their new surroundings at the same time, so it must've been a lot for them to adjust to.

View attachment 3534225

Yesterday I saw that the pair of cockerels were acting like they'd had enough of the 2x6 double rabbit cage they've been confined to for the last week. It had to be pretty rough on them in that tight space with little stimulation to keep them occupied.

So today I pulled them out, one at a time and inspected them closely. They looked clean, no signs of mites or lice, but I went ahead and dusted them with pyrethrin, just in case they had a few. And to make me feel better about putting them close to my little hens.

They didn't enjoy being grabbed out of the cage much at all, but once they were in hand they were pretty easy to control.

I found a slick way to apply the dust online. I put some dust in one of the tabletop plastic squeeze bottles, the type ketchup and mustard is put in. It worked really well and the nozzle tip directed the dust exactly where I wanted. After dusting I put them in a smaller rabbit cage for an hour while I prepared their new space.

I cleaned out all the old pine shavings in the coop and covered the floor with dry semi-composted wood chips, the same material that's in the run. Set up the feeder and waterer, plus a bowl of grit.

For a roost I just piled up several pallet sections left over when I sawed out my fence pickets. I think it will make a good roost for them, and it's about the same height as the hens' roost on the other side of the screen.

More pics....

View attachment 3534243

View attachment 3534245

View attachment 3534251

View attachment 3534252

Your little pullets sure are checking out the eye candy!

 

[Shetland lover]

Hey everyone! Just wanted to show off my Shetland ducks Today was a big day because the first of the bunch got her name--Sigrid! These are a critically endangered species that we drove 14 hours straight to pick up... may be just a tad the "crazy duck lady" lol So excited to see what they'll look like in a couple weeks! Are there any other Shetland duck owners in the group?

View attachment 3534296

I love Shetland ducks but I don't own any (no space, if I had space, I would!). I have a Shetland hen, also critically endangered sadly. They are wonderful hens, very easy to keep and full of personality. We had two but lost one at just 18 months old to egg yolk periontitis.
All the Shetland breeds of animal are brilliant. We're lucky as there's a very small farm an hour away which only breeds Shetland animals (oh, and Sebrights).
Have you thought about keeping Shetland geese, too?

Your birds are beautiful btw. Well worth the long drive!

 

[Shetland lover]

Well we said goodbye to RooPaul today and it went about as expected. :-( Aria spent all day with him until he left and then sobbed periodically the rest of the day and at bedtime. Breaks my heart but I really feel it was for the best. He and George were sharing a coop with the two new pullets and the pullets seemed afraid to go anywhere and were always hiding in the coop. After RooPaul left, the ladies came out and tonight during bed check, we found all three of them snuggled together on the roost bar So the pullets were happy, George is happy, and according to the new owner her little girl is extra happy Aria has grudgingly agreed that it was a move that made sense and she was happy the girl was to have him.

We got a teeny bit more done on the Cooplex! Runs are built! Next the roof!! Tomorrow!

View attachment 3533534

We also entered a few birds in an online poultry show, so fingers crossed for the entrants! Finally got some nice Ducky Jr pictures too!

View attachment 3533536

View attachment 3533537

A sad day but for the best.

The Cooplex looks fabulous. Great job!
Good luck in the online poultry show, Ducky Jr looks so handsome!

 

[Shetland lover]

Today I went out to clean up the run and gave my girls a quick check. One has a crop that feels mushy. The other has a very prominent breast bone. Any advice helps. They are only 9 weeks old.

The girl with the mushy crop. Check it first thing in the morning before giving any food to see if it's emptied overnight. If it hasn't, try to smell her breath, a sour smell in combination with a squishy crop indicates sour crop which is easily treated with nystatin or micronazole.

Sounds like the pullet with the prominent breast bone might not be getting enough to eat? She may be low in the pecking order and being bullied off the food. It could also be various medical problems. Is she showing any symptoms of illness?
The first thing I'd do is weigh her and check her weight against the show standards of her breed. That will give you an idea if she is actually underweight.
I'd consider separating her a few times a day to feed her several small meals. Something nutritious like boiled or scrambled eggs, a few sunflower seeds (high calorie so don't go overboard), a mash with added vitamins or even baby food. Leave her with her flock the rest of the time. See if this improves things.
Are they living outside yet and have you wormed them?

 

[Shetland lover]

Hello chicken peeps! I have a question. I posed it elsewhere, but got no response, so I'm going to ask here if you don't mind. I'm just curious how often you all check for mites and such on your birds. Ours are still skittish, and we can't get near them without them bolting, so we can't inspect them. Someone also mentioned a vent trim. Is that something we need to do as well? Yup, we're total newbs....

I apologize if this is not the right thread, but it does get the most activity. Thanks.

I check all 6 of mine weekly. And i check the coop as you won't find red mite on the birds themselves during the day. I learned the hard way when I was a newb. A month into keeping my first chickens, I went to clean out the coop (I have always poop picked daily and full clean out weekly) and found the bedding literally heaving with red mite right under Connie's roost. It was like something out of a horror movie and took about 3 weeks to clear. I was going out at night to check on numbers and kill any i could. I had to leave my clothes at the kitchen door to stop them invading the house. They're not choosy if they bite you or the chickens either! I still get red mite in the coops occasionally but now i go into extermination overdrive if i spot any.
Treats are a great way to win their trust initially and keep handling them regularly, daily if possible. They'll soon become friendly and just see you as part of the flock.

 

[Shetland lover]

We have 3 young chickens which Im trying to make friends with in case a time comes where they need to be handled.
They're finally getting used to me and have started running up to me as I walk in the coop.View attachment 3535217

So cute!

 

[Shetland lover]

He's doing wonderful! It's been a long road but he's recovering. He went through four IV bags, lots of antiemetics and antibiotics...but he's finally turned the corner ands recovering. My first time dealing with parvo and wow is it ever an awful awful disease. I still have to disenfect everything, though I've done what I can as we go with bleach. I've ordered Sniper, Rescue and Vikon?...so when they come I'll do a full deep clean, then wait and repeat it once he's no longer shedding virus. Wow does he love my butt now! He cries when he can't follow me...poor little guy. I've stuck him with so many needles and force fed him teeny teaspoons every half hour for days... I'd totally understand if he ran away from me. But nope, hes such a good boy.

That's terrific news! I have been thinking about him all week.
Of course he wants to follow you everywhere. You're his mom now. You rescued him and now you've saved him from certain death, nursing him when he needed someone most. You will have an unbreakable bond now. ❤❤❤

 

[Smokerbill]

Your little pullets sure are checking out the eye candy!

Yes they were! LOL

 

[Soujrnr]

I still get red mite in the coops occasionally but now i go into extermination overdrive if i spot any.

What do you do to get rid of them?