Windy hill chickens - first flock(s) of my own

[kattabelly]

It's quite difficult to get a chicken off your head in anything but an ungainly manner and possible injury.

I'm new to shoulder chickens but I've been finding it relatively easy to get that barred rock pullet off my head - it's when she goes round down the back of my neck where I can't reach her that the fun starts She and the Shetlands from the same hatch will already let me pick them up with only some minor fussing, and I think making a point of doing that regularly in sight of all the others is rubbing off on them too. This was the more skittish of the barred rock cockerels tonight, and one of the Shetlands who happily stayed sat on my leg after being scooped up with no fuss at all.

VID_20250727_194048.mp4

• kattabelly
• Jul 27, 2025

Barred rock cockerel B at 8 weeks old

All my head torches have a red light option and I'm already in the habit of using them around animals in the dark.

Thanks for the detailed reply

 

[kattabelly]

Few more photos because they're looking bonnie now at 8 weeks old.

Norfolk Grey closest to my foot here - the others are all just over three weeks younger but catching up in size. She's splitting her time between hanging out with her hatch-mates and the younger ones now.

(They do have a big waterer but obviously the distraction water I put out to avoid any of us breaking our necks when I refill it tastes better)

 

[kattabelly]

Left the younger birds out in the open plot "run" unsupervised for the first time today and they were all still fine and inside the fence when I got back. They've taken much less time than the teens did to start exploring more of the space.

No egg from the pullet today or yesterday which isn't a concern, just putting it here as a record.

 

[kattabelly]

Eggs again yesterday and today. Other than that one double yolker they've all been really consistent, appearance-wise. Dounby show is next week so she'd better keep that up and not start randomly popping out different sizes!

One of the rock cockerels (B, I think - really need to leg band one of them to make it easier to tell them apart now they're both fully feathered) got lost on the other side of the plot earlier after running away from the scary, squeaky wheelbarrow. He was really good about following me back when I came to get him, even when it meant leaving the cleaver seeds he was enjoying and following a twisty path that seemed to be heading away from where he could hear the other birds. Pretty sure he already has more sense than the two oldest boys combined - their latest thing is to get in crowing matches with their own echoes

Ripped a load of those cleavers out to bring back to the others and they all went mad for the seeds.

 

[Mother of Chaos]

Eggs again yesterday and today. Other than that one double yolker they've all been really consistent, appearance-wise. Dounby show is next week so she'd better keep that up and not start randomly popping out different sizes!

One of the rock cockerels (B, I think - really need to leg band one of them to make it easier to tell them apart now they're both fully feathered) got lost on the other side of the plot earlier after running away from the scary, squeaky wheelbarrow. He was really good about following me back when I came to get him, even when it meant leaving the cleaver seeds he was enjoying and following a twisty path that seemed to be heading away from where he could hear the other birds. Pretty sure he already has more sense than the two oldest boys combined - their latest thing is to get in crowing matches with their own echoes

View attachment 4185666

Ripped a load of those cleavers out to bring back to the others and they all went mad for the seeds.

Oof, cleavers are well-named! I think we have finally gotten rid of them, but we’ll find out next spring. The cat spread them all over the back yard via her fur.

 

[BDutch]

He was really good about following me back when I came to get him, even when it meant leaving the cleaver seeds he was enjoying and following a twisty path that seemed to be heading away from where he could hear the other birds.

Are you sure its a he? Bc of the comb? Hoe old?
My Amrock boy had a lighter stripe.

 

[kattabelly]

Oof, cleavers are well-named! I think we have finally gotten rid of them, but we’ll find out next spring. The cat spread them all over the back yard via her fur.

Are they called anything else where you are? Some other common names here are goosegrass, and the best - sticky willies.

Are you sure its a he? Bc of the comb? Hoe old?
My Amrock boy had a lighter stripe.

I'll be pretty surprised if I'm wrong. His barring is darker than the other Barred Rock cockerel from that hatch but lighter than the pullet's. His wattles, comb and face are more red and wattles are more developed than the pullet's, although again not as much as the other cockerel (who's also bigger and took less time to grow all his feathers). The pullet has a dark wash down her legs while the other two's legs are almost completely yellow, and she also had darker down and a neater head spot when she hatched. Much more chest-bumping between the two I think are cockerels as well.

They're 8½ weeks old now. I'll try to get photos of all three of them for comparison tomorrow.

 

[BDutch]

and the best - sticky willies.

 

[cavemanrich]

When I read cleavers, the bottom image is what first came to mind. Then I looked further, and seen the weed. Not sure if I have that growing among the flowers, but will check in the morning. Do have something similar looking, but not sure.
We have a persistent weed, not sure of the name. Leaves look like rhubarb plant. Develops sticky seed bulbs,, I call Velcro.

 

[Perris]

Develops sticky seed bulbs,, I call Velcro.

If I remember aright, velcro was based on burdock seed heads.