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

[Perris]

He still isn't keen on being touched and was walking away or getting worked up if he felt trapped when I got too close.

some of mine are like that, and I take the view that I can do more harm than good by stressing them out when they're already feeling under the weather, so I leave them be until they're better, or too sick to resist.

 

[kattabelly]

some of mine are like that, and I take the view that I can do more harm than good by stressing them out when they're already feeling under the weather, so I leave them be until they're better, or too sick to resist.

Exactly. I've picked him up a couple of times when he got "trapped" next to an open door and he was calm once I had him, and he'll eat from my hand usually, so I'll play it by ear and either grab him if he's well enough to be tempted by fishy cat biscuits or too unwell to get away.

 

[BDutch]

He was eating their pellet feed along with the others

Is this all flock or chick feed? Bc roosters shouldn’t eat layer pellets. At least give him the choice to eat chicken feed without the extra calcium. Too much calcium is a poison for chicks and a mild poison for roosters and hens who don’t lay. Eating too much calcium can cause kidney problems after a longer period.

 

[kattabelly]

Is this all flock or chick feed? Bc roosters shouldn’t eat layer pellets. At least give him the choice to eat chicken feed without the extra calcium. Too much calcium is a poison for chicks and a mild poison for roosters and hens who don’t lay. Eating too much calcium can cause kidney problems after a longer period.

I know. They're on mostly growers pellets and some chick crumb.

 

[thistlewick]

This sounds absolutely silly, but -- do you think he's just tired?! All that sunlight

I'm glad I found your thread

 

[kattabelly]

This sounds absolutely silly, but -- do you think he's just tired?! All that sunlight

I'm glad I found your thread

They ignore daylight hours to an extent this time of year! I did actually wonder the same thing because I had to go in last night when they were already roosting and get the light I used when they first moved in, to put in the new Nestera coop for the younger birds, and I thought maybe he'd been awake for ages stressing about protecting what was starting to seem like "his" flock after that.

He's dying though, sadly. When I went back up he was unsteady on his feet and staggering sideways and he's continued to deteriorate rapidly. He was too weak to object to me looking him over and there's no obvious signs of disease or injury. He's on fresh hay in a warm, sheltered spot now where he can see the others and they can join him if they want. The black and white cockerel definitely knows, I think - those two were best buds and often used to cuddle together for daytime naps and groom one another, even after the hormones kicked in and he took a shine to the pullet.

Want to do a necropsy but we're expecting heavy rain later on and I don't especially fancy carting him home to dissect in my kitchen.

 

[cavemanrich]

kattabelly​

 

[kattabelly]

Teens are already roosting so I'll just let the chicks out for a bit before bed, what could g-ohhh and they're off

They're pretty easy to herd tbf, just keeping track of that many of them was stressful. I'll block off the main escape route and let them out earlier the morn, before peak rats and cats time. Still not at all keen on the Nestera but they're well trained to the pet carrier, so it was easy enough to collect them in there and then bundle them into the coop.

The rubbish, runty Norfolk Grey is really looking like an actual proper regular chicken now!

Just over 4 & 7 weeks old here.

 

[kattabelly]

Gey weet.

They're all getting stir-crazy when they hide from it and sad & soggy when they're out. I've given them yet more clutter to hide beneath and a propcorn barrel full of hay as another day shelter. Quite tempted to climb in there myself.

Telling myself it's still early and maybe I'm wrong, but I candled the eggs I'm hatching for someone else and looks like only a few are doing anything. Last year I was getting hatch rates around 70% with eggs posted in the same foam blocks, so no idea why this year has been so bad.

Bit of a frustrating day all round.

 

[kattabelly]

I've been away and they've all suddenly made that leap from being kind of babyish to definitely not chicks at all any more. They're about 5½ weeks old now, I think.

All but one - not the smallest, the other black one - of the Shetlands is tappit now their feathers are growing in. Only the one in the first pic and the buff chick have been like that from hatching.