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

[BDutch]

Did the boards do something weird? Somehow you've replied with the same post that I was replying to before!

I have no idea why this happened. Please ignore the second same post. .

 

[kattabelly]

I have no idea why this happened. Please ignore the second same post. .

Technology!

 

[kattabelly]

Beautiful weather this evening once it'd cooled down. I let the teens eat a few raspberries and then gave them some kefir yoghurt as a sweetener before shutting them into the big unused pen, so I could let the others out. It's like a jungle in there atm so they had plenty of forage too. They've been ok ranging together up until now but the Sussex cockerels must be getting big enough for the older boys to see them as competition and not just annoying babies, and they really went for one of them earlier. He escaped unharmed into the clutter of their run but it was more than the minor corrective scuffles they've had so far.

 

[cavemanrich]

How many, and which roosters are you planning on keeping?? For future breeding purpose.

 

[kattabelly]

How many, and which roosters are you planning on keeping?? For future breeding purpose.

They'll all stay for as long as they get on, apart from one of the Light Sussex cockerels. He's been a bully and a troublemaker right from the start and I'm just waiting until he's big enough to be worth eating. I'm not especially bothered about keeping one of the oldest two boys but they both get along fine now and I should have a couple more slightly older hens joining that group soon.

The Shetlands can be really hard to sex until they start laying or crowing, so I have no idea how many of those are male yet.

It's looking like just two eggs have a chance of hatching from those RIR that were meant to be for someone else. They don't want cockerels, so probably won't want only two chicks, so I might end up with those myself even though I don't really want any more. If I end up with just one I'll try to see if anyone else has newly hatched chicks it can go and live with.

 

[kattabelly]

Not ordering more hatching eggs so I have a bigger group to integrate with the older chicks

Not ordering more hatching eggs so I have a bigger group to integrate with the older chicks

Not ordering more hatching eggs so I have a bigger group to integrate with the older chicks

 

[kattabelly]

Think she'll start laying very soon. She's been showing interest in the nest boxes recently and today she's spent most of the morning either sitting in one and occasionally doing the quiet egg-laying cluck, or pecking around for stuff to add to the nest. The boys were going in with her but I think she's let them know she wants an escort but not an audience - they're pacing around outside like nervous first-time dads right now

I put some oyster shell out a week ago. Not sure if any's been eaten or if they're just beaking it out and burying it, but it is available.

 

[kattabelly]

I knew it!

 

[thistlewick]

AHHH ITS SO PRETTY!!!

Love that she is SUCH a gorgeous little pullet too

 

[kattabelly]

AHHH ITS SO PRETTY!!!

Love that she is SUCH a gorgeous little pullet too

She's definitely pretty but not that little! She's far from fat but there's a decent bit of meat on her bones under all the fluff (not a bad thing afaic), especially compared to the likes of those production hybrids that are just skinny egg machines. She was bigger than the three boys for ages!

Hadn't really given it any thought but the green egg was a surprise. That'll be difficult to tell apart once the Shetlands start laying, unless they stay in separate groups or the Shets all lay blue.