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

[Mother of Chaos]

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Awwwwww!

 

[kattabelly]

Didn't get round to moving them today, just closed the coop off to the others and put a light in. I'll do it tomorrow. They only came out to start eating late this afternoon, with some encouragement. All three have already learnt how to stand in their food.

 

[Perris]

hope all is well there; missing your posts

 

[kattabelly]

hope all is well there; missing your posts

The blond chipmunky one disappeared on Tuesday. I was mostly joking about her eating them but I'm really not sure where else it could've gone - they're fully enclosed in mesh when I'm not around to supervise. The other two seem to be doing ok though. Black one is smaller and more timid but I don't think it's failing to thrive so much as just not really thriving as much as the other chipmunk one (Bertha's mini-me, because if any chick was going to aggressively thrive it would be that one).

Last good pic I got of the blond one

Loads more rain and we're all about sick of the mud. I was talking to someone the other day and apparently the guy who had the chicken plot before I took it over, thought there was an underground spring around there somewhere. That would explain why were inches deep in water despite being in a hill, but it could just be the granite - not sure how far down it is in my exact spot, but it's shallow enough to be exposed to either side along the ridge we're on.

 

[Perris]

The blond chipmunky one disappeared on Tuesday

I was mostly joking about her eating them but I'm really not sure where else it could've gone - they're fully enclosed in mesh when I'm not around to supervise.

when they are confined, I suspect hens, like some wild birds, eat any dead chick or egg to avoid the smell attracting potential predators.

Loads more rain and we're all about sick of the mud

It's really grim when the rain just goes on and on. At least it's turned mild again now.

 

[kattabelly]

when they are confined, I suspect hens, like some wild birds, eat any dead chick or egg to avoid the smell attracting potential predators.

Yeah I'm choosing to think that it died suddenly and unexpectedly and then she ate it after that. Probably the least bad thing that could've happened. Poor peedie thing.

It's really grim when the rain just goes on and on. At least it's turned mild again now.

I'd honestly rather have more snow if it meant the ground got cold enough to freeze solid. And "mild" hits differently here

 

[BDutch]

I'm really not sure where else it could've gone - they're fully enclosed in mesh when I'm not around to supervise.

The first year I had chicks (bought 6 weeks old bantams) I put an extra run onto the prefab setup. I made it with mesh panels (maze 5x5 cm) . One chick disappeared.
The next day I saw another chick walk through a panel. She was all fluff and even though she looked much bigger than the maze, her body wasn’t.

 

[kattabelly]

The first year I had chicks (bought 6 weeks old bantams) I put an extra run onto the prefab setup. I made it with mesh panels (maze 5x5 cm) . One chick disappeared.
The next day I saw another chick walk through a panel. She was all fluff and even though she looked much bigger than the maze, her body wasn’t.

They're behind a mix of 18 and roughly 8mm and I definitely wouldn't go bigger than 2cm for new chicks. 5x5cm is a huge gap!

 

[BDutch]

They're behind a mix of 18 and roughly 8mm and I definitely wouldn't go bigger than 2cm for new chicks. 5x5cm is a huge gap!

I have no clue either then.

I knew sort of nothing about chicks back then (11-12 years ago). And very little about chickens too.

My prefab, used as broody&chicks coop/run has 10 mm maze hwc.

 

[kattabelly]

Absolute state of these two earlier!

Bet they wish they'd hatched babies now, so they could just sit in the greenhouse screaming at people all day. There are plenty of places for them to get out of the rain, so it was their choice to stand out in it - while refusing to go out to the field because it was raining I need to get some new veg beds set up on my own plot, so I'll cut some turf the morn and drag that up for them to graze in a relatively sheltered spot but they're going out on the field Saturday even if I have to throw them over the fence. Not having them just standing around getting wet and crabbit and picking fights.

Broody bath

• kattabelly
• 43 minutes ago

Had to cut this right down to fit the upload size limit but the full minute video is even better. I did grab the chicks when she got so into it that she dug up a huge lump of rock and sent it flying a couple of feet through the air They sat on my lap inside my hat and ate mash off my finger. She screeched some more but didn't try doing anything to defend her babies. She's been like that with the other chickens too - more furious with everyone and everything than actually protective.

Baby Bertha is already scoffing these grower pellets without needing any help to break them up.