Wisconsin "Cheeseheads"

[babylady4]

We did a driving tour of the damage last night on our way to OG. Drove from New London on Hwy 15 through Hortonville..... WOW has the view down Main street in Hortonville changed! The section where you drive through the tree tunnel no longer has the tree tunnel. It looks very odd.....

We saw damaged silos, barns, a lot of tree damage, windows knocked out of houses, metal sheds ripped apart...... just amazing to see and this was not a very strong tornado either!

Cute chicks Judge!

SClark, call the authorities on your neighbor. Those animals are going to start dying soon.

Time for coffee!

 

[judge]

Judge,

Congrats on the new clutch of chicks. How fun and exciting.
She obviously has had the chicks for a few days. Perhaps she has trained the dog to leave the chicks be.

Mom's can be pretty aggressive. Has your dog killed any birds in the past?If the dogs has killed some, I see your concern. I can just advise to watch him and see if he is interested in killing chicks. Some dogs are opportunistic killers and will kill when chicks get excited and run. Mine charges and bites at birds when they approach her when she is eating. (Their feed) 5 minutes later she is laying in the sun and they are grooming her, so its a odd relationship.


As far as putting them in the brooder..That is a decision you have to make.

Vicki- how old do you think they are? Funny I never saw them before. I don't know anything about broody hens.... All of my chickens free range. I saw her get a worm this morning for them, but should I try to sneak them some feed and water? What about the other chickens? Will they try to eat the chicks? I had that last time when one hatched eggs in the coop. Where do they sleep? On the nest? Sorry for all the questions!

 

[jvls1942]

It's better to let her be and control the dog.

x2

separating the dog from the chicks will not work.. all that does is set up the chicks to be attacked at a later more convenient time..

put the dog on a short leash and take it to the chicks and mom.. tell him and show him the NO about all this.. most dogs will catch on ..

 

[jvls1942]

Quote: you do not have to worry about the other chickens.. just the other day my cluck and her 9 babies were eating with the flock.. I told Annie that I should take a picture.. the chicks were weaving in and through the legs of all the big chickens to get at the feed.. I don't know where this thing about chickens killing chicks came from ?? when this cluck brought her day or two day old chicks out,, I had about 30 large chickens, and about 60 half grown chickens running around.. they couldn't care less about new chicks and mom..

your chicks are prolly not more than 2 days old.. maybe 3 ..

put water in a chick waterer or a VERY shallow dish.. we do not want any drownings .. feed can be scattered on the ground, just a little at a time.. much of their feed will be seeds that mom shows them to eat.. Mom will do the teaching.. and your chicks will be the most street savvy of them all..

as far as sleeping arrangements go.. she will pick the spot.. more than likely it will be outside.. you should put her inside to protect from preds..

the biggest threat to the chicks would be trampling,, If it is so crowded in the coop, find a quieter place for her.. she will not go back to the nest where she hatched them..

if your chicks were eaten one time before, I will venture a guess that they were accidentally killed,, and then eaten..

 

[Twizzlebee]

I remember being about 12 and our first broody hatched one little black chick. the first time I saw it she was walking it out to the run and I kid you not, the entire flock swarmed that baby chick and by the time I got in there to save it, It was in pieces. .Not saying that it is common to happen, I wouldn't know, that was my only experience with a broody.

 

[Bigfamily4me]

I haven't taken any pics yet. The chicks (juvies really) were to be delivered by 3pm Fri (money back guarantee) but no one had any idea where they were. There was no scan of them since California 2 days before. They showed up at my post office Sat morning as I'm supposed to be heading out to drive North to get kids from Camp. Get kids back from camp, had to quick nap and then go to work. Yesterday was less hectic before work, but they are so flighty, literally flying and screeching when I put my hand in the cage to put grass down, that I haven't tried pics. They need to calm down some and get used to their new environment. I think the trip was pretty darn stressful. But thank you for asking.

 

[jvls1942]

I remember being about 12 and our first broody hatched one little black chick. the first time I saw it she was walking it out to the run and I kid you not, the entire flock swarmed that baby chick and by the time I got in there to save it, It was in pieces. .Not saying that it is common to happen, I wouldn't know, that was my only experience with a broody.

I am not saying it never happens.. what you might have had, was a hen in the way lower end of the pecking order who wouldn't stand up for herself.. were the attack chickens full grown, or juvies ??

geese juvies will do that to newly hatched/younger goslings.. it is a jealousy thing.. they are protecting their own well being with the flock..
chickens normally go not have this strong of that urge,,

a crowded place can cause such a reaction.. even with larger chickens.. if they cannot run away, they are doomed...

 

[Celtic Chick]

So a few weeks ago I was sharing about a friend on how I was helping her build better pens for her chickens. Well im not sure what to do. I spent all that time and honestly should of had much bigger pens but it was a great improvement to what she had. Well I hadn't been over their since I went thru the food poisoning and now the back and hips, bit I did manage to stop in Friday and check on how they were doing. Omg she got more chickens now! I found a person locally who would buy 50 of the chicks but she said no! These are major barnyard inbred chicks and he would pay her $2 each, she wanted $5 each, I sell my laying hens for that. I can't believe this. She has 100+ chicks and another 80 hens and a few roos. Now mind you I have 150 total but I have 8 coops besides the free ranged ones. And she also got 2 more goats to be shoved into a 20x18 shed along with 7 others, 8 cows, a calf and a Llama! The calf was very thin and ribs showing, the manure by cows was 2 feet deep. And she got 2 more cats to add to the near 40 running around outside. And also 50 rabbits and the 7 bull mastiffs and one mutt in a 2 bdrm trailer. I checks on the Mastiff with the boil that turned into a massive tumor(looks about 12"x8"now) growing on the right hip near tail, its so massive it throws her to the side when she walks. She has went from about 145# to 75# by the looks and has ribs now showing. Anyhow I think they are hopeless to help and now I should report them to animal control! What do you think? Im just pretty close to them but they've gotten to be hoarders, getting any free animal they can find but they are now suffering. Oh and I forgot the 4 pigs, 2 per pen 8x8 with literally 2 feet of liquid sh!t since last year! All these animals and their trailer are crammed on about a half acre and they own 10 and animals never get to go outside.

Report them, please!

 

[Celtic Chick]

Congrats on the chicks, Judge!

Congrats on the chicks, Heather!

 

[Twizzlebee]

I am not saying it never happens.. what you might have had, was a hen in the way lower end of the pecking order who wouldn't stand up for herself.. were the attack chickens full grown, or juvies ??

geese juvies will do that to newly hatched/younger goslings.. it is a jealousy thing.. they are protecting their own well being with the flock..
chickens normally go not have this strong of that urge,,

a crowded place can cause such a reaction.. even with larger chickens.. if they cannot run away, they are doomed...

It was so long ago I don't really remember. I believe she was in the middle of the pecking order, she got the 'favorite' roost at night right next to the rooster and top hen. The attack started with juvies, I think one picked it up and threw it, then when it landed others started going after it. I don't know that Crowding was a factor, I am using the same coop now that my dad was using during this time, and the run is12'x10' and the coop is 8x10. It was pretty spacious for around 10 hens and a rooster. But I can see it starting as aggression or curiosity, then after blood was drawn it's kind of an instinct to peck. Or the hen was just not that great of a mother.