Quite Simply, Chook Chat

[RichmondHens]

Love that cute chick pic Petal. Just what we need to brighten up our day. Only one chick here, and he's a boy! Not sure if I will manage to get any others given my lack of broodies, maybe a few later on if the Orps go, we shall see. A Maran breeder friend is saving me some of her pullet chicks though which I will collect when they are off heat.

The cock with the ? stroke seems to have recovered. He is now acting perfectly normally again and back to being first out of the house and chasing the ladies with renewed vigour.

[Glutton4...]

How weird, RH, but good news nonetheless!

Cuuuuuute Baby pics, Petal.

[bearded bloke]

One of my chooks needs urgent psychiatric help ........



Spot her problem .....











Nowt unusual there you say,







But look again












Yep,she thinks she's a Bantam ............

[Glutton4...]

That's a 'wind egg' As in Phhttt what was that!

One of mine has a problem too...

[Glutton4...]

Here ya go, got this yesterday - must be a double yolker. The smaller one is a BIG egg as per shop sizes!

[bearded bloke]

Our only double yolkers were from Colonel Sanders (RiP) bless her,gone but not forgotten

[scorpius]

Petal, love the chick pics!

RH, glad your boy is ok, strokes/nerve problems can 'disappear'.

Ive got 7 chicks (5 boys?, 2 girls) @the mo & 7 more due under silkie broody.

Just been to turn eggs in incy & have a silkie chick hatched!!!

[jessmorris]

Beautiful chicks Petal. I've got my first four slightly random Orloff hatch. They look lively and have big fluffy trousers (so probably all cockerels!). Will leave mama to get settled for a coupla days and then think about pics

[Feral007]

A quick update on the Ex Batt's. We let the new girls out for the first time yesterday. Opened up part of the fence so they could go out but still run back in (29.4 ha is a lot of space to try and catch a chook in!)
Took quite a while before they got brave, and a lot of food! Frank wasn't sure what to do with them. I tried to convince him not to jump on them the first day....but well when Feral Beryl pecked him!
Two of the new girls went into the main chook house last night. Had to put poor Delilah back into her own yard as all the batt's were pecking at her. Feral Beryl stayed in the Batt House, and Delilah had to stay in her box overnight so be safe. FBeryl was pecking her box to pass the time this morning :/

All but Delilah are out and mixing well this morning.
Yesterday 3 of the battie's laid an egg and Shirl so 4 altogether. Now if we can get Tic without Tac and Delilah to lay we'll be swimming in eggs!
Have the same size issue as everyone else. One medium spotted egg. One massive pointy egg, two smallish brown eggs.

[Glutton4...]

Personally, Feral, I'd keep all the Hens together in a smaller enclosure until they've learned to lay in the required place. Let 'em out afternoons only. 29.4 hectares is a ruddy great big area to egg-hunt every day! If they're already trained, just tell me to keep my nose out!

I'm still chuckling about yesterday's episode with an escaped Hen and my daft Dawg!

[Glutton4...]

Just realised I didn't put it in this thread, so, if you missed it;

Let Dog out, he asked to come back in. When in, he stood at the door asking to go out. Let him back out, and he turned round and looked at me. I didn't understand his expression, so went out with him, only to discover a loose Battie wandering around the garden. Dog scared of loose Chook!

He gave chase when I went out to catch her - I think he was trying to protect me! I ended up putting him back indoors, so I could pick her up and pop her back in the run. Made me laugh.

[Feral007]

They are laying in the nest boxes G4, they also sleep in there! Obviously a nice safe familiar feel to an enclosed space

I'm pretty sure that 3 of the new batties went over to Frank's side of the coop tonight, but jic I left Delilah in her box o/night.
She obviously has Victim writ big on what's left of her feathers So I'm planning to let her have the 2nd side of the coop and the run attached to it, and see if she can cope with that for a few days. She is so much braver and less hysterical than when she arrived, so it probably won't go on forever, but they are quite mean with her atm. The other batt's are debeaked, don't really want mine to have a go (not sure whether they would or not) as they aren't debeaked and could do damage much quicker.

Frank keeps an eye on them all G4, he's quite the sheepdog, or sheeprooster? Some of the batt's started wandering this afternoon and he was giving them a proper telling off!

[Glutton4...]

Sounds like it is all well under control, Feral. My only concern is that the bald one will always be picked on, as she has never actually joined the flock. It will be just like introducing one new Hen. When she has grown some feathers, you could try keeping one more with her for about a week, then introduce the two to the flock together. Well, that's what I would do, anyway!

[jessmorris]

Ho ho, I've done the feather test at 3 days old and it looks like I've 3 pullets and a cockerel in my newbie chicks. What are the chances of that coming true?!

[RichmondHens]

You may just be lucky, fingers crossed. You deserve lots of pullets after your run of illness earlier in the year.