[Food] Production - Poultry (was Backyard Chickens)

[CarlinsDarlin]

Congrats Gramps!
How many eggs is she sitting on? Over the next few days, they should continue to hatch and you'll have a bunch of grandchicks . The babies can live off their reserves (they eat the last of the egg before they hatch) for a couple days. The chick probably won't venture too far from her mama for at least a couple days. Once the hen gets a nestfull of babies, though, they'll be running everywhere. Watch her closely for a couple days. At this point if you try to move her, she'll probably abandon the rest of the eggs to take care of her one chick.

Once the rest of the eggs hatch (or all that are going to), OR the baby gets adventurous, she will come out of the nest. And 18 inches is a bit of a fall for a little one.

The only time we've had trouble with the older chickens picking on the babies (and yes, kill some of them) was when they were penned in a run. If your chickens are free range, then the mama will keep them away and/or protect them. If they're all penned together in a run, though, I'd separate them out into their own little run area.

Let us know how it goes. And congrats again
Kathy

[CarlinsDarlin]

Yeah, watch that cockapoo. My dogs don't bother the adult hens much, but they obsess over the chicks. Something about the peep...peep...peep they make, I think.

[DomusAlbion]

Wow, SpringCreekFarm. What a change!

I'm sure your cluckin' darlins' are loving their new digs.

[ohcomeon]

SpringCreekFarm I am jealous! I wish for a large coop like that.

We are getting ready to put ours up this weekend probably but it's just a metal building... Right now I've 21 chicks, but I may be about to lose one.

Here's a question for you all: I have an Ameracauna that is about 6 weeks old. I have 2 other chicks from the same hatch who are fine, but this chick appeared to have stopped growing a week or two ago. She is one of the older ones, but is now one of the smallest chicks I have out of all in that age range. In fact, I have some two weeks younger who are larger. I did isolate her 2 days ago and have fed her some scrambled eggs for the protein and have kept her well supplied with food and water. She is eating a good deal, poop looks normal. Crop does not seem overly full or empty, and her is not pasty. But she just sits. She has made little or no noise. She has not attempted to fly out of the very shallow box she's in. She just looks fluffed up and unkempt all the time and just sits. She can stand, and does not appear to be injured. Anybody got any ideas of anything I can do for this chick?? Or what might be wrong? I took out from with the others because although they were not pecking or being mean they were running over her. Now I wonder if she's depressed from being alone (if a chicken gets depressed...)

Sorry for so many details and questions, but this is my first flock and they are all young, so I am learning.

[Lumpy]

SpringCreek -
Way cool! Nice accomplishment in such a short time, too.

Think we are going to take a tip from you, and put our waterer up on concrete blocks. Will keep the poop and straw out!

Congrats to you

Lumpy

[WisJim]

You folks are reminding me that I have a dozen pullets coming in a week or so--a friend is raising them from day-old for us, as she bought a bunch of chicks, and we will get them on the 23rd, I think. I plan to put them in the orchard for the summer, and bought a roll of the light fencing with conductive strands and light posts that is easily moved, but need to get a new portable henhouse made that will be the summer resort for chickens at our place. Got to get the plans for it figured out and check over my materials pile. I plan to use a metal roof and rain gutter to collect rainwater for the chickens.

When I get it done I'll post pictures, if I don't forget.

[Ludi]

Looks great, SCF! They should be happy in there.

[Pops]

Well, I've got 4 chicks tapping on their beer box coop next to my desk. I had 2 hens laying in the same nest box and they both wound up setting a huge pile of eggs.

Now that the eggs have started hatching, there isn't enough room for the 2 of them, the pile of eggs and the chicks that hatch in that little nest. I tried to help one hen and a couple of chicks into another nest just now, we'll see hoe that works.

At least it isn't cold, at least they sit, life is good.

[Ludi]

For those who raise Bantams, what is your favorite Bantam breed?

[DomusAlbion]

Henrietta I is out in the chicken yard with her brood of chicks. She ended up with nine little fluffballs and is escorting them about in what I assume is a mother hen like fashion. She keeps her feathers fluffed up and holds out her wings to the side while giving little quiet encouraging clucks.

She only left 3 unhatched eggs behind. I checked them and they were all infertile.

Henrietta II is still sitting in the garage but I've heard a few peeps from that area and seen some broken eggshells, so I expect to see her out and about soon.

[DomusAlbion]

Henrietta II is now out with her chicks. She only hatched 5. The revised count for Henrietta I is 11 chicks. She's a real champ and is protecting her brood from other hens and cats.

We moved Henrietta II from the garage to the chicken yard. There was some fussing with H I and H I actually took H II's chicks for a time. All became sorted out and seemed to be running smoothly.
However, several hours later came H II with her chicks back to the garage through a gauntlet of curious dogs. There is little to eat in the garage. Why is she going back there? Stupid chicken.

One of our cats is exhibiting stalking behavior toward H I's chicks. I have the Ruger 10/22 at hand and may be forced to send kitty home to Jesus.

[mystiek]

What type of chicken lays pale green eggs? I have seen brown and white, but today one of my patients brought me a dozen eggs-some white, some brown and some pale green. They also raise berkshire hogs and brought me some sausage. I was so excited to receive these wonderful gifts, but my husband being the ultimate city slicker is questioning the green eggs (I heard comments like "green eggs and ham"??). I reassured him that they were edible and they were from a chicken, I just don't know what breed of chicken. Perhaps once we buy our farm I'll raise that type of chicken to help desensitize my husband to eggs other than white ones!

[DomusAlbion]

Update on the Henriettas.

Mothers and chicks are doing well and have settled into a routine. We have NOT lost one chick. The hens keep all comers at bay, including our killer cockapoo, Monk.

Final count for H I was 11 chicks.
For H II the stupid garage chicken it was only 5, however Laurelei our oldest dog and a German Shepard has adopted H II and her chicks and carefully monitors their comings and goings. I've added the old apple tree by the garage to my feeding rounds in the morning so that she and her chicks have enough to eat. This is a good place anyway because we have 5 bird feeders in this tree for the local wildlife and seeds are always getting spilled from the feeders.

The orange stalking cat mentioned earlier was dispatched by the middle son a few nights ago. It was a clean shot to the head so there was no suffering.

[Ludi]

Final count for H I was 11 chicks.

Outstanding! Congratulations.

[DomusAlbion]

Final count for H I was 11 chicks.

Outstanding! Congratulations.

I thank you for H I. She had four other eggs in the nest for a total of 15. I was amazed that one little Red could sit on that number eggs and hatch so many with success. Of those left in the nest one chick died in the shell and 3 eggs were infertile.

[mystiek]

Thanks for the green egg advice. We used them last night and noticed they had a little bit stronger? egg smell than the white ones we normally get at the store. They were delicious and nobody turned green from them. My husband ended up eating a bologna sandwhich. I'll show him your post to reassure him.

[CarlinsDarlin]

That's just because they were fresher. Most of the time, the eggs you get from the store are about a month old by the time you get them to your kitchen. Farm fresh eggs are generally a bit stronger, and the yolks are more orange. If they're less than a week old, it's difficult to boil and peel them cleanly - simply because they're still full - the liquid inside has not started to evaporate yet.

Just wait till he eats some. Once he tastes the difference in farm fresh eggs vs. store bought eggs, he won't go back
K

[Ludi]

I need to share a turkey tragedy.

Yesterday I let out the turkey moms and chicks for the first time to forage in the yard. In the evening, the moms had not returned to the coop and were being difficult to catch so I waited until after dark. When I picked them up, the 2 babies were nowhere to be found. I looked for them for about an hour and finally gave up. They disappeared with no trace - no feathers, no little body parts. Just gone.

[mercurygirl]

Sorry to hear about your turkey babies, Ludi.

I'm going tomorrow to look at a small chicken house I found on craigslist for $100. We have a friend who always has chicks and wants to give us some, yay! So I will have chickens soon.
I don't have a lot of room, so how many should I get? We go through at least a dozen eggs a week, sometimes more. I'm thinking 3 is not enough, maybe 5?

[Ludi]

5 is a good number to start with. That will give you an average of 3 eggs a day if they are decent layers.