Got chicks?

[atotton]

Yes they are quite small, about 1/3- 1/4 of the size of a regular duck.

 

[secuono]

I ended up getting 3 Pekin hens!

 

[Shari]

I would love a couple of ducks again,,, but most are too big for the room I have right now.

If I could find a couple of young female call ducks, that might work out. VBG

Beautiful ducks Secuono

 

[Marsha Cassada]

I've been letting the baby girls out during the day. They are having so much fun running around looking for bugs. The big girls are getting used to them. So, this morning I let them out, do my chores, go into the house for half an hour and come out. Two babies are gone. Nothing but some feathers. My husband came out and saw a feral cat up in the mountain. I'm sure she is the culprit. People drop their unwanted animals off out here all the time.

So, the babies are penned up again until they grow out of being cat-sized.

So frustrating, to go through everything to get the chicks raised, and then lose them in a minute. One was so friendly; she would sit on my shoulder.

 

[lucky seven]

I've been enjoying reading all of these posts, would love to have some hens and raise chicks. My next door neighbor has hens so next time we have that over the fence chat I'm going to ask her about her hen house and the best way to get started. Looks like lots of fun. Do you have problem with cats getting after the babies? My cat kills rodents and baby bunnies.

 

[Marsha Cassada]

I've been enjoying reading all of these posts, would love to have some hens and raise chicks. My next door neighbor has hens so next time we have that over the fence chat I'm going to ask her about her hen house and the best way to get started. Looks like lots of fun. Do you have problem with cats getting after the babies? My cat kills rodents and baby bunnies.

Yes. Cats kill chicks. They won't mess with a full grown chicken, but they would likely get bantys.

My rat terrier is trained to leave the chickens alone; I don't think you can train a cat.

 

[lucky seven]

If I could train this cat, he wouldn't be killing the cute bunnies but the mice and moles. lol

 

[Debby - LB]

My biddies born on May 24th are 3 weeks old now and as of Saturday she already has them roosting up in a tree. I loved watching her teach them and show them every day where they were to go. She still has all 9 of them too. I can't believe she still has all of them.

 

[Marsha Cassada]

O my gosh that is a wonderful photo!

Someone once gave us one of their free range hens. Their chickens roosted in the trees around the property. The one they got for us was roosting in a hanging basket. When we brought her home, she had no idea what to do about a chicken house. We had to put her inside on the roost for a few nights before she figured it out.

 

[lkblazin]

Awesome pictures Debby. I don't have any tree birds. So cool

 

[Debby - LB]

Thank you both! It's amazing how the hens take all the chicks up to roost and they all get under her, it's so cute. I've seen hens with way more than 9 and the ones that don't fit under she'll stretch her wings out, like hugging them to her. Sometimes they'll be one or two on the hens back because there is just no room. During this process we generally lose some because sometimes not all the chicks are strong enough to make it up the tree the night she decides to not come back down.

 

[Marsha Cassada]

A friend gave me two chicks yesterday. His flock is mixed, so the chicks are interesting. He has an incubator; I don't think any of his hens brood. These chicks are different ages, so I wasn't sure how they would mix with my two remaining girls. The red one looks mainly rhode island or sex link, but not sure about the black one. It has white on it. He does have astrolorps (sp) and this one has black legs.

Mine are scared of the red one but tend to persecute the little black one. But it seems to be working out all right.

My two are so tame now they are sitting on my shoulders. Today I was holding the little black one and my two jumped onto my head. I thought that was cute and tried to take their picture. I was so busy positioning the camera I forgot to watch my face and one tried to peck my eye out. No more head/shoulder sitting.

 

[Debby - LB]

oh that is so cute! I kind of wish I had some friendly ones. I had a little bantam rooster years ago who was a pet. The Games we have now are so wild.

 

[atotton]

My Speckled Sussex chicks finally arrived! I am so very pleased with them.

 

[Marsha Cassada]

Speckled Sussex! They sound beautiful.

My beautiful Stripey, that was hit by a car on Sunday, was a game hen. She was our prettiest, and best layer.

I've been putting drops in my chicken-attacked eye. Maybe I should go to the eye doctor? It is still red and sore today. I went out last night and they tried to perch on me again but I have learned my lesson. Chicken owners beware! I've alerted some friends whose children play with their birds to be careful. I wear my sunglasses out there now.

One of the birds given to me, the red one, has no claws on two of her toes. I thought her feet looked odd, but today I really looked more closely. I hope it doesn't interfere with her ability to scratch. Otherwise, she is a pretty girl and has a nice personality. I should take a picture and maybe send it to backyard chickens so see if anyone has had a chicken missing toenails.

 

[atotton]

Sorry for your loss.

I am new to speckled sussex but am already in love with the breed! They are so friendly and curious.

I tried uploading photos, but it won't allow me too at the moment.

 

[paintponylvr]

I was a bit "sick" - I lost several more cuckoo Marans (hatchery type) last month. Just disappeared w/ no trace.

Well, then a freind came over the other day and saw a roo mount a hen and asked why I wasn't overrun w/ chicks - and I stated because we collect/eat most of the eggs (since they've been free ranging, we don't find them all - yesterday I found several abandoned nests w/ beautiful eggs - need to put in compost pile as they will prob be stinky?).

Hauled some dog pens I purchased and came around the front yard so could pull up in the drive way and back trailer closer to back yard (this place isn't completely thought out for ease of access w/ truck/trailer! May have to remove some trees ourselves...). Couldn't get all the way thru as debri from storms was in way, so I hopped out to move that and make pit stop in house. Heard all kinds of "bird screaming" and thought "wow, we don't have those types of birds, what is going on????" and stepped around the corner of house to see ....

A Marans hen w/ so many chix running around "screaming" because they were separated that I thought we had 20 chix!!! Didn't get the camera/phone out fast enough - she turned around and collected chix as she returned to the front yard - they quit "screaming" and all returned to the calm "cheep, cheep, brrr, click" that I'm used to. So funny. FINALLY got a count - fed them some chick starter and set up a waterer for them. They are sired by our super blue "layer" - Din-Din (1/2 Ameraucana/Leghorn). 5 are yellow - 2 w/ black spots (splash? or just leakage?), 1 looks "blue" right now, 1 looks to be a cuckoo...

Will post pics tonight. I got a couple that turned out. They are out in the open - hope they do ok!

 

[paintponylvr]

Here's a couple pics of the new chickies!! We still have seven chicks. This will be fun to watch.

This hen has refused to take the chick to the coop/pen that she was in originally. How do chicks turn out when they are completely free ranging? I'm sure when they are older, they will roost either on the tops of the dog pens (as the mature ones are doing now) or in the trees...

This will be interesting... and the buff wyandotte hen is setting on a group of eggs. I'll see if she hatches any. Haven't gotten to see if they are different colors (different hens - could even be a different sire - one of the Marans is a roo and he has stayed with the flock).

 

[paintponylvr]

Hmm, I still can't get a good pic of the "little blu"... Not sure what color that one will feather in as. Really shouldn't be a blue - well, maybe?? Would have to be "out of" one of the Marans hens (not necessarily the one shown here!) and then the white sire would have to carry genetics for blue...I think that one will end up feathering in some type of brown color. She's hiding up at the top w/ head behind the stalk.

Here's 6 of the 7.

 

[Marsha Cassada]

Hope everyone's chicks are still present and accounted for! A chicken's life is so precarious.