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Officialish Chicken Photo Thread!

186K views 2K replies 114 participants last post by  ChieTheRider 
#1 · (Edited)
Show your girls and guys!

Here are my RIR's (19)! Hatched September 25th, 2011. Today I got my first two eggs! I've had chickens since I was 20, even had two laying hens in my historic downtown apartment when I was in college! Spring 2010 I was out of town for two days and there was a horrible uncommon gnat outbreak. I lost my three laying hens. So now with an improved coop, and yard we are BACK in business! Please post your eggers! We just love ours!!





I have a running contest with my Co-op friend Mary to see who can keep their hens laying the longest. So far I'm the winner, hint it's all about fresh clover! Keep it a secret! LOL!
 
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#1,274 ·
Hi @Blue - we don't get that hot here- and lord, I don't think I'd survive that :wink: But when it's up in the 90s here, I do the following:

1. Dump a bag of play sand in the run and mist it with water to cool it down- they will dust/dig in it

2. Lots of watermelon- it's by far the preferred warm weather treat here. I have a bunch of these 4qt rubber feed bowls so just cut it down to quarters or whatever size fits in the bowl (I have learned putting it in the rubber bowl is important, otherwise, they flip it over so the rind side is up and then they can't eat it). They will eat it all the way down to the rind, so don't feel like you need to cut it up into chunks or anything for them.

3. A close second to watermelon are grapes. If you're feeling really dedicated to your girls, you could cut up a bunch of them (halved or quartered) and put them in small plastic bowls, throw in a handful of fresh or frozen blueberries, and then cover with water. Stick those bowls in the freezer for a couple of hours so they're sort of frozen through but sort of slushy, and then leave those out. Bobbing for fruit commences, and they're staying hydrated while doing it. And note, if you feed blueberries, their poop will be black, but they will not be dying. Learned that one through experience :wink:

4. Hang a head of iceberg lettuce, pinata style. These aren't my chickens, but here is the video I watched that gave me the inspiration- mine are equally enthusiastic about it! I also use the setup to hang cabbage for them in the winter when there are no greens in sight.

You basically take a longest, thickest eye bolt you can find (this is just an example of what it looks like, and NOTE: I would not leave the nut on the end as if it falls off, I'm sure mine would eat it!), push it through the core of the lettuce, and hang it from a basic carabiner on a length of chain that makes it the right height. (PS, I've seen a lot of backyard chicken blogs/message boards recommend that you hang it with string or jute, but others warn chickens will eat the string or potentially get hung up in it, so I've avoided that.)

5. Yes, it's absolutely fine to put ice cubes in their water. I actually take a couple of the smaller plastic waterers and just fill them and stick the whole thing in the freezer before putting them outside. When it's that hot it melts quickly and keeps the water cool longer. Just obviously be sure there is liquid water available while they're waiting for the ice to melt.

I also really like the idea of a fan but I get worried about leaving things plugged in when I'm gone for long periods. You could also get a soaker or mister hose and put it on a timer if running water isn't an issue for you. I know some folks would never want to do that given their well situation.

Oh, and you might already know this, but don't be surprised if their poop turns really watery/runny in very hot weather. It's part of their natural cooling system but the first time mine went through that, I also convinced myself they were dying.
 
#1,275 ·
Babies continue to do well. They are busy zooming all around the run, scratching up leaves and bugs and other good things:


We've had some supervised mixing with the big girls and everything's going well. I'm not quite ready to leave them together all the time until the babies are a bit bigger, but so far so good.

And, thanks for the nighttime tips @Dreamcatcher Arabians- after practicing all week, the babies are very good about heading to the coop for bedtime. They start chirping anxiously as soon as it gets dark, and when I let them out of their "screened porch" they head right to bed. I put their little crate in there because some of them still seem worried about being out in the open, and I had to keep chasing them out of the nesting boxes. As far as I can tell, most of them are piling in there every night and a couple are on the ground next to it. They're not going to fit much longer so at that point I guess more will just need to sleep outside it.
 
#1,276 ·
And, thanks for the nighttime tips @Dreamcatcher Arabians- after practicing all week, the babies are very good about heading to the coop for bedtime. They start chirping anxiously as soon as it gets dark, and when I let them out of their "screened porch" they head right to bed. I put their little crate in there because some of them still seem worried about being out in the open, and I had to keep chasing them out of the nesting boxes. As far as I can tell, most of them are piling in there every night and a couple are on the ground next to it. They're not going to fit much longer so at that point I guess more will just need to sleep outside it.
I use a 100 gal stock tank when they're little. By the time I move them to a larger area, they're pretty crowded but always want the security of "home". I lay the stock tank on its side for a few days, so they can go in and feel secure, and pretty soon they don't really seem to care anymore and I just pull it out. The do tend to huddle a lot during the first couple of months, but now mine are all on the roosting bars in the coop with a few who prefer the floor. I've got a couple of big girls who sleep on the floor too, so it all works out.
 
#1,277 ·
@Dreamcatcher Arabians , I have to thank you again for the tips. I didn't have a stock tank (nor would it fit in my coop, which has a narrow door) but I did have an old plastic storage bin that I flipped up on its side, putting a heavy paving stone in the bottom so they couldn't accidentally tip it over and get trapped under it. It's been working like a charm- they put themselves to bed happily and have no trouble figuring out where to go.


Yesterday they had an impromptu afternoon spent with the big girls. I think I mentioned that we have them set up in a screened off area within the run. Because it's temporary, the gate to their mini-pen is just a big piece of hardware cloth held up with a couple of nails and some baling twine. At some point yesterday, the gate fell down, so when I went out in the evening, they were zipping around the run amongst the big girls. I have no idea how long they were out- could have been a few minutes or a few hours, as I had last seen them around lunchtime when I refilled their water. I did notice that a few feathers apparently flew, but no one was injured so I guess all ended well. They were just really hungry since they apparently couldn't figure out how to get back into their space where their food was!


They're really cute right now, halfway between babies and real chickens :grin:


@Blue , thought of you on a hot (for us) day this week when one of the big girls was enjoying her watermelon!
 
#1,283 ·
So exciting Dreamcatcher!

I've been meaning to pop into this thread for a couple of weeks to ask a question involving the dreaded "R" word...

So this little one was my "replacement" chick when I lost one my first week. I was told it was an Amercauna and a pullet, but I think that really it is a "mutt" Easter Egger and could be the R-word. It is currently about 8 weeks old. And that tail keeps getting curvier...


BUT- no attempted crowing. No red on the face and not even a tiny bump of a comb.


The saddle/hackle feathers seem round, not pointy.




It is average size compared to all the others (except one I have that is seeming a little runty and making me worry about failure to thrive, though she is very active and eats- just still looks full of baby fuzz and is half the size of the others).

I did read on some online forums that for Easter Eggers, that rusty red on the wings is sex-linked so that's what's got me thinking rooster. But I don't know how accurate that is, or if this is actually an Easter Egger.

Soooo....am I a boy or a girl?
 
#1,285 ·
@Celeste, you used the word "HE." That obvious, huh? :wink:

I technically could keep a rooster, I live out in the country and there's no restriction. I would have 10 hens and 1 rooster, which is a good ratio. But I really don't need any more chickens, and have no intention of hatching out eggs. And I don't know if this is anthropomorphizing or not, but I just think about my "old ladies," who are 4-5 years old, and never had to deal with an annoying young guy interested in breeding them- it just seems like an unwelcome disruption to their lives. Is that silly?

I'm sure I could find someone to give him to locally, but I think he would probably end up dinner which does seem sad to me after bringing him along this far. I would happily drive him a distance to someone who needed a rooster!

I forgot about caponizing. After reading up on it a little, it sounds like it's primarily about making more tender meat (a fate I'm hoping to avoid!) but I guess it probably also suppresses the breeding drive? But also sounds fairly controversial for a home practitioner and not something even an avian vet is interested in doing...Hmmm...
 
#1,286 ·
Egrogan, I think it's still too early to tell re: roo or no. As for breed, unless he was sold as a pure Aracauna, Ameracaunas and Easter Eggers are the same (at least out here they are considered the same). Aracaunas are pure breds and Ameracaunas are pretty much mixed with just about anything else.

Oh, and about the laying, I really wasn't expecting anything until next month, though Ameracaunas can be a little earlier. 20-26 weeks is the rule of thumb. So far, I've only found the one.
 
#1,289 ·
Hey all! Quick question

I've been locking the dogs in the house during the late morning to early afternoon to let my chickens out. Those dear girls have really caught on to the routine! They get the run of the place and do a great job scratching up bugs.

I've been finding a ton of mouse droppings in the barn and I usually lay out a mouse poison in a place that the dogs can't get to. Under some shelving or even behind all the gewgaws on a lower shelf.

Is this a problem for my chickens? I like to let them go in the barn when they want for many reasons but don't know if they will even get to this stuff. Will it be ok if I place it where I'm SURE they can't get to it?
 
#1,297 ·
@Zexious, I think the technical answer is "until it crows or lays an egg." :wink:

Seriously though, it could be any time now- or not. They are ~2 months old+, and some of what I've read says if it's a rooster, there should already be a lot of red in the comb and some attempts at crowing. But others say it may not be until 4-5 months. And that's about when laying would start if it's a girl. So I'm really not sure. I've always intentionally bought pullets when I've gotten chicks (vs. "straight run," which means you buy the chicks unsexed and take a chance). Technically I didn't actually order this particular chick, it was offered as a free replacement for one that died-I did ask about this being a pullet, and was told yes, but I don't know if that's the case because I didn't see the order form to know whether this breed was being offered as pullets or straight run.
 
#1,299 ·
@Dreamcatcher Arabians, my local feed/tack store sells chicks from roughly March-May every year. They have tons of rare breeds as well as more common heritage breeds, so you order ahead. They also have some extra you can purchase in the store even if you didn't specifically order it. So that's how I ended up with this little one- they replaced a day-old of another breed that died, but they didn't have more of the other breed (Dominique).
 
#1,300 ·
Oh, ok. Our TSC and Atwoods carry some chicks but they're mostly Americaunas or Sex Links and that's always questionable whether you'll get a pullet or not, even when buying from the pullet tubs because people pick them up, handle them and they end up mixed up. They never offer any of the so called 'rare' breeds. I think TSC will order for you but I've never gone that route.
 
#1,302 ·
Around here they post a sign to not handle but they are unattended so people, especially the kids, go to the tubs and handle them. I've seen the tubs get pretty mixed up, so there's no telling what you're getting. In short, our TSC is not my first choice of places to shop. Neither is Atwoods, same story on the chickens and even worse on the feed situation.
 
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