My attempt to keep chickens.

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bikesandbirdsbob
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Re: My attempt to keep chickens.

Post by bikesandbirdsbob »

Hi all , I can understand why you apart broody hens and eggs from the flock , it is a nightmare . They lay more eggs in nest which I have to check which are the ones I want . Moe and Goldie are nest sharing and Goldie buries her self under Moe (like a chick ) to get the eggs. One egg has broken in the moving around (I think) Box (chatter) Has over the weekend to join Goldie and Moe . Litalen has had my white star laying eggs in her card board box . More egg checking . So at the best 5 chicks more likely 3 /4 at most . One of her eggs rolled out in the fight with Box who I had pulled out more times than enough before she moved down stairs to Goldie .
So 2 each .
Mrs Woo is still the same but has company during the day with Bubbles the hen from the last batch Nr 1 blue getting Tylan , Metacam , Baytril and all the food she can eat , normally the stuff for Mrs Woo I have prepared , (sweet corn stuffed with pellets. ) . I leave them quite happily on it looking out the window together as best they can . Good mates . When Bubbles ids out side she hides from the flock . Might as well be with Mrs Woo. They have been out in the garden together with the dogs.
Molting is still about with the boys joining in . Jack joined me Sunday morning for a cuddle and let me sleep till 6.00 am . He is pretty good . I would take him early but do not trust him to get up and wander around the rooms .
Heron has killed 6 fish . I have even put metal wiring over the pond . I lost my temper as it was out there again last night . I through a broom at it , missed but broke the handle of the brush when it hit the back fence . He is the largest heron I have seen. Not sure what next , put a fence round the pond and a cover higher up. More work. Last time I lost most of my Koi and gold fish before it went . My flock run for the run/coop so I know when he is about . trouble not there all the time.
Apart from the two on the sick list and the broody hens .. all is good .
Will the hens kill the chick s if they hatch as they are due tomorrow. Not sure How long to leave after Tues before I give the eggs up as lost .
Bob

bikesandbirdsbob
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Re: My attempt to keep chickens.

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Hi all , A very GOOD day . Goldie hatched a chick at 15.30 pm , I have been listening for it all day as it was chirping away in its egg. At 15.31 pm Moe the black troublesome hen from CLACTON , had it under her . Still chirping away ,Black and naked necked. Litalen has still her 3 eggs , none chirping . Box has joined Moe nad Goldie . I have taken her away . but she has now decided Litalen is a good opportunity of a free hatch . Litalen is forced away when she goes away to stretch and eat/drink. Not sure what the situation is with 2 hens sharing a chick or even 4 if no others hatch . Put Chick crumb and water in and near the nest so as water and food for chick.
Mrs Woo same and Bubbles Kept her company all day . Put back in the Main coop for night .
2 new hens went slugging today for most of morning , whilst I took dogs for a walk. Saw them eat one anyway. Take them early next time when damp .
Heron killed a fish yesterday , my oldest one over a foot long , sentimental fish .
Described it as a whale to everyone I meet. will miss his face looking up at me .
Spent all afternoon putting wire over the pond over it and round . Will not stop it but best I can do at the moment.
Only Jack stretched his legs tonight , no time for the other 2 boys . Trouble is can not get them back in before work.
So a happier note to write today on birth not death .
Bob
I do hope it is a hen......
bikesandbirdsbob
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Re: My attempt to keep chickens.

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Hi all , sad day in the house of Penelope and Red . Mrs Woo , long term sickie , Died in my arms at 11.30 am . I tried to keep her alive , but felt that it was her time . I kept her warm and she passed away . There is more but I will keep it to myself as upsetting .
Junior is running around and chirping loudly . I think he is a boy .....
Black cap bald neck and a black feathery body . So funny and cute.
Lucky he has 2 mothers and many on lookers .Litalen has Box taking over and she is being left out , unlike Goldie who shares her chick nicely. Not sure what to do as Box is persistent . Rest of flock good or as well as can be expected .
Not a happy chappy for sure tonight.
Bob
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sandy
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Re: My attempt to keep chickens.

Post by sandy »

Aw Bob, I am so happy you have a new life but so sad Mrs Woo has gone, we and you of course were expecting it but never lessens the sadness {hug&kiss}
Please take a photo of your new baby for us to see saturday x
The Pink Ladies..Audrey,Ingrid-Bergman,Madeleline,Norma-Jean,Dora,Janice,Jo,Robyn,Chrissy and Joyce
The Peds…Mork,Mindy,Bell,Saphire &
Vorky ,Blueped,Ginger,Ninger &Linky

Sunny Clucker was ere July 12-21 2012
Sunny Clucker was ere July 6 2016 to Sept 9th 2017
Sunny Clucker is here , rehomed Aug 18th 2018/
bikesandbirdsbob
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Re: My attempt to keep chickens.

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Hi I tried but did not come out as black against black (MOE ) Have picked it up (Junior ) He is so cute Naked neck , Looks like an Emu . Hope some more come along , going to put Litalen in the Med ward with her eggs . Box will have to go without .
Bob
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Re: My attempt to keep chickens.

Post by Cheshire Chick »

Sorry to hear about Mrs. Woo Bob. You went above and beyond with her and loved her until the end. Glad she went peacefully in your arms - You gave her a good life and lots of love and attention and that's all anyone can ask for (or be lucky enough to get). Congrats on the chick. Would really love to see a photo I bet he/she is SO cute. Good luck with the other hatchlings - exciting times for you.
bikesandbirdsbob
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Re: My attempt to keep chickens.

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Hi all , thanks and Photo chick will be forth coming soon . It is unbelievably , cute.
Kitchen would be empty , but Bubbles is in with me for company till she recovers ?
All good . Junior is still chirpy and doing what his mothers tell it.
Litalen and box still sitting on the eggs , like Goldie . Begining to think they will not hatch. If the first egg was 4 days before it was sat on the other ones may be -2 days more .
Have the chick I wanted , but another one for company would have been better.
Next time maybe.
Had a bad night shift yesterday , spent time in bed sleeping so not a lot done .
Jack had a stretch for a hour before work.
Bob
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Re: My attempt to keep chickens.

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Hi , I have photos of Junior . It and Goldie and Moe in the Med ward in garden . I put them in the coop part and shut the door . Air wire and glass windows so should be o.k. . The mum`s are feeding it blackberry /brambles and adult food , which it is pecking away at . Goldie stands in the bowl and scratches it out . It has chick crumbs.
Now the interesting bit . Have you ever stood in a coop with eggs in your ear.
Well I have all day.
The noise chick and the flock showing interest in what I was doing and made it difficult to work out if anything was inside . I thought I heard scratching in all of them
probably my heart .
Tues they was started on the nest . first one 3 weeks to the day hatched . eggs believed 4 days old . If the others was less than 4 days , I thought by today/ tomorrow they would hatch , not an exact science . So maybe I may get more chicks . Both hens still on the eggs (Litalen/Box ) . Do they know more than me . At what point will they give up and leave the eggs . If they feel /hear them inside maybe that is why they are still sitting on them . Would not want to take the eggs away and find chicks inside .
Gold fish for flock today , 30 fish dead . Think the heron killed some and poison the water . Run water for most of the day to wash through , pulled out the dead ones and feed the flock.
See if I can get the photos on the computer.
Bob
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Re: My attempt to keep chickens.

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Hi all , still one chick , still cute and 2 mum`s looking after it.
Dog went near the med ward and Moe defended Junior like a hen gone mad .
Bubbles still eating and I have hand fed to insure she is getting plenty . Dog cage at the moment .
Boys awake at 4.30 am this am , neighbor`s all off to work early. All good , dark mornings are causing a headache as still dark when leaving for work , Let the girls out or not.
Bob
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Re: My attempt to keep chickens.

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Hi all , No crowing at 4.30 am , switched alarm off , They got me up (well Jack really ) and the neighbors (They woke them up turning the lights on) at 5.00 am .
Junior still good and out bringing his /hers mum with her at 5.30 am .
Let the flock out and left them to it once light .
Dodgy time as next week I will have to leave them locked up till mid morning every day when at work.
Bob
No new chicks and Box / Litalen still sitting on them . Should take them away . Shame Litalen would have loved them . I actually thought she had the most chance of hatching .
Bob
bikesandbirdsbob
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Re: My attempt to keep chickens.

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Hi all , Last night (after a chat from a neighbor over the road ) I attempted to shut the boys up . IT WORKED . I closed the coop doors of their coops . This made it dark . I was concerned due to the high temps at night . But they needed shutting up for a while to give the lady some sleep....
Well 4.30 am alarm went off. No noise . 5.00 am still in bed , no noise and freightened to go down stairs as they would here me. 5.30 am and I am still in bed . Should be at work by now. 6.00 am I got out of bed and dressed as worried they was gone .
I went outside and they started . But at least I knew it had worked.
Junior had a run out in the garden with the flock . Little Goldie the Dagenham lass went mad as soon as another hen came near , Moe Clacton hen just attacked anything in pecking range , including me when I picked Junior up. the hens had a bath and Junior stood near . He wandered off and the pair shot off after Junior .
I am not going to se.x it yet as that would be tempting fate .
Litalen is sitting on her eggs , I will have to take them away as not going to hatch now for sure . Box is on her nest with nil eggs under her . would order some more eggs , but Litalen has been broody now for months . Needs a rest .
girls wanting food all the time as soon as they see me so no change there. Bubbles has made her self at home in the kitchen on the dog cage , eye sight is bad as pecks inches off target . Big bowl with lots in helps her .
So happy at the moment , wait and see what Junior grows into .
Bob
If a she I should be able to get a cockerel bird for her fairly easily .
Bob
bikesandbirdsbob
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Re: My attempt to keep chickens.

Post by bikesandbirdsbob »

Hi all , Well today I took Litalen and Box eggs away . I broke them open to see what had happened . One had a part formed chick the other was Empty ....
Feel sorry for Litalen she has been so good . Maybe next time they can share some eggs.
Junior and mum`s out in garden stretching and scratching about . Junior is a mini ROAD RUNNER . He runs around chirping . He ran over Moes tail , along her back , onto her head and jumped off and ran away.
Junior sleeps under Goldie , Goldie sleeps under Moe . She covers them all with her wings . Happy partnership. Moe takes on the hens etc that come near and Goldie takes Junior away.
Had a lovely lay in till 6.00 am this morning.
All good , counted the flock last night 33 in the flock plus Junior.
Bob
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kitla
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Re: My attempt to keep chickens.

Post by kitla »

chick sounds cute, cant wait to see a picci. One of my last chicks ran around cheeping all the time - it was a girl, so >fi<
"He who is cruel to animals becomes hard also in his dealings with men. We can judge the heart of a man by his treatment of animals."
--Immanuel Kant
bikesandbirdsbob
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Re: My attempt to keep chickens.

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Hi all , well the chick is /has risked its life many , many times today.
First , I let the family out for a stretch . Indie the killer cat was watching and getting ready to launch at Junior . I shouted at her , she made her run , Moe the Big hen Spread her wings , puffed up screeching at her , Goldie called Junior and panicked ran towards her .
Well my intervention stopped it all , I had to check Indie did not have Junior . Heard him under Goldie so no harm done . Next he continued to dash around , should call Junior Dash , whilst mum`s mud bathed , being covered in dirt a s well . He then darts in with the 2 boys on there own`s pen . In and out in and out . Well I told the mum`s to take him away . Fortunately the boys was watching the hens the other direction. Now later on in the afternoon , the little devil had me as well , he went from the metal run area into the 2 boys coop run with tiny wire . He was running along the wall , Goldie the other side . Not going far enough to the door way to the run cage area.I opened the door to a pair of feather killers. I got scratched and beaten . Junior ran the other way and out the door , whilst i was fighting for my hand and the door shut.
He then decided to explore Jack run and coop area .
Amazing the boys never tried to harm Junior .
I dug up the main run and buried /filled and wired up the rat holes . More to do.Girls not willing to let me do it on my own.
Do not work with children and Chickens.
Good advise.
Bob
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Re: My attempt to keep chickens.

Post by bikesandbirdsbob »

hi all ,Junior is out and about with the flock some parts of the day . I only let him and his mum`s out when I am around . Junior is the only creature that can walk unnoticed in the terrors and Jack`s runs . They don`t seem to mind Junior in there at all .I was worried but have got less concerned , though I try to discourage it.
Bubbles seems happy , sits on the dog cage , gets a wander in the garden front and back , still on Tylan . I feed her on the dog cage to make sure she is eating well. Not giving her to much additional attention except a squirt of Tylan and some sweet corn to double check she is getting enough. Put on some mussle on the chest bone area.
black seems to work and waking up 5.30 onward`s depending what time I or the neighbors are awake.
Evil has eye trouble but believe age related , feeding her when I can , she gets food so not a problem . Some of my flock are well old now , like Rocky , Evil Champ and even Pom Pom and friends .
Bob

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