Recent content by AmeliaBedelia

Yay!!!

Good point. Hadn’t considered selective breeding/natural selection for hens who aren’t gluttons 🤣. And interesting point about brooding having a weightloss/possible health role. Orpingtons can tend toward broodiness more than the skinny breeds - wonder if that is why they also tend to eat...

1 is definitely a hen, but those rust colored shoulder patches on 2 have me concerned. @EmmaRainboe ? Thoughts?

Yeah, I was going by them saying it was “flat like a wyandotte” to assume it’s not a straight comb…those are usually easily spotted. I didn’t seeeeee anything in the top-down photo, but yeah, the side photo is too blurry to tell for sure. Guess time (or more photos) will tell!

Jersey giants should have a straight comb though? 🤔

I think it is an “anything can happen” situation. Honestly though you are more likely to lose one to a health issue or hawk probably. I don’t recall seeing “help! snake bite!” posts on here…you’d think you would see them a lot if they were a common issue?

I only free-feed growing chicks. Well, I guess occasionally also the hens if you count when I am going out of town for a night and use the large hanging feeder to be “super sure” they have plenty while I am gone. But day-to-day, I scoop the recommended amount x number of chickens and that’s...

It is always a risk to let them out. I will say that chickens are NOT sneaky animals. So a copperhead should hear them a mile off and have time to get out of the way. But things can (do) happen if you free range.

I just got shipped chicks and only used a heat plate (technically a heating pad I rigged up). They are on day 5 and doing great. Also the brooder is outdoors. I will say (1) it hasn’t been freezing - if outdoors in February it could be a different story, and (2) I did keep close tabs in them the...

Pretty chicken!!

It’s possible some allergens could transfer I suppose? It works that way with breastfeeding moms and babies with food allergies 🤔🤷‍♀️. So maybe if someone had a soy allergy, for example…? Worth investigating at least.

Ok I’ll check the feet in a few minutes when I clean out the brooder. 👍

So the white in the SLW makes the legs lighter too? Interesting…my SLW was basically all black when his adult feathers first started coming in. The lacing took a while to show up. The feather differences were also throwing me since as I said the SLW had black feathers with maybe a teeeny slit...

Attempt at a better wing photo:

This chick is supposed to be a black laced red wyandotte, but the legs are more tan than the bright yellow my silver laced wyandotte had, and just overall not sure about the feathers coming in either. Thoughts? In the leg photos with 2 chicks, “BO” is buff orpington and “GCM” is golden copper...