Naked Neck/Turken Thread

[chickengr]

Thanks everyone, grandma is even better today!

Here we don't have bobcats, the biggest predator that we have here are foxes, but I just think they didn't do it.

The reason why I thought it was cats is because we have 3 cats that were bor on my neighbour's property where nobody lives and they are completely wild. Nobody ever feeds them, they are always hungry and people could never come near them. And the hen that is killed is actually very small- almost bantam sized.

On the other hand- as much as small she was, I don't think they could drag her anywhere.

Oh and the predator is very clean. I found exactly six feathers and a very small spot of blood.

This is my first predator problem in six years.

this afternoon I realized 1 muscovy duck was missing. I went to the neighboring plot and found just a few feathers. I spoke to the breeder I got her from and he says that it must have been a bird. I don't know when it happened, if at night he says might have been owl (there are 2 kinds of owl in this area) and if at daytime probably hawk. unfortunately I didn't pay attention how many ducks there were in the morning. I left the light on and put the tape over the duck's run. whatever it was it will return. I closed the chicken's pens for the first time after a year and a half and left 1 dog in the big run.

 

[Phill98]

It might be an owl, but I haven't sen them in years.

 

[draye]

Just checking in to see what everyone is up to. Not much going on in my neck of the woods.

Hens are still molting and getting two eggs every other day. Can't figure out the new pullets that had started laying. They just up and quit. I've resentky moved them around and 1 of them had started again.

Going to try to get lights in the sheds for them and see if that will help them pick back up.

 

[Pensmaster]

Just checking in to see what everyone is up to. Not much going on in my neck of the woods.

Hens are still molting and getting two eggs every other day. Can't figure out the new pullets that had started laying. They just up and quit. I've resentky moved them around and 1 of them had started again.

Going to try to get lights in the sheds for them and see if that will help them pick back up.

Hello Draye. I'm still in a molt with mine as well. Pushing protein in the form of dog food to see if it helps. One coop had started eating eggs. Today is the first day to come home to eggs in the coop. Maybe extra protein is helping them jury still out on that one. Frustrating as I can't find the one or more doing it.

On the NN I got in the beginning of June the two roosters are probably going to go. I'm not impressed with their size and unless I built more coops it's time for them to go. A couple of the hens are sizing up fairly well. I may put them in with my project rooster a non NN of good size and character. Of the 7 pullets 3 are laying, not regular but three different eggs.

The above plan may change tomorrow as I check them out better. I don't do lights as they already crow too early and I'm trying to not bother the neighbors as much as possible. Very hard to do with 7 roosters.

Other than that the winter hours well.....let me just say I don't like it but there's no changing that so it marches on.

I hope your pullets get to laying regular for you, even with winter setting in. I'm hoping mine do as well. It was the plan anyways.

 

[chickengr]

chickens in greece have stopped laying as well. I have 2 Nn pullets, they both stopped then 1 started to lay again. my decembar hatched Nn pullets lay a bit more. a marans pullet lays regulary, I found 2 eggs in a coop where I have 6 pullets and my big flock stopped laying although not all of them molt. only my sick hen and one injured hen lay regularly

 

[Kassaundra]

My gals aren't laying well, but I don't add light.

I'm still waiting for those stingy CX girls to start laying, just as soon as they do I plan to AI them and Stripey butt, (the naked boy). I will hatch all those eggs I can get this winter, I hate hatching in the winter but need to hatch those eggs before the girls "age out" They hatched on May 1st, but not even a pullet egg yet. They are active souls though. They were raised in a flock of "normal" chickens, well normal for this thread, NN and nakeds and rabbits. They are huge but still manage to get on top of a 3 foot tall ledge, I worry about their legs getting down, but so far so good.

We have lost several animals, in the past 2 months, but not to preditors to age. Millie our rescue golden retriever and Tucker my doxie, and our cat Pebbles, then yesterday I had to euthanize Miss Reba, my red NN the last survivor of the chickeggedon a couple of years ago, she was gimpy from a rooster leg injury and allowed to live in peace and retirement in the nakeds pen out of sentimentality, being the last "original" left.

I have 2 young males I need to "take care of" they are not NN so they will be skinned, maybe I'll get to those tomorrow. I also have several females I need to "retire" to freezer camp. Some b/c of age some just to "tighten" the gene pool a bit.

 

[chickengr]

My gals aren't laying well, but I don't add light.

I'm still waiting for those stingy CX girls to start laying, just as soon as they do I plan to AI them and Stripey butt, (the naked boy). I will hatch all those eggs I can get this winter, I hate hatching in the winter but need to hatch those eggs before the girls "age out" They hatched on May 1st, but not even a pullet egg yet. They are active souls though. They were raised in a flock of "normal" chickens, well normal for this thread, NN and nakeds and rabbits. They are huge but still manage to get on top of a 3 foot tall ledge, I worry about their legs getting down, but so far so good.

We have lost several animals, in the past 2 months, but not to preditors to age. Millie our rescue golden retriever and Tucker my doxie, and our cat Pebbles, then yesterday I had to euthanize Miss Reba, my red NN the last survivor of the chickeggedon a couple of years ago, she was gimpy from a rooster leg injury and allowed to live in peace and retirement in the nakeds pen out of sentimentality, being the last "original" left.

I have 2 young males I need to "take care of" they are not NN so they will be skinned, maybe I'll get to those tomorrow. I also have several females I need to "retire" to freezer camp. Some b/c of age some just to "tighten" the gene pool a bit.

people say that winter hatch results in more girls.

 

[DesertChic]

people say that winter hatch results in more girls.

I would have to argue that assumption. One of my winter hatches resulted in 6 boys and 3 girls.

 

[chickengr]

I would have to argue that assumption. One of my winter hatches resulted in 6 boys and 3 girls.

thanks! I will not insist to hatch in winter.

 

[Fire Ant Farm]

Quote: Yup - hardly any eggs here either - I had hoped that the new pullets would carry the weight when the older girls slowed down, but that coop is dealing with fowl pox (dry, thank goodness), with some of them affected more than others. Used to be getting about 9 a day from them (12 pullets in there), now getting 2 or 3. It's a coin toss each day as to whether I get anything from all the other older girls, who are all molting. It's ok, I suppose, I always have too many eggs.

HATE that it gets dark so early these days. SO hard to get things done after work.

Quote: Then it's just as well that I don't seem to have any eggs to hatch from!!!!

Tomorrow morning I am giving the Speckled Sussex girls who are with Tank to a friend of mine. He loves them very very much, so I hope he'll be distracted and happy with his new GNH girls (and I hope the introduction goes well). I'm going to pull the SS off the roost early tomorrow morning to put them in the transport cage, then pull the GNHs off the roost and put them in the chicken hospital while I deliver the SS. When I get back from the delivery, I'll then do the introductions (and hope that Tank hasn't lost his mind before then) - I don't want it to go unsupervised.

- Ant Farm