Peeps in Europe!

[LoreWalker]

He is very pretty!! I do hope you can teach him. Did he show this behavior with his previous owner as well?
I think Brahma are absolutely stunning.

He showed the same behaviour at the previous owners too. They have little kids. Their 8-year-old was fine, but they also had a 4- and 6-year-olds who grew fearful of Duts. And he's a big, heavy boy, so I can absolutely understand that.

So far he just jumps up once and then walk off when that doesn't work in chasing us away from his hens. I think with time he may just give up, the adults didn't really have this problem with him, just the kids unfortunately. Time will tell.

But yeah, brahma are very pretty chickens! Our previous rooster was a gold partridge brahma too, they're my favourite colour for the breed I think! He was such a gentle soul, but his health issues got too bad for him to have a good quality of life anymore.

 

[Beckyard_Silkies_Ger]

Ah, I am not an expert in breeds, but I see some silkies and mini Cochins? I have been trying to hatch silkies, I have one couple and the hen is just a hatching machine. Lays 6 eggs and goes broody. Raises the chicks for about 1.5 months, lays 6 eggs and goes broody. I have two eggs pure Silkies eggs in the incubator now, I am about to check if they are fertile tonight. My mini Cochins hatch didn't turn well ,last week - 2 out of 10 eggs.

Yes, I have brahma, pekins (mini cochins), bantam silkies, regular silkies, satin silks (F1), cream legbar, chabo, swedish flower, sumatra and a few mix.
Silkies and bantam silkies are indeed a breed which goes broody quite often and they hatch out just about any egg they get.
If your hatch didn't turn out well, would you know why? Was it temperature or too little dampness?
I hope you will find a few hens. Unfortunately I'm in Germany, so probably way too far.

 

[Beckyard_Silkies_Ger]

Does anybody have a chicken with frizzle genes?

Yes. The large one is the mommy, the little one is her baby

 

[LoreWalker]

Does anyone have an idea on how to teach our chicks to walk the plank to their coop?

We moved our chicks outside today. They had outgrown our indoor rabbit cage, and we don't have the space for anything larger inside. They're in their own separate little run, right next to the chicken coop and run. I'm honestly pretty nervous about them being ok for the night! They're almost 3 weeks old now.

It has a coop that has space under it, a wyandotte bantam can easily walk underneath there. We put them all in the coop part, they walked down the plank no problem. So we put their heatlamp in there and food and assuming they'd find their way up there again... Wrong! After a few hours I put them all up in the coop as they were piling into a c they ate as if they were starving. Then they all went back down the plank. A few found their way up there but most remained on the ground. They were very happy when their heating plate and food were put there! The run is now covered with fleece blankets on top and 2/3 of the sides

I hope they'll learn to use the plank to go up into the coop soon. The coop is safer for them to sleep in, not so drafty, and I imagine it would be a bit warmer too! Fingers crossed!

 

[BDutch]

They have to learn to walk the plank. In a situation with a mother hen , the mother goes up and calls the chickens ‘come come’ until they do.

Withouth the mother you are the one who has yo teach them and the circumstances should be easy for them.
Good;

• A light in the coop until its time to sleep. Can be a lightbulb , but a window is better. If you want the chicks to stay upstairs for the night you can make is quite dark
• A very easy to walk on plank: wide gangway with a small slope. They will understand this faster than a steep plank.
• Make a sound (like kom kom kom) rvery time you want the chickens upstairs to rest. They will associate this sound with resting and warmth.
  
  
  Here my chicks were underneath the easy slope , and above the slope with a towel where I put a little food on so they would practice to use the slope.
  
  
  

 

[BDutch]

My 3 chicks had 2 broodies who took care of them. The one who was actally sitting on the eggs that hatched is still mothering. But after 5 weeks the other hen went outside free ranging with the other chickens a few hours. She went out to free range for the second time today. And this evening the other broody is roosting with the flock again now.

Edit: photo taken last Saturday.

 

[abpatchy]

They have to learn to walk the plank. In a situation with a mother hen , the mother goes up and calls the chickens ‘come come’ until they do.

Withouth the mother you are the one who has yo teach them and the circumstances should be easy for them.
Good;

• A light in the coop until its time to sleep. Can be a lightbulb , but a window is better. If you want the chicks to stay upstairs for the night you can make is quite dark
• A very easy to walk on plank: wide gangway with a small slope. They will understand this faster than a steep plank.
• Make a sound (like kom kom kom) rvery time you want the chickens upstairs to rest. They will associate this sound with resting and warmth.
  View attachment 2706973Here my chicks were underneath the easy slope , and above the slope with a towel where I put a little food on so they would practice to use the slope.
  
  View attachment 2706978

First picture... the one on the right seems to be a rooster... just look at the way he has his head up to check things out. The one on the left looks more like a hen. Let's see what they will be! They are adoreable!!!

 

[abpatchy]

Does anyone have an idea on how to teach our chicks to walk the plank to their coop?

We moved our chicks outside today. They had outgrown our indoor rabbit cage, and we don't have the space for anything larger inside. They're in their own separate little run, right next to the chicken coop and run. I'm honestly pretty nervous about them being ok for the night! They're almost 3 weeks old now.

It has a coop that has space under it, a wyandotte bantam can easily walk underneath there. We put them all in the coop part, they walked down the plank no problem. So we put their heatlamp in there and food and assuming they'd find their way up there again... Wrong! After a few hours I put them all up in the coop as they were piling into a c they ate as if they were starving. Then they all went back down the plank. A few found their way up there but most remained on the ground. They were very happy when their heating plate and food were put there! The run is now covered with fleece blankets on top and 2/3 of the sides

I hope they'll learn to use the plank to go up into the coop soon. The coop is safer for them to sleep in, not so drafty, and I imagine it would be a bit warmer too! Fingers crossed!

I never had an issue with chicks finding their way down a ramp but not up. Maybe there is an issue with the ramp? Too slippry or too steep?
Since you have to physically move them into the coop, I would put them on the ramp and make them walk the last bit. Once one or two of them got the point the others should follow.

 

[LoreWalker]

I never had an issue with chicks finding their way down a ramp but not up. Maybe there is an issue with the ramp? Too slippry or too steep?
Since you have to physically move them into the coop, I would put them on the ramp and make them walk the last bit. Once one or two of them got the point the others should follow.

My buff orpington chicks (4) found their way up and down there just fine. They're the ones that are the most curious though, so I'm not surprised they're the ones that figured it out first. But the other 11 (blue laced orps & silver laced wyandottes) were all huddled downstairs, peeping because they were cold and hungry.

Since 4 made it up there, I expected the others to be able to do the same. It's a wooden plank with a couple wooden strips on top for extra grip, but the chicks are way too small to step from one strip onto the next for grip. I could put a towel on the plank to make it a bit easier for them to walk on? And I'll see about making the plank longer so it's less steep to climb, but the run itself isn't super long so there's only so much length that can be added.


Putting them halfway up the plank sounds like a good idea too, I'll try that as well! Maybe put some food on there and hope that will make them realise they have a warm space up there.

 

[Erba]

I regulary had to put them in the coop in the beginning. And always have to do the same game, everytime I have chicks. They just huddle outside as well. They get the hang of it, after a couple of days, Was never the ramp, they just had to learn to go into the coop at dark.