What did you do with your flock today?

[Shetland lover]

That's amazing! I had a dog that would find my oldest when I asked him where she is. He also knew what I wanted if I asked him where his ball, tug, Kong or our rabbit was. I do think chickens are a lot smarter then a lot of people give them credit for. You must have an amazing bond with Ferdy

I don't think I ever imagined having such an incredible bond with a bird. He is pretty intelligent and very train-able. He 'gets' things very quickly and he's super affectionate. He loves to snuggle into my neck and nibble my ear, preens me at least twice a day and gives me little 'kisses'. He likes to make a lot of eye contact and loves one on one time. He loves to sit on my left shoulder and if I take him to the food gods aka the fridge and pantry, he indicates what he wants to eat by craning his neck towards it and makes a trilling noise when I select the right item. He has me well trained!
He amazes me as he is so friendly and yet is very good at being a roo, finding food, escorting them places, protecting them etc. He managed to learn all his roo duties without the benefit of his dad too.

 

[FrankieDoodle]

I don't think I ever imagined having such an incredible bond with a bird. He is pretty intelligent and very train-able. He 'gets' things very quickly and he's super affectionate. He loves to snuggle into my neck and nibble my ear, preens me at least twice a day and gives me little 'kisses'. He likes to make a lot of eye contact and loves one on one time. He loves to sit on my left shoulder and if I take him to the food gods aka the fridge and pantry, he indicates what he wants to eat by craning his neck towards it and makes a trilling noise when I select the right item. He has me well trained!
He amazes me as he is so friendly and yet is very good at being a roo, finding food, escorting them places, protecting them etc. He managed to learn all his roo duties without the benefit of his dad too.

That’s so cute!!

 

[ChicksnMore]

Did they peel ok? A friend told.me her trick to use an instant pot to cook eggs. Works like a charm. 99% of the eggs peel great.

The first time I gave one of our neighbors a dozen fresh eggs, he thought they were old because of how they peeled! I had to explain to him the difference between fresh and store bought, how to boil for an easy peel, how to float test etc. Now he loves fresh eggs...but the first few times I gave him eggs, he fed them to his dog because of how they peeled.

 

[ChicksnMore]

I don't think I ever imagined having such an incredible bond with a bird. He is pretty intelligent and very train-able. He 'gets' things very quickly and he's super affectionate. He loves to snuggle into my neck and nibble my ear, preens me at least twice a day and gives me little 'kisses'. He likes to make a lot of eye contact and loves one on one time. He loves to sit on my left shoulder and if I take him to the food gods aka the fridge and pantry, he indicates what he wants to eat by craning his neck towards it and makes a trilling noise when I select the right item. He has me well trained!
He amazes me as he is so friendly and yet is very good at being a roo, finding food, escorting them places, protecting them etc. He managed to learn all his roo duties without the benefit of his dad too.

That's beautiful . I grew up with livestock chickens. When we got our first chicken here in AZ, we'd gone to the pumpkin farm to pick pumpkins and they had been selling chicks. They had one chick left and a little toddler still in diapers was holding it by the neck with no adult intervening. So I took the baby away from the baby and bought it. By the time we got home, the little chick was certain my oldest, Kimi, was momma. Her and that chicken were inseparable for years. She'd walk outside and call and Esmeralda would come running like a puppy. Kimi would squat down, hold open her arms, and Essie would run up between Kimi's legs, drape her neck over Kimi's knee and close her eyes. If you saw it, you'd be certain that chicken was hugging Kimi. I'd never seen such a loving chicken before...it was a beautiful thing to watch. Your Ferdy sounds just like Essie...he knows who loves him and how to communicate with you

 

[ChicksnMore]

I kept the girls (2 laying coops of about 70 pullets) shut in until late in the day today to make sure they didn't have hidden nests out side their coops and still only got a dozen eggs. No signs of a molt even starting. I'm cutting their bag feed down and increasing their pasture feed.

Sounds like you have an amazing number of chickens! I'm wondering if you broke them into smaller flocks per coop and turned them out one coop per day, or each coop let out widely separated, if that'd increase your egg production, get them returning to their coops on their own at night, and reduce roo problems? I've never raised chickens in that kind of volume and I'm trying to imagine the challenges of it. It sounds very challenging to me! I'm used to single flocks per coop that live as a family unit even when there's multiple roos. Think when you get 70 birds in one group, the family behavior breaks down. I'm wondering if they're trying to form flocks and find separate roosting areas for their self formed flocks?

I don't envy you trying to manage that many birds. Sounds like you want to give them a good life and maximize their productivity at the same time. It'll be interesting to hear how you solve the problems you're encountering as you work out your care system.

 

[fuzzi]

Poor rat! I'd have cried a bit too. Even though they're a frustrating nuisance, I still like and very much admire them. I just can't bring myself to kill them.
Yesterday, DH found a dead bird half hidden behind the fish tank. We think Elliot was the culprit as we had heard him doing the victory shout about an hour before. I wish he'd concentrate on catching rats instead of birds which he then abandons once dead

They're no more fun once they stop moving...


We had a terrier-cross dog when the kids were small. The house cats would sit and stare at any mouse that made it inside, but for Kyrie it was a new toy. She'd leave the mouse once it stopped moving. No mouse problems with her around. Once when she got loose outside I later found a dead rat in the yard.

When a dog shakes a rat it dies quickly, so it's a relatively humane kill.

 

[fuzzi]

I’m not entirely sure, he’s some sort of mix. I think he has some black copper marans in him though.
View attachment 3615348

He's GORGEOUS.

 

[fuzzi]

Yea, HOw did it get in?!!??!!?

Think I found it.

Fix:

It's really tight now.

I have resumed walking the perimeter nightly, and inspecting the area in the back where the snake was curled up.

 

[Koyote_]

The first time I gave one of our neighbors a dozen fresh eggs, he thought they were old because of how they peeled! I had to explain to him the difference between fresh and store bought, how to boil for an easy peel, how to float test etc. Now he loves fresh eggs...but the first few times I gave him eggs, he fed them to his dog because of how they peeled.

Add salt to the boiling water for even better peeling.

 

[Smokerbill]

Did they peel ok? A friend told.me her trick to use an instant pot to cook eggs. Works like a charm. 99% of the eggs peel great.

I leave the shells on until I eat them, and I usually don't peel them. I crack them around the middle with the edge of a teaspoon, break them in half and use the spoon to scoop out the egg.