It has been my experience that the youngsters won’t fully integrate with the adult group until the cockerels have started to mate and crow, and the pullets have started laying. The behaviour your birds are showing, with one adult group and one juvenile sub-group isn’t odd at all. Even when they...
I’m so sorry :hugs . How unexpected and sad. You and the chickens haven’t been able to catch a break in some time now. Poor Tull. It’s awful to see young birds pass away
Thank you. It’s not my loss that I’m worried about, rather the absence of a mother for the chicks. It’s quite different when a chick is hatched in an artificial environment from the start, compared to going from a vast, natural environment with a mother as a teacher, to a heat plate with no...
As most of you could guess, mum passed some time during the night.
One chick was found wandering around, healthy. The other was still under its mum’s body, trapped and almost crushed under her weight. Mum passed on a damp spot, so the chick under her got dangerously cold. It couldn’t walk, due...
Thanks for the input. I don’t think it’s mites. I’m pretty paranoid about that, so I check the nests (as well as the friendliest birds) daily. After mum had taken the chicks off the nest I checked once again, and did not see anything. She has not gone back to a nest since.
Right now it’s...
The chicks seem to have retained that rebellious spirit. The were eating their chick feed and scratching on the ground when I went down to the coops.
If they make it through the night (assuming that mum doesn’t, and as such, they will be left with no heat source), I’ll try a hybrid method of...
I came home after being out of town for almost two days to mum pretty much on the verge of death. I don’t see her making the night. The chicks are both alive, and I made the decision to let them with mum. We’ll see what tomorrow brings. I don’t know why mum is so sick. The only indication while...
Yes. Males will mate with other males, and females can mate with other females. Usually it’s a dominance thing. Sometimes it’s not. Either way, no need to worry
Thanks for the reassurance; I thought and acted (or rather, didn’t) the same. Figured that I’m not present 24/7, and it was bound to happen again, so I’d rather it happened under my supervision. I did not intervene, and as mention, the others didn’t persue. Today mum is far more active and the...
Fret has had a good life. Very sad to read that it might be coming to an end, and I’m sure you’re not feeling great about it, but I’m sure that if asked (and if she could answer), she’d say her last few years were happy ones. The last of the “old guard”, she will join Henry and Carbon. You’re...
Thanks for the clarification. I have no questions about flock/group dynamics with a broody, nor experience. What I can do is share yesterday’s observations after the chicks were introduced to the group.
Starting with the roosters, they all showed interest initially, but remained neutral...
I know nothing about sex linking, but this is very interesting (plus the chicks are gorgeous). Way more than the common RSL. I’d BDutch is ok with a little bit of genetics talk on this thread, could you explain how the fibromelanosis only passed down to the female chicks?
Sorry about the black...
Success!
Mum brought them down today, with a little help from me (the only help I’ve given throughout this process). Mum isn’t looking great, the brooding process was tiring, and she got a bit beat up from the other hens, though she stood her ground. Being a first timer didn’t help, I’m...
Chickenlandia has some informative videos for sure. I’ve never heard of of the Featherbrain, though after a quick search, she seems knowledgeable. English Country Life have some nice videos, and though not as informative, some older Brimwood farm videos are good as well. One of our members...