The Omega Rocks: The Last & Ultimate Barred Plymouth Rock Flock

[oldhenlikesdogs]

No doubt! Now, I have to figure out how to let them go outside without losing one or two, they are so wild. I have a Great Dane size dog cage, not the one Bodie is going outside in, but a larger one. I just have to reassemble it and put it in the pen and transport them into it. As they get larger, they can be loose, but large as they are at this age, they're still pipsqueaks in the Great Outdoors, hawk bait.
I have an kitty litter pan that was never used so I can dig them up some good dirt and put the pan in their pen inside the barn as well. They've already had dirt in a pan in the brooder from a week old, but the pan is way too small for that number of chicks this age. Gotta stave off coccidiosis, build their immunity. I hope I don't have to deal with that, rarely ever happens with broody-raised chicks. I haven't had to treat coccidosis in umpteen years. If I do, I'll have to buy a new bag/bottle of Corid. I don't use medicated starter which doesn't always work anyway at the maintenance dose that's in there, especially if it's very damp in the environment. Most here on this thread know all that, of course, but you never know who is reading on the platform.

Great minds think alike. I always dig up chunks of sod and toss those in the brooder. They quickly learn it isn't as terrifying as they thought, and it helps to get them started on building a good immune system. I've never used medicated starter either, nor see any signs of coccidiosis.

 

[speckledhen]

You do not realize just how fast chicks grow until you're having to change leg bands constantly. We changed them all four days ago and I was in the pen picking them up one by one and found a pullet with elephant legs whose band was about too tight, couldn't get the nippers under the band to cut it so I had to cut off that part the strap slips through from the outside.
I keep counting and today, I counted four pullets, then five twice while they were distracted and not sparring like gladiators. Four pullets is acceptable, but five is perfection.
I have to keep all the males for awhile, though I believe the last one to hatch will be first to go in the selection process. He is still smaller than all the others and not quite as active by comparison, but even my non-keeper males will be a great way to improve someone's BR flock. I still plan to keep a sire and a spare so that would mean I only have to sell/rehome four cockerels, eventually.

 

[speckledhen]

This crazy bunch got to go outside yesterday. It was very breezy, but also very warm, about 82*. It was quite the production. We put the pet carrier into their pen and one by one, checked/changed their leg bands as we put them in the carrier. Then, we transported them just a few feet to the largest dog cage, put it in the door and they all piled out onto bare ground for the first time. Bodie was in the smaller cage next to them and was talking his head off. When he alarmed, they all froze (isn't instinct amazing right from hatch?). None of the Dirty Dozen Gang even came up to the cage, which surprised me. The sight of the pet carrier made them panic and go flying to the bottom of the pen where they stayed the entire session, bunch of goofy alarmists. Shelby ran screaming like I was after her with a hatchet. That is one reason I am not continuing to propagate that nutty group, their flighty nature.
After awhile, we took them out of the dog cage and into the pet carrier, harder than getting them in because I did not want one to slip through and run out into that group of loonies. Sorry I didn't video that, was just too tired by the time they went outside, didn't want to fool with it.
They progressed to the top roost shelf yesterday and it wouldn't surprise me if they're all roosting at night soon. I think some do stay up on the roost, but most go down on the floor under the heat lamp, which, because it was a very warm day, was turned off after it warmed up midday and was back on when we locked up for the night. I'll be changing to a reptile bulb at night instead of the higher wattage one as soon as they begin feathering out more, though I likely could earlier, maybe in a couple of days after the nightly 30's are gone for the season.
I still don't know for sure if I have four or five pullets. #5 keeps me guessing with confusing traits. Even the barring widths of white and black are pretty even on that one, has some dark on the legs. The head spots are almost useless with this bunch, no actual small head spots on any of them. With my luck, #5 will probably fall on the cockerel side of things, but we'll wait and see. I see pink in a few combs now. In a week, I think we'll have our numbers straight with 100% certainty.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I see pink in a few combs now. In a week, I think we'll have our numbers straight with 100% certainty

Those little pink combs are always a give away. Hoping you have 5 females.

 

[speckledhen]

Those little pink combs are always a give away. Hoping you have 5 females.

Oh, yeah. At least the pinkish combs are on those I had already called as male. There is that one that doesn't look like specifically one or the other, but a few days and we'll see how right (or wrong) I was. Definitely harder to sex this line right off the bat.

 

[speckledhen]

Three weeks old today.

 

[Ponypoor]

Three weeks old today.

Wow they grow so fast!

 

[1muttsfan]

I can't believe it's been 3 weeks

 

[speckledhen]

I can't believe it's been 3 weeks

Me, either, Mary. I started this in the fall, didn't get the eggs until March and now, they're already going on a month old.

 

[1muttsfan]

I'm glad to see you're getting your chickens planted early