Thistlewick Smallholding - Chickens & Sheep (for now)

[Shadrach]

Anyway, appologies, I've sort of barged in here mainly because you've been on my thread. I hope it's okay if I post here from time to time and I'll try and catch up so you're not reading about things long gone.

 

[thistlewick]

omg please anyone and everyone is welcome here

Your article on Rooster behavior is absolute genius btw


honestly I feel honored when anyone stops by

I absolutely 100% sing to my chickens every single morning. Some dumb tuneless song "Hellooooo chickennnnssss" with some added attempt at bad melody. Also, when I greet the smalls in the brooder pen it's "babyyyyy chickennnnssss, hello babyyyy chickennnnns" so yeah, we're all crazy here and it's lovely in my book!

I've only had Tilly go broody twice, first time I let her sit eggs and I was clueless how to candle and how eggs should look and so I thought she was doing a bad job/not turning eggs but it turns out I just didn't know wtf I was looking at and I could have let her.

But I didn't know THAT the second time she went broody - I thought, OH I'll INCUBATE eggs during the 3 weeks she's broody and give her the chicks. NOPE, I didn't do it at night, and she tried to throw the chicks off the nest. lol

None of my other chickens even seems remotely interested in being broody.

I was supposed to wait until day 10 for candling my 13 eggs currently incubating but HAHHA of course not, so it's day 6 and I had to see if any were duds. Nope, my horny rooster Chuck is as horny as he seems. All 13 are developing. 1 looks like it MIGHT quit, but doesn't have a blood ring but looks sus as hell - but, I put it back in. I will check again next week.

Forgot to mention, a couple days ago, had a very rare 15/15 day:

 

[thistlewick]

So Friday was a catastophe, the first time ever I just BUNGLED egg collection and dropped/broke THREE eggs. One had already fallen from a higher nest, smacked the corner of a lower nest and cracked but didn't break (we eat those ones) so FOUR down yesterday so I made my way to amazon and bought like 4 baskets (because I could not make up my mind on which was the cutest, ADHD) and then decided I needed something to help me in the interim;

But one of my baskets arrives today \o/

Flies have become irritating, so I put up fly strips, which have killed all the adults, I moved the duck food (which is watery and they bill it out like mad) outside completely from the run and just fill it up every morning, scoop of food and fill it up with water. Everyone eats it, but it's for the ducks lol

Trying to dry out the run! Got a free wood chip delivery order in, so hopefully we get that, because that's an *awesome* service.

Also if anyone wants a green run, maybe try whatever grass this is:

Because everyone ignores it and hates it lol

This used to look like ^^^^ the patch beyond the hwc but now it looks like this. And they aren't even in here 24/7 just the teens don't venture too far away from 'home' yet.

 

[thistlewick]

Lots of pics!!

We put up cedar siding instead of using the shade cloth on the side of the run that is southwest facing -- having shade on the hen house from just that south facing wall has been a game changer keeping it cool. So we put up the siding, which looks gorgeous, and moved the shade cloth to the top of the first extension.

Fly strips up making things look ratty but idc, I hate flies and they work very well. Crossing fingers the wood chip drop comes soon! If the hen house was on the ground, it would stay dry, but it isn't (which is nice for a variety of reasons) but the water washes through. We are going to also put in a french drain up the way a bit to help with that to channel the water away.

I let the babies out!! The youngest are 3 weeks old and they were ITCHING for it every morning, pummeling the hwc barrier when I let out everyone else. Poor things lol

Umm guys, lordy sakes brood in your hen house if you can, integration is SEAMLESS. NO ONE CARED when I let the babies out. It was like nothing happened. They were so brave and felt so part of the flock they tried to eat from the same feeder as the big big girls and of course they said "exCUSE me, no little ones" with a squwak and a 'lean' but not even a peck. I do have very very very sweet and lovely big girls (knock on wood) but other than typical chicken behavior, it was like nothing at all happened and this chicken mama was very pleased.

The teenagers, of course, didn't mind them eating together one bit.

Blanche being very sweet <3 She just looked at them and said "hello dearies"

Pleasant evening

My husband made the second opening tinier (by a lot) so Harriet couldn't sneak in there and lay anymore LOL

Our LOVELY BCM Cockerel Oscar, who is lovely so far.. and already minding his girls. They are 10 weeks old this week, the biggest teens.

Bravery!

I am thinking Falcon here is a Cockerel, this is 3 weeks old.

Also is this rose or pea comb??!? I canna tell. Dad is Easter Egger pea comb but if this is a rose comb that he can have only 2 possible mamas (I think) lol It was a tan egg. I'm thinking Wyandotte still...

 

[WingItRanch]

That's awesome! The side wall looks fantastic. I'm so happy the littles integrated so we'll. @Auntiejessi3 told me that it's actually easier to integrate at such a young age because the adults don't see them as competition for food. Great job!

That comb is wide like a rose comb but usually a rose comb starting out has that little nub thing at the top. (I'm sure there's official terminology for this but I don't know it).

 

[Auntiejessi3]

It really does make a huge difference! In this video you can see my grow out area and coop (there are little hidey holes only big enough for the littles) but everyone is out and about together, adults, 6 week old, and 3 week olds, going about their chickening

 

[thistlewick]

Here is the basket I spent way too much on, but it's stinkin cute

gotta love some gingham

Okay so last evening while putting up some more cedar siding and just watching chicken TV, I observed our 10 week old Oscar try and mount a big girl, TWICE and both times, another nearby hen told him the EFF OFF. I cackled lololol This is precisely what is supposed to happen, afaik - the older hens teach the young cockerels how to behave.

Then, our 9 week old tried it too and got the same treatment lol

I will keep an eye on them to make sure they aren't being too aggressive.

It is hilarious to me how... loyal and protective I feel over my original first flock of ladies. I love the young ones, but nooo you're NEW blood and these ladies have been through thick and thin with me. I have THEIR back. I will not hesitate to protect their peace.

Hah, didn't really expect to feel that way but I do all the same.

Also, I should not say this but, I like my small (baby) flock of Easter Eggers better than my mid-range flock. They are sweeter and friendlier.

All those teens certainly can warm themselves to me, and a few have big personalities -- but no one stands out particularly friendly or inquisitive or special. Time will tell. I should probably sit out more with them!

 

[Auntiejessi3]

Here is the basket I spent way too much on, but it's stinkin cute
View attachment 4116132

gotta love some gingham

Okay so last evening while putting up some more cedar siding and just watching chicken TV, I observed our 10 week old Oscar try and mount a big girl, TWICE and both times, another nearby hen told him the EFF OFF. I cackled lololol This is precisely what is supposed to happen, afaik - the older hens teach the young cockerels how to behave.

Then, our 9 week old tried it too and got the same treatment lol

I will keep an eye on them to make sure they aren't being too aggressive.

It is hilarious to me how... loyal and protective I feel over my original first flock of ladies. I love the young ones, but nooo you're NEW blood and these ladies have been through thick and thin with me. I have THEIR back. I will not hesitate to protect their peace.

Hah, didn't really expect to feel that way but I do all the same.

Also, I should not say this but, I like my small (baby) flock of Easter Eggers better than my mid-range flock. They are sweeter and friendlier.

All those teens certainly can warm themselves to me, and a few have big personalities -- but no one stands out particularly friendly or inquisitive or special. Time will tell. I should probably sit out more with them!

I'm the same with my OG's! My last cockerel (Isabel Ameraucana) started attacking one of my OG's, I sent him packing quick like!

 

[thistlewick]

It's always something on a farm!

Maryanne, one of our Jersey Giants, stayed up on the roost this morning. That's a first -- so I go about my chores just kinda seeing what she will do - she is trying to sleep.. so I'm like hmmmm

After my chores I go to her, and she lets me touch her, pat her, pet her and so I start gently palpitating her, to see if she's perhaps egg bound (nope) or has crop issues.. I felt a little lump on the bottom of her crop - but they have been awake for 2 hours so it could be early nibbling. Still, I give it a very gentle massage, I can feel the grit at the bottom of it, just gentle, gentle massaging - she seems to enjoy it, or at least not mind it. She just mildly, docilely sits there and lets me touch all over her. What a dear - she must be feeling very ill indeed. Her eyes are bright, however, so I just gave her that attention and will watch her throughout the day.

Oh, Dora, who I believe is one of our lead hens, had to lay and she always comes and sits on the roosts and sings her song before she does. She began that this morning, but then decided to sit close next to Maryanne in comfort <3

 

[TwoCrows]

, I can feel the grit at the bottom of it,

This is usually the beginnings of a yeast infection in the crop. Check her crop tomorrow morning before she eats, if it's worse you might start her on something to combat this. If you have any plain yogurt today, you might offer her a teaspoon full a day to add healthy bacteria to the crop.