What did you do with your flock today?

[SkyAJK]

Thank goodness for BYC and the folks who give great advice. I have learned so many things from this site.

No chickens yet but a little bit closer. All fence posts are in. Just gotta replace the gate post. Also, added another gate.View attachment 4011892This is the best view i have of the shade frame thingy. Dont think i shared it yet.View attachment 4011893
All else is well, just plugging along.

I started with 2 chicks which quickly multiplied to 20 on average - much to my husbands horror. Think the most personal chickens i had was around 30.... it was a bit too much for my smallish space. Lots of free ranging and roost discussions.
I hatched hundreds of chicks because if the pandemic. Right now i have 15 total with 1 roo. Love having a rooster, hope to always have a rooster. Right now Beetle is not holding his own with the feral cockerel and roo up Koke'e. I can't wait to bring him down. Hopefully just after the new year. I miss my chickens! ♡♡♡♡

That is so lovely, spacious and lots of shade. You can even sit and have a nice cuppa with your chickens.

Did you build the coop and that thing on top of it? You can grow grape and has grapevine provides shade. Still spacious enough for the winter sun to shine to and warm the whole area.

Do you not have any chicken now and is that why you miss them?

I started with 6 chickens, along the way, only the Almighty know how/what/why I ended up with 14, now just 13. Still I look at other people chickens picture and go crazy..more chicken please!

 

[SkyAJK]

I spend a few hours sitting in under my mango tree with my chickens. It has been a long time since I last did this as it was raining day cats N dogs in day out. Now, it is hot, but dry heat and has light wind so it is so lovely. I wish for more day like this.

 

[Shetland lover]

I am sorry about your roo. They could flush poison out?
I found that some of the Vets I took my sick chickens to were guessing and I was paying for their guesses. I got Avian Vet took ultrasound of my sick girl, told me she had load of internal eggs in her tummy, kinder to let her go and I did. Took her home open her up and there was no internal laying egg. I paid big buck for that specialist Vet opinion and ultrasound and took home a dead chicken.

Oh, I'm so, so sorry. Whereabouts in the world are you? Vet care for chickens in the U.K. is very poor, generally. Not surprising really since vet students here only get a day and a hall's training in poultry care.
My other Shetland, Alice, laid internally too. We lost her at just 18 months old. She endured long trips to an avian vet and several treatment regimes but by the time I realised how sick she was, it was too late to save her. The vet wouldn't do an hysterectomy as he felt she wouldn't survive anesthetsia. I will always blame myself.

Sylv probably would have died anyway as he'd likely ingested the rat poison some days before. I've since learned vitamin K infusions may have helped him but no guarantees.

 

[Shetland lover]

It feels good to hear other roosters around, I think they also talk to each other.
I hope so,I am watching them to see who is the leader, so far I have yet seen her. She might be very subtle as I had a hen who was a leader and she was very subtle and almost invisible about it until I noticed she eats first, and everyone else followed her. She was a gentle kind leader.

I'm certain they do! I'm almost positive Stan and the roo a street over spend most of the time hurling insults at each other
My Connie was a very kind and gentle leader too. She only pulled rank very occasionally and treated her girls very kindly. I also credit her with making Ferdy such a gentleman. Sylv died the day Ferdy hatched, so he didn't have a male influence. Connie and the rest of the girls basically taught him how  they wanted a roo to behave.

 

[Shetland lover]

If you don't mind me asking, why you don't want to have bantam Cochin?
Is bantam Cochin similar or the same with Pekin bantam chicken? They look almost identical.
I have 2 Pekin bantam chickens and they make soft quiet lovely sound and lay around 4 eggs a week.

Of course I don't mind you asking.
When I first started chicken-keeping, I had an idea that I only wanted standard sized birds and ex-battery hens in particular. I also wanted Shetlands as 5 years ago there were so few they were at risk of extinction.
I'd read that Pekins went broody constantly, had issues because of their feathered feet and laid tiny eggs. I decided they just weren't a good fit for me,
All that changed when DH took me to get a pullet to 'replace' Alice. While we were looking at some Swedish Flower hens, a gorgeous 4 week old lavender pekin came and perched on my foot. I was smitten, totally in love with the tiny fluffball! That was Sylv (we were told he was a girl!) and so began my love affair with the breed.
We decided Sylv needed some Pekin girls as our other hens were so big. That's how Prudence and Clara joined the flock and led to Ferdy, his sister, Penelope, and Stan. I wouldn't be without Pekins now.

Pekins are the same as bantam Cochin. I only refer to them as 'bantam Cochin' as most people on here seem to be from the U.S.A, where they are called bantam Cochin.

 

[Shetland lover]

I love it when I dig, my chickens dig with me, when I sweep the leaf, they also scratch the leaf with me. Chicken is so beautiful.

Mine do this too! It is so charming. I usually have Ferdy on my shoulder, overseeing everyone's work and shouting instructions. We also play 'bug hunt' where they all gather round a rock or plant pot and I flip it over/move the pot aside. Then there's a mad, excited dash for the insects underneath

 

[Shetland lover]

Thank goodness for BYC and the folks who give great advice. I have learned so many things from this site.

No chickens yet but a little bit closer. All fence posts are in. Just gotta replace the gate post. Also, added another gate.View attachment 4011892This is the best view i have of the shade frame thingy. Dont think i shared it yet. All bracing is off.View attachment 4011893
All else is well, just plugging along.

I started with 2 chicks which quickly multiplied to 20 on average - much to my husbands horror. Think the most personal chickens i had was around 30 + ... it was a bit too much for my smallish space. Lots of free ranging and roost discussions.
I hatched hundreds of chicks because if the pandemic. Right now i have 15 total with 1 roo. Nice sized. Love having a rooster, hope to always have a rooster. Right now Beetle is not holding his own with the feral cockerel and roo up Koke'e. I can't wait to bring him down. Hopefully just after the new year. I miss my chickens! ♡♡♡♡

Wow! It truly is looking fantastic. And your chickens will certainly appreciate the extra shade.
I bet you can't wait to have everyone home. It's unbearable being without our animal companions. Mine keep me sane. Well saner than I'd be without them.
Be good to have Beatle home, you must worry about injury if he's not holding his own against the feral boys?

 

[Shetland lover]

I spend a few hours sitting in under my mango tree with my chickens. It has been a long time since I last did this as it was raining day cats N dogs in day out. Now, it is hot, but dry heat and has light wind so it is so lovely. I wish for more day like this.

It's dry for once here but too cold to sit out with the chickens. So I'm sitting in the kitchen with them instead
Sitting under a mango tree sounds divine!