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Chido posted:Aaaaaannnnd I got Roostroyer "crowing" on video! The beginning is very dark because, for some reason, the image darkens when I zoom in with my camera. He crows a bit at the beginning, and gain at around minute 3:40 or so. You guys can also see how he treats Megatron. He scares he and Rusty away from the food, so I have to spread it a lot. I hope that changes as they mature. Yeah, having seen the video, that looks like mating behavior, rather than aggression. Right now he's young, and has more balls than brains or smooth moves. Give it some time, and see if things smooth out as everyone gets older.
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Jul 29, 2011 08:42
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I showed Velvet Sparrow the video and she told me the same  . Now I have to only worry he doesn't get too rough with the girls...
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Jul 29, 2011 14:23
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Welp, just as an FYI, chicken wire will not stop two very determined marauding pit bulls. Woke up this morning to a large hole forced into the side of my coop (through wire that was pristine before) and four dead chickens, and two dogs happily bounding around in my yard. When my chickens ran into the coop to escape the dogs, they forced their way in so hard they snapped the Plexiglas door in half. At least they only killed mine by snapping their necks... they dragged my neighbor's poor chicken around for quite a while... feathers all over my yard. And the poor thing was still alive enough to cluck a few more times and then finally die when I found it.  I hope they fine the poo poo out of this guy... unfortunately there's no leash laws in our town but the property damage and chickens they killed will hopefully count for something.
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Aug 1, 2011 14:53
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Lyz posted:I hope they fine the poo poo out of this guy... unfortunately there's no leash laws in our town but the property damage and chickens they killed will hopefully count for something. What a bummer - that's a lovely way to die. Usually livestock killing is serious business, even if you're in a rural area where there aren't leash laws.
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Aug 1, 2011 15:19
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MoCookies posted:What a bummer - that's a lovely way to die. Usually livestock killing is serious business, even if you're in a rural area where there aren't leash laws. Yeah, they said if they took the guy to court over this they look at the value of the bird over its life span rather than just how much I paid for it initially. I dunno if I'll get anything for the damage to my coop though. Welp, guess I'm out of the chicken business for a while, at least until I get that coop repaired. I guess it's a good time to take it apart and make some modifications too. 
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Aug 1, 2011 15:39
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Lyz posted:Yeah, they said if they took the guy to court over this they look at the value of the bird over its life span rather than just how much I paid for it initially. I dunno if I'll get anything for the damage to my coop though. Do you know who the dogs belong to? Did you happen to get pictures? Yeah, I would sue the owners and file a complaint with animal control and demand proof that their rabies shots are up to date. Make their life hell. I would do it even if they awarded me $5 in damages.
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Aug 1, 2011 15:50
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The dogs had collars and tags and animal control was chasing them down last I heard... they weren't aggressive to people, just having a grand old time running around killing small animals. Looks like my neighbor also lost two chickens to them. They wouldn't come near any people because they knew if they were caught the fun was over. If the owner comes over himself and offers to pay reparations, we'll let things lie and probably just send him the receipt for the nice heavy gauge wire we're going to rebuild the coop with. If not, we probably will go small claims so we can give him a hefty slap on the wrist for letting his dogs run around and kill chickens. But I think I'm probably done with chickens until next year at least, got too many other projects to do first before we start worrying about rebuilding the coop. God it makes me so glad my cats are indoor cats though, I'd be wrecked if the dogs had gotten to them. Lyz fucked around with this message at 16:40 on Aug 1, 2011 |
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Aug 1, 2011 16:35
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We've got a dozen chickens, five barred Plymouth rocks, three Easter eggers and four silkies, one of which I found out yesterday was actually a rooster and another one of which I'm suspicious of but have not yet confirmed. Anyway, today I found a dead rat in the garden and disposed of it but there were some maggots left in the dirt where the rat had been, the silkies went nuts for them. Then the biggest rock hen in the flock came up and tried to get some and the smallest of the silkies went berserk and attacked the big rock. It was hilarious, you could tell that the big rock hen was absolutely shocked at what was going on and she gave the silkies a wide berth until they finished their bugs. Funny chicken politics aside I'm kind of concerned about how this might affect the health of the chickens. I know they eat bugs all the time and a lot of the bugs aren't exactly sanitary but what if the rat had died from eating d-con at a neighbor's house, is it possible this could have an effect on the birds?
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Aug 4, 2011 02:59
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Maybe the silkies killed the rat, then waited patiently for a delicious bounty of maggots? YOU'RE NEXT
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Aug 4, 2011 03:07
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stereobreadsticks posted:I know they eat bugs all the time and a lot of the bugs aren't exactly sanitary but what if the rat had died from eating d-con at a neighbor's house, is it possible this could have an effect on the birds? I wouldn't be overly concerned but the quantity that they would have eaten would have been really small if it was even metabolized by the maggots, but if they start acting lethargic or start hemorrhaging or bleeding (many rat poisons are anticoagulants) get them to a vet immediately. I did a wikipedia search for rodenticides and that was the advice that they recommended for dogs. I imagine if the chickens would have a reaction, it would be similar. Keep an eye on them for 1-2 weeks for suspicious symptoms. Some rat poisons have a delayed reaction because rats are very suspicious creatures and won't eat things that taste off. I also found this article that may answer your question. I didn't read the whole thing, but it is a rundown of 9 different rodenticides and their effect on non-target animals. I hope it helps. http://pi.ace.orst.edu/search/getDocketDocument.s?document=EPA-HQ-OPP-2006-0955-0005 Also keep us posted. 
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Aug 4, 2011 03:18
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Thanks for that, honestly I doubt it'll be a problem but I'll keep a closer eye on them for the next couple of weeks. On another subject the relationship my dog has with the chickens is hilarious, when they're resting in the yard he'll bed down next to them like they're his babies and when they're wandering around he likes to try to herd them back into their run. He's a great help in getting them to go back in at the end of the day.
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Aug 4, 2011 04:28
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stereobreadsticks posted:Thanks for that, honestly I doubt it'll be a problem but I'll keep a closer eye on them for the next couple of weeks. On another subject the relationship my dog has with the chickens is hilarious, when they're resting in the yard he'll bed down next to them like they're his babies and when they're wandering around he likes to try to herd them back into their run. He's a great help in getting them to go back in at the end of the day. It's like he's the Head Roo!  That is so cool! I want chickens. drat urban apartment living.
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Aug 4, 2011 04:41
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My doctor husband suggests giving the chickens lots of leafy green veggies to be safe. They would be high in Vitamin K, which is known to counteract coumadin, a common anticoagulant/rat poison. Kale, swiss chard, spinach, beet, collard and mustard greens all have lots of vitamin K, and would be a tasty treat they would love anyway.
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Aug 4, 2011 15:24
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I'm pretty sure one of our hens has gone broody. This is my first flock, so I'm not really sure - basically, she just won't budge from the laying box, and seems to have pulled out some of her breast/belly feathers. When we pick her up and take her out, she'll walk around, scratch and peck and eat a little bit. She looks really pissed off as she does it, though. I've read you can put ice cubes in the boxes or block them off, but I don't want to do that to all 16 boxes for just one chicken. She's always in the same box, so could we just block off that one box? Is it okay to just keep and eye on her and let it run its course? There's absolutely no chance that any of her eggs are fertilized. Lyz, sorry to hear about your flock. We're pretty sure a local dog got one of ours last summer, too - any other predator would've struck at night and actually eaten the thing, rather than just kill it and leave it there. Here's hoping the owner keeps a better handle on his dog in the future.
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Aug 4, 2011 21:56
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I am living with my mother in a rural part of the Rockies right now and our neighbors/landlords keep chickens that free-range during the day. Since we're down the driveway from them the chickens are often to be found in front of our house. Now...my mother is terrified of snakes. Doesn't matter if they're poisonous, tiny, dead, whatever. And lately there's been one apparently with its home right under our ancient stone steps, so she's been really wary. Then this morning our neighbor comes down the road and finds one of her chickens apparently choking on something, freaks out, I run out since Mom's not home to see if I can help and get there just in time to see this chicken finish eating a snake  It wasn't a big one or anything, but drat it looked like she just swallowed it whole.
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Aug 5, 2011 00:32
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Our chickens absolutely love to eat snakes, lizards, and human blood. They would probably eat a mouse if they caught one.
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Aug 5, 2011 01:32
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The more I think about it, the more I want to have chickens. Like I mentioned earlier, they are illegal in Boston, but none of my neighbors would have a problem with them, but you can see my backyard from a train platform, so visible might be bad. I have a free standing garage/shed with a cement floor that is 20 by 25 feet. I've done enough reading about how commercial eggs are produced, and its barbaric. But that means the only eggs I trust cost $4 a dozen at the farmers market. I imagine I can do it a lot cheaper than that, plus so many pretty colors! Are there any special considerations to keeping them entirely indoors? Like if I blocked off a 12 by 12 corner, that should be enough room for 5 or 6 chickens? I have a bunch more rambling questions, want to bounce ideas that have been floating in my head. If I weeded my garden, would they be able to safely eat the weeds if I tossed them in while they were still fresh? How do dried leaves work as bedding? I'm buried in them every fall and composting them is easier said than done. What ends up happening is I make piles in the fall, they heat up, start cooking, but then winter happens and the piles freeze solid. In the spring they become a sopping mass of smelly, slimy, packed together half decayed leaves that is an uphill battle to turn over. I'm thinking that it will be easier to compost leaves that have chicken poo poo embedded in them. It would be even cooler if the composting piles attracted worms that I could feed back to them. Do they eat watermelon rinds? Also, it looks like some feed is formulated for layers. Does this already have calcium added or do they still require another source like crushed shells? I'm browsing craigslist just to get an idea of what supplies cost, and I came across a weird ad. Looks like someone is breeding at random all kinds of breeds. I'm NOT going to buy anything there, but I have to admit, if you crossed a Americana with a French Black Copper Marans, would the eggs be puke green? http://boston.craigslist.org/sob/grd/2528312811.html
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Aug 5, 2011 05:22
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I don't know how well chickens would do confined, but when I was reading about chicken coops, many of them have a run that is meant to keep the chickens locked and safe from predators. If you made a chicken coop that looked like a shed, and make the walls that face the train platform out of solid wood instead of some welded cloth, then you might be able to get away with it. Depending on the size of your yard, this design might work out for you, and as you see, the person who built it keeps his chickens locked in there most of the time. http://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=66725-wichita-cabin-coop
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Aug 5, 2011 07:17
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Zeta Taskforce posted:Are there any special considerations to keeping them entirely indoors? Like if I blocked off a 12 by 12 corner, that should be enough room for 5 or 6 chickens? quote:I have a bunch more rambling questions, want to bounce ideas that have been floating in my head. If I weeded my garden, would they be able to safely eat the weeds if I tossed them in while they were still fresh? quote:How do dried leaves work as bedding? I'm buried in them every fall and composting them is easier said than done. What ends up happening is I make piles in the fall, they heat up, start cooking, but then winter happens and the piles freeze solid. In the spring they become a sopping mass of smelly, slimy, packed together half decayed leaves that is an uphill battle to turn over. I'm thinking that it will be easier to compost leaves that have chicken poo poo embedded in them. It would be even cooler if the composting piles attracted worms that I could feed back to them. quote:Do they eat watermelon rinds? Also, it looks like some feed is formulated for layers. Does this already have calcium added or do they still require another source like crushed shells? My chickens love watermelon rinds. A lot of people use Layena. You can also put out crushed up oyster shells for them. We also throw our egg shells back out for them to eat. quote:I'm browsing craigslist just to get an idea of what supplies cost, and I came across a weird ad. Looks like someone is breeding at random all kinds of breeds. I'm NOT going to buy anything there, but I have to admit, if you crossed a Americana with a French Black Copper Marans, would the eggs be puke green? I'm not 100% sure but genetics don't usually work quite that way.
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Aug 5, 2011 14:32
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Alterian posted:You don't want to keep chickens indoors. They're dusty, loud, and smelly. You'd have to be constantly cleaning their area to make sure your house doesn't smell. Even with their wings clipped, they can still get over about 3 feet What would be the point in building a coop when I already have a much more solid shed? To clarify, it is a standalone structure that is in no way connected to the house. Right now I store my bike, lawn mower, some plastic storage crates, empty garbage cans. It does have windows. If I took out the glass and put mesh on them, I would get plenty of air movement. I would build nesting boxes. I own the property and wouldn’t care if it gets dusty. There would be about 25 square feet per bird. Would this work, or still bad idea?
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Aug 5, 2011 14:46
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Oh haha. I misread and thought you wanted to keep them inside your house. I don't know about keeping them inside the shed 100% of the time with no access to outside at all. All backyard chicken coops I've seen have an outdoor run associated with it. I mean you can keep chickens inside like that. I don't know if they would be happy like that. Chickens like to stretch out in the sun and take dirt baths and scratch around. I personally wouldn't keep chickens unless they had access to some outside area.
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Aug 5, 2011 16:53
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I may have a solution for the instances of canine attack that have surfaced in this thread. The genes of the snake and its predator, the "humble" chicken, must be spliced together to create the dread Cockatrice. By mating the predator and prey, thus, it will be ensured that Cockatrice have no natural predators. With thickly-scaled, razor-sharp claws, venomous fangs adorning an unhinging beak, the fluffy, grim, death grip of its elongated neck, and the power of flight will Cockatrice visit vengeance upon the "pit bulls", and the bulls that inhabit the mere hole and yawning abyss alike.
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Aug 5, 2011 17:18
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That's all well and good, but what do Cockatrice eat when there are no available pit bulls?
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Aug 5, 2011 18:38
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Alterian posted:Our chickens absolutely love to eat snakes, lizards, and human blood. They would probably eat a mouse if they caught one. My feed bag was getting holes chewed through it by a stupid mouse so I kept having to move it around and improvise ways to put it out of reach, up until I went out to feed the birds one day and saw the little bastard in their coop. They didn't eat it, however they did nearly decapitate it in wonderful tiny-dinosaur fashion.
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Aug 5, 2011 19:03
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Alterian posted:Bad idea. The leaves could have parasites or other bad things on them so you wouldn't want to use them as bedding. If you have a pile of leaves somewhere that the chickens have access to, they will scratch through it themselves and probably spread it out of being a pile. I was poking around the forums on backyard chickens and it seems like people do use them with good effect. Someone else on there mentioned parasites, but they were in Louisana. I wonder if stuff came from wild birds via leaves? People up north didn't seem to report any problems though, except that they are not as absorbant as woodshavings or sawdust.
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Aug 5, 2011 22:43
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Zeta Taskforce posted:The more I think about it, the more I want to have chickens. Like I mentioned earlier, they are illegal in Boston, but none of my neighbors would have a problem with them, but you can see my backyard from a train platform, so visible might be bad. I have a free standing garage/shed with a cement floor that is 20 by 25 feet. I personally wouldn't keep chickens if I couldn't let them outdoors, but I did work for an animal research lab on college that kept chickens indoors all the time (to keep them isolated from outside pathogens) so it is possible. You'll probably have a higher instance of chickens being stressed and pecking at each other, so invest in anti-peck lotion. quote:Are there any special considerations to keeping them entirely indoors? Like if I blocked off a 12 by 12 corner, that should be enough room for 5 or 6 chickens? Ventilation! I would look into installing some sort of fan near the roof for dust. 12x12 should be fine for that many, I've seen 5 kept in an 10x10 quite comfortably. If the coop isn't very well lit, you'll have to provide light for them to get them to lay. If it is well lit, you'll still have to provide light in the winter if you want eggs year round... which may draw attention if you have a shed lit up at odd hours. They may think you're growing weed and raid you. XD quote:If I weeded my garden, would they be able to safely eat the weeds if I tossed them in while they were still fresh? Yeah they should be fine, I have some sort of tuber weed that grows in my garden that the chickens always seemed to enjoy, and they like most grasses. If you're going to keep them indoors though, I'd caution against throwing too many things in there that could rot and make the bedding damp. quote:How do dried leaves work as bedding? Just get a bale of shavings. One bale should cover 12x12 no problem, and it's like $5. You'll probably have to change it once a month if you're careful with the waterer and don't end up with too much spillage. Leaves will decompose and smell unless you can keep them perfectly dry. quote:Do they eat watermelon rinds? Also, it looks like some feed is formulated for layers. Does this already have calcium added or do they still require another source like crushed shells? Yeah, chickens love bread and veggies and fruit. I've had hens even eat cole slaw and spicy chicken wings. Regular layer grain I think has a fair amount of calcium, but honestly throwing some oyster shell in with their food doesn't hurt. Here's the best picture I can find of the indoor coop for the research facility.  The half wall opens up on the outside side for access to the nesting boxes. The wire went floor to ceiling, with boards along the bottom to keep the shavings in (chickens LOOOOOOOOOOOVE kicking shavings around). The outside of the rest of the building was sprayed down daily to keep dust down, and it did get pretty dusty even with a fan running constantly. After the initial layout cost (which I avoided thanks to the generosity of my husband's parents) chickens are pretty cheap to keep. Maybe about $20 a month in feed/shavings/supplement. The most expensive part for you I think is the fine you'll incur when you get caught, so it's probably better to wait until Boston legalizes chickens - which may occur pretty soon, backyard chickens are becoming VERY popular to keep. If I still had chickens, I'd say come out to my place Mass buddy, my chickens always laid more eggs than my husband and I could consume. But alas, I gave away my laying hens and my chicks got killed. =/
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Aug 6, 2011 03:52
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Lyz posted:
You let your chickens eat chicken meat?
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Aug 6, 2011 05:17
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Alterian posted:You let your chickens eat chicken meat? I didn't put it in there, my husband's co-worker (who owns chickens himself, actually gave me those hens) threw one in there to be funny. They picked the bones clean. Although I did feed them some chunks of ham later, after my mother in law persuasively argued that it really was the same as them going around eating worms and whatnot (just saltier). They polished that off, too. /shudder But no, I don't make a regular habit of feeding my hens meat, it creeps me out. Stale, moldy bread and veggies gone past is what I threw in their coop mostly.
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Aug 6, 2011 14:09
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You beat the poo poo out of that co worker and never talked to them again, right? Its fine for chickens to eat meat. Mine absolutely love pig meat.
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Aug 6, 2011 14:50
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Lyz posted:I personally wouldn't keep chickens if I couldn't let them outdoors, but I did work for an animal research lab on college that kept chickens indoors all the time (to keep them isolated from outside pathogens) so it is possible. You'll probably have a higher instance of chickens being stressed and pecking at each other, so invest in anti-peck lotion. Ok, I think everyone's convinced me. If I decide to flout Boston laws, I will cut a hole in my shed wall (being a homeowner has its perks) and fence off a small area. If everyone else has a smaller coop and a larger run, I will do it backwards, but whatever. I have a French last name and the French do everything backwards. I'm not too afraid of fines. I think the worst they would do is make you remove them and fine you if you don't. But hopefully that day will never come.
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Aug 6, 2011 15:32
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Alterian posted:You let your chickens eat chicken meat? Hell they even know they taste good. As my grandad used to say..."Chickens don't get mad chicken disease! Leave a dead cow in the field and the cows will avoid it...leave a dead chicken in the run and all the rest of the birds will get forks,knives and wet napkins and a picnic blanket and go to town." They are omnivores and eat practically ANYTHING. I remember seeing a whole flock of birds on my grandad's farm go RACING across the field. I mean their little legs were a blur form the sheer speed as they ran across to the far corner of the pasture. We were on the horses so we went to go see what caught their attention, and it was a dead deer some poacher left at the pasture line. They went absolutely nuts like the little dinosaurs that they are. If you suddenly went unconscious in the coop they would taste you. If you woke up...sweet! If not, well, they would eat you too :P We give our birds everything...unless it is high in salt or highly seasoned. They get eggs fed back to them in scrambled form with veggies mixed in, they get turkey and chicken carcasses to fight over. It's really quite interesting to watch if you give them a mix of foods at the same time... most of the birds will go for the meat first. Its kind of funny to me that there are birds sold as "vegetarian fed and free ranging" cos I know drat well that they are eating bugs, small birds, frogs, snakes, carrion etc that they find and last I saw, that isn't vegetarian. Lyz posted:
ugh please don't give them moldy bread...they can get sick from it like you or I. Veggies past their prime are fine, and stale bread...but if its moldy etc its not good for them.
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Aug 6, 2011 17:43
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Zeta Taskforce posted:Ok, I think everyone's convinced me. If I decide to flout Boston laws, I will cut a hole in my shed wall (being a homeowner has its perks) and fence off a small area. If everyone else has a smaller coop and a larger run, I will do it backwards, but whatever. I have a French last name and the French do everything backwards. Also get some cute bantam brahma chickens! I have a standard light brahma and he is awesome . He now crows like a decent rooster, but for most of the day he's quiet and very docile to humans, my nieces are 8 and 11 and they can carry him with no big fuzz. Also they are very fluffy and good for cold climates  .
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Aug 6, 2011 18:02
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I wish I could have chickens. I saw this pic and had to post it.
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Aug 6, 2011 20:55
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Aww, look at that chicken protecting it's next meal.
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Aug 6, 2011 22:05
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Alterian posted:You beat the poo poo out of that co worker and never talked to them again, right? Hell no, he and my husband own a company together now. Plus he looks after my critters when we go on vacation. He's a cool guy, he was just being funny. It's not like he dumped a whole tray of wings in there. He also has like 40 chickens so I'm going to have to get eggs from him when I run out. =/ Amethyste posted:ugh please don't give them moldy bread...they can get sick from it like you or I. Veggies past their prime are fine, and stale bread...but if its moldy etc its not good for them. Alright moldy was the wrong term. More like bread not fit for consumption, but not like crawling in mold or anything.
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Aug 7, 2011 00:01
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My poor rooster is so pathetic. He hit puberty fast, and now he's working so hard to win over the hearts of my still innocent pullets. He's been working his magic dancing his cute dance that makes the girls run away from him, and the other day he went into the coop to make a nest and he clucked at the pullets, calling them to se what he did and hopefully they'll let him get some. When that fails he tries surprise sex, but the girls just scream bloody murder and run away from him. He's truly a child of goons D:.
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Aug 7, 2011 01:38
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Crossing an Ameraucana and a Marans will produce a chicken that lays olive green eggs. The blue egg gene affects the color of the shell. Specifically, it causes the shell to be blue instead of white. Brown eggs are produced by a coating that the bird produces that covers the shell. The exact color of the brown coating is determined by genetics. The blue egg gene is dominant over the white egg gene. So, if you cross a Amerauacana with a Marans, you get a chicken that has one white egg gene and one blue egg gene, and so lays blue shelled eggs, and has one gene for brown coating on eggs and one gene for no coating. And when you cover blue with chocolate brown, you get an olive green color that some people think looks really cool.
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Aug 9, 2011 19:52
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meriruka posted:That's all well and good, but what do Cockatrice eat when there are no available pit bulls? Slendermen.
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Aug 10, 2011 19:22
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Chickens like cheese! 
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Aug 13, 2011 00:59
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Holy crap, Roostroyer is gigachicken. He's huge!
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Aug 13, 2011 01:59
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