Chido posted:

Here's a better picture of Roostroyer at 7 months:

Inveigle posted:

Anyway, I hope things are going well for VS, 12_String, the Kid and the flock. I wonder if Peepsquire had managed to lay an egg yet? And whether Weedcat is now the fluffiest roo in the barn.

Twitter posted:

VelvetSparrow
The Snow Gods have been kind, but their patience is at an end-supposed to snow starting tomorrow for 4 days.Just in time for our moving van!
53 minutes ago

Velvet Sparrow
Also spending a fair amount of time cussing previous owner's half-assed home repair & maintenance. Spackle is my new friend.
55 minutes ago

Velvet Sparrow
Finally have Internet service after many weeks without. Setting up all the utilities, cleaning, painting...and more cleaning.
56 minutes ago

Velvet Sparrow
...and so I am a homeowner.
58 minutes ago

Twitter posted:

Velvet Sparrow
Happy to say that as of now, Chickam will be a go for this year! We seem to have adequate Internet services to handle it. Aiming for March!
1 hour ago

Twitter posted:

chickam2008
Planning this year's Chickam event for Easter weekend, April 7-8th, which means the eggs will start incubation on March 17th.

Twitter posted:

Velvet Sparrow @VelvetSparrow

Looking online & deciding what chicken breeds we want to hatch...Bantam Cochins, Belgian d'Uccles, Buttercups, d'Anvers...so many!

Velvet Sparrow @VelvetSparrow

Although I admit a weakness for Pumpkin Hulsey roos, SO beautiful, colors are amazing! Cons: game birds, already too have too many roos

Maximusi posted:

Man both chickens are now squatting whenever I touch them. Makes me feel...weird. At least they're easier to catch now.

Via Twitter posted:

Today we are giving the chickens their biannual worming & mite spray treatment. They will NOT be happy with us.

The three new roo boys have been very hard on the hens, Scott our banty roo is now Head Roo but can't be everywhere at once.

All the chickens are here, it finally feels like home. Sadly missing Phoenix and Millie, though.

Chido posted:

She also tries to jump onto my back if i'm bending down, or my arms so she can climb to my shoulder and perch there.

Twitter posted:

First day of being snowed on for the chickens. The older hens grumped into the coop, youngsters stood out in snow looking confused.

They all eventually enjoyed the novelty of the snow, thankfully it wasn't too cold and they had fun.

Everything is frosted with glittery snow tonight & very pretty, although tomorrow they are calling for icy conditions and winds.

Twitter posted:

Uh Oh: Incubators can reliably hatch no more than 22 eggs each, total 44 eggs. Current 'want' list = 60-80 eggs. This is bad.

No hens broody right now, due to their new digs they haven't settled in enough. Some MAY be broody by mid-March to hatch extra eggs...

...but we can't depend on it. What to do with extra eggs come hatch time?! Not hatching them would be an absolute sin.

And NO, I'm not going to buy a 3rd incubator. I'm already enough of a crazy chicken lady without going into a chick production line.

Fact is, we're gonna HAVE to whittle down or hatch list to no more than 4 different breeds.

Ceridwen posted:

Funny story from today: I gave them a grape as a treat. Just one, cut into a lot of little pieces. This is the second time, they got another grape the other day, which it took them about an hour to figure out was actual food. This time, I set it down (on a paper plate) and they ignored it because they were all sleeping. They continued to sleep for about another 10 minutes, pointedly ignoring the plate of food. All the sudden one got up and picked up one piece of grape. At which point all the others woke up immediately and took off after the chick with the piece of grape. Leaving ~15 pieces of grape sitting on the plate untouched. This process continued for the next 10 minutes. It is the most active I've ever seen them and was also hilarious. Next time I'll try to catch it on video.

Inveigle posted:

Just wanted to say that I've been enjoying the various photos people have been posting of their chicks and grown chickens.

For those following Chickam: Twitter Update!


So...with luck, we should all be watching the little eggs hatching next Saturday!

Twitter posted:

Velvet Sparrow

Yet another howling windstorm tonight. If the power goes out this close to the hatch I'll fall on my freakin' sword.

Tim the Enchanter posted:

And a small herd of happy white cochins with shaved butts so they stay cleaner.

Velvet Sparrow posted:

<sub>The babies got their first live grasshopper today. I found it while watering and after smacking it with a shovel two or three times (damned things are TOUGH) to stun it, I tossed it in with them. They all came running over...

...and stood on it. So I shooed them away a bit and flicked it around with a stick. They pecked excitedly...

...at the stick.

By now I'm scolding them and the big chickens in the run next to them are yowling loudly and going INSANE because they know EXACTLY what to do with a damned grasshopper. The grasshopper, no fool, is being perfectly still.

Finally the hopper made the ultimate mistake and opened his wings, trying to fly. Georgia thought he was yummy.</sub>

piscesbobbie posted:

VS - I just read the twitter feed, so sorry about Peepsquire. This has not been a good week. Hugs to you and your family.

Chido posted:

... Pancake really made up for her traumatic trip in a box, drat chickie is getting so fat And Waffle looks so much like a chipmunk with her stripes and fluffy cheeks!

Velvet Sparrow posted:

...and Georgia is off to his new home in Carson City, Nevada where he will have a flock of ten hens! The family that came for him loved him, especially the dad, which is great since Georgia gravitates towards men.

So we're down to 3 roos, and Weedcat went back into the main run tonight with the rest of the flock. He couldn't be happier, Scott is complaining, Bloop is indignant and the hens...are on the fence.

Velvet Sparrow posted:

We're using the bright red waterer, she can see it better and can't tip it over. Her food dish is another matter, she continuously sets her mealworms free to wander the dining room. Plus, tomatoes are yummy.

Velvet Sparrow posted:

Moet just left us.

Velvet Sparrow posted:

But once in a while Weedcat will attempt to mate a bantam hen. Mostly he just sits on them for a second, swamping them in feathers and they disappear. He walks away and the banty hen looks irritated and confused.

Velvet Sparrow posted:

Had our first 'What are we hatching come Spring' discussion last night (I for sure want Bantam Cochins, for one). We may delay Chickam a bit this year tho since Easter is falling so damned early, I like to hatch in April, not March.

Velvet Sparrow posted:

OK, we'll do this in a bit with the general fortunes, I'm sure that Bear would be willing to help us out.

Any Goons who want to have their fortune for 2013 told by a chicken, chime in! I'm going to make up some appropriately snarky fortunes for y'all...

Velvet Sparrow posted:

Chicken Telling

piscesbobbie posted:

It's so UNFAIR! You folks in the UK have all the interesting and beautiful chickens. Yes, we have chickens here in the US but as Nettle Soup's Flora (rip Flora) she was more beautiful than any Buff Orpington I've seen here. I guess in the UK they are more particular about breeding standards and stuff? Here in the US more focused on egg/meat production. I tried to read info about your hens, they live to be 15 years! Tim the Enchanter has the BEST Cochins and Silkies that I've ever seen! Poultry show coming up in March! Hope there are more varieties than just the Modern Game skinny chickens!

Armed Neutrality posted:

I'm in Switzerland. I know of other Swiss breeds, the Appenzeller Spitzhauben and Barthühner for instance, that are available in the U.S, but I don't think the Schweizerhühner are, they're relatively rare.

Chido posted:

Oh Princess Roo, you and your silly shoes

Inveigle posted:

I also didn't care for how that person positioned their camera. I prefer the way VS does her chickcam, where the babies can walk right up to, and interact with, the webcam...makes things more fun and interesting!

Velvet Sparrow posted:

I've been kicking around a thread title for this year...last year was 'Wrath of Weedcat' so maybe something referencing the girls, especially if we have a broodymama.

Wikipedia posted:

The Pekin is a breed of bantam chicken. Shorter than the ordinary bantam, they are often only 20-30 centimeters tall (with head upright) and their feet and legs are completely covered by their feathers.

Velvet Sparrow posted:

Pekin Cochins (I know, some people call them Pekin Bantams) are my absolute favorite chicken, far and away. I find them incredibly sweet and to be huge cuddle monsters, even more so than Silkies. Also they LOVE to be mamas and make awesome mothers.

Boots is a 10 year old Pekin, my last one since Moet passed:

She never fights with the other chickens, except for two occasions--once when I brought in a new Sultan hen and for some reason they squared off for the first 5 minutes (then ignored each other after that), then about two years ago when she (along with three other hens) was broody and they were out group dustbathing...and a small Sharpshin hawk made the supreme mistake of diving on them. The rear end kicking they delivered on that poor hawk like the wrath of Hell itself was stunning. The broodies held it down and the rest of the flock joined in before it could get away.

I tried to hatch some Pekins last year and paid a high price for 6 eggs by mail...only a couple started and they quit on me within days of incubation.

Velvet Sparrow posted:

Oh, and Chickam returns on or about April 20th!

Velvet Sparrow posted:

-Moving With Chickens- :ohgod:

Velvet Sparrow posted:

Velvet Sparrow posted:

The ReptiPro blue light (pardon the crappy nightime pic) makes it something of a baby chick rave:

Zaran posted:

The Chickam thread doesn't start until a we get pipping normally. I hope I finally get my name used this year.

I will make sure someone is called Charizard eventually

Velvet Sparrow posted:

It's Wiggles, the tiny blue mottled Belgian d'Uccle we hatched last year.
Chances are she won't stick with it being so young, and even if she does she'd be a TEENY momma for the giagantic chicks we're planning on. So we'll see if we have the 'slapstick comic relief' option turned on during Chickam...

Velvet Sparrow posted:

Once I have a chat with Weedcat and maybe trim some fluffy butt feathers, I may set another batch of eggs to hatch a week behind the current batch, with this incubator you can do that.