can you maybe move the eglu closer to where she is hiding? maybe that will lure her out of the bushes and closer to the other hens?
Henny Penny and Future Friends
Catscan, I have had one of those headlamps for years - mostly to locate my birds lol Just call me redneck!
My neighbors are used to me now, course only see when they drive by. Using the red in the LED light, makes it harder for them to spot you, but you can still see.
Chickens are very social. She will want to come back in by the others for company. May be a few days tho. And since she had babies, she might want to come back to them. If you take them out, watch that they don't get too cold. The other mama may take them too. Watch how she reacts to their chirps. If worried, she may take to them. I've had broody hens steal chicks from one another when their eggs didn't hatch or lost their chicks. But, my hens were not 'feral'......just thoughts. Someone else may have had a different experience.........
(cross posted in my chicken crisis thread!)
I GOT HER!!! WOO HOO!!!!
I am so excited! The errant chicken has been recovered! I went out this morning (going in late to work today) and went on a hunt for her. The last row, by the veg garden fence, I saw her. I got the plastic laundry basket and went back out to the same place. Silly bird stayed put! That was her last mistake! She tried to go through the holes in the veg garden wire (not a chance) and was flapping up against the wire. I just slapped the laundry basket against the fence and trapped her. I had a bit of trouble getting her in hand, but once I did, she sounded like a hawk giving birth to a cow. All this carrying on like I have never heard. I wasn't hurting her - just carrying her. What a to-do!
Anyway, here she is, looking a bit cross. Her feathers in the sunlight on her neck have a greenish tint, sort of like you see on starlings or some ducks.
Does anybody have any clue what kind she might be? Note yellow legs, very minimal comb, white patches on side of head, and hackle feathers have the greenish tint. Quite distinctive fan shaped tail...
Claire
Her name is now Alcatraz....Allie for short.
One more pic
She may never be "tame", but once she connects you with food, she will probably settle in. Chickens are remarkably mercenary:0). And you can buy them with scratch!
This message was edited Aug 7, 2008 11:32 AM
Love that tail she's got!
MollyD
I went looking at here http://www.ithaca.edu/staff/jhenderson/chooks/chooks.html#p maybe she is an OZ bird.
I guess those are white "earlobes" on her? It seems the OZ birds have red earlobes. Her comb is red but very small. I don' t know her egg color yet.
Here is a closer pic on her head. What type of comb is that described as?
YAY!! Allie's on lockdown, heh heh....her feathers look like my black orpington hens but those earlobes look like my ameracauna hens...is she a mix?
By the way, Claire, now you've passed the first chicken wrangler test....way to GO!
Catherine
When I got her, my colleague said that she was a "special breed" but he couldn't remember the name. They have black orpingtons, light brahmas and barred rocks, but he said she wasn't any of those, and he couldn't remember the type of hen. Just that she was something special. I have no clue myself! It would be neat if she has ameracauna in her! She could well be a mix...
Catherine - I hate to think what the second chicken wrangler test is!!!
She really should get one of those huge impressive solid gold (chicken) wrangler belt buckles, shouldn't she. Don't they use those to hypnotize the birds into submission (or egglus)
Allie's a perfect name,btw!
Yes, a belt buckle!
Claire, I feel compelled to warn you about the second test...it is fighting off a predator...you'd be (well, I was) surprised at the intensity of your courage and bravery....hopefully you'll never have to face that test.
on a brighter note, have you checked out Feathersite? It has lovely pictures of most poultry breeds http://www.feathersite.com/Poultry/BRKPoultryPage.html
Catherine
I heard from the ex-wife of the guy who I got the hens from about the black one. She was the one of the couple who was really into them. She says that the black hen is a cross between a black australorp and a dark cornish. She said that it was weird that the earlobes were white because all their hens lay brown or blue eggs. Hmmm....
I don't think she has laid me an egg yet.
Saw a posting somewhere about ear color equating to egg color... backyard chickens maybe?
The general rule is White Ear Lobes=White Eggs. Some have just a White Spot in the Lobe, but it still generally means White Eggs. Since most of the primarily egg laying Mediterranean Breeds, like Leghorns and Andalusians have white lobes, it holds up pretty well. But there are exceptions--some Mediterraneans like the Penedesenca and closely related breeds have white lobes but lay very dark eggs: http://www.feathersite.com/Poultry/CGP/Penes/BRKPenes.html
If the CF is listening, I would not object to a Penedesenca egg drop:0)
Exactly what I thought - I thought she would lay white eggs because of the white lobes, because that's what all my new chicken books have taught me. Still, I guess there may be exceptions (eggceptions?) Anyway, I have to wait and see. The only eggs I have so far are brown. So either the ex-wife is wrong, or the chicken is not normal. I will have to wait and see what color of eggs begin to pop out! So far (since I recovered her from the brushy area) there has only been 1 brown egg from all 3 hens. They're holding out on me!
Claire
Isnt it common for them to stop laying when there has been stress. ie in moving them. About 2 weeks break?
Ah, that would make sense. I always find moving to be very stressful, so I imagine they would too. Plus of course her chicks being taken away....
Thats right she had chicks, wonder how long they go after the chicks hatch till she will lay again.
since the eggs are already formed, moving stress wouldn't hold them basck more than two days, but thinking they don't lay for two months after hatching, or two months total less one week for layuing and three for setting?
Has anyone tried changing their chickens from crumbles to pellets? I'm trying and they're resisting but the pellets are way cheaper and a bit harder for them to waste.
MollyD
no, had the same problem. so i changed to grians, and am saving a lot of money that way. i mix it myself as needed. soemdays they pick out only one grain, but hte next day they clean up thei rmess... we get sudden rainstorms without notice, and crumble sor pellets turn to uedible mush. if grains get wet, i spread them out and they dry in the sun. what isn't eaten sprouts, and then it IS eaten...
tf.. tell me your ratio and what grains.. I need a new and more cost effective feed
me too, TF....the crumbles seem to increase by a $1 a bag a month.....would love to have your *recipe*
Me too--I have MollyD's problem--mine will not switch to pellets and are eating the younger birds mash. The poor little Silkie has figured out he can go in the coop and eat the layers pellets by himself--with no competition. Go Riley!
I wonder why they resist the pellets? Mine were eating the crumbles even when wet. Why not the wet pellets??
MollyD
Easier, much like a big dog eating cat food. Chicken have no teeth, so it spends more time in the gullet with grit is my thought. Tho I really don't know. Maybe they need small stones, grit or oyster shell to help 'chew it up'?
We found less waste when I mixed grains. Would LOVE to know what tf is doing. I tried rolled corn, rolled oats, rolled barley. Then tossed out old bread from bread store, corn cobs, fruits, veggies & meat. Used a lot of boiled eggs - mashed up, shell & all. Found whole grains got left & they went for the easier stuff. Also, weren't too much for the barley, if I remember right.
Now use dry COB from the feed store mixed with pellets. Seem to get it all eventually. COB with molasses is too wet...... Then I mix in extra protein (sunflower seeds) for my peafowl. Seem to be doing well on it.
TF What is your recipe?? Very curious here.....
Cheryl - Pea
OK, i will post in a thread about feed. since there ar e LIKELY to be questions regaarding my personal practices [fire away!], i don't want to hijack HP's thread...
tf
nutrition thread:
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/888425/
This message was edited Aug 10, 2008 2:15 AM
LOL
PeaFowlAnjL mine get grit.
MollyD
no internets the last few days (grrrr)....did I miss tthe State Fair Report?
LOL....see my thread "That chicken fairy has to leave me alone..." for my state fair adventures. I haven't posted all my pics yet though.
i like that thread
Now I posted all my fair pictures in a thread called "A trip to the Iowa State Fair in photographs". It's got chickens, ducks, livestock, sheep shearing competition, etc.
thank you!!
Sorry Molly, I certainly did not mean to imply your chickens don't get grit.
Just that my birds seem to be lazy or something - as they tend to preferred the crumble to pellet too. One thing I have noticed, if adult birds are hungry, they will eat just about anything. Free ranging helps with food though
Am learning lots on the nutrition thread. tons to catch up on now that I feel like I can read & type again. This heat is killing me....
I've been mixing the pellets with the crumbles this week and this morning I found one of their dishes empty (and not on the ground!) so someone is getting the idea that pellets are food too. I will keep mixing them 50-50 till I see more of them accepting the pellets and then gradually decrease the crumbles till they're gone altogether.
MollyD
Duh, MollyD! Why didn't I think of that? I've been mixing oats with the younger one's starter mash--but for some reason it never occurred to me to mix the pellets in with the mash?
Thank you.