Raising Chickens: Baby Chicks to ½ Grown

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Discussion Overview

This thread discusses the progress of baby chicks as they grow, sharing experiences and observations related to raising chickens. Participants share pictures, personal anecdotes, and questions about chicken behavior, egg-laying, and care practices.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Debate/contested
  • Meta-discussion

Main Points Raised

  • Participants share pictures of their chickens and express affection for them, noting their growth and health.
  • Some participants joke about the purpose of chickens and their culinary potential, with humorous remarks about being hungry.
  • Questions arise regarding the biological reasoning behind chickens laying unfertilized eggs, with some suggesting that constant mating behavior in their natural environment influences this.
  • A participant recounts a personal experience with a friend who raised chickens, highlighting the difference in meat quality compared to store-bought chickens.
  • There is a discussion about the behavior of a dominant hen named Roger, with observations on her interactions with the other chickens and her potential to act like a rooster.
  • Participants express concern for the chickens' safety from predators, discussing plans for a predator-proof enclosure.
  • There are humorous exchanges about the idea of kittens being good guards for baby chicks, referencing past experiences with cats and chickens.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally agree on the affection for their chickens and share similar experiences regarding their care. However, there are differing opinions on the biological aspects of egg-laying and the implications of chicken behavior, indicating unresolved questions and varying perspectives.

Contextual Notes

Some discussions include anecdotal evidence and personal experiences that may not reflect broader practices or scientific consensus on chicken behavior and care.

  • #151
Marry me dl!
 
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  • #152
dlgoff said:
Since this photo of Duck/Buddy; yea. He follows me like a dog and if I get out of his sight for a minute, he cries like a baby. Damn thing wants to come in the house with me. So far he only nibbles on me when I not moving and working on something outside. Must be his way of showing affection?

Um... That's a girl duck, d.
 
  • #153
Girl, Boy, still Duck and Buddy to me. Gooood Duck. :approve:
 
  • #154
Evo said:
Marry me dl!
Think for a minute. Ducks in our bedroom? :bugeye:
 
  • #155
dlgoff said:
Think for a minute. Ducks in our bedroom? :bugeye:
The more the merrier!
 
  • #156
Evo said:
The more the merrier!

:smile: :smile::wink:
 
  • #157
Buddy's my buddy. Here's her home and pool.







 
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  • #158
dlgoff said:
Buddy's my buddy. Here's her home and pool.

OMG! That duck has more luxuries than I do!

Voice inside Om's head said:
But you've got a boat, Om.

But that duck is a boat. And an Airplane!

I've decided to renounce my Agnosto-Judeo-Christian-Muslim-Buddhist faith, and become a Hindu.

I want to be a duck in my next lifetime. The perfect being.

Namaste

-------------------------
ps. That is a most ingenious use of inverted stair runners. Have you patented the idea? Can I invest in your company?
 
  • #159
dlgoff said:
Buddy's my buddy. Here's her home and pool.

Aww it's nice to be Buddy the duck.
 
  • #160
Did the other ducks live?
 
  • #161
Evo said:
Did the other ducks live?
No. Critters. :mad:
 
  • #162
dlgoff said:
No. Critters. :mad:
:cry:

Just went back and now understand the possum and owl reference.
 
  • #163
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HwSKkKrUzUk


:smile:
 
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  • #164
lisab said:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HwSKkKrUzUk


:smile:


So down to Earth Lisab. :approve:
 
Last edited by a moderator:
  • #165
There's no time for raising chicken, dl! Come to chat! :biggrin:
 
  • #166
Speaking of critters, I came round the corner of my house to see a mink chasing my chickens. The mink is maybe 1/3 the size of a chicken but they're good predators.
 
  • #167
Don, do any of your hens stop laying for about a week, with no obvious reason?
 
  • #168
lisab said:
Don, do any of your hens stop laying for about a week, with no obvious reason?
I've noticed them not laying for a few days when the temperatures get high/hot; especially when they are nearing the end of their laying life (~2 good years). Also, the type of food will cause them to miss a day or two. However, I don't think I've had one stop for a week then begin again.

Which brings up Roger who tapered off laying then stopped completely. She laid good for two years, including winters. She got really mean after she stopped. Just recently she was keeping the other young hens from drinking and in my aggravation I tossed her out of the coup. I'm sorry to report (Evo) that I forgot to put her back in and the next morning...feathers, lots.

RIP Roger :cry:
 
  • #169
dlgoff said:
I've noticed them not laying for a few days when the temperatures get high/hot; especially when they are nearing the end of their laying life (~2 good years). Also, the type of food will cause them to miss a day or two. However, I don't think I've had one stop for a week then begin again.

Which brings up Roger who tapered off laying then stopped completely. She laid good for two years, including winters. She got really mean after she stopped. Just recently she was keeping the other young hens from drinking and in my aggravation I tossed her out of the coup. I'm sorry to report (Evo) that I forgot to put her back in and the next morning...feathers, lots.

RIP Roger :cry:

images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSvblJ-fBJLUYz1RXuc7A3z1UuahC0S3pFPVkVWw1KEkBens3g7myMosHnd.jpg


You're becoming a true rancher, Don!
 
  • #170
lisab said:
images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSvblJ-fBJLUYz1RXuc7A3z1UuahC0S3pFPVkVWw1KEkBens3g7myMosHnd.jpg


You're becoming a true rancher, Don!
I think I have a little chicken in my blood. My first chicken experiences came from my Grandmother before 4yo in Arkansas. She was in charge of the chicken house; feeding, collecting eggs, and ringing necks (she fried some damn good chicken too). Much later after moving to Kansas, I would visit an uncle who raised fryers for Tyson. In the end, he operated 7 houses that could hold 20-30k chickens each; but that's another story. It wasn't until my late 30s that I started having a few layers around. Never rang a neck though. :redface:
 
  • #171
dlgoff said:
I've noticed them not laying for a few days when the temperatures get high/hot; especially when they are nearing the end of their laying life (~2 good years). Also, the type of food will cause them to miss a day or two. However, I don't think I've had one stop for a week then begin again.

Which brings up Roger who tapered off laying then stopped completely. She laid good for two years, including winters. She got really mean after she stopped. Just recently she was keeping the other young hens from drinking and in my aggravation I tossed her out of the coup. I'm sorry to report (Evo) that I forgot to put her back in and the next morning...feathers, lots.

RIP Roger :cry:
NOOOOO! OMG! NOOOOOOOO.

ROGER! :cry:
 
  • #172
I threw up. I'm devastated. ROGER! I can't stop crying.

Dl, can we have another Roger?
 
  • #173
Sure. How about Roger Too?
 
  • #174
dlgoff said:
sure. How about roger too?
yes!
 
  • #175
Was she just outside on her own?
 
  • #176
dlgoff said:
I've noticed them not laying for a few days when the temperatures get high/hot; especially when they are nearing the end of their laying life (~2 good years). Also, the type of food will cause them to miss a day or two. However, I don't think I've had one stop for a week then begin again.

Which brings up Roger who tapered off laying then stopped completely. She laid good for two years, including winters. She got really mean after she stopped. Just recently she was keeping the other young hens from drinking and in my aggravation I tossed her out of the coup. I'm sorry to report (Evo) that I forgot to put her back in and the next morning...feathers, lots.

RIP Roger :cry:

Grandpa had one go "broody" like that. We kids (I was little then) brought home six new chicks from the feed store and slipped them under her one night. Next morning she was a new mom - clucking and teaching them to scratch. An ol' blacksnake got two of them but she raised the other four that summer. Total personality transformation.

old jim
 
  • #177
Evo said:
Was she just outside on her own?
Yea. It was my fault forgetting she was out.
 
  • #178
jim hardy said:
Grandpa had one go "broody" like that. We kids (I was little then) brought home six new chicks from the feed store and slipped them under her one night. Next morning she was a new mom - clucking and teaching them to scratch. An ol' blacksnake got two of them but she raised the other four that summer. Total personality transformation.

old jim
Cool story. I had a blacksnake eating eggs once. That was years ago though.
 
  • #179
We are now down to one (very badass) hen, due to hawks :frown:. So today my husband and I finished putting netting over the whole chicken yard, about 50' X 20'.

The lone hen is now happily out in the open, under the safety of the netting. She hasn't been out like this in weeks. She'd been staying inside the shelter of the coop, or under some dense bushes.

Now that the area is safe from coyotes and hawks, we'll get more hens. I prefer to get adults. Chicks are cute, but I'd rather have eggs than cuteness.
 
  • #180
lisab said:
We are now down to one (very badass) hen, due to hawks :frown:. So today my husband and I finished putting netting over the whole chicken yard, about 50' X 20'.

The lone hen is now happily out in the open, under the safety of the netting. She hasn't been out like this in weeks. She'd been staying inside the shelter of the coop, or under some dense bushes.

Now that the area is safe from coyotes and hawks, we'll get more hens. I prefer to get adults. Chicks are cute, but I'd rather have eggs than cuteness.
:cry:
 

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