Mistaken identity Rhode Island Red

Treacle and chick

I am stepping back in time a little with this post.  I hope your enjoy! 

In April 2012 my speckledy hen, Treacle, decided it was her time to raise a family and sat determined in her nest box for a couple of weeks pecking me if I dared put a hand anywhere near her.  Quite frustrating when your family has become reliant on a constant supply of fresh home reared eggs.  With 3 young boys the Saturday routine of 2 boiled runny eggs and toast each was under threat! 

On the 5^th May I decided it would be a good idea to increase the flock. 

I bought 3 fertile Rhode Island Reds eggs locally.  Slipped them under Treacle and left well alone.

On the 25th May a little soggy yellow chick hatched.  The other 2 eggs did not hatch, but I did not mind, I had a chick and I was sure it would be a hen!
 

At 15 weeks the “hen” started looking quite a specimen.  Actually Spiderman, as my boys had nicknamed it, was looking enormous!  Then one Saturday morning……….. “Cock-a-doodle-do”!  It was not a strong powerful voice but one that sounded like a teenage boy with a voice that was just starting to break!

I laughed and laughed.  Until the next morning (Sunday) when “he” tested his vocal chords again, this time pre 5am.

It woke my boys, so that was that.  I was fortunate that the farm I bought the eggs from agreed to have any cockerels.  He is now in a field full of ladies to look after.

My wife could not stop laughing for days afterwards, I was so determined it was a hen I ignored all the signs.  I will certainly reserve judgement in future.




Here he is, Rodney the rooster about 2 weeks before he decided to stretch his vocal chords!

 

Thanks for reading.

 

Thinking ahead

I am trying to think ahead at the moment.  It's tricky, a little bit like multi tasking.  :-( 

Whilst Pinky and Perky are only small now, they are going to grow fast, all be it only to bantam size.  The broody coop is fine, but I am concerned that they will run out of space quickly.
So probably to Rachel's horror I am looking at some cheep,................sorry, that should be cheap, coops to house them in.



Maran Hen - Photo from Omlet.co.uk





Rhode Island Red young Cockerel

I had full intentions of integrating the bantams with my other hens, Custard a hybrid Sussex and Pudding a Bluebelle which is a cross between a maran and rhode island red.

I still may do that, but my ultimate aim would be to breed Wyandottes.  Problem is, a cockerel in a 1970's housing estate!



My allotment

 So I'm back to considering my allotment, approximately 3 miles away, as an alternative.

There is already heras fencing left there from the previous occupier who kept chickens.  So that saves some money and can make a good size enclosure secure as it can be from foxes.  

The Allotment association's reaction to chickens on the allotment was "luke warm" but it was not a flat No. They had issues previously with chickens escaping and the chairman being called on a Sunday afternoon to sort it out.  I'm confident this will not be an issue.
If you have had your allotment association refuse or accept chickens, can you drop me a note.  I would love to hear what issues you faced and if you were successful winning them over.

Mine has quoted the following issues.

1.  Escaping chickens eating other tenants produce.

2.  Smell

3.  Animal welfare issues with previous keepers

4. Materials being left on site when tenants leave such as heras fencing.

I will have to wait and see.  With only 2 Wyandotte chickens I will need more, a ratio of 3 or 4 hens to a cockerel is good.  Sourcing the Gold lace Wyandottes Bantams is proving difficult.  So I may need to hatch my own eggs purchased from another source!

Thanks for reading and more ramblings soon!

Wyandotte Chicks update day 4

The chicks are doing well.

I need to start thinking of names.  I have no idea if they are hens or cockerels, so 2 names of each should work. 

Last time I ask Jake my eldest for name suggestions, he decided on Spiderman for the Rhode Island Red Chick.  Rhys suggested Ben 10!!  Not really what I'm looking for.  For now Pinky and Perky will do.

Anyway, as mentioned in my last blog, I moved the broody coop and run on Sunday.

It is a compact coop and run.  It does not have a door to shut on the nest area but is well protected.  This however presented me with my first challenge.  Every time I moved towards the coop Treacle, Pinky and Perky walked into the run.  So I could not move it without risking an injury to them.

I checked most of the morning on Sunday and they seem to have camped permanently in the run.
Around 3 pm I had a little luck.  They were in the nest, but yet again they ran out to see what was happening.
I decided to pick the whole coop up.  BAD idea!

Treacle Pinky and Perky ran out and sat under the nearest bush!
Interesting!

I moved the run to the fresh grass and then tried to encourage Treacle into the run hoping that Pinky and Perky would follow.



Photo from Photobucket.com

 I forget how agile hens can be, especially when there are chicks involved.  Treacle raised the feathers on the back of her neck, opened here wings and had a look in her eye that said "do you feel lucky? Well do ya punk?".

Dirty Harry would have been proud.

As it happened I did not feel lucky, so I backed off.
She lowered her guard and turned her back to me.  So I took my opportunity and grabbed hold of her.  She was not impressed so I made a dash to the coop and put her safely in.

Then it was time for Pinky and Perky.  Easy?  Hmmm.  More slippery than a jellied eel.  But I did catch them.
They were so light and soft.  I did not hold them long as I did not want to upset Treacle.

So, what was intended to be a simple job turned into a mini adventure really.
Here they are nice a safe in their coop.
Please excuse the noise, Rhys and Ewan, my youngest, decided it was noisy time.

Thanks for reading.

Wyandotte Chicks Hatching

I was very pleased to see that one egg had hatched, so much so I actually bounced into work which has not happened for a long time.  

I could not get a photo yesterday morning.  The camera on my phone is not great, so when I returned in the afternoon, I took Rhys (my three and a half year old son) to see the chick as he was very excited.

With a little help we managed to get a photograph of the chick.  See right.

A very cute Wyandotte Black Lace Bantam.

Whilst out with the hens, I decided to watch Treacle for a while.  I noticed that one of the eggs had rolled out from underneath her and there was a crack in the egg. 

I managed to move the egg to the front of Treacle hoping she would pull it under her again for warmth, but she seemed to just watch it.

To my surprise I heard chirping and the egg started moving.  The chick was actually hatching.

I had my phone with me so I took a chance with the video.  See below.
Before you view it, a word of warning it is quite short.  As the chick started breaking through, Treacle pecked at it.  So I decided it would be best for me to tuck it under her.  She accepted it.  I have not edited the video.

 

So that is two out of six Wyandotte eggs that have hatched.  I have checked regularly and at about noon on Saturday 20th October, Treacle left the nest for the first time in approximately two days.  This is normally a pretty good sign that all hatching has finished.

I candled the eggs with an LED torch I have.  Two of the four un-hatched eggs appeared to have died very early on in the first couple of days.  One I believe was not fertile and the last I think died as day 15-17.  It's a shame but these things happen.

Chart from Avianweb.com
Image 7 shows the air sack according to number of days

For now I have disinfected the run with Stalosan F and will move it on Sunday to fresh grass.  I don't want coccidiosis which is a nasty parasite infection that can kill chicks in a few days.  Symptoms are chicks hunched up and blood in their droppings.
The photo below is of the two Black Lace Wyandotte chicks with Treacle.
They are tiny little things even compared to the Rhode Island Red chick I hatched earlier in the year.

I am becoming a little obsessed with hatching chicks and keeping chickens in general so watch this space! ;-)

Soon I will be posting my thoughts on the various old wives tales for breaking a broody hen and posting pictures of the new clean run for my other hens, Custard and Pudding.

Thanks again for reading.

Broody Speckledy Hen Update Day 19

Rhode Island Red chick

Its 2 days and counting until we hope to hear the sound of chirping from the broody coop. 
It could of course be sooner.  The Rhode Island Red (left) that Treacle hatched 3 to 4 months ago arrived a day early.  Fortunately I had already bought a small pack of chick crumbs just in case.

The chicks apparently survive on the last of the undigested yolk in the stomach for 24 to 48 hours so in theory you could buy the food after the chicks have hatched, but I am concerned that the chick will try and eat the layers pellets in the run that Treacle has been eating.  The high calcium content in the layers can apparently kill the chick.  So I will be off to the local shop in the next day or two and will start feeding Treacle on the chick crumbs.  It will help her get back into condition quicker as it is higher in protein.

Treacle with quite a pale comb

I have also noticed that she is getting a little smelly.  I know chickens honk at the best of times, but she seems to have really let herself go this time in order to look after the eggs.

Broody hens can look quite ill and anaemic, so anything I can do to help her get back in to shape I will start as soon as I can.  I expect I will be buying poultry spice and poultry tonic as well as the chick crumbs.

No, before you say anything poultry spice is not the chicken version of old spice!  Its a mixture of spices like ginger that is in powder form that you add to the food.  Gives them a bit of a helping hand if feeling low and is worth giving in the winter time.

day 19 - photo from backgardenchickens.com

I tried candling the eggs the other day, but as the eggs are quite pale I could not see a lot.  That said I think at least one of the eggs seems to be progressing well.

Fingers crossed in the next 3 days I will be reporting hatchings with photos if possible.

Good luck Treacle!

Thanks for reading.