Luvachicken Posted September 13, 2015 Share Posted September 13, 2015 Gosh you have been very busy. I was wondering about some photos of the pretty babies too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsunset Posted September 15, 2015 Author Share Posted September 15, 2015 Hello, gosh yes, busy year indeed. OCD in its highest order (obsessive chicken disorder) has struck well and truly! Will do my best to get some pics of this years arrivals in the coming weeks. Fair few boys in the hybrids but letting them have a bit of life first before I sadly have to take some to the vet. Still lots that are to little to sex yet, or some are teenagers and no idea either! Still not sure with speckled Sussex and the buff orps are pretty big already. Oh and one little vorwerk who I suspect is a boy but he's staying. I did lose four chooks over the last few months, an amber (my friendliest hybrid), a warren, a Wyandotte and at lunchtime today a speckledy all mostly around 2-3 year old. Still have my oldest girl the bluebelle who must be nearly 4 now. Life is vey busy feeding this lot and cleaning coops but love it. As for him many I have well.....what's a number as it will fluctuate here and there by winter....... If someone told me I'd have baby chicks in a very big cardboard box upstairs in my spare bedroom 3 years ago I'd have had them down for being sectioned.......... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mullethunter Posted September 16, 2015 Share Posted September 16, 2015 Redsunset I think your flock sounds brilliant. Are the jubilee orps sort of millefleur coloured? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chickabee Posted September 16, 2015 Share Posted September 16, 2015 I would really love a welsummer cokeral, but they're banned in my house. You probably already know this, but they were the cocks portrayed on the Kellogg's cornflakes boxes. Such handsome men Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsunset Posted September 16, 2015 Author Share Posted September 16, 2015 Yes, the jubilee orps are somewhere between the millefleur and a speckled Sussex look. I think they are gorgeous but guess we all have our fav colours/breeds........or several in my case! Millie the Lhasa is in the doghouse again. Sis let dogs out to our bit of garden at lunchtime before I arrived and didn't do a quick check......a little hybrid chick must have got under the gate and Millie killed it in 10 seconds Why I have to be vigilant at all times as she absolutely hates the chickens now and wants to murder the lot of them! Need to lay a temporary piece of wood in front of the gate as the double bird netting tent pegged into the ground and stapled to trellis panels and fence posts to bottom of garden is doing a sterling job of stopping the littlies getting through. Just the bottom of gate to sort until they grow up... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsunset Posted September 23, 2015 Author Share Posted September 23, 2015 Lovely day today and all the chooks and chicks doing well. A friend gave me a couple of beautiful appenzeller spitz tonight and have to say never seen such funky looking chickens! Can just see the oldies faces in the am muttering to each other....'you seen the hairdos on that pair?'..... Lots of chickens rousting high up in the trees as weather is still mild, so leave them to it. No doubt the apoenzellers will join them tomoz as they love to fly! Just hope they don't escape! More hens strikes again! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PixieDust Posted September 24, 2015 Share Posted September 24, 2015 Can't wait to see pics of your flock. You have been mighty busy. You must be exhausted! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsunset Posted September 25, 2015 Author Share Posted September 25, 2015 I promise I will take pics soon! The appenzellers did as I expected and went high up into a tree on second night but that is the nature of that breed anyway if available. Love them as so funky looking! Have a few lavender leghorns due on Sunday and I know its late in the season so expect them indoors for several weeks......that's ok. Have city cousins up this weekend so be a big novelty to see chicks hatch! (They are excited to see!) so hope they hatch ok. Yes, it is now a lot of work in regards feeding and watering but getting there.....tomorrow have to clean the coops (not my fav but has to be done and lucky that no red mite up here) too cold? Either way am glad as that would be a nightmare! Have had scaley leg to deal with tho.....in older girls. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsunset Posted October 15, 2015 Author Share Posted October 15, 2015 Hello, bit absent again as been busy with baby chooks! My last hatch this year had Thuriangian chamois , and a couple of Fayoumi. Has anyone else had those this last year or prior? Very cute wee chooks. Have a couple of Ancona with them too so be a good few weeks before they are outside yet. Am looking forward to seeing how the Thuriangian chocks pan out/look. They appear v happy and healthy and they are new as well as the Fayoumi to me? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimnpaula Posted October 16, 2015 Share Posted October 16, 2015 You can't go posting stuff like that without pictures! We want to see these pretty babies Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsunset Posted October 16, 2015 Author Share Posted October 16, 2015 Lol, I know!! Soon as I take them out of the brooder box (has a red light) and put them in a big box with the electric hen I will take some pics to show them better! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsunset Posted October 23, 2015 Author Share Posted October 23, 2015 Winter is looming (can't find emoticon for blows raspberry!) , nights are drawing in and I still have some chooks sleeping 10 or 15 ft up trees! Out with torch in rain and took some 8 wk old ones on lower branches down to a coop, reached a couple as getting to wet & windy now. Took a 10 wk old speckled Sussex from some willows with much much 'I'm being murdered squawking' to a coop as well! The appenzellers roost almost 20 ft up and is typical of the breed, so impossible to know if they will ever use a coop! All the last littlies are growing well indoors. Mix of lavender leghorns (they are beautiful), a gold laced Orpington, a vorwerk, 3 cuckoo maran.....babies of 2 fayoumi, 4 Thuriangian, 3 Ancona, 1 ex leghorn moving to a box this weekend under brinesea hen for another good few weeks. Despite my fair few losses over the last 3 years, I'm so proud of my bluebelle hen who has just gone through her third moult and is looking lovely, and must be almost 4 now. My last of my very first 6 chooks who retires early to bed (doubt she lays now) and blaggs the top roosting spot in the big shed Rare breeds poultry auction in a couple of weeks.........can't wait! I'll just be looking of course..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plum Posted October 23, 2015 Share Posted October 23, 2015 So good to see this thread still running and they're still up the trees and more babies as well this year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsunset Posted October 23, 2015 Author Share Posted October 23, 2015 I've been neglectful of my inane ramblings from the Hebridean coop but I've been busy ya know! My wee sister still thinks I should be sectioned for moving from shoes & handbags to fussing over coop sizes, chicken health and to be frank any manner of chickeny things! Think she is slowly admitting ok, it's your hobby......... .. And I need her to baby sit over night when I go to chook auction in a couple of weeks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mullethunter Posted October 24, 2015 Share Posted October 24, 2015 That's me too redsunset. Ten years ago I'd have been legging it out of work at 3:30 on a Friday to get the train for a night out in London. Now I'm legging it out of work to make sure the chooks get a couple of hours of freedom before bed time. There is no hope Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsunset Posted October 30, 2015 Author Share Posted October 30, 2015 Weather has been amazingly good to us up here in the wilderness this autumn, and my chicks in the coop and attached run were champing at the bit to get out today so let them join the big girls at lunchtime. Lots of treats usually help any intros I find, so more big pumpkins which I had to throw at the pavement to split them helped and lots of scattered grain and little wholemeal bread which distracted the big uns. Still had to check with torch tonight and sure enough two little cuckoo Marans outside the little coop not knowing where the door was so had to lift them in. Still lots of chooks roosting in trees, but leave them to it as once weather turns colder I hope they have the good sense to go to a coop as plenty room with three big coops, a Dutch barn shed etc but......one coop has about 19, another about 7, third about 8, shed about 9......and about 15 roosting high in trees?? Soon be time for hot mash so I need to buy some big buckets to make that in! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparkysmum Posted October 30, 2015 Share Posted October 30, 2015 Eh that seems to make about 60 chooks, Redsunset Ax Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsunset Posted October 30, 2015 Author Share Posted October 30, 2015 60 chooks? Never! I make it about 49.......odd........... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsunset Posted October 30, 2015 Author Share Posted October 30, 2015 P.S. My maths at school was just terrible....... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsunset Posted November 8, 2015 Author Share Posted November 8, 2015 Just back from chook auction with another group of girls and had a fab weekend trip! Early to rise to help cage birds and feed/water for those in our group selling. Thoroughly enjoy going round 500 odd cages looking at all the different breeds of large and bantams of every possible breed. Chicken heaven! Bought some large fowl, crested cream legbars, barred Plymouth , salmon favorelles and got two cuckoo Marans from another friend of a friend there privately that she had local. Found homes local for some buff orp boys. The bantam section was amazing and nearly bid on millifleur and mottled Perkins but managed to stop myself in time! So many beautiful little birds of every breed. All the newbies are now housed and asleep. Tomorrow will be a busy day settling them in. Worried leaving my non chicken minded wee sister in charge for nearly 48 hours ,they survived, but having seen how empty the food bowls were tonight I think 48 hours is as long as I will leave my kids now! ........ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luvachicken Posted November 8, 2015 Share Posted November 8, 2015 It sounds like you had a lovely time. How you managed not to buy the pekins though must have taken a lot of will power. I was just thinking some lovely pictures of pekins would come, but never mind, I'll wait for pictures of the other newbies you got instead Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsunset Posted November 9, 2015 Author Share Posted November 9, 2015 Luvachicken, you would have loved it! Lots of Perkins which I know you like from mottled, lavender, millifleur, lemon, bobtail......and so on. I was a it worried with winter coming and their little feathery feet , but the favorelles have feathery feet and are huge birds now I see them with the flock. Big gentle giants and quite friendly. Awful weather up here today (and last night) with strong gale force winds. Last night at 7pm went to check on the newbies to find the plymouths and one crested leg bar had bagged the baby coop and found all my babies huddled outside at the back of it!! Managed to grab 9 and put them in the big shed but one little lavender leghorn went deep into undergrowth and could not reach her. Went back out at 11pm, no sign....checked all the coops and finally checked a tiny coop that 3 teenage speckled Sussex use and up popped a wee lavender head from under one.......phew! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mullethunter Posted November 9, 2015 Share Posted November 9, 2015 I don't know how you keep track of them all! Glad they're all settling in OK Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luvachicken Posted November 9, 2015 Share Posted November 9, 2015 Luvachicken, you would have loved it! Lots of Perkins which I know you like from mottled, lavender, millifleur, lemon, bobtail......and so on. I was a it worried with winter coming and their little feathery feet , but the favorelles have feathery feet and are huge birds now I see them with the flock. Big gentle giants and quite friendly. It's a good job I don't live near you redsunset Otherwise every time you went to an auction, I would ask to come too, and who knows how many pekins I would come back with each time. Glad all yours had a safe night last night especially the lavender leghorn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miller30 Posted November 10, 2015 Share Posted November 10, 2015 Havent been on this thread for months thought i would have a nose but i just saw the word Bobtail ha ha love them im getting quite a collection now at present i have 17 girls and 7 boys but some will be off to the national sale pens as i cant keep all and i have my birds ready to start my bobtail frizzle project next year glad you found the lav leghorn x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
