I’ve been using carabiners to hang slices of watermelon for the chickens for awhile. It keeps the fruit away from the ants and dirt! I’ve found it also works well to hang cucumber, which is great because the chickens usually flip the cucumber skin side up before they are done cleaning out the flesh. Silly things.
Seashell retains her name.
The debate on the presence of cockerels in my flock has been definitively ended. I finally found an active Faverolle group and posted the above picture with the question. Seashell is a pullet. Dark in color, but definitely female. (Young male Faverolles look much, much different which makes it easier to sex them young.)
I must admit that I am a bit disappointed; I really did want one roo. It also brings into question the direction of the flock. If we do want to breed Faverolles for show, we would need to obtain a breeder quality rooster (our chickens are, as I was informed, typically hatchery quality, which is not surprising). Now after poring over the group page, I think several girls have potential, at least in regards to their toes and foot feathers, and maybe with coloring. But do we want to show? Do we want to raise more chickens for meat or just enjoy these girls’ eggs?
Speaking of eggs, one breeder reports that her pullets start laying on average at around 8 months old. That would put us into December. But when all 12 do start laying, oh boy, are we going to have a lot of eggs.
When the temperatures drop to a balmy 85 or less, I can again have a lap chicken. The last couple of times it has been Jade jumping up to nestle into the crook of my arm. She even lets me stroke her back feathers if I don’t touch her head. Ah, lap chicken.
The chickens are 113 days old, or 3 months and 22 days. We did a health check because the weather was cool which is better for handling. Everyone is still putting on weight, which is good; and starting to molt, which is normal but may mean it will be months until they lay their first egg. Since that will put us into winter, we may not get eggs this year. A bit of a bummer, but we’re in for the long haul, so it will be what it will be.
We did discover a calmer technique for holding the chickens for well checks. My eldest held the chickens under the chest, with the chicken’s head tucked in the crook of her arm. Even Taco (pictured above) calmed down for the toe nail clip, band check, foot pad check, and mite check (in the triangle of skin between the wing and the body). We also weighed and checked vents.
Who knew? Probably anyone who has seen this video (link goes to Facebook and a Homestead Survival Post), or has ducks or chickens. I didn’t know, but after seeing the video I had to try it.
I already have small “pools” as chicken foot baths that I bought at the hardware store marketed as plant coasters. Each bath holds about a gallon of water. I bought rosy red minnows at the pet store, which they sell as feeder fish. I started with just 4 minnows just in case the chickens didn’t get it. It gets hot and the foot baths get gross (I change out the water several times a day, and invariably as soon as the water is clean, there is a chicken in it), so I didn’t want fish lingering. The chickens can be picky about new treats too, so there was possibily of lingering. I didn’t need to worry. The chickens knew just what to do and finished off the fish in less than three minutes! I’ve posted the video on my You Tube channel.
Critters and Craft 