Good for you on the birds. I use a large fishing net with a long handle to catch escapees. Helps a single person cover a larger area. I've used it on rabbits and once on a piglet. 👍
There are few things more dramatic than a chicken squawking about the injustice of being left in their tractor for an extra hour or two while their netting is being moved/set up 🤣
They are very good dual purpose birds also. They do a lot of scratching, hard workers and just remember you want to observe the vigor and vitality of the crop of RIRs you pick as a breeding flock and you will be well on your way to self sustainability as for as breeding goes on that family. Plenty eggs, and then at 16 weeks take good hard long look at the best rooster you want to keep.
That's what is in my plans when I move to my 5 acre plot. At least breeding family, hopefully 2. Then a nice size flock for eggs and plenty of work for my garden ideas. I have already sat down and kind of played with my zones and charts already.
Very good move! Keep getting those pullets. You can get some more Rhode Island Reds pullets and a good nice hardy rooster and breed your own line of RIRs.
go to TSC they have that black mesh Justin used you can cut it in half doesn't need to be to high so you twice the the bang for your buck I myself use it for many applications. good luck and God Bless
I used to raise Ameraucanas; they all have beards and muffs from the day they hatch; I don't see any on your birds, so I strongly suspect you got a black Easter Egger, and not an Ameraucana. Sometimes Ameraucanas and Easter Eggers lay green eggs - if there are any brown egg laying genes in their background. I could go on about the biology involved, but won't bore you here. It's very good that you left the new birds in the crate. You should always quarantine new birds in sight of the existing flock. They should be separated for at least a week, but a month is better to make sure neither your birds or the new ones infect each other with anything. It's also good to quarantine them because the new birds disrupt the pecking order of the existing flock,. Lastly, you want to quarantine new birds to let them adjust to where they will be living - as Don recommended. Chickens are ruthless dinos, and practice a strict hierarchy as I am sure you know . Since the new birds are so much younger than the existing flock, they will automatically be at the bottom of the pecking hierarchy, and thus may be attacked by any other bird in the flock. When introducing younger birds into a flock, always provide a place for them to escape predatory older birds. I always introduce new birds to the flock after dark - just put them on the roosts, preferably beside the head rooster and head hen who will literally take them under their wings and protect them from the rest of the flock.
Good for you on the birds. I use a large fishing net with a long handle to catch escapees. Helps a single person cover a larger area. I've used it on rabbits and once on a piglet. 👍
Great idea!
There are few things more dramatic than a chicken squawking about the injustice of being left in their tractor for an extra hour or two while their netting is being moved/set up 🤣
They are very good dual purpose birds also. They do a lot of scratching, hard workers and just remember you want to observe the vigor and vitality of the crop of RIRs you pick as a breeding flock and you will be well on your way to self sustainability as for as breeding goes on that family. Plenty eggs, and then at 16 weeks take good hard long look at the best rooster you want to keep.
Glad that you found someone local that you can buy pullets from! :) So great.
Absolutely! We're really happy with our breeder. We're about to get our next batch from him!!!
Pullets are adorable like baby chicks but almost grown up I have 3
That's what is in my plans when I move to my 5 acre plot. At least breeding family, hopefully 2. Then a nice size flock for eggs and plenty of work for my garden ideas. I have already sat down and kind of played with my zones and charts already.
That's great that you can do all this preparation before moving onto your property! You'll have a real leg up once you move.
Very good move! Keep getting those pullets. You can get some more Rhode Island Reds pullets and a good nice hardy rooster and breed your own line of RIRs.
Yes! I'd love to do that!
was that black rooster an Ayam Cemani or a Swedish black?
Cemani - You know your birds! Nice!
go to TSC they have that black mesh Justin used you can cut it in half doesn't need to be to high so you twice the the bang for your buck I myself use it for many applications. good luck and God Bless
Thanks cuzz. I wish we had a TSC nearby. I found some "bird" netting (the kind that keeps wild birds out of a garden) that is doing the trick.
Shetland sheep?
katahdin x dorper
could you please tell us what you paid for a bag of scratch and peck?????????????????
approximately $30. That wouldn't be economically practical at a larger scale. I'm looking into bulk/wholesale pricing options.
that is very reasonable
GMO chickens. We never had chickens that laid colored eggs till recently.
I used to raise Ameraucanas; they all have beards and muffs from the day they hatch; I don't see any on your birds, so I strongly suspect you got a black Easter Egger, and not an Ameraucana.
Sometimes Ameraucanas and Easter Eggers lay green eggs - if there are any brown egg laying genes in their background. I could go on about the biology involved, but won't bore you here.
It's very good that you left the new birds in the crate. You should always quarantine new birds in sight of the existing flock. They should be separated for at least a week, but a month is better to make sure neither your birds or the new ones infect each other with anything. It's also good to quarantine them because the new birds disrupt the pecking order of the existing flock,. Lastly, you want to quarantine new birds to let them adjust to where they will be living - as Don recommended.
Chickens are ruthless dinos, and practice a strict hierarchy as I am sure you know . Since the new birds are so much younger than the existing flock, they will automatically be at the bottom of the pecking hierarchy, and thus may be attacked by any other bird in the flock. When introducing younger birds into a flock, always provide a place for them to escape predatory older birds.
I always introduce new birds to the flock after dark - just put them on the roosts, preferably beside the head rooster and head hen who will literally take them under their wings and protect them from the rest of the flock.