Comments on: A Big Fat Mistake

By: Michelle

Michelle — Thu, 11 Nov 2021 16:53:36 +0000

In reply to Julia. I'm so glad you have the run mongoose-proof now. It's so hard loosing hens to predators! :(

By: Michelle

Michelle — Thu, 11 Nov 2021 16:50:30 +0000

In reply to Julia. yay!! that's fantastic!

By: Julia

Julia — Thu, 11 Nov 2021 10:59:27 +0000

So enjoyed your post. And the video. I have always kept bantams and for the first time ever I am raising Australorps which are massive in comparison. I sadly list 4 of my 12 chicks to a mongoose last week. Still not sure how he got in but have since mongoose proofed the run. Only the ants will now get in and out. So have 8 left. Not sure what sex they are yet. 3 are already 4 months and the others are 3. So enjoying them.

By: Michelle

Michelle — Mon, 18 Sep 2017 19:07:40 +0000

In reply to Molly.

Thanks for stopping by, Molly. I LOVE the idea of chicken therapy… my daughter has a few friends at college who have doctor’s permission to bring emotional therapy critters to live with them in their dorm rooms. I wonder if she could convince the powers-that-be that there is a legit thing called “chicken therapy?” 🙂

By: Molly

Molly — Mon, 18 Sep 2017 18:50:10 +0000

I’m so sorry you lost your young hens that way. Much like men (and women too) roosters come in all different kinds of temperaments and personalities…or should that be chickenalities in this case?

Thank you for sharing the story. I’ll know now to keep a close eye on the roosters when introducing younger birds to the flock. That is, when I get the chance to get back out in the country and have chickens again. Our village has a pet limit, and I don’t think I could get a waiver for therapy chickens. 🙂

By: Lee Quine

Lee Quine — Thu, 14 Sep 2017 22:15:40 +0000

We have chickens also and 2 roosters ..... and when one becomes broody we usually let her sit (depending on the weather/time of year) and she will hatch her chicks and we keep them separate for quite a while .....mum normally shows interest in leaving the "maternity area" after maybe 6 weeks and we let her back with the flock. At this stage we always keep the babies separate right up till they are around 18 -20 weeks ... our roosters don't seem to be interested in them until they are actually laying anyway but I just didn't want to take that risk. Thank you for sharing ....you have reinforced what we thought .... sometimes it is harder incorporating the new ones with the old ones ...but they soon sort it out and at least the young ones are able to stick up for themselves by that age. Good luck

By: Elise

Elise — Tue, 08 Aug 2017 10:44:47 +0000

Thank you so much for sharing this difficult experience I don’t know what I would have done if I were in your shoes! I am new to chickens and I have quite a bit to learn. This is not something that I would have expected. We didn’t know sexes of our chicks because we adopted them from a hatching at my daughters school. It looks like we have two ladies and two roosters, which is hard because my daughter is quite attached to all of them. One of the hens is a Bantam and now I am worried about the Barred Rock rooster and this sweet girl. I think our only choice is to split the coop or re-home the Barred Rock. It will be difficult to re-home because he is such a love…so far.

By: Michelle

Michelle — Tue, 20 Jun 2017 17:12:23 +0000

In reply to Danielle. Thanks for letting me know, Danielle, that this post is helpful for you. The duck poo situation, sadly, is a common occurrence at many places beyond the dentist. :-)

By: Danielle

Danielle — Tue, 20 Jun 2017 14:01:10 +0000

Thank you so much for sharing this. We are currently rooster-less as a predator got ours, but we’ll hopefully be getting another soon, and we’ve got young chicks that may be assimilated at some point. Good to know. Sorry you had to go through that.
I had to laugh at the duck poo on your boot at the dentist…I have made similar mistakes, though not that one in particular 🙂

By: Shanna Ferro

Shanna Ferro — Fri, 05 May 2017 05:15:56 +0000

So sorry for the loss of your babies! Thank you for sharing! I am glad to know what could happen. It’s heartbreaking when we lose them. Praying you got new ones and didn’t give up. I have 14 babies right now. I will have to figure something out when they’re able to free range.