[symonep]

look here

6 weeks old on Friday and my how they have grown!


i still think the bantam (brown one) is male and the one we hatched is female, but i guess it is still too early to tell



they are now living in the concervatory, the heater is off during the day now and this week i will move them onto growers pellets as they can eat a whole container of their chick crumb in a few days!

[joyfull]

I agree the brown one certainly does look like a male - his comb is well developed and his neck feathers are starting to look decidedly pointed.

[ANHBUC]

They do as you say "grow like weeds".  I hope the weather improves so they can go outside.  Great pictures. 

Mix the chick crumb and layers pellets until they get used to the new food.   

[symonep]

I put the new food in today and they gobbled it up, greedy little things 
We are away for a few days in a couple of weeks time and by the time we get back they will be around 10 weeks so hoping they can go outside by then

[symonep]

Aww the chicke are 7 or 8 weeks old and they are spending their first night out in the great outdoors, they could have stayed indoors longer but they would run up and down their run in the conservatory looking out to the garden desperate to get out!

We have put their brooder heater out there and have just checked on them and they are no where near it, they are huddled up in the corner warm as toast.

Hopefully it won't be long before they won't need the hear at all.
How many weeks do they have to be before we switch them over to layers from the growers they are currently on?

[ANHBUC]

Best to keep them on growers until they start to lay.  They don't need the calcium until then and I believe it can harm them.   

[symonep]

Ah cool, thanks for that, I wouldn't have switched them for another 10 weeks or so but wanted to check. Now all I need to do is find it in a large bag as all I seem to Be able to find is the small bags.

[ANHBUC]

Have you tried this place near you?

www.top-butcher.co.uk/tack10.htm  They do poultry supplies according to their website.   

[symonep]

Oh yeah I forgot about glovers. Thanks will pop down and get some tomorrow.
Thanks 

[symonep]

Well the chicks are 10 weeks old now and doing very well, the white one is very friendly and the brown one was just trying to rip my arm off  
I am still thinking the white one is a girl (how lucky would we be with only 1 hatching and it being a girl!) and the brown one is a boy, we have just moved them to their new coop .I am just uploading some new photos so i would welcome your opinions, if he is a boy we are hoping he will be a quiet one so we can keep him!  
Here is the white one at 10 weeks old




I am not sure if the colour of the legs means anything but the white one has really yellow legs!




Here is their new temporary home within the big girls coop, as soon as we put them in the old ladies started complaining and squarking....it sounds like it will be a long process of them getting used to each other!

[ANHBUC]

The yellow legs are usually to do with the breed.  Think you are right about white hen and brown cockerel but only time will tell.  I let my young birds mix with the older ones when freeranging as they can find loads of places to hide if needed. 

[symonep]

we havent been able to let any of them out for a few weeks now due to the weather, the garden is like a bog and as much as they would love it i cant afford to returf the garden again (last year in the bad weather they ate ever single blade of grass we had!) so they have had turf's put in their run to make up for it.
hopefully we can let them staft mixing soon!

[symonep]

well at 8.30 this morning the old girls spotted the youn chicks within their run and were not happy  :blink: much squarking took place!
I thought i would let them all out together as they havent been out to freerange for about a month and the little ones have never been out at all, the little ones loved it and were really happy to approach the older girls.......then all hell broke lose and one was chasing the cockerel (he did try to stand his ground but as he only came up to their bellys he didnt stand a chance) then anohter jumped on the white ones back and ripped about 20 feathers out! Poor little things didnt know what happened.
i put the older hens in their run and left the little ones out for a while so they could enjoy the big wide world, again it looks like it will be a long time before they can live happily ever after together!

[ANHBUC]

   Mine have never done anything like that but they have a broody to protect them a little.  I say a little because my broodies are bantams and half the size of my other hens so even they have to give them a wide birth sometimes.

One of our 2 turkeys has taken a shine to one of this years Welsummer bantam hens and has decided to display and show off around her.  She isn't phased and just does a runner if he gets too close.   

[symonep]

  I have evil hens I think lol
Once they accept new hens they are fine, it just takes them a while!!

I have a nice collection of white feathers thoug, any more and I could make a boa