First Chickens First Impressions

i did not know chickens are so much fun, i mean,
in a way they are at least as fun as dogs, in different ways obviously, and maybe its me,
i just like to now sit around and just watch them doing their own thing, while not nagging
me all the time, sometimes dogs are just so over-agitated, and all that barking management...
anyway... so far chooks are fun and they are actually more attentive creatures then i expected;
i whistled and they all stood to attention;
i move and they get cautious, i stop for a while and they start to move gradually;
i talk to them in different tones and they react almost as dogs, kind of curious;

i just got them few days ago, and i just sat down and observed them,
and i soon realized, that each has a little bit of their personality,
they do things a bit differently, one of them is bossing around,
i picked her in the air and she wasn't afraid, also she didn't
really pecked me, but she turned her head 180 degrees and pecked the air (!)
showing me almost as if: "well i know you are the farm owner, but watch out, this is my department!"
(at that moment i was just giggling and beaming on inside with suppressed chuckles)
i spoke to her, how bossy she is and she will do fine looking after those who
don't know where their place within the flock!
(yes i'm a little mad, but i'm also a little reasonable too )

one is a bit damaged, but at the same time is the one that lets
me pet her without fuss, there is two younger ones that are,
more shy and they keep together, at first i was concerned they will be picking on each other,
but of what i've seen they peck only a little bit,
and i didn't see them getting overaggressive;
some of them are from like a factory farm,
so i also feel happy that at least those few birds
(even if unintended) 'got rescued' from that
type of abused lifestyle, they are recovering, and i hope
the best for them, they have a nice run with some bushes and trees
and grass, some stones and some ground to scratch,
i guess in comparison to their previous life its like a 5 star airbnb for chooks

()ps - i know it sounds like talking about people... but really
it makes you think of just how deeply rooted are some of the
behaviors that you can observe across the species...


"remember chicken is a machine, it has no feelings,
its not an organic creature, its just a neurotic
automaton which primarily function is producing proteins
for humans to get from you know where...
- would be an honest supermarket commercial

It's not silly. They are important and fun and silly little fluffy butts.
It might help to try to keep the two sides of chicken care somewhat separate - the one side: They are fun and silly and have chicken-alities and opinions about things.
                                                                                                                                                              They are fun to take care of and spend time with.
                                                                                                                                                              They have habits will learn by doing things.

                                                                                                                                       the other side: They are edible and they make things that are edible (eggs).
                                                                                                                                                                 They know they are pretty low on the food chain, and don't seem to mind all that much.
                                                                                                                                                                 They make compost out of vegetation, can denude ground with remarkable speed, and will poop on everything.
                                                                                                                                                                 They can be amazingly noisy considering their size, and will eat, or try to eat, whatever looks vaguely edible or might have been near food
                                                                                                                                                                    at some point in time.
                                                                                                                                                                 They can be baffled by a .75 m fence, but fly out of 2 meter high one.

There are times I have taken pleasure in cooking one up, and times when I mourned a death like any pet.
Enjoy your chickens. They are remarkable critters and will enrich you life as much, or as little, as you permit them.
Welcome to The Flock! It's nice to see you here!

Finally after years of saving and learning I made the step and bought 8 acres of rice paddys which I converted into a food forest.

I planted Fruit Trees from seeds from all around the world and after 3 years I could plant them finally into their final destination on my land.

Following Permies and people like Geoff Lawton and Allan Savory I also have in mind to start the whole story about holistic farming and this includes grazing and animal involvement, to maintain and improve my soil.

So I got some Brahma Chickens which were kept commercially and in a lousy condition.
One of 5 survived but the others were already past their limits.
This hurts even you know the chances are small..

The one Lady gained power again and after just 2 month she was a normal chicken that is thankfully coming to me and my wife, to get her daily cuddle.

But two things disturbed me,
she was not taking the heat as people tell about Brahmas and she was alone, had only humans as her family.

Living in Thailand my father in law has Thai fighting chicken and he was finally willing to give me a huge Rooster,
so my lady was not alone anymore.
He did what a good Rooster does, showed her all these edible stuff crawling and growing around by picking it up and dropping it again.
So she could have it.

I thought that they might not be compartible but learned the other way..

She became broody and from 7 eggs one chick popped out of the shell.
Actually 2 but a 1st time mum is clumsy, so she broke 2 eggs and killed the first born, by stepping on them.

My wife took the other chick,  gave her love and care and she is so lovely, takes the heat much better because of the Thai Game Fowl in her blood and when you call her while put you hand in the run she climbs on and enjoys the view by being carried around in the garden.

The rain season is coming and all green will regrow, so the chicken (and I hope for many more) will be later my employees, taking care that the greens getting clipped, bugs hunted and creating air for the new growth.

Here she is, a lovely little powerball with her white Googles on...

Some folks make a playground for chickens or give them toys:

John said, "Things like winter squash & pumpkins that aren't storing well make delightful 'toys' for them to eat. Dense & filling.

https://permies.com/t/29072/Advice-needed-beginner#227189

Jen said, " I have seen things on Pinterest things for Chickens entertainment,

https://permies.com/t/163565/Entertaining-Chickens

Yes, chickens definitely do have different personalities.  My small flock (4) has a bossy one, friendly ones that like petting and/or sitting in my lap and timid ones that don't like handling, more or less curious ones, more or less food-motivated ones, etc.

They are also quite funny and entertaining.  I like to sit in my backyard sometimes just enjoying the sun and environment while reading and watching them.

Take good care of them and they will payback many fold: in eggs & meat, entertainment, fertility (poop & compost turning), insect control, etc.

Kristine Keeney wrote:

They are fun and silly and have chicken-alities and opinions about things.
They can be baffled by a .75 m fence, but fly out of 2 meter high one.
There are times I have taken pleasure in cooking one up, and times when I mourned a death like any pet.

they are like primal and clever at the same time,  on one hand its just a chicken on other
there's you can notice more smarts in this little thing when you start to pay attention there,
i mean by interacting you learn more then it can be showed just by watching a documentary,
as i begin to put more electronic devices a bit aside, i'm starting to appreciate
more the natural intelligence in things, so natural... so common... so remarkable

Anne Miller wrote:Some folks make a playground for chickens or give them toys:

John said, "Things like winter squash & pumpkins that aren't storing well make delightful 'toys' for them to eat. Dense & filling.

https://permies.com/t/29072/Advice-needed-beginner#227189

Jen said, " I have seen things on Pinterest things for Chickens entertainment,

https://permies.com/t/163565/Entertaining-Chickens

thanks! nice info

Are my chickens addicts?

Its about the feed, before i got them i planned for them to be able to feed themselves from the land,
- that's overall concept. but out of not knowing what i am doing and all, i just got a bag of feed for the starters;

first they didn't want to go outside too much, then i gradually encouraged them (gradual exposure therapy - you know...)
i closed the coop so they wouldn't get inside, i give them nettles, dandelions and clovers a bit chopped a bucket a day,
what i settled for was to mix greens with hand of feed and throw those around
within the fences as to encourage them for forging, while making sure they
have enough food; not sure what the proper balance should be?

i realized when they got feed they really go for it "like addicts" - i mean like a child with sugar rush -
they just go like crack-eyes and go right after it, while when they forge outside they are more
cautious and diligent with their attitude, i can clearly see the difference, they like greens,
and scoop it up happily, but when feed is present - they go after it like junkies;

they seem to be fine and got much more lively, while they first got here,
they were much more withdrawn like after shellshock - i observe that they got used to me much more,
and they start following me, (expecting some tasty snacks no doubt),

two young ones had a air-borne battle like two roosters,
but after the first charge apparently the issue whatever it
was was settled as they went on doing their thing;
those young seem to be much quicker adapting and better forgers too,
though they are more timid and quick to run off when i try to pet them.

Packaged feed can be viewed as addictive in that it has everything the chicken needs to have a balanced food, made into a bite-sized portion that they want to eat. You can see what the feed is made out of by reading the label - there can be all kinds of things in it, but the key points are protein percentages, the vitamins and minerals, and what additives might be in it.
If your chickens are going after the feed preferentially, it has something in it that they aren't getting anywhere else. If you're having trouble with your birds and they aren't growing like you'd prefer (chicks need more protein that adult birds) you might try finding a way to supplement their protein. Adding insects (meal worms) or some other easy and cheap protein is always a good idea. I give my flock kitchen scrap in addition to their ration and they always appreciate meat scraps.

People who are trying to find more natural ways to feed their livestock, including chickens, sometimes make the mistake of limiting their access to what food they can eat to what people think they should be eating.
Chickens are considered young and growing until they are at least 6 months old, and should be given access to the higher protein levels and more vitamins and minerals that every baby animal needs. Whatever you decide to do with your chickens, baby chickens need 18% or more protein, and a whole bunch of other vitamins and minerals to grow up to be healthy and productive birds. If you don't feed them or give them access to that level of nutrition, they will take longer to grow, will not be as large or productive as they might be, or just take longer to get big. Packaged feed is made to make sure they grow up quickly, so if you're okay with the chicks taking longer to grow, that's fine.

They aren't addicts. They're hungry for something in the packaged feed that isn't in the forage you give them and that they have available. Think about how good certain foods can taste when you haven't had them in a long time. Or food cravings which tend to be your body's way of letting you know you need to eat something that has certain vitamins and minerals. I know when I'm getting a little anemic, spinach and green bell peppers taste really good to me. When I have a problem with getting enough potassium, potatoes and bananas taste really good.

Chickens taste good to a lot of different things and they know this. They are hesitant about new situations and experiences because they don't know if it's safe for them. Give them time and they'll adapt to any new situation. As long as they have a protected area they can use if they need to, there's no need to worry - over time they will explore.

Birds will frequently follow larger animals and people around. Yes, they are hoping for treats. They are also following you because you might scare up some bugs or something that they can eat. They will follow cows, goats and sheep, and other livestock around, too, for the same reason.

The chickens are trying to establish pecking order and dominance within the flock. They "hop" at each other, trying to hit with their feet. When roosters do it, it can sometimes get bloody, but usually natural fights within a flock are very short, very silly to watch, and no one gets hurt. They will do this from a very young age and, earlier today, I watched two 5-year-old hens hop at each other before deciding to go do something else.

I hope you're enjoying watching your chicks grow up and have adventures. The world is a different place when you look at it through a chicken's eyes.

Kristine Keeney wrote:
Birds will frequently follow larger animals and people around. Yes, they are hoping for treats. They are also following you because you might scare up some bugs or something that they can eat. They will follow cows, goats and sheep, and other livestock around, too, for the same reason.

that's intresting, i didn't know that, but i did contemplate in future
to have pigs and hens in the same pen as to have 'synergystic foreging'

Kristine Keeney wrote:
The chickens are trying to establish pecking order and dominance within the flock. They "hop" at each other, trying to hit with their feet. When roosters do it, it can sometimes get bloody, but usually natural fights within a flock are very short, very silly to watch, and no one gets hurt. They will do this from a very young age and, earlier today, I watched two 5-year-old hens hop at each other before deciding to go do something else.

so far of what's i've seen its just 'cat-fights', they make much show off,
but they are in fact quite gentle with each other, and the young ones
are most fun to watch - they jump, they stop, then they run off
opposite directions, then they go around and forge together as duet,
it really resembles to me like two best friends fighting at times,
then going off doing stuff together anyway

Kristine Keeney wrote:
I hope you're enjoying watching your chicks grow up and have adventures. The world is a different place when you look at it through a chicken's eyes.

:) yep...

See Hes wrote:Finally after years of saving and learning I made the step and bought 8 acres of rice paddys which I converted into a food forest.

I planted Fruit Trees from seeds from all around the world and after 3 years I could plant them finally into their final destination on my land.

Following Permies and people like Geoff Lawton and Allan Savory I also have in mind to start the whole story about holistic farming and this includes grazing and animal involvement, to maintain and improve my soil.

So I got some Brahma Chickens which were kept commercially and in a lousy condition.
One of 5 survived but the others were already past their limits.
This hurts even you know the chances are small..

The one Lady gained power again and after just 2 month she was a normal chicken that is thankfully coming to me and my wife, to get her daily cuddle.

But two things disturbed me,
she was not taking the heat as people tell about Brahmas and she was alone, had only humans as her family.

Living in Thailand my father in law has Thai fighting chicken and he was finally willing to give me a huge Rooster,
so my lady was not alone anymore.
He did what a good Rooster does, showed her all these edible stuff crawling and growing around by picking it up and dropping it again.
So she could have it.

I thought that they might not be compartible but learned the other way..

She became broody and from 7 eggs one chick popped out of the shell.
Actually 2 but a 1st time mum is clumsy, so she broke 2 eggs and killed the first born, by stepping on them.

My wife took the other chick,  gave her love and care and she is so lovely, takes the heat much better because of the Thai Game Fowl in her blood and when you call her while put you hand in the run she climbs on and enjoys the view by being carried around in the garden.

The rain season is coming and all green will regrow, so the chicken (and I hope for many more) will be later my employees, taking care that the greens getting clipped, bugs hunted and creating air for the new growth.

Here she is, a lovely little powerball with her white Googles on...

living in subtopic is nice because you can grow food all year long,
the heat is problem to chooks more then cold of what i learned,
maybe they could have a little cave where they could cool off
when heat gets for real; i'm new myself to it - but i would guess
that smaller breads would tolerate heat better(?)  i also have a little forest theoretically in future to serve as ideal chicken habitat;
i have some ideas for making land working in its unison modules in long-term, but i also look to what's already there, and make the best use
of it with littliest improvements at first; lovely little Brahma,
(does anyone else is perplexed of how people named a breed so Vedicly?)

2 younglings are like teenagers, they chase and challenge each other around,
they are noticeably much better forgers too then the others, now they let me be closer to them,
i train them in a way by mimicking a bit a chicken's way of walking,
kind of carefully and then stepping on one leg before taking the next step
and then moving not too fast as not to disrupt the rhythm of the flock,
which makes me feel like a kungfu master when i do that...
(hopefully the neighbors don't see... not that i care that much...)

the older chooks are now following me quite eagerly and even when one jumped
over the fence, it stayed around it and i had no problem putting it back,
i give them more treats, especially things that they didn't have before
like apples and broccoli, or sunflower filled with grains or oats as
a form of chicken toy;

in overall flock is happy and active, only one is having a sort
of condition in which it has a lump of 'meat' like extra large
chicken breast - she was the weakest one from the batch from
the day one, and i was thinking to put her down back then,
as i thought that this one would not make it anyway...
but decided to give her a chance and see how things go;
she is active and eats, walks and drinks and even fends
for herself for pecking order, i'm not decided yet as what
to do, i don't know what's the sickness there;
as i think about it hmmmm.........

i don't like killing...

she shivers a little and stumbles a little,
is there potential danger to the flock as a whole?
for causing some kind of health issues here?
i might give it a bit more time before deciding;
but as i see it she had been lucky to have a bit
of that extra fortunate time to be around in a bit
more freedom and better care, i might wrap it up
to set it for full month of her final days even
if she is to go, then the question is meat safety, because
of that that lump in front chest - i wouldn't eat it.
is it safe to cook that chook it for a dog?
or is it better to toss the corpse to feed the
compost with it?

Walking like a chicken is a good way to watch what they do. An even better way, once your chickens are used to you being around is to look at them like a chicken would.
Chickens use one eye at a time - yes, this is for a few reasons, but it means that most domesticated poultry only really focus on something with one eye at a time. If you turn your head and look at your chickens with one eye, they will think you're *really* looking at them and will start paying closer attention to you.

Once a chicken thinks of a certain place as home, they won't go very far from it - in chicken terms. This means different things to different breeds.
Dorkings will only travel about 10 to 15 feet away from what they consider "home". Fayoumis may travel 40 or more feet away from where they sleep at night. Different breeds have different tolerances, but generally they all want to be in the same area as where they sleep and spend most of their time.  
This is one reason why it's pretty easy to get a chicken to roost at night. That's a good safe place for them to sleep. They want to go to bed. Chickens love patterns and routines.

Chickens also really enjoy small things to keep them from getting bored. Swings, which you can make yourself, mirrors, hanging food items to jump and peck at, new branches to climb and roost on, and puddles to wade in are all things chickens enjoy. They can even peck at things to make a noise and will play with simple childrens' toys.
Food items as treats, snacks, and for entertainment is also a good thing. Chickens don't have tastebuds like we do, and can't taste 'hot', but will enjoy eating a hot pepper. Even better is giving a flock only a few things so they can run around and take the things away from each other. If your flock hasn't set it's pecking order yet, don't try that as it might cause fights,

I'm glad you're doing fun things and having fun with your chickens.

Whether the "lump" is dangerous to the chicken or not depends on whether it's a tumor or illness or a natural condition. Without knowing more about the size, location, and whether the "lump" is under the skin, under some muscle, is painful to the chicken to touch and a bunch of other diagnostic information; it's hard to guess at what it might be.

It's possible the hen with the "lump" has a pendulous crop This is a crop (like a stomach for the chicken) that doesn't empty completely or well. Most chickens will get similar lumps from eating a large meal, but the lump will go away over the course of time. A pendulous crop can eventually become a more serious condition where the food that doesn't get emptied starts to go bad. Sour crop can be very serious and cause more damaging problems. It's best to head off sour crop issues before they get too serious. Think of it like a hiatal hernia - of itself, it's an annoying problem that's a symptom for other problems, but it can eventually cause ulcers, and even cancer. If you take steps, none of that needs to happen.
If it is a crop issue, there are supports that can be made for the hen that will support and help her to empty her crop. It'd be like her wearing a bra for the lump.

Other things the lump could be - a fatty tumor; a tumor caused by a disease; an encapsulated injury; an infection; ... my imagination is going.
Chickens can get a tumor for any number of reasons. Some common diseases can cause tumors that are considered benign but unpleasant - I wouldn't eat them.
There are other diseases that can cause tumors and are considered yucky without being dangerous to anyone other than the chicken. I wouldn't eat those either.
There are cancerous tumors, just like people can get, and they act the same way. I wouldn't have anything to do with that and would probably humanely deal with the chicken if I suspected cancer.

Fatty tumors are the term given to large deposits of fat that lump up. It's generally caused by irritation over time or old age. Fatty tumors are considerably more common in other animals, but worth keeping in mind. They aren't dangerous, aren't painful, and are "just one of those things". I wouldn't eat it, but the rest of the chicken should be fine.

Encapsulated injuries or infections are where the chicken would have an injury that gets infected but, instead of healing, her body would surround the infection with scar tissue. The infection is still there, and her body would still be "fighting it", but it would be separate from the rest of her. If this is the situation, the lump would be notable for being warmer than her normal temperature, and it would be hard to the touch. It might be painful. If you can lance it and clean out the infection, it will heal well and she would be fine.

Infections are just that. She got infected for some reason.  If you can clean out the infection, she'll be able to heal.

Generally, if the chicken has an illness or disease, it's best to not eat the chicken. Bury or burn the body, depending on where you are and the best way for you to deal with Bad to Eat things.
If it's a localized problem, like an encysted infection, it's technically possible to eat a well cooked bird after removing the damaged area. Whether you want to try that or not is up to you.
If the chicken is in pain, you should take steps. Even giving her an exam can get you useful information about whether you think she'll recover and what you can do to help her.

Having a way to put new chickens or sick chickens in a separate area is a good idea, even if you don't use it often. I have a small pen that is in with my larger flock that I use to isolate birds that need introduced to the flock, or that need a step away from the flock. Right now, a hen who is raising two chicks is living in that pen. I set up another small pen for just in case, since the first pen is in use. You never know when you might need to isolate a bird because it's acting funny.

If you think the chicken has a disease that the others can catch and they've been exposed to each other (living in the same space), the rest of the flock has been exposed to whatever the illness is.  Unfortunately, the number of illnesses that chickens can have is HUGE, and many of them have movement problems of some sort. Just being uncoordinated or having trouble walking isn't a problem unless it's a situation that's getting worse. Separating that chicken from the rest of the flock is a good idea while the chicken fights the illness.

It's best to assume all chickens have been exposed to Marek's Disease, which is neurological and is common everywhere around the world. It generally displays differently depending on the age the chicken is when it attacks. Chicks will have problems with movement, older birds might go blind and develop tumors or have tremors (shakes). I just lost a newly hatched chick to Marek's and it's just a sad thing. Unfortunately, while there is a vaccine for it, once it has attacked a chicken, there's not much you can do but offer supportive care and wait.

I wouldn't feed a sick bird (with any illness) to another animal, but it's safe enough for burning or compost. It's sad to have to plan for things like that, but something every chicken keeper has to face.

Zaratustra Narsudin wrote:living in subtopic is nice because you can grow food all year long, the heat is problem to chooks more then cold of what i learned,
maybe they could have a little cave where they could cool off
when heat gets for real; i'm new myself to it - but i would guess that smaller breads would tolerate heat better(?)  i also have a little forest theoretically in future to serve as ideal chicken habitat;

of it with littliest improvements at first; lovely little Brahma,
(does anyone else is perplexed of how people named a breed so Vedicly?)

Chickens can deal with the heat is a few things are kept in mind - they don't like to eat or drink when it's too hot. Like people, they lose water through evaporation to cool themselves, but they can't sweat so they pant. Above a certain temperature, they need to have a way to cool down - you can do that by giving them shade: letting them have cool, damp shade (water an area under a tree or some bushes and let them scratch up the dirt): they will wade in cool water; and you can set up water misters which work to cool the air in a limited spot.

Since I live where it gets very hot and humid in the summers, I try to make sure my flock has LOTS of shade, from trees, bushes and tarps where they have options. I let them dig where they want/need to and try to dampen areas for them to lounge about. I make sure that they have low water dishes they can stand in and put those all over the yard so they can't keep others away from the water dishes.

Yes, smaller, lighter feathered chickens do better in hot weather or areas. Chickens with really big combs, like White and Pearl Leghorns, Single Combed Dorkings, and other large combed birds also do better in hot areas/weather because they can radiate heat easier than smaller combed birds.
"Hard" and "tight" feathered breeds, like Gamecocks, Malay, and Cornish do better in hot areas because they have fewer feathers or limited areas for those feathers. The bare skin of Malay, Cornish, and Turken (Naked Neck) also helps them to do well in hot areas/weather.
Silkies and those chickens with similar feathers or similar feather mutations do well in hot areas because of how their feathers grow. They don't have a layer of feathers that would shed weather, but more a type of "feathered fur" that allows for air movement next to their skin.

Chickens that have good insulating feathers can also do well in hot areas, but they need to be able to get out of the sun and heat - shade, water, dampened feed, and a breeze.

Chickens that are too hot will not lay well, because they don't eat or drink. There are fancy reasons for it but, if it's too hot they don't eat enough or drink enough and will stop laying eggs. Anything you can do to get them to eat and drink more is good. Putting electrolytes (like Apple Cider Vinegar) in their water can help, as can wetting their food.

Brahma chickens got their name for a funny reason. The starting of the breed were brought to the US from the port of Shanghai back in the 1800s. Because the breeders wanted people to raise the "exotic" chicken, they gave them a name they thought was interesting - Shanghai chicken. Well, there was a lot of chicken breeding going on then, and there were other chicken breeds who were also called Shanghai. Once people noticed that Brahma birds were gentle and friendly for such a large chicken, the breeders decided to change the name to Brahma so people wouldn't confuse Cochin, any of the other Chinese breeds, Japanese breeds, or other imported chicken types for the "gentle giant".
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brahma_chicken
https://www.knowyourchickens.com/brahma-chicken/
https://www.ecopeanut.com/brahma-chicken/