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#31
4th October 2004, 08:54 PM
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10/04 1842Pretty much just got done with the evening routine.
When I got home tonight, I went into the loft and took up their grit container and waterers... Oh, I had previously been by at lunch time and took up their feeder, which had little feed left in it from "breakfast", so they had been without from about 1200 to 1730. Anyway, I caught 3 of them and put them out onto the landing board / trap area. I wish there were a way to get them into this area so I could get them trained back through the trap other then "catching them" and "putting them out" because I am so afraid of hurting one of them... I usually have to get real close and then get ahold of them as gently as possible when they first take flight... anyway, I'm way open to suggestions here on catching them and trap training them.  I know one of them that was in the trap tonight wasn't in there yesterday. One of the "trapped" 3 was in there yesterday (the blue check) and the other (one of the blue bars) I'm not sure, but I think it was his first time too. While 3 of the birds were in the trap and the others in the loft proper, I scrapped and swept up. Then I returned the grit and waterers. Next, I washed up and then I brought out their feeder with their "dinner". I whistled and shook their feeder just like I always do when I bring them food... put the feeder down and left the loft. The three that were still "in" came down pretty quick and ate and the three in the trap "trapped in" and got to the food too pretty quick, especially when they saw the others eating. Here's this evenings questions... first, they didn't seem to eat as much of their dinner as they did their breakfast in 20 to 40 minutes. In fact, they pretty much quit eating about 20 min after they started and then it was up on the perches as it was getting dark, even though I have the porch / loft light on. Tonight and last night, as they started to go up on the perches for the evening, it seemed to create a bit of a "pigeon fight". Two or three seemed to lay claim to the high perch and the others would fly between perches and top of nest boxes trying to be "accepted" onto the high perch... but there was lots off cooing, pecking and chasing off of the perches. Right now, four have settled on the high perch... 3 of them are laying down and the fourth on one leg. The two that weren't allowed onto the high perch are at the other end of the loft on the high V-Perches. Does any of this sound "normal" or do you'all think its because I'm stressing them by catching them and putting them in the trap area? ----edit---- Oh, and I'm going to take up their feeder and turn off the porch / loft light here in a couple of minutes, when my dinner, PIZZA, arrives. No food for them till breakfast then. Do you'all think they'll learn to eat more when the food is put out and not just eat some thinking there will be more left for later OR am I being overly cruel thinking I can put their food out and only leave it for 20 to 40 minutes and they'll eat it all?? Last edited by ZigZagMarquis; 4th October 2004 at 08:57 PM. Reason: Adding Stuff 
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#32
4th October 2004, 09:48 PM
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They will adjust to any reasonable schedule as long as you are consistent. The general rule I've heard is to pick up uneaten feed after 15 minutes. This keeps all the birds focused on eating, so a bully has less time to interfere. It also shows you right away if a bird is off their feed.
Yep, they are working on establishing a normal pecking order. As long as none of the birds are being really picked on, it's best to let them work things out. The important thing is to make sure the lower ranking birds have somewhere to escape the more dominant birds so they don't get cornered. You may even start being able to tell which birds are male or female.
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Terri B
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#33
4th October 2004, 10:24 PM
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10/04 2124Quote:
 ... I'd say I've got 4 cocks and 2 hens, but I suppose we'll see when eggs start coming out of some of them...  Anyway, the blue check is the only one I'd put money on right now as being a cock. I'm pretty sure the red check and one of the blue bars are hens, but time will tell.Anyway, yep, I think there is pleanty of room for the lower ranking birds to escape and I haven't seen what I'd call serious "picking on", but I do have to wonder sometimes when one or two keeps insisting on being on the high perch and keeps getting chased off why they keep coming back.
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#34
5th October 2004, 07:37 AM
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10/05 0633Morning routine underway. Porch / Loft light has been out since about 0610 and they've been pretty much eating. It took a few minutes for them to "wake up" and come down off of the perches and start eating. Then they'ed all be eating and one would decide for some reason that its "back up on the perches!"... and they'd all fly up... and then they all fly back down in another minute or so and start eating again. I leave for work at about 0650 and today the feed is coming up when I leave here in about 10 minutes.
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#35
5th October 2004, 07:51 AM
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Zig,
It sounds as if your birds are getting into a loft routine. The aggressive attitude of the "higher ranking" birds is normal. They will jockey for the highest spot and "stake their territory". As far as feeding is concerned, it sounds as if you are doing well. Any leftover feed should be picked up 15-20 minutes after being set down. I have also heard that you should measure the leftover feed and make tomorrow's ration that much less. I have never had to do that because my "little piggies" eat it all! 
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Jerry H.
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#36
5th October 2004, 11:29 AM
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Quote:
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#37
5th October 2004, 06:47 PM
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10/05 1738Evening routine pretty much done. I came home, scraped and swept. I got home a bit early and there's still pleanty of sunlight left and its almost 90deg F, so I decided to hose and scrub too.
They were hungry, I can tell since they didn't want to stay up off the floor when I came in... something they haven't done up until now... after I had taken up their morning feed after about 30 min and they had barely eaten half of it... I worked a bit on trap training too. I'd like to figure out a way of getting them out onto the landing board / trap area without having to catch them and put them out. ZooKeeper suggested I do the same as when I call them to breakfast & dinner. Take a small bit of feed in a container, whistle and shake it as usual and put it out on the landing board with the trap open... get them out there and then close the trap... wait a bit... and then put their regular feeder out with food... again whistle and shake it, but this time inside the loft where they usually get fed... basically, lure them out onto the landing board / trap area, shut the trap and then introduce the real food where they have to trap in to get it. Well, I tried it, but it didn't work too well. So I went back to "Plan A" which was catch them and put them out there. I'm not so sure as I like that much as it seems I'm stressing them catching them... I mean, I want them to like me.  Anyway, I guess I just need to refine ZK's technique a bit. I'll try that again tomorrow. I'm pretty sure they know what their feeder looks like... I see them eyeing it through the sliding glass door when its not out in their loft... so I guess I'll pick-up another from the feed store tomorrow. Anyway, their 30oz of evening feed is out and has been out now for between 10 and 15 min. They've pretty much been feeding since they started on it. I'm going to leave it out for another 15 min or until they leave it, which ever comes first. ---- edit ---- DOH! I meant 3oz, not 30 in my above para... Last edited by ZigZagMarquis; 5th October 2004 at 06:53 PM.
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#38
5th October 2004, 06:53 PM
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30 oz of foodZig man, are you feeding them 30 oz a feeding? I am only feeding my 20 birds 20oz of feed each feeding. I wonder if I am not feeding enough or your are feeding too much. I hope I am not starving my ladies and gentlemen.
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#39
5th October 2004, 06:54 PM
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Quote:
Okay, Okay, I fixed it! I meant 3oz! 
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#40
5th October 2004, 10:30 PM
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Going by your pictures, I came up with the same 2 hens, blue check cock bird! It will be interesting to see what develops!
I like your idea of putting the light on for a while before you feed. I noticed that my birds aren't ready to eat right away - they usually do a bit of grooming first. Generally, you feed about 1/2 ounce for inactive birds, up to 1 oz per bird if they are flying. A few weeks ago, feed consumption jumped because we started getting cooler fall weather!
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Terri B
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#41
6th October 2004, 07:32 AM
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10/06 0628Quote:
Hmmm... I've got 6 birds... I've been putting out about 3oz of feed in the mornings and 3oz of feed in the evenings. They usually eat all of their evening feed and about half of their breakfast. I was thinking of taking measure of what they don't eat this morning and reduce tomorrow mornings breakfast by about that amount. Anyway, a.m. routine is underway. They've been eating now for about 15 minutes. They definitly came down quicker today. I should start timing it... time between when I put the feeder out and when they come to eat. I'll take there food up here in about another 10 or 15 and see what they didn't eat. I saw all of them eat this morning, but there are definitly 2 or 3 of them that are more interested in getting down as much food as they can as opposed to the others. Also, noticed a new behavior this moring... when some of them came down, they wouldn't just land, they'd flap and flap and hover like they were working their wings? Maybe it was some sort of display to each other??
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#42
6th October 2004, 07:59 AM
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Excellent! I call that helicoptering and it means they are feeling GOOD!!! I've seen it in both male and female birds and it is a positive sign. They have settled in nicely to their new accomodations.
In terms of taming your birds, when you have the time you might try hanging around after you put the food down. See how far away you need to be for them all to be comfortable coming down to eat. Move a bit closer every few days as they become more relaxed with you near by. Eventually, you can offer food from your hand. It's very cool when you can hear their breathing and the sound of peas hitting other peas in their crop! (For this, you have to be quiet, although otherwise talking to them is a good thing so they become familiar with your voice.)
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Terri B
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#43
6th October 2004, 07:56 PM
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10/06 1853I got home a bit ago after a trip to Home Depot on the way home to buy a
new broom for the loft. The one I had exploded last night while using it. Anyway, got home a little after 5. Scraped up and swept up the loft. I had tied the trap open when I left for work... remember the landing board is closed... and when I got home 2 were out on the landing board, so I went out quietly and closed the trap so to get back "in" they'd have to come through the bods. While sweeping and scraping, they trapped in. So when I was done with that, I caught 3 more and put them out there. I then came out into the loft with their dinner, whistled and shook the feeder, put it down and then walked over to the corner of the loft and knealt down. The 3 still in the loft came down and started eating just a few feet from me pretty quickly and the 3 in the trap trapped in quickly once they saw the feed was out and their 3 buddies were chowing down! I talked to them while the ate and it didn't seem to phase them too much. I took the feed up a few minutes ago and the evening "fights" are underway... this is where they vie for position on the high perch... and peck and coo... 5 of them are up there now and there is one blue bar that they won't let up there... he keeps trying and will until it pretty much gets dark and I turn off the porch/loft light... the last couple of nights, he's (actually, I think its one of the 2 she's I have... but who really knows... yet) spent the night perched on top of the porch light. Actually... as I type this... they've settled down and actually let Mr. Blue Bar up on the high perch...
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#44
7th October 2004, 08:13 AM
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10/07 0709Well... morning routine pretty much went as prescribed. This morning, I only fed them about 2 to 2.5oz of feed and they left just a little bit.
Also, Thursday's are the day's they get Super-Vit (Vitamin & Mineral supplement) in their water. The instructions for Super Vit says to give it to them once a week. Does anyone give it more often? What about any other type of supplement to give on the other days? Anyway... Mr Blue Check did some "helicoptering" this morning as TB puts it. I haven't decided if I'm going to name them or not, but sometimes I think of Mr Blue Check as a "Rosco" or "Gonzo"... anyway, we'll see.
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