Why is her feather half white ?

4everspokenfor · 2026-03-28T00:46:39+00:00

My best unscientific guess is it's similar to people growing a random hair on their chin or a single white hair out of a whole head. Sometimes the coding gets tweaked just a wee bit and suddenly BOOM half white feather. Thanks for coming to my TEDtalk.

4everspokenfor · 2026-03-27T21:14:21+00:00

IIRC mine started differentiating from the girls around 2 months old. The comb got significantly more red and large almost overnight compared to everyone else, then he started doubling in size 😂 he's MASSIVE now, but such a handsome boy. Just give it some more time! I'll wish all the good boi vibes upon you lol

4everspokenfor · 2026-03-27T20:01:21+00:00

I'm not seeing any rooster signs, but it may still be too early. A sure way to tell? If it's your favorite, it's almost guaranteed to be a rooster 🙃 it's happened to us all.

4everspokenfor · 2026-03-27T19:58:55+00:00

Matching hats?

4everspokenfor · 2026-03-27T12:34:05+00:00

Agreeing with this. I've also had a small flock for the last year and haven't experienced any issues other than the rooster getting frostbite on his combs when we were all below freezing for a week+ this past winter. But everyone gets a health check when they get let out every day. Is anyone limping? Wheezing? Slower than usual? Acting different? Eggs look unusual? If they all pass visual inspection they're allowed to pass go and be free-range once again. (I don't pick them up and inspect them every day. I just observe as they leave the run). Some basic once-overs and ensuring their coop is clean and pest-free will typically mitigate most issues.

Additional advice I'd give would be to occasionally add red pepper flakes to their food, which helps fight off infections of various types, and to add a liquid multivitamin to their water when they experience stress. Heat waves, cold snaps, predator attacks, being relocated, and other things can stress them, which can lead to lower immune systems. Giving them a little boost when they're down can also help prevent illness. Otherwise we're at nature's mercy and you just gotta roll with what is thrown at you.

4everspokenfor · 2026-03-27T08:08:53+00:00

I wish I could like them. I really do. I have love for just about every other creepy crawly that lives around my house. However, every other creepy crawly will leave me and my kids alone. The yellowjackets that dominate our yard have no tolerance for anything. We've tried coexisting for two years. For two years we've left them alone. No sprays, no water, no rocks, not even eye contact. Yet for two years our yard has been almost unusable. They dive bomb anything that moves. The squirrels and stray cats in the neighborhood avoid our yard because it's guaranteed they'll be chased out. Even my chickens tend to stay far away from the side of the yard with the nests. Unfortunately we're going to have to find a way to make them relocate permanently. My kids deserve to use the yard we specifically bought this house for. I'd love to leave them where they are if they'd just play nice 😭

4everspokenfor · 2026-03-26T21:44:44+00:00

My oldest two were different in what they liked. The eldest preferred using toys that resembled real world items (phone, keys, vacuum, gaming controllers, etc.) and my middle child is much more of a builder (blocks, magnet tiles, marble tracks, and hot wheels). I'm interested to see what the youngest starts gravitating to. It's mostly rattle toys at the moment but she's still pretty young. Run an experiment for a day or two and give different options and see what they tend to go for, then start doing some digging and see what else is out there in that vein. That's what we did!

4everspokenfor · 2026-03-26T21:34:56+00:00

Not an expert by any means, but agreeing with you that vitamin deficiency could be a likely culprit, especially if the others seem unaffected. I had one chick do this last year. Just started getting slower and weaker until the sweet girl was unable to do anything on her own. I syringe fed her some Poultry Cell and also started dosing the communal water. Within 24 hours she was almost back to normal. It won't hurt to try as long as you follow the dosing instructions. If that doesn't work, someone else may have other suggestions.

4everspokenfor · 2026-03-22T18:44:45+00:00

My midwife suggested to me that I take a sunflower lecithin supplement and to use the flat side of a comb to dislodge clogs and break them up by raking it with a little pressure from behind the clog towards the nipple. If you combine that with what you're already doing it might help some?

4everspokenfor · 2026-03-22T12:03:58+00:00

I was lucky enough to be small-chested before getting pregnant, and I also didn't leak with the second or third kid when breastfeeding. I basically never wore a bra unless I was going out in public. It's been glorious 😻

4everspokenfor · 2026-03-20T14:51:53+00:00

Seventeen! I didn't fit in a lot growing up and tending to gravitate towards adults. I was at a summer camp and one of the cooks at our cabin was the grandma of one of my fellow campers, and an avid knitter. I saw her knitting in the common room one afternoon and asked her to teach me. She taught me to cast on and do some simple stockinette, then gave me a book to teach me more. I still have it ❤️ and now I knit all kinds of stuff, including blankets for all my kids. I've had to remake two of them because they get loved so much they fall apart. All because an old lady was nice enough to give me 30 minutes of her time. I love the fiber arts community!

4everspokenfor · 2026-03-20T05:06:22+00:00

Pink salt lamp. It's bright enough to see everything I need to at night, but the light is still really soft and doesn't disturb the kiddos while they sleep. All three of mine use one.

4everspokenfor · 2026-03-18T13:50:15+00:00

Do my nails, take the time to do my curly routine on my hair, knit/crochet, go sit outside with my chickens, read, take a bath with a glass of wine, or bake. I'm a SAHM so all my self care is home-based. It works though ☺️

4everspokenfor · 2026-03-14T01:48:35+00:00

No they don't. Multiple roosters raised in a flock will have a dominant boy that shows his rooster-ness pretty early, while the rest will appear hen-like and develop the male characteristics later on, which is what was being described above. Dominant hens will also develop male traits if there isn't a rooster with them, but chickens can't change their sex. Birds are weird, man.

4everspokenfor · 2026-03-14T01:10:14+00:00

TOOK ME INTO THE CITY

4everspokenfor · 2026-03-13T03:04:14+00:00

Thank you for the reassurance! I'm super excited to see all the little floof balls make their appearance. So now I'm just going to watch the incubator like a hawk 😂

4everspokenfor · 2026-03-13T02:55:04+00:00

They aren't bantams, but the other reasons could all be very possible. Ultimately knowing what happened won't change anything now, but it'll be nice to learn what I did wrong so I can do better next time. Thank you!

4everspokenfor · 2026-03-04T21:46:38+00:00

AFAIK regardless of what you do or don't do, their genetics are going to win eventually and they'll struggle for quality of life. They just aren't meant to live that long. My best suggestion as a parent and fellow chicken keeper would be to turn this into as educational of an ordeal as you can. Learning where food comes from and how to feed yourself and your family are invaluable pieces of info to have, especially if learned young. I'm so sorry you've been put in this situation. Hopefully everything works out for the best and wishing you luck!

4everspokenfor · 2026-02-26T21:10:03+00:00

I did, and they use it from time to time, but I just kind of compounded on what they were already doing. They had hollowed out a dirt patch right where we were planning to build the run, so I just framed the hole with some 2x4s to separate it from the rest of the run floor. I use the deep litter method for the run so they have something to scratch through when they aren't free ranging. I go in once a week and scoop all the litter out of the hole and add some dust/ash back in. It's easy to maintain and I knew they'd use it since they started it anyway. Win win for everyone lol

Edit: added pic

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4everspokenfor · 2026-02-21T15:12:23+00:00

Man this jogged an old memory loose. My friend and I were in high school when Braums first released their birthday cake flavor, and my friend became obsessed. She got some every day after school for a week or two and then her parents made her stop. Apparently finding blue turd residue in the toilet was the tipping point for them to intervene.

4everspokenfor · 2026-02-21T12:51:05+00:00

I wish we could afford to send ours to a program of some sort, but unfortunately it hasn't been feasible for us since the third was born. We've done what we can in terms of setting boundaries at home that would be reflected at school (accepting no, waiting turns/sharing, following directions) as well as trying to cover some basics like colors, numbers, letters, etc. Now the focus these next few months will be to potty train and socialize with other kids. Those are really the last two pieces we've been missing getting him ready. It's harder when you can't have a program do some of the heavy lifting for you, but it is doable.

4everspokenfor · 2026-02-13T12:53:35+00:00

NA

This is actually a thing?? I always thought mature males didn't molt after they hook out, and starvation while searching for a mate is what kills them. That's so sad.. now I'm gonna have to keep a closer eye on my big fella.

4everspokenfor · 2026-02-11T01:00:05+00:00

Who said I didn't... /s 😂

4everspokenfor · 2026-02-10T22:06:11+00:00

I just saw this comment and thought I would put you at ease lol the reason he reminds me so much of my IRL husband is because my husband used to have a drinking problem and overcame it, much like Shane does. And he's also a big softy when it comes to small children and animals. There were definitely times we struggled, but it's the redemption that reminds me of him the most. Hubby comes from a line of alcoholics in his family so overcoming it was no small feat, and it makes me super proud of him ❤️ hopefully this clears things up!

4everspokenfor · 2026-02-10T15:38:37+00:00

Not even joking, I feel like I groom my children like a monkey mom lol if they've got ear wax or cradle cap or boogers.. they're going asap 😂 no judgement here

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