baby chicks EVERYWHERE!

[MindyLee]

So I collect cochin bantams with just a couple other bantam breeds for pets. So I came to the realization that these lil birds are addicting! I love my birds so much and love hatching chicks out from my broody hens. I currently have (my keepers, approx 40 with 5 of them being mature roosters) I just hatched 30 chicks about 2 months ago. All but 6 roos sold. Cant seem to give the last away so Im gonna eat them. Now I have 43 more fertial eggs being sat on with 2 dozen already sold soon as they hatch. I also have about 50 more new eggs coming through the mail from 2 different breeders down south. These eggs are new colors and bloodlines to add to my flock and not offered for sale unless there are a lot of roos. Im expecting 9+ new colors from these eggs. Im sooooo excited and cant wait for them to arrive. I have 13 broody hens currently with 2 more about to. So lots of hens and eggs to go around! LOL.

Here are some of my feathered lil babies!

I have...

pure whites

calicos

mottleds

lavender

blue splash

partridge

buff barred

salmon

salmon/lavender

barred

reds

Expecting...

2 different splash pattrens

2 different silver laced pattrens

calicos

lemon blue

golden laced

blue calicos

blue mottled

 

[Marsha Cassada]

Wow! Lots of color!

We're still waiting for the feed store to get the chicks we want. We've heard they could be here in May. We're holding out for Barred Rocks.

 

[Reignmaker Miniatures]

My chicks won't arrive from the hatchery until May 3rd. I have been only keeping young hens for layers (ordered meat birds this year too) but I'm hoping if I give my hens another year at least one of them will go broody. My hens are Red Sussex cross which is a hybrid from this hatchery, and my rooster is a Gold Laced Wyandotte so hopefully I would see some laced chicks. I enjoy the chickens but have promised myself I won't get carried away (a problem I tend to have if I enjoy something lol) so no more than10 or 12 hens. I envy you the great variety of colours and patterns, what fun to see all those different birds. As varied as standard sized chickens are it seems like bantams have even more variety.

 

[jacks'thunder]

Oh Mindylee my son would LOVE those fuzzy feet ones! What pretty chickens! If I may ask, what does someone usually get for a pretty chick like that? What do your roos, that did not sell, look like? I have a new coop and was thinking about what to put in it..... this may be the way to go! The colors are amazing!!!!

 

[MindyLee]

Well, I sell new born chicks at $3 each

Hatching eggs $10 per doz

and give roos away.

Pullets at less then 2 months old $5 each after 2 months old, $10 each.

I have paid as much as $30 per hen. BUT This is one of the best breeds to own. Roosters are SUPER friendly and do great with other roos, and hens are in your lap kinda hens.

My sister and her daughter thought I was nutz about how much I adore my birds. Then 2 weeks ago they came to the farm and was looking at them. She said they are cute and pretty friendly and THEN! I handed her a couple pieces of bread...

Next thing I know, shes sitting down right in the middle of the coop laughing her butt off and covered in hens all grabbing at the bread. The barn cat planted in her lap and birds all over her. She was shocked at how friendly the birds where and could'nt believe what personalities each and everyone had. She sat there for almost 2 hrs playing with them and petting some the hens who act like cats.

Now she knows Y I talk about them so much as if they where people. LOL!

I dont ship birds, but do local pick up only. Currently I have no girls for sale, only free boys. Usally they dont last long as not to many folks in Michigan sell cochin bantams and in thses colors. Most times only can find them in red or black. Thats Y I had to order from down south as there is a lot more breeders there.

My roos I have left are mottleds (1 black with spots & 1 buff with spots) and 4 calicos and 2 porclian D'uccles.

 

[little lady]

What a beautiful flock of chickens. I used to have several bantams around and just loved them!

 

[MindyLee]

JacksThunder...

Other really cute and friendly breeds are (and I have these too)...

bantam silkies, frizzles, sizzles, & d'Uccles!

 

[Lil Eowyn]

Wow! Thats a lot of chickens

 

[jacks'thunder]

OMGosh! They are so cute! I'm a huge chick fan and just adore all your breeds! They are definately easy to love!!! LOL!!

(I pm'd you)

 

[Jill]

I love them!!!

 

[MindyLee]

Thanks guys! These lil birds are pretty special to me. And surprizing with my #s a lil high, ALL are pets and have names. Im not really a big breeder, just locally. Otherwise all spoiled rotten just like every other critter here on the farm !

 

[Shari]

Love all the colors, they look like walking rainbows!

 

[MindyLee]

Came home to work today and my 1st batch (3 batchs total) started to hatch with 4 peeps so far! 39 more to go from this batch! Batch 2 has 25 and batch 3 has 21! OHHHH I cant wait!

 

[Marsha Cassada]

One of my hens is broody. I don't have a rooster, so I tracked down some fertile eggs. I laid the 3 eggs by my hen, and she didn't waste any time getting them under herself. She was brooding on an empty nest, so I figured she might as well be setting on something!

The eggs came from a a mixed breed place, so there is no telling what I'll get--talk about colors of the rainbow... And probably all 3, if they hatch successfully, will be cockerels!!

Anyone who hasnt' seen a mother hen with chicks has missed something.

 

[MindyLee]

I hear ya there! Always seems like more boys then girls! LOL

Well my batch of 43 eggs is all done! Got 40 live chicks and sold 13 so far. I have the rest up for sale and oh boy are they super colorful! I have all kinds of spotted and calico colors. Even tho as chicks, born solid... I can tell what will color out and I sure did get a lot of colorful chicks!

2 more batchs to go! After candleing 46 eggs from them, 31 was fertile! 2 weeks to go for them to hatch out! CANT WAIT!

I love baby fuzzy peeps!

 

[rubyviewminis]

Thank gawd I am not insane! Right now I moved my foal cam to the banty coop to keep an eye on my banty barred rock hen and her chicks. I couldn't believe she was broody at 8 months and felt bad for her, so I put some of the buff Sebright and white Japanese banty eggs under her since we were overrun with eggs from all the hens. Lol, stupidly I never thought they would hatch. The Roo is a buf Sebright we call Forest Gump. For very good reasons. Yep, 5 out of 5 teeny chicks hatched and she is a good mother. She flogged my face good yesterday because she thought I had one chick that was screaming on the nest, she was on the other side. So I put my cam in there to watch her instead of bothering her. Big mistake since now I am obsessed with watching these teeny little things and their mama teaching them. She is so loving!

 

[MindyLee]

Gotta love them protective momma hens!

When I walk into the coop, from all corners and some hens I cant see unless I go to the brood boxs... I hear squaking and snarling from 12 broodies. Its funny how all fluff up and get all chatty at me and I am no where near them. As I get closer, the louder and fluffier they get. It always makes me laugh out loud everytime.

 

[Marsha Cassada]

Thank gawd I am not insane! Right now I moved my foal cam to the banty coop to keep an eye on my banty barred rock hen and her chicks. I couldn't believe she was broody at 8 months and felt bad for her, so I put some of the buff Sebright and white Japanese banty eggs under her since we were overrun with eggs from all the hens. Lol, stupidly I never thought they would hatch. The Roo is a buf Sebright we call Forest Gump. For very good reasons. Yep, 5 out of 5 teeny chicks hatched and she is a good mother. She flogged my face good yesterday because she thought I had one chick that was screaming on the nest, she was on the other side. So I put my cam in there to watch her instead of bothering her. Big mistake since now I am obsessed with watching these teeny little things and their mama teaching them. She is so loving!

Oh, I love this!

My broody girl has one more week. She has come out the last two days to eat and drink and take a quick dust bath. But she clearly isn't comfortable until she's back on those eggs.

We finally found 5 barred rock chicks today at the feed store. Got them settled in their box with warm light. Now, if all 5 survive, and the 3 hatch......

We're keeping a close eye on our terrier. The australian shepherd we had with the last batch of chicks was totally different that how our terrier will view them. The shepherd included the chicks in her "herd" and spent hours hovering near them. Our terrier is going to consider them the same as squeaking mice.

 

[paintponylvr]

I had quite a few bantams - had no idea what colors they were or even what sexes or "breeds" they took after at first. Done to only a few now - seems that they like to nest outside during the day and I've had a local hawk get some - along with some of my larger hens. Now our 4 big boy cats (3 are neutered), guard them and play with them. One likes to chase the banty size hens - but the bigger Production Reds (5), Cukoo Maran (1) or Americaunas (3) go after the cat that chases the banties. I currently have 3 that are setting on nests - makes me sad as I have no roos (hubby sleeps during the day and as much as he likes our chickens and ducks he couldn't handle the constant crowing. All 13 made good EATS. Bantams are fast and easy to butcher - just skin them instead of plucking).

Your chickens are BEAUTIFUL. When we are ready for more, I will look into more Bantams. They are SOOO fun.

 

[MindyLee]

Hatched the last out today! So all eggs are done and chicks are all over. Sold most of the 1st hatch. Only 9 left to sell, ( just sold the 9!!! )the other 2 batchs, Im keeping (except any/most roosters). So I have newborns-3 week olds here! Also some 3 month olds too! So out of 107 eggs total, 91 was fertile, BUT only 81 hatched/lived. Sold 31 and currently have 50 in the baby chick coop.

lol!