Got chicks?

[AngC]

They are all so cute. I love looking at all the photos here.

I was at our local co-op last spring, looking at the baby chicks. They are too cute. I don't know that I would want to take on chickens, but ducks. oh-oh... little ducklings would be so fun; my husband could build them a little pool.

BUT, poultry are chum. ...in my opinion. Chum, for the predators that might want to attack our little horses. sigh. Perhaps I'm too paranoid, but I've heard the coyotes taking out chickens.

 

[atotton]

I just got 4 more chicks yesterday. 2 are blue standard cochin mixes, and 2 are brahma mixes. I'll add pictures later this week.

 

[paintponylvr]

I haven't had any more chicks hatch out - several batches of eggs were put in our compost pile due to the hens leaving them. And one set - I was watching the hen set on them and I'd sit on the bench along the bushes and just spend some time watching her. Went a couple of days where I wasn't feeling well and didn't set out there, nor give her any feed around her - but she knew where the feeders were by the chicken pens & would go eat. Then, when I returned from work I went to check on the nest figuring they'd be due to hatch soon and not only was the hen not setting but ALL of her eggs were gone (they weren't part of a batch that I'd collected for eating or pitching)...

The 7 other live chicks are starting to feather in nicely! I have to get some more pics - haven't done any in a while.

NC is closed down for all chicken shows and all chicken sales (there's some ?s as to weather a "private" home breeder can sell their chickens) in public places starting August 15 thru next spring - March 15? (can't remember which month now). No bird sales at feed stores or flock swaps - last Friday was the last shipment of chicks for our feed store and the 75 chicks that were brought in were sold in a few hours. The next morning I went to get between 6-10 and they were already gone!

I've lost a lot chickens here on this property since we moved in. Don't think it had anything to do with the Avian Flu - just stress from the move, new qtrs and freezing weather during/after the chickens were moved, heat this "spring" and MAYBE predatory hawks. I did have a neighbor's dog get out of their house 2 weeks ago and he managed to corner and pull out a hens' tail before I caught him and she got away... Took a while before I could get any where near her after that. We also lost a young rooster that had a leg injury. He'd been doing quite well, but then I think he got down in the dog pen we'd just finished putting together, our SIL had closed the gate and we hadn't yet put water in tubs out yet. He was dead on the ground in the pen when I got home - not a mark on him. the same day we also lost several kits from a meat rabbit - Really think it was the heat (115 was heat index that day and over 100 for reg temp). I have turned our 4 yr old stallion out with the 2 yr old stallion and the geldings - so that he has access to shade as we don't have a cover or shelter built in his pen yet and he's the only one w/ no way to get out of the sun...

I'm still looking around - I want things in place next year to be able to bring in more chickens - to replace the ones I've lost, the older ones who are still here but aren't producing the egg numbers anymore, and to have more eggs/meat. We seem to be supplying our family now w/ lots of eggs - and never have enough. I just wish I could decide what kinds I want.

Has anyone here ever dealt with Cackle Hatchery? I'm thinking about doing thier frying pan special... Just not sure.

Want to do ducks next year as well. We've got our little "baby pond" plus will get as many little kiddie pools as we'd need. Any recommendations as to type of ducks? I don't want Mallards at all. Kinda looking at Cayuga's (they r BEAUTIFUL), Saxony, Magpies or Anconas? and some bantam ducks - silver appleyards and East Indies????

 

[Ryan Johnson]

Sorry to hear that you have lost a few this year Paula, Can I ask what is a meat rabbit ?

 

[paintponylvr]

Ryan -

I bought some grade, meat type rabbits - a New Zealand Red - broken pattern & a smaller Rex but not a mini Rex - a blue broken coat (my two girls are "painted"!!). They aren't meant to be pets but are larger and intended to be processed for meat. I'll fix the two pics I took earlier in a minute... The rabbit that had had 11 kits eventually lost all of them - we may end up processing her as she seems to like to cannibalize them (the ones that didn't pass due to heat of which were only 3. This is her 2nd litter)... I was looking forward to keeping some of those rabbits to use for breeding in the future - the rest would have gone on to "freezer camp" w/ their gorgeous coats going into my freezer until I had enough to tan/fix for using . The sire is our pet boy - Galifrey. The resulting kits would be smaller than a commercial set up of meat rabbits as our pet guy was supposed to be a dwarf (lion head/netherland dwarf) but he is pretty good sized at 6-7 lbs - pretty sure he's full grown at 1-1/2 years. He comes inside and watches TV with us. The two girls are now named (Trensalor & Splat) and have been handled, but they aren't truly pets and have to be handled carefully - they will scratch and could bite. " 'Frey" will walk/hop on a harness/leash and LOVES his yogurt treats! Have a good pic of him except that I cut off his nose so I didn't do the adjustment & post it in my albums.

Got some pics of the chicks!

Think the Cuckoo next to the "mom" is a cockerel - he's already got a comb popping up big (not red yet, but they are only 5 weeks old). But then the other cockerel I had, had much more white, sooo? The whites - who knows? Had 2 roosters out with 10 hens originally - now have 7 hens including this one when she returned w/ the chicks. I didn't get a pic of the beautiful Cuckoo Maran roo that we had before he passed... He was purchased as a pullet w/ this mamma one.

We'll see what this one does - hoping this is a pullet (girl) and that she's an EE (easter egger - lay blue eggs) or an OE (Olive Egger - laying olive green eggs)...

Will post some more pics in a minute...

 

[paintponylvr]

and here is a pic of 3 of the girls (out of 6) that could have been moms to the chicks - 2 are EEs and 1 is a Production Red (xbred between RIR/? - brown egg layers).

& one of the possible sires - probably IS the sire of the 5 yellow feathered chicks...

"Din-Din" was meant for the stew pot - but I've liked his kids so far (not a lot- 4 roosters from last fall, 1 sold; 3 hens & then these 7 or at least 5)... Have 3 of his sons to process - meant to do it this weekend - but I'm waiting. It's been sooooo hot that I've been "chickening out", LOL. When I do it, this will be my first time doing so alone and we didn't do any birds last year, for some reason...

I have 2 buff Wyandottes that I can't get decent pics of. They are now laying, too - pretty, medium sized, light brown eggs. Broody girls - they both spend lots of time sitting on the eggs. I was sooo hoping that the one would hatch the batch she had under her - would have been up to 12 chicks! Several were from the buff girls, 4 were blue eggs from the 2 EEs & the rest were darker brown from PRs.

 

[Ryan Johnson]

LOL and Im blonde just in case anyone hadn't worked that out ( no offence to anyone else that's blonde)

Whilst trying to answer a phone call at work and reading through your post ( and I must say your post was much more interesting), guess I should concentrate on one thing at once so my brain actually takes in the information instead of part thereof.

We have a big problem at home with wild rabbits , im forever filling in burrows in the back paddock due to them wanting to move in.

 

[paintponylvr]

I was, but you'd never know it now (not grey and not colored)...

Sounds like the prairie dog "habitats" we had in MT and in some areas of CO. Woe betide the rider who found those at speed on horseback! There was more than one reason to carry a gun.

I've seen some wild rabbits here, too... AT one point, years ago when we leased a pasture I went out to feed our ponies later in the evening and there were so many rabbits hopping around I thought that we would be stepping on them while trying to catch and feed ponies.

 

[Marsha Cassada]

Well, one of the new chicks is a rooster, Rusty. He is still very young, but has begun figuring out his role in life. He has decided he does NOT like one of the old Buff hens. Her name is Pinky and she is, um, not all there. I do not know if he senses that she is not suitable for his harem, or if Pinky tried to bully the baby girl Blackie that came with him, but Rusty pursues Pinky and terrifies her. She has been hiding in the chicken house in a nest for two days (she has never laid an egg in three years).

The other new girls and the other old girls go around fine together with Rusty. But Pinky is not welcome.

It does not look like it will resolve naturally.

Someone just stopped and chased Pinky off the road. She is out there all alone; maybe she is trying to run away from home.

 

[paintponylvr]

She is out there all alone; maybe she is trying to run away from home.

ooooo, that makes me sad...

I'm sorry.

 

[Marsha Cassada]

ooooo, that makes me sad...

I'm sorry.

I put Pinky in the fenced garden today away from the others while deciding what to do. We are basically raising the chickens for eggs and grasshopper control, not slaughter, so things are different than in a real flock. Rusty pounced on one of the little girls this morning. Feathers flew and she yelled. So, when he went back to the chicken pen to terrorize Pinky, I caught him and caged him. He is not welcome in our little flock. I do not have good memories of roosters anyway, but had planned to give him the benefit of the doubt. But he is just causing too much turmoil. Hopefully the people I got him from will take him back.

 

[chandab]

You don't need a rooster for eggs, so either back to where he came from or in the stew pot. [My MIL put her rooster in the stew pot, but he had chased her a couple times, so that was enough for her. Hers were ordered from one of the big chicken hatcheries, so no returning to seller.]

 

[Marsha Cassada]

He was given to me as a chick. We did not know he was a cockerel. I was willing to give him a chance. I am returning him today; he will likely go into their pot.

 

[Marsha Cassada]

When I caught Rusty I had to use the chicken catcher. I handled those chicks several times a day, but no way was he going to let me catch him. I tucked him in my arm to keep him from flapping and all the old fear of roosters sort of came over me. Put him in the chicken house until I left for town. It was funny to see Pinky come over and stare at him in the cage. Then she jumped up on the roost and just sat there, staring at him. It was as though she knew he couldn't get her; maybe she was gloating.

Blackie will miss him for a while. But I am glad he is gone. I don't think I can ever have a rooster.

 

[chandab]

Don't need a rooster for eggs and bug control, so shouldn't be a regrettable decision and you'll be happier with your flock.