Bay Area BYCers!

I feel sick! This morning when I went out to feed something got into one of my brooders and killed 2 of my 6 BL Polish babies! They were shipped eggs since I am trying to find a mate for my BL Polish Rooster. There was this one very special chick in the same brooder that THANKFULLY did not get hurt. It's my DD's 'Snowball' (pic below). As soon as DH gets up its 'Happy Fathers day, please go fix the brooder..." I think it may have been a rat or some other smaller animal since I'm not sure how they got in but I'm guessing through a small hole in the mesh on the top. I'm so sad! I'm calling AAI (they do our pest control) in the morning to set some traps. UGGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Dang it! What a way to start the day.
hit.gif

This is Snowball (Cochin Frizzle). The Polishes that were killed were the same size.
snowball1.jpg
 
Quote:
So sorry for your loss. I don't even make pets out of my chicks like you do & I still feel a loss when I occasssionally lose a chick. I have eggs in the incubator of White Crested Black Polish but they are shipped eggs & I have learned not to count on anything until they hatch.
 
Quote:
So sorry for your loss. I don't even make pets out of my chicks like you do & I still feel a loss when I occasssionally lose a chick. I have eggs in the incubator of White Crested Black Polish but they are shipped eggs & I have learned not to count on anything until they hatch.

I'm just as bad as the kids about making pets out of the chickens. Not all of them but I have a few that I dote on. Right now I have a Barred Rock cockerel about 9 weeks old that follows me around in the mornings when I feed. Every time I walk out there he runs over to me. He cracks me up. I am not going to tell Paige about what happened because she would be so upset. I moved the Cochins that just hatched 2 days ago in the house and moved the remaining Polish babies (and Snowball) in the safer, more secure brooder outside.
Have you candled your Polish eggs yet? When are they due to hatch?
 
Quote:
I'm so sorry. A constant battle to keep them safe! We're just finishing up with, what I hope is going to keep my flock safe from predators! I'm so darn tired of losing one here and there.....which isn't as bad as when I lost ALL 20 of them but I just want them safe.

At least they didn't get them all.
 
So sorry about your chicks. I had 34 killed out of 36 once. I was so upset and someo f them had been shipped eggs I just could stand thinking about.

What is it this year about Polish? I can get them to even hatch and I can't find my BL that I really want either. I have my lone roo who i would like to use for breeding and just can't get any girls for him.

I over slept. Today is a really hard day for me and I guess my mind wouldn't let me wake up till about an hour ago.

No more pips. No peeping and I had to help my one pip out. His membrane was wrapped tight around him and he was almost gone, so I got him out. Now I'm worried I won't get any more. The second hatcher has nothing going on. They're all due today. I really need this hatch.
 
.. Just thought I'd share a photo of some of the girls dust bathing this very warm afternoon - All four of the orpingtons that I adopted from Cheryl and my white cochin . they are using a kids' wading pool from KMart for $7.99 filled with wood stove ash, sand and a fresh bag of dirt, plus a sprinkle of permethrin and DE .. I sweep and put back the "dust" after they go into the coop at night, and pour in some water to wet it down, and stir the contents around a little. We refresh the DE and the permethrin about every week or 10 days. Everyone loves rolling in the pool
D.gif


56040_img_4329.jpg
 
Last edited:
Quote:
So Jeremy, you recommend the broody hens huh??? I have 3 Silky hens that LOVE to brood & was thinking of slipping some of my "other" eggs under them to see what they would do with them. The BCMs seem so hard to hatch in the incubator I thought maybe they would do a better job.
BTW I have a sweet customer that comes by to buy hatching eggs or chicks for his elderly uncle who lives alone out on a ranch in Hilmar. His uncle loves unusal birds & especially likes BLUES. He is looking for a Blue rooster for his uncle. Nothing special, just blue. He isn't even breed specific but does prefer clean legs & clean faced. Anyone out the have an extra rooster or cockerel that fits the bill??? All I have blue are Ameraucanas.
Karen in Turlock

You could give him my extra BLRW rooster! I still need to find one roo a home.....and he is lovely!!
 
Jeremy, guess who started laying??? Zsa Zsa and Eva! ( Splash Marans~!) Eva, the pinker female, laid today for the first time. See the itty-bitty dark egg? And just to the left is her sister's, who started laying about 4 days ago! I am so excited! Nest one clockwise is the BCM pullet, then the end of the row is my RIR.
65263_6-19-2011_11.jpg

Giving me the hot-bird stink-eye from the nest...
65263_6-19-2011_6.jpg

Happy tonight...
65263_eva_first_lay_day_6-19-2011_1.jpg
 

New posts New threads Active threads

Back
Top Bottom