Pennsylvania!! Unite!!

[barbiegirl]

I am in a frost warning for tonight/tomorrow morning. Hopefully everyone's gardens will be ok. I haven't gotten to tilling my garden yet.

 

[fisherlady]

the real duck dynasty !!

Awesome looking little group!

I think I've officially gone around the bend...the 3 yo talked me into getting him khaki campbell ducklings. Rather than put them down in the basement in the brooder....I have them in a bucket...in the kitchen. And rather than shavings....I'm using towels. Yes towels...and each day we completely clean the bucket and wash the towels....

I must have gone with you... I see this as totally reasonable!

spoiler alert....spoiler alert... for those that got bantam cochin eggs from me, be prepared they are on a mission to have you stare at them all day due to the cute factor,,,,really they are small and look to be about the size of a fat quail.

chicks have a built is self defense mechanism.... their cuteness causes all possible evil thoughts to fly right out of anyone's head! LOL

I'll remember that. I candled them last night and most all have veins showing clearly.

And yesterday's hatch was 6 for 6!

None of the silkie eggs developed at all, but every egg that was not clear made it all the way out. I never had such a good percentage. I really hate to see chicks not make it out of the egg after developing all the way. If it never developed at all, that seems more ok to me.

Our silkies have been very disappointing this year, less than 10% develop at all. I wonder if the male is too old, some of the hens have ceased laying and are just enjoying their golden years. Maybe the roo is not up to the job anymore. We have a younger male, but he's pure evil most the time and even getting the eggs out of the cage can be a challenge. Silkie roos perplex me, some are as nice as can be, others seem to half vulture or something and try to draw blood at every turn. We have one of each, I want to breed from the nice one.

Sounds like time for a new rooster! Maybe shaving of bottoms may be in order? Do they do that on silkies like some other breeds?

Wing, I'm not going back through countless pages, what kinda ducks are they?

dhetzel, yes of course I wanted them, but I didn't want to clean the basement. The only part I find crazy is keeping ducklings on towels.

We keep out meaties in our brooder for about 10 days... it is an old wood play pen with mattress, we cover mattress with oversized bath towel for traction, then some pine chips (not really deep though) To clean we pull the edges of the towel up and to the center, encasing the wood chips, lift out and carry outside, shake out chips and either replace the towel with another or return it to brooder, depending on how messy it was. Since we normally only brooder the meaties and only for a short time it has worked great for us. Walmart sells pretty large towels rather cheap now, and I yard sale and auction buy them, so we have a collection of 'animal' towels.

 

[BullChick]

Quote: I agree! That is how "I hate all birds, and I would never get chickens!" Turned into, "OMG they are so cute! I want chickens!"

 

[AnneInTheBurbs]

I have some newly hatched chicks available, if anyone is interested and close enough to pick them up.

The first of the German New Hampshires (got about 2 dozen growing oput now, so I think I can start selling a few):
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/883278/german-new-hampshire-chicks-southeast-pa

And some free Rhodebar cockerals (seem too cute to become snake food):
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/883282/rhodebar-cockerels-southeast-pa

If only I could have a roo! They're awesome looking!

I think I've officially gone around the bend...the 3 yo talked me into getting him khaki campbell ducklings. Rather than put them down in the basement in the brooder....I have them in a bucket...in the kitchen. And rather than shavings....I'm using towels. Yes towels...and each day we completely clean the bucket and wash the towels....

I've heard of crazier things! Whatever gets the job done, I say!

I'll remember that. I candled them last night and most all have veins showing clearly.

And yesterday's hatch was 6 for 6!
None of the silkie eggs developed at all, but every egg that was not clear made it all the way out. I never had such a good percentage. I really hate to see chicks not make it out of the egg after developing all the way. If it never developed at all, that seems more ok to me.

Our silkies have been very disappointing this year, less than 10% develop at all. I wonder if the male is too old, some of the hens have ceased laying and are just enjoying their golden years. Maybe the roo is not up to the job anymore. We have a younger male, but he's pure evil most the time and even getting the eggs out of the cage can be a challenge. Silkie roos perplex me, some are as nice as can be, others seem to half vulture or something and try to draw blood at every turn. We have one of each, I want to breed from the nice one.

Yay! Congrats! I agree, I think it must be much harder with a chick that you saw developing...

Thanks! I didn't know that. This is my first time with cots.

Please keep us posted!

Here's a cuteness spam for you guys on this gorgeous Tuesday

Chuck

Penelope :

What a cute couple^

My nameless roo. Sooooo nice to the girls and me.

Thanks for sharing! I loved these pictures! Chuck is soooo adorable!

My isa brown broody hasn't moved since last night was worried she would give up because I moved her but she's fine hopefully she will continue to sit and not give up as I have been told she probably will :/

Go broody girl!

30 pages later I'm getting caught up on BYC.  Wing was asking about processing costs.

Both places I've used charge according to the age of the birds for chickens. These are prices from a few years ago, so you can probably charge more now.

Chickens up to 6 weeks old (Cornish X ) $1.50

Chickens 6-10 weeks (cornish x)  $2.00

Other chickens $2.50

The idea is that the young birds are easier to process than are old roosters, etc. If the age is unknown, or if the chicken is anything other than a cornish x, then ehey are $2.50 each. One place sells ice, the other expects you to bring your own. Either way, birds arrive in chicken crates, and leave, unwrapped, in my coolers.

Ducks are $5.00 each and turkeys are $4 to $8 depending on size.

I vacuum seal them myself when I get home.

As someone who didn't know shtick about chickens not too long ago, those prices sound more than fair, if not low.

 

[SilkieSensation]

spoiler alert....spoiler alert... for those that got bantam cochin eggs from me, be prepared they are on a mission to have you stare at them all day due to the cute factor,,,,really they are small and look to be about the size of a fat quail.

Thanks for the warning! I think I only tossed 1 or 2 cochin eggs. I have 6 scovies left & about 7-8 bresse. Chicks due the 14th, scovies due 29th. I didn't get your eggs out yet. The plan is for tomorrow. Yesterday we had to go half way across the state to pick up an rv. Today we had to go look at the lot we're moving it to. Good part: new neighbor has peafowl!!! I see peachicks in my future...lol

[COLOR=0000FF]oh MY Goodness! They're awesome! Sooooo pretty. So this morning I heard a turkey gobbling while doing my chores, I was so excited, grabbed a jacket, coffee and binoculars. DS then informs me... 'mom, ya know it's turkey season, right?' Nope no turkeys out there, pretty sure it was a hunter calling them. [/COLOR]

My turkeys were calling to the wild turkeys this week and they were answering them. The wild turkeys were in the neighbors yard.. I keep my turkeys in the run so they don't wander off with the wild turkeys and so no crazy hunter hunts them. Picture of the chicks that hatched yesterday.

My crazy neighbor & his teenage son practice calling to my turkeys from across the yard...lol They get a kick out of getting them to answer.

 

[fisherlady]

Well, we now have a bear trap set in the back of the property... in a way I'm hoping the bear from the other night is far enough gone it doesn't smell bait and come back. But in reality I understand it's probably not far away and hopefully it isn't trap smart.

 

[chippysmom327]

Thanks for all the compliments on my flock

Well, we now have a bear trap set in the back of the property... in a way I'm hoping the bear from the other night is far enough gone it doesn't smell bait and come back.  But in reality I understand it's probably not far away and hopefully it isn't trap smart. 

I hope you get it just so you can get that weight off your shoulders!!!


Story: tonight everyone was making a huge racket and Penelope (who is usually very quiet) was going berserk. I went outside and there was a rabbit standing about 10 feet from them . The rooster knew it was nothing to be concerned about so he just left it alone.

 

[fisherlady]

Thanks for all the compliments on my flock

I hope you get it just so you can get that weight off your shoulders!!!


Story: tonight everyone was making a huge racket and Penelope (who is usually very quiet) was going berserk. I went outside and there was a rabbit standing about 10 feet from them

. The rooster knew it was nothing to be concerned about so he just left it alone.

Thanks!
The ducky is adorable!

cute story on the rabbit! So many times I wish I had video recorder handy when the flock does something cute like that... they never wait till I have a camera!

 

[wingstone]

Wing, I'm not going back through countless pages, what kinda ducks are they?

dhetzel, yes of course I wanted them, but I didn't want to clean the basement. The only part I find crazy is keeping ducklings on towels.

l

The black are east indie and the larger brown are khaki Campbell, smaller brown are Rouen.

 

[Blarneyeggs]

Well, we now have a bear trap set in the back of the property... in a way I'm hoping the bear from the other night is far enough gone it doesn't smell bait and come back.  But in reality I understand it's probably not far away and hopefully it isn't trap smart. 

Wow! This farm life is always throwing me curve balls....although dealing with bears would probably send me over the edge. I can't imagine.

I'm putting my birthing kit together for my Lily Love. Her official kidding date is May 15th but anything past the 5th is considered full term. fisher, I wish I could borrow some of your strength of character for the upcoming week. As it is, I'm losing sleep, jumping every time I hear them holler, and planning chores that will keep me within ear shot of the goat pen.