UK Member Please Say HI

Hi All!

Just got back on BYC after a while, and just had some chicks hatch out!

I am down on the south coast of England - visitors welcome!

I have posted some pics of the new chicks here...

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/1135749/hello-new-chicks-and-re-introduction#


Hope you are all well

Jon
Hi Jon, Welcome back and nice to meet you!
highfive.gif
Your Polish chicks are beautiful. What will their colour be, when they'll become pullets or cockerels?
 
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:frow everyone hope you are all well?

Not posted for a few days as its been a bit of a mad house here with one thing and another. Welcome to all new members on the thread :highfive:

@rebrascora

Hope your all good Barbara, yourself, the four legged and 2 legged critters too? Hope you have been getting out riding lots and they have all behaved themselves? :fl
 
Hi! Half the eggs are mixed colours from a flock of black, grey and tan birds. The others should be mainly tan...
Will post some more pics as they grow


:frow

Having looked at your pics I would say you have white crested black, solid black, solid blue and solid white chicks in your cute little fluff balls.
When you say tan what colour do you mean? Gold lace?
 
Brilliant - you seem to know your stuff! I do mean Gold Lace - I was struggling to remember the name - They all seem happy and healthy at the moment, are there any tips you can give me at this stage?

Super thanks!
 
You are most welcome :D

My top tip is enjoy them! They don't stay cute and fluffy for long enough in my opinion ;) A clean brooder, clean water, good chick crumb, a warm spot and a cool spot in the brooder and they should be all good.
 
@Yorkshire Coop

Hi Kim

Apologies for not replying sooner but have been busy waving flags!!! Well done on getting Harry out twice in a row....I hope you have managed to maintain the impetus. I only managed to ride twice this last week. I took MeMe out with Ian and Zak earlier in the week but she was quite nappy when we set off...I have to ride half a mile to meet up with Ian and she was not at all keen to head out in that direction on her own. which was disappointing. Once we met up she was fine after that although she is still of the opinion that going off road spoils a good ride....she much prefers her feet to be on solid, even ground!
Then yesterday my sister came over and we got the lads out again. She gave me the option of riding Rascal in her western saddle which was very different but OK until we went for a canter and he started bronking. I know the western saddle should be more secure but I like to be able to stand up in the stirrups and kind of lie back when his back feet are waving at the sky and I felt blocked by that huge cantle. Mostly he was good though and a few antics were to be expected because I've confined them to a small area of the field as I am starting to introduce a bit of haylage into their diet and don't want them to get too much grass at the same time. It's a while since Jo has ridden Rebel and she really enjoyed it. Whilst we were out we met a guy with a little boy who made comment about the western saddle, so we stopped to chat. Turns out he has worked in Banff in Canada, skiing in the winter and "mule skinning" in the summer (taking strings of pack mules up into the mountains with luggage for trail riders...at least I think that's what he was saying). What a life eh! Anyway I said that if he was interested, I always have spare horses to ride, so we exchanged phone numbers. He said his wife is also getting back into riding, so that may be two more riders if they can find a child minder. The little boy was only about 3 and not at all intimidated by the horses. He seemed determined to park his little bike right underneath Rascal, who for once, behaved impeccably. One of the girls that used to ride with me has now headed off to university and I haven't seen Helen for a while because she is working odd shifts, so new experienced riders would be great. Let's hope something comes of it.

Sadly I lost my original welsummer, Wilma, yesterday. She had been battling a chronic respiratory infection for a while and I thought she was over the worst and sounded much better but she stopped eating the day before yesterday and crawled into a nest box. I moved her to a safe warm place but she died overnight. On a more positive note, Portia is battling on with her slow crop/impaction and although it is not totally empty in the morning it is down to the size of a lemon, from the soft ball size it was and she is roosting again and pooping a decent amount and not as ravenous as she was. I will be happy when she starts putting some flesh on her bones and she is getting plenty of oil in her diet to help lubricate things and increase calories. I was really close to culling her and was pretty certain there was no hope, so I'm hugely relieved that she is heading in the right direction now.

Other than that everyone is well thanks.

Oh and I have a confession to make
hide.gif
........ Tasha, who as you know is my favourite hen and star broody..... well she went broody again last week .... and I know I said I need to down scale and all that but how am I supposed to say "NO" to my lovely Tasha.....and of course Ian just encourages me, which is not helping.....so.....I relapsed .....and gave her 8 Marans eggs and a mutt egg which looks like it actually might be one of her own,..just in case the Marans are not fertile....I would hate for her to get no result at the end of it, so she should be guaranteed one chick anyway. I know I need a good slapping for being so undisciplined, but it has to be easier saying NO to a machine than a cute, favourite chicken with her heart set on having more babies.... I know, I'm a lost cause!

That really must be all my news. I have manure to deliver this weekend and also need to get some rubbish burnt and things cleared up in preparation for the horses coming in for the winter. Hope you have a good weekend and perhaps get out on Harry again.

Best wishes

Barbara
 
@jonrobinson500

Hi Jon and welcome back to the forum/thread and world of chickens.

Congratulations on your hatch. They are gorgeous chicks. I might have to introduce a Polish or two at some point just to add a little more variety to my already motley crew. My partner keeps trying to encourage me to breed pure breeds but I just love farmyard mutts in all their glorious and unpredictable colours and shapes. He bought me some Pekins this year and I'm now overrun with the little things and can hardly tell them apart and of course they all want to be broody and raise more Pekins....I know they are incredibly cute and cuddly .. but I like more individuality I guess.

Anyway, good luck with your chicks and I hope you end up with more pullets than cockerels!

Regards

Barbara
 

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