➡I accidentally bought Balut eggs: 2 live ducks! Now a Chat Thread!

[Conan]

Now there is an idea! I seriously considered getting some of those last year but ended up ordering orloffs instead. Definitely food for thought!

They're the very best. They swarm me as a group whenever I go down to the field. I hold my arms out, and they fly up to say hello, then fly back down. Shoot, they even tolerated being manhandled by a bunch of children when the nieces and nephews were in town. I just love them. They are definitely on the smaller size of standard fowl too, which is nice.

I have one orloff now and she is not friendly at all. I think I ended up with lemons of the so called gentle giant breeds. I have a skittish, unfriendly orloff, and an awful, unfriendly Brahma. My last Brahma was such a sweet bird. Probably for the best, though. Those large birds really suffer when it heats up here in summer.

 

[CSAchook]

They're the very best. They swarm me as a group whenever I go down to the field. I hold my arms out, and they fly up to say hello, then fly back down. Shoot, they even tolerated being manhandled by a bunch of children when the nieces and nephews were in town. I just love them. They are definitely on the smaller size of standard fowl too, which is nice.

I have one orloff now and she is not friendly at all. I think I ended up with lemons of the so called gentle giant breeds. I have a skittish, unfriendly orloff, and an awful, unfriendly Brahma. My last Brahma was such a sweet bird. Probably for the best, though. Those large birds really suffer when it heats up here in summer.

They sound AMAZING! Will definitely get some next year if not this year

It is always amazing how much individual variation there can be. I had three LF cochins in my first ever flock. One was the sweetest gentlest bird that ever lived and I adored her. The second was nice enough but extremely human shy. The third was a little troll Here is hoping my bittie bantam cochins are as sweet as good old Bubbles.

 

[Conan]

They sound AMAZING! Will definitely get some next year if not this year

It is always amazing how much individual variation there can be. I had three LF cochins in my first ever flock. One was the sweetest gentlest bird that ever lived and I adored her. The second was nice enough but extremely human shy. The third was a little troll Here is hoping my bittie bantam cochins are as sweet as good old Bubbles.

I can't wait for chick pics! I love when the bantam cochins grow up into little bun butts. They really are sweet birds. May yours all have the personality of Bubbles.

 

[ShrekDawg]

The Brabanters sure do sound like amazing birds.

I had never even heard of them, besides @honanbm mentioning them a couple times here, and now from your description of their personality, they sound perfect.

Apparently Ideal sells them and they seem to be the only hatchery that does as far as I can tell.

Ideal also has tons of OEGB colors, even more than Cackle I think or at least offering ones they don’t have, but none of theirs are sexed, not even the barred or crele.

Anyway, now you guys have me wanting bantams and breeds I’d never even considered.

 

[CSAchook]

I can't wait for chick pics! I love when the bantam cochins grow up into little bun butts. They really are sweet birds. May yours all have the personality of Bubbles.

Amen

 

[CSAchook]

The Brabanters sure do sound like amazing birds.

I had never even heard of them, besides @honanbm mentioning them a couple times here, and now from your description of their personality, they sound perfect.

Apparently Ideal sells them and they seem to be the only hatchery that does as far as I can tell.

Ideal also has tons of OEGB colors, even more than Cackle I think or at least offering ones they don’t have, but none of theirs are sexed, not even the barred or crele.

Anyway, now you guys have me wanting bantams and breeds I’d never even considered.

Yeah, in some ways it is a very good thing that I am holding out for sexed bantams. Otherwise, with so many options, I don't know how I would ever choose what breeds and colors to get!

 

[ShrekDawg]

Yeah, in some ways it is a very good thing that I am holding out for sexed bantams. Otherwise, with so many options, I don't know how I would ever choose what breeds and colors to get!

Exactly!! There are sooooo many color options just in this one breed let alone all the other breeds.

I never knew there were so many colors for the OEGB.

It is funny though how each hatchery seems to specialize in certain things or offer what others don’t have. I would place about a million orders from a million different hatcheries for different varieties.

You guys even have me wanting to get several roosters and breed a few of the OEGB varieties

Or at least own roosters in several varieties because the roosters are so dang pretty

But I can’t do that.

But man I thought I was bad with all the standard chicken breeds I wanted.... bantams and all the color varieties are a whole new world....

 

[Tesumph]

Finally got around to clipping Tad’s nails today. She hates having her nails done. I had to get DH to restrain her, then buy her forgiveness with a giant hornworm.

I've been on a mission to wake IV up. The ginger woke her up a week ago and fed her without knowing she's not supposed to eat while brumating, and now I'm worried about food rotting in her tummy.
Her lights are set to summer time and she's being brought out multiple times a day, but she keeps going back into her cave. :/
On the bright side, I clipped her claws yesterday and it was the easiest thing in the world hahaha. I don't think she was even conscious.

Trimming the ferret's claws, on the other hand..
they are wiggly monsters! Gremlins with needle nails! It is next to impossible.

 

[FortCluck]

@BantyChooks (or anyone else with an opinion) do you think it is a terrible idea to get a male chick at the same time I get the female chicks this year? I know it is recommended by many to get a female flock established before introducing a male...but I am impatient And I actually miss the crowing.

I start my Cockerels with the pullets because they tend to be better mannered. When they all grow up together, there is less stress in my experience. Only time I've ever put a rooster in an already established flock is when I got HeiHei and I thought Squatch would flatten him... Squatch actually takes care of the little guy, it's pretty funny the relationship they have. I like to start all my birds together whether they're cockerels or pullets. Usually I keep chicks in groups of 4+ and introduce them into the big flock.

 

[FortCluck]

@KDOGG331 I'm getting 36 eggs from him on Monday and I'll be putting 6 of mine in. My incubator holds 42. We have to set up the brooder in the shed and get a longer extension cord. We also have to get an outdoor heat bulb even though I might try to get a different type of heat source.