5th Annual BYC New Year's Day 2014 Hatch-A-Long

[Zac211]

how do you enter

 

[SallyinIndiana]

Quote: I have found out that the light needs to be aimed at the roosting area as they will roost as soon as the sun is down. The rope lighting we have is like a long string nothing hanging down. I think the icicle lights would be bright enough but maybe not in the right place and also an invitation for pecking.

 

[chicken pickin]

how do you enter

If you already set eggs on or close to the 11th of December and want to join in just post that you want to join, what you set and on what day and Ron will add you to the list of participants in the 1st post of this thread..

 

[bantambury]

OMG that is so cool!!!! I can't help you out with the recipes though...never thought of cooking for my chickens

ill let you know if I find anything!

 

[chicken pickin]

I have found out that the light needs to be aimed at the roosting area as they will roost as soon as the sun is down. The rope lighting we have is like a long string nothing hanging down. I think the icicle lights would be bright enough but maybe not in the right place and also an invitation for pecking.

I would hang them on the outside of the coop and hope enough light shines in the windows

 

[MontanaDolphin]

For those of you who remember, I had to cull my aggressive roo, Zeus, a few days ago, and got two new guys that same day.

Well, realized the quarantine I had them in wasn't really quarantine, since I had one in a separate pen INSIDE the run, and one in another pen up against the run. Stupid newbie mistake. So, since they already were exposed to my girls, I figured there's no point keeping them separated.

I put both boys in the run with the girls today. Took the EE about 10 minutes to assert his dominance over one of the pullets. A few minutes later was pullet number 2. I'm so excited...once Zeus' sperm is out of their systems, I will be able to hatch their eggs with the new guy's genes...woohoo!!!

Reminder photos of my new guys...

The EE:


Chocolate Orpington Bantam:



Even though I put both of them with the girls, my plan is to separate my Choc. Orp. once the chicks I have incubating get big enough, and those will be his flock. I'm converting my goat shed into a second coop, and the goats are going to a new shed. That way he has his own space with his own girls.

So it looks like after this hatch...since the Trader Joe's and Whole Foods in the city closest to me do NOT sell fertile eggs...my next will be Easter Egger/Barred Rock crosses and Easter Egger/Commercial Black crosses. Then, once the chicks I have in the bator now have grown to egg laying age, I'll hatch some of those...with the Choc. Orp as the daddy...

Then, after those...

I've got the incubating fever BAD, don't I???

 

[Wunjo]

guys look at this cake!



I NEED THIS for my bday! I need to make it! LOL


for my chicken's bday, I think I will make them a chicken cake that is safe for them to eat. do any of you have any recipies for chickens that your chickens enjoy?

I am going to have to show that picture to one of my egg customers that makes cakes for people.

I have never tried any of these, I just looked them up for you.
http://www.communitychickens.com/2013/01/cake-for-chickens.html#.UrjC7rTCxEw
http://www.communitychickens.com/2011/07/variety-is-spice-of-life-same-goes-for.html#.UrjDcrTCxEw
http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2012/10/flock-block-substitute-recipe-healthy.html
http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2012/10/chickens-pumpkin-seeds-and-worms-oh-my.html
http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2013/02/chickens-soup-healthy-winter-treat-for.html

 

[Cynthia12]

The 50# bags of (seperately) wheat & oats were from a local mom & pop feed store, they work really hard to get in what customers want, sometime it takes a week but they track it down and get it and have also actually kept their in stock feed items less than TSC & our local Coop Feed so we always try to buy from them if at all possible (most of our local owned everything have gone out of biz the past few yrs, so we try really hard to buy from the few remaining mom & pops.)

Anyway the important thing is if using seed it must be UN-TREATED , if you buy seed type whole grains most of it is covered in toxic chems. that would kill your birds so you have to be really careful on that point (and poss. not trust the big name store's sales kid who says anything to be agreeable/make sale but when you read the fine print on the label you see different, happened to DH & me, just sayin')

So one time we got untreated seed oats, the other time it was horse feed oat (costs way less than seed oats!) note w/ the horse feed that is often _heat treated_ to prevent spoilage, but it also kills the seed (no sprouting) so if you can find horse oats *non-heat treated that is the best cost option as far as I have found. Again having that local feed store that will take the time to make phone calls & ask ?s of their suppliers just to sell you a couple bags of a special order for the entire winter is the key to getting the correct stuff.

THIS IS THE WHEAT - which I ended up after 6wks of reuse of containers got mold too much to continue. But they loved it while I had it! The picture was Day7 growth.

There's the fodder! I did this last year, need to get on the ball and do some more. I had the same problem at first with mold starting with my first try. Just needed less water..I put a damp paper towel over the top. Of course, I'm doing mine in a room inside the house. I don't have a larger flock, so I don't need to do a lot of shelves at once..just a few at a time. Yours looks great. People wheat is what I tell people when they want to know about the wheat. I bought a nice big container last year. Have lots left. I can also grind it up into flour and use it for us.

 

[fosterson]

Well, where I live now it's either freezing to death or sweating to death. We get up to 104F pretty regularly in the summer, and we got to -9F during our cold snap around Thanksgiving. :/

The chickens seem to deal with it better than I do.

 

[bantambury]

For those of you who remember, I had to cull my aggressive roo, Zeus, a few days ago, and got two new guys that same day.

Well, realized the quarantine I had them in wasn't really quarantine, since I had one in a separate pen INSIDE the run, and one in another pen up against the run. Stupid newbie mistake. So, since they already were exposed to my girls, I figured there's no point keeping them separated.

I put both boys in the run with the girls today. Took the EE about 10 minutes to assert his dominance over one of the pullets. A few minutes later was pullet number 2. I'm so excited...once Zeus' sperm is out of their systems, I will be able to hatch their eggs with the new guy's genes...woohoo!!!

Reminder photos of my new guys...

The EE:


Chocolate Orpington Bantam:

these boys are GORGEOUS! what type of EE is your boy?!?!?!?!? I need one like him! ive never seen one like him! he is TO DIE FOR!!!

I am going to have to show that picture to one of my egg customers that makes cakes for people.

I have never tried any of these, I just looked them up for you.
http://www.communitychickens.com/2013/01/cake-for-chickens.html#.UrjC7rTCxEw
http://www.communitychickens.com/2011/07/variety-is-spice-of-life-same-goes-for.html#.UrjDcrTCxEw
http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2012/10/flock-block-substitute-recipe-healthy.html
http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2012/10/chickens-pumpkin-seeds-and-worms-oh-my.html
http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2013/02/chickens-soup-healthy-winter-treat-for.html

AWESOME! thanks!