- May 26, 2014
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- 7
Good morning everyone!
Tucked away in a small part of Northern Ontario in the town of Powassan is my itty bitty acreage. I've had a small flock of red sex link hens for a few years, and have decided to venture into seeing if I can get one of the girls to hatch out any eggs, rather than buying new hens, and giving away my old ones. I have no interest in being a surrogate and getting into incubators etc, I would like the girls to hatch and raise their own.
If my Grade 7 sex education course is right, for my hens, I needed a rooster. So I went to the Powassan Bird Auction. Oh this is dangerous territory for me, last time I went I bought a pot bellied piglet, even though I knew nothing about the things. I learned quickly and became Mom to a unweaned piglet. I did a little better this time around. I ended up with a stunning Australorp specimen of a rooster purchased for 6 bucks, who now, after looking at him in full daylight, rather than a dark barn, he may be a little long in the beak. I'm hoping he has Sean Connery style appeal for the ladies. Maybe a nice poultry accent. I also ended up spontaneously buying a mysterious fuzzy banty rooster of some sort, which I gave to a friend, and a shoebox with 6 chicks in it which are now living in my garage...I'm not kidding, auctions are dangerous for me. I bowed out of the bidding for the peacocks, realizing I knew nothing about the things, and didn't even had space for them. I left with my random purchases like criminal leaves the scene of the crime, quickly and without looking back.
Thankfully Australorps are good laying birds, as I've now learned. He seems pretty mellow, by that I mean he hasn't tried to attack anyone, including my little dog, who keeps trying to figure out what he is.
Now I keep hearing that my girls have pretty much had their brooding ability bred out of them. But one of my ladies is hoarding the eggs, even though I am not sure who it is. All the ladies always come to visit, so by the time I get to their door, everyone is at it. Either way, I'm glad to have Handsome (the rooster has been named) hang out with them, seeing as now that my dear old Lab has passed away, it is much safer for my hens to do some foraging outside of their pen when I'm home to supervise them.
I only have to sweat about hawks, weasels and coyotes. No shortage of those either. Hopefully Handsome and I can keep the girls safe.
What have I gotten myself into now....who knows. Anyway, if this hatching thing doesn't work, at the very least its one peck of an adventure.
I've been reading a lot of posts and appreciate to no end all the expertise that is on here!
Tucked away in a small part of Northern Ontario in the town of Powassan is my itty bitty acreage. I've had a small flock of red sex link hens for a few years, and have decided to venture into seeing if I can get one of the girls to hatch out any eggs, rather than buying new hens, and giving away my old ones. I have no interest in being a surrogate and getting into incubators etc, I would like the girls to hatch and raise their own.
If my Grade 7 sex education course is right, for my hens, I needed a rooster. So I went to the Powassan Bird Auction. Oh this is dangerous territory for me, last time I went I bought a pot bellied piglet, even though I knew nothing about the things. I learned quickly and became Mom to a unweaned piglet. I did a little better this time around. I ended up with a stunning Australorp specimen of a rooster purchased for 6 bucks, who now, after looking at him in full daylight, rather than a dark barn, he may be a little long in the beak. I'm hoping he has Sean Connery style appeal for the ladies. Maybe a nice poultry accent. I also ended up spontaneously buying a mysterious fuzzy banty rooster of some sort, which I gave to a friend, and a shoebox with 6 chicks in it which are now living in my garage...I'm not kidding, auctions are dangerous for me. I bowed out of the bidding for the peacocks, realizing I knew nothing about the things, and didn't even had space for them. I left with my random purchases like criminal leaves the scene of the crime, quickly and without looking back.
Thankfully Australorps are good laying birds, as I've now learned. He seems pretty mellow, by that I mean he hasn't tried to attack anyone, including my little dog, who keeps trying to figure out what he is.
Now I keep hearing that my girls have pretty much had their brooding ability bred out of them. But one of my ladies is hoarding the eggs, even though I am not sure who it is. All the ladies always come to visit, so by the time I get to their door, everyone is at it. Either way, I'm glad to have Handsome (the rooster has been named) hang out with them, seeing as now that my dear old Lab has passed away, it is much safer for my hens to do some foraging outside of their pen when I'm home to supervise them.
I only have to sweat about hawks, weasels and coyotes. No shortage of those either. Hopefully Handsome and I can keep the girls safe.
What have I gotten myself into now....who knows. Anyway, if this hatching thing doesn't work, at the very least its one peck of an adventure.
I've been reading a lot of posts and appreciate to no end all the expertise that is on here!
and Welcome To BYC! Funny introduction, those auctions are dangerous places! Good luck with getting a hen to set this summer! Even if one of the old hens doesn't go broody, you do have that shoebox full of chicks, there might be a potential broody in there.
