Anyone Order Chicks For Spring?

[Coyox]

Ordered mine and the pickup is in late February. Very excited! I'll be getting my first Ameraucaunas, Speckled Sussex, Barnevelders and Delawares. I want grey rangers but I don't have room for 25 of them, which is the current minimum on Meyer Hatchery. :[

Anyone know a good place to get muscovy ducks?

 

[SunHwaKwon]

Ordered mine and the pickup is in late February. Very excited! I'll be getting my first Ameraucaunas, Speckled Sussex, Barnevelders and Delawares. I want grey rangers but I don't have room for 25 of them, which is the current minimum on Meyer Hatchery. :[

Anyone know a good place to get muscovy ducks?

I'd never heard of gray rangers before. What a nice looking bird.

How many ducks are you looking to get?

 

[Marygerl]

I ordered 7 for early april delivery from MPC. 3 easter eggers, 2 Cream legbars, 1 golden cuckoo marans and 1 salmon faverolle.

Our current flock I got as 6 week old pullets so this is the first time with chicks. I've been collecting brooder supplies and doing lots of reading on raising chicks. Now we just have to get our 2nd coop up.

 

[Coyox]

I'd never heard of gray rangers before. What a nice looking bird.

How many ducks are you looking to get?

Yes! Apparently they are amazing meat birds because unlike a lot of high yield fast growing birds, they are amazing foragers and act a lot like heirloom chickens. I've heard the flavor is quite good too! I was instantly interested in the grays because I heard they were highly intelligent even though they were a broiler type.

As far as muscovies, Im looking for anywhere between 8-10 but I'm willing to mess with that number. I have a pond and about 10 acres worth of good duck foraging space. Right now I have pekins free ranging... annnnddd I'm just going to eat them because they are -so- incredibly dead-brained. Worst mistake.... But I've heard muscovys are much cleaner and more intelligent. Also they are super pretty

 

[ShrekDawg]

Post pics of the Dutch when you get them. I love my OEGBs but was considering Dutch bantams for showing since they don't have to be dubbed, which I refuse to do.

Yeah, I noticed the dubbing thing when I was looking at some on Cackle Hatcheries page and I can't understand why that's still a show standard? It said the pictures of them were of dubbed birds because at OEGB shows non-dubbed birds are a disqualification? That honestly seems so cruel and unnecessary to me. Much like cropping ears and docking tails on dogs. Except this is almost worse cause the ear lobes are close to their head, doesn't that hurt? And they also don't develop all the facial stuff till they're older so you have to do it when they're more aware and sensitive to the pain? Or do you put them under for it? At least dogs are usually only a few days old and don't feel or remember it as much, though I still think it's unnecessary. I'm not saying people are cruel for dubbing birds, it's the show standard and they have to, but I just can't figure out why it's still allowed. Or how it started. Did they used to be fought? Is that it? So they would have less to injure during fights?

Ordered mine and the pickup is in late February. Very excited! I'll be getting my first Ameraucaunas, Speckled Sussex, Barnevelders and Delawares. I want grey rangers but I don't have room for 25 of them, which is the current minimum on Meyer Hatchery. :[ 

Anyone know a good place to get muscovy ducks?

Are the grey rangers new? I had no idea. I knew they had the red ones and cornish crosses but never saw thdle grey ones. I got my birds from Meyer October 2015 so maybe it's new

 

[SunHwaKwon]

Yeah, I noticed the dubbing thing when I was looking at some on Cackle Hatcheries page and I can't understand why that's still a show standard? It said the pictures of them were of dubbed birds because at OEGB shows non-dubbed birds are a disqualification? That honestly seems so cruel and unnecessary to me. Much like cropping ears and docking tails on dogs. Except this is almost worse cause the ear lobes are close to their head, doesn't that hurt? And they also don't develop all the facial stuff till they're older so you have to do it when they're more aware and sensitive to the pain? Or do you put them under for it? At least dogs are usually only a few days old and don't feel or remember it as much, though I still think it's unnecessary. I'm not saying people are cruel for dubbing birds, it's the show standard and they have to, but I just can't figure out why it's still allowed. Or how it started. Did they used to be fought? Is that it? So they would have less to injure during fights?
Are the grey rangers new? I had no idea. I knew they had the red ones and cornish crosses but never saw thdle grey ones. I got my birds from Meyer October 2015 so maybe it's new

Yes, it started with the LF game birds, to minimize areas of injury I suppose during cock fights. When the bantam version was created, they carried that "traditional" look over. I agree with you; I think its very unnecessary, and they look better with combs and wattles anyway, IMO. But its "tradition", and you know how stubborn people can be about letting go of that stuff. I've seen some places say you can order the day old chicks dubbed but I don't understand how that's even possible, unless it's somehow like debudding calves so they can't grow horns.

 

[ShrekDawg]

Yes, it started with the LF game birds, to minimize areas of injury I suppose during cock fights. When the bantam version was created, they carried that "traditional" look over. I agree with you; I think its very unnecessary, and they look better with combs and wattles anyway, IMO. But its "tradition", and you know how stubborn people can be about letting go of that stuff. I've seen some places say you can order the day old chicks dubbed but I don't understand how that's even possible, unless it's somehow like debudding calves so they can't grow horns. 

That makes sense and that's very true, people don't seem to want to let go of traditions. And hmm, that could be but I don't see how that's possible either

 

[bramblefir]

Yeah, I noticed the dubbing thing when I was looking at some on Cackle Hatcheries page and I can't understand why that's still a show standard? It said the pictures of them were of dubbed birds because at OEGB shows non-dubbed birds are a disqualification? That honestly seems so cruel and unnecessary to me. Much like cropping ears and docking tails on dogs. Except this is almost worse cause the ear lobes are close to their head, doesn't that hurt? And they also don't develop all the facial stuff till they're older so you have to do it when they're more aware and sensitive to the pain? Or do you put them under for it? At least dogs are usually only a few days old and don't feel or remember it as much, though I still think it's unnecessary. I'm not saying people are cruel for dubbing birds, it's the show standard and they have to, but I just can't figure out why it's still allowed. Or how it started. Did they used to be fought? Is that it? So they would have less to injure during fights?
Are the grey rangers new? I had no idea. I knew they had the red ones and cornish crosses but never saw thdle grey ones. I got my birds from Meyer October 2015 so maybe it's new

As already mentioned, dubbing was primarily done to help protect from unnecessary injuries when cockfighting. However, it's also done by some in cold climates so they can keep single combed breeds without worrying about frostbite. Having done a number of various surgeries on my chickens over the past 15 years, I can honestly say that removing the comb as a day old chick wouldn't be any worse, pain-wise, as a vaccination or a toe punch. That said, there's really no point in dubbing Games if they aren't going to be shown.

Max, one of my daughter's OEGB's (not dubbed, obviously):

 

[ShrekDawg]

As already mentioned, dubbing was primarily done to help protect from unnecessary injuries when cockfighting. However, it's also done by some in cold climates so they can keep single combed breeds without worrying about frostbite. Having done a number of various surgeries on my chickens over the past 15 years, I can honestly say that removing the comb as a day old chick wouldn't be any worse, pain-wise, as a vaccination or a toe punch. That said, there's really no point in dubbing Games if they aren't going to be shown. Max, one of my daughter's OEGB's (not dubbed, obviously):

Thanks for the info! Def nice to hear from someone who's done surgeries,whether that specific one or not, and that's good it doesn't hurt that much. But yeah, probably not really necessary to do. Max is gorgeous

 

[Coyox]

Yeah, I noticed the dubbing thing when I was looking at some on Cackle Hatcheries page and I can't understand why that's still a show standard? It said the pictures of them were of dubbed birds because at OEGB shows non-dubbed birds are a disqualification? That honestly seems so cruel and unnecessary to me. Much like cropping ears and docking tails on dogs. Except this is almost worse cause the ear lobes are close to their head, doesn't that hurt? And they also don't develop all the facial stuff till they're older so you have to do it when they're more aware and sensitive to the pain? Or do you put them under for it? At least dogs are usually only a few days old and don't feel or remember it as much, though I still think it's unnecessary. I'm not saying people are cruel for dubbing birds, it's the show standard and they have to, but I just can't figure out why it's still allowed. Or how it started. Did they used to be fought? Is that it? So they would have less to injure during fights?
Are the grey rangers new? I had no idea. I knew they had the red ones and cornish crosses but never saw thdle grey ones. I got my birds from Meyer October 2015 so maybe it's new

The Grey Rangers must be new then---- Hmm.... :/ I sure hope they keep them. Now I'm worried! I decided not to get any because minimum was 25. Now I'm starting to wonder if I should have jumped on it....