Bay Area BYCers!

[jeremy]

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Debi, we'll be there on Tuesday! I probably won't make brunch but I'll definitely be cruising the show that day. I'm excited, this will be my first chicken event. I hope there's a good variety of fowl being exhibited.

 

[fowlman01]

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I know that the KOA in Petaluma is nice, but have no experience with the camp ground at Spring Lake.

Walt

Thanks for the info, Walt! Do you know how long it would take us to get from the KOA to the fairgrounds?

15 to 20 minutes if the traffic is OK. It is only a few miles up 101.

Walt

 

[fowlman01]

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Debi, we'll be there on Tuesday! I probably won't make brunch but I'll definitely be cruising the show that day. I'm excited, this will be my first chicken event. I hope there's a good variety of fowl being exhibited.

I haven't seen the entries, but it appears that there will be about 200 birds...also looks like there will be some rare ones there along with heritage turkeys.

This is not the ideal time of year to show chickens.

Walt

 

[jtaylormade]

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Debi, we'll be there on Tuesday! I probably won't make brunch but I'll definitely be cruising the show that day. I'm excited, this will be my first chicken event. I hope there's a good variety of fowl being exhibited.

I haven't seen the entries, but it appears that there will be about 200 birds...also looks like there will be some rare ones there along with heritage turkeys.

This is not the ideal time of year to show chickens.

Walt

None of mine would be winning anything but laughs right now they are leaving enough feathers all over the ground right now I could be making several pillows a day!

I could bring you an injured pidgeon for old times Walt....I am actually nursing one myself at the moment that my moms dog tried to eat right in front of me....poor lil birdy. (yes this is your pesky neighbor Maureen)

We havent stayed at the Spring Lake Campgrounds before but whenever my inlaws come to town they camp at KOA in Petaluma, its very nice. Not a bad drive at all, and if you have GPS you can even come the back way to the fair grounds via Petaluma Hill Road to avoid the traffic that will surely be there from all the construction on 101 in Rohnert Park.

 

[wolftracks]

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Thanks for the turkey poult info. I'll see what I can find.

I used to have quail when I was in junior high and my neighbor would pickle the eggs and her husband would take them around to different bars in Oakland and sell them for me. I have NEVER eatten a pickled egg. I do know they need to sit about a week. Longer if you can leave them alone.

I need to pick that guy's brain. Learn lots and tell me lots. LOL

I don't skin them. I pluck them. They are so small and it take me about 5 minutes, but hope that gets better later.

Someone told me if I want to really make money to raise pheasants. I need a farm. I have the largest amount of eggs from my own birds in the incubator and due the 17th. I think it was 68???? Pretty sure.

I would like to be able to supply to resturants, but have no idea how to start. Wish I still had connections at the Claremont like I used to. Thing is I was always called baby, because I was the youngest there for a long time. Plus new owners that I had issues with on what they want to do with the place that I think are horrible. I wouldn't be good at sales talk without a lecture.LOL

I also don't think I could find a place to process all the birds and get permits, but I need to build up some kind of business, because I need to bring in an income of somekind. First I need to get better hatches and hatch what I need to replace. Getting really frustrating. I had much better hatches when Bill was alive and I'm thinking that has something to do with it. I do it alone now and he was always the person I went to and talked things through with. Now it's me and I obviously don't have an answer to the questions , no matter how much I talk to myself.

I'm meeting Lemon Dro today. I wish I didn't like roos so much. Still trying to figure out where he will go, but I'll find someplace. I have an Olive Egger cockerel and a blue AM cockerel together with some others and these two run things, so I don't think I can put him in with them. Maybe sit in the yard an hour a day and let the free range together and then try the pen. Just not sure yet, but he's not getting eatten.

Ziggy doesn't like much much right now. He got out with the FBCMs the other day and I had to chase his fat butt down and then you would have thought I was killing him. He squawked like a little girl. I talked soft to him, petted him and he tried to bite me. Now he watches when I go to feed and clean and collect eggs, like I'm sizing him up or something. I need to carry him around for a couple of days so he stops being afraid. He's the description of the word chicken right now and will run and hide behind his girl with his tail stuck in the air..CHICKEN!

I only go 6 quail to hatch and had to help the last 2 out. Those usually don't make it but I have to try. Seems 4 at a time is my best. Had some clears, a bunch of quiters and there was another 5 that didn't hatch. Yeah it has to be me. My youngest daughter swears it's the house or the yard. IDK.

Oh I hear lots of unhappy quail. I have to go finish filling waterers. I forgot to get it in the last 2 brooder boxes, which BTW they completely soak 5 minutes after I clean them. Dumb birds.

 

[cherylcohen]

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OH NO! ziggy was always the friendliest

 

[sewandgrow]

Kim,
Percy, the nice 'ol guy in N.C. with the quail says he retrofits regular hanbging feeders for the quail so they don't get into it & waste food. He uses a 5 gallon PVC bucket turned upside down over the feeders with the bottom cut out so you don't have to remove it to fill it. He cuts it down so it fits all the way to the tray on the bottom that the feed falls into. He says it leaves just a small opening all the way around where they can eat from but can't get into to scratch it out. I think I I have a visual picture & was thinking of trying one. I do wish I could find a feeder that the chicks in the brooder could eat from & not waste so much. I swear I throw away more feed in the brooders than the chicks eat.......what a waste.....
My feed bill is already so high that I have to consider this whole thing as my retirement pleasure & a high priced hobby, certainly not a paying business........LOL.

 

[wolftracks]

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Man if you figure it out I need to see it. I can't afford much more of this.

Cheryl it's just that I had to chase him down and he's been mad at me. I just too them some treats and he came up to me, so I think I'm almost forgiven. He doesn't ever really run away and that day, he took off. I had other roos in the yard and didn't want him her, or with the girls that were out, but the 3 of them were walking right next to eachother. They were doing anything but watching the other birds be a pain. I went over and talked to them and all of a sudden he was tearing through the yard. I got to him just as one of the roos was on his way towards him at a full run. I scared him. Then when I grabbed him he flapped so hard it took a few minutes to catch his wings without hurting him. I talked soft to him and everything I could think of and then he went for my fingers. He's never done that before, ever. He doesn't like being bothered much, but he's always friendly and comes t see what you have.

When I took out the treats he stood to the back of the pen, so I just kept talking to the girls and he finally came over to see what I had. I felt so much better. I think that when I grabbed him from behind he just got too freaked out. I don't like them in the yard without me and not when anyone is next door visiting. I keep the 3 of them out of sight. That day I would have let them out anyway if I hadn't had the others out, but it wasn;t their turn yet and 3 was easier to catch than 16, so the lost. They are so cute though. If another small group is out they just stick together and walk with their bodies touching. They never bother the others and it looks like they are trained to stay that close together. One turns thay all turn. The big group had bigger birds and nore roos. Not taking a chance he gets hurt. BTW he took grapes over watermelon. All the others hit the melon first. I thin khe's smarter. LOL

OK now for bad news. My FBCM broody was in her box and someone climbed in with her. Went and pulled the other out and saw a dead chick. Not sure what kind, but all the SPPRs are gone, I think and only one more FBCM egg under her. She had 4 of each plus a couple of others. They aren't due till the 10th so I was shocked to find it in there. The only thing that makes me think it MIGHT be a SPPR is the yellow legs, but I did have one more yellow leg breed under her. I sure hope the rest make it. Think I'm going to take them all away though. None of them have kept their either clutches alive, so I don't want to take a chance if they do hatch. So if she can get them to hatch I'm snatching them up.

 

[cherylcohen]

That sounds great, I'm so glad you are enjoying the spprs, they stuck together like that too in my yard.

Broody, drama, sorry for what you are dealing with. My abby speckled sussex, went broody AGAIN so I gave her some brahma eggs, she hatched 2 this am, one gold laced, one buff laced, 2 left under her. I'm so stupid though because, now that she hatched them I realized I can't include them in someones order...I need to hatch more, oh well Abby such a good momma

 

[PetRock]

Well, I met Kim in Ripon and handed off Lemon Drop to her! I hope that he is a good boy for her and makes lots of beautiful babies! His big presence will be missed in our backyard! Although, I know a few young pullets that will be glad to not be jumped on anymore!