California - Northern

[Hangtown Farms]

One day I may be able to get to that point. With 7 mouths to feed we have to live carefully. The birds food is already an expense that has caused me to have to move money around in other places. I will have to put some more time into my photography business to help pay for it all. We knew the first couple of years would be cost us more. Getting started in anything does. We have no plans on making this a business in anyway. Our plans were to have animals that benefited the land/property, a surplus of fresh eggs, and eventually meat birds. It means sacrifices along the way to make some of these things happens but this way of life we feel is good for our kids too. My mil who is just past 60 still works an 8-10 hour grind 4 days a week- we all share this place and she helps shoulder some of the costs and we young folk shoulder a large part of the physical burden. We all joined up about a year and a half ago on this adventure. We're trying to be smart.

I went and priced out some of the materials for fixing up the coop. I am very excited to work on a project like this. I've never been one to be outside working a lot. Always been wiping rear-ends or dealing with a tantrum or fixing supper or folding laundry- my kids are at an age where I get to do some other things now. This forum has been great for learning. "Mom are you on that chicken place again?"

I am so grateful that so many of you are willing to share information. I have encountered a couple threads here where I have gotten all but ignored no matter how many times I post.

The kids love to help too. no mater how much or little they can do they love to help...

 

[zooweemama]

That's how I got my first duck as a kid. It was running around on the floor at the feed store under the brooders while I was mooning at the babies. When I picked it up to have it put back, the guy said it wasn't one of theirs and that it was a wild mallard! Told me take it home, so of course being a very obedient child, I did (after a prolonged bout of pleading to my folks). Mel turned out to be a boy and a very good friend. When he got older, I got a girlfriend for him, Phoebe the khaki campbell. They were devoted to each other. One spring she sat on a nest of 14 eggs, and 12 babies joined our duckie family. Later that same year, I lost Mel to a raccoon

and kind of lost heart over that. A family in our area took the rest of the ducks and that was good, because they had a pond (all we was an outdoor bathtub!).

So maybe you could keep the little one? There might some law, but I won't tell anyone!

Ok my husband called a slew of numbers and the verdict is that they told us if we have the means to care for it- do so. That fish&game doesn't have the staffing for a baby mallard.

 

[zooweemama]

Well, you DO know how to raise ducks.............................just sayin'.



I say put it in with your chicks. So much for your clean brooder.

The chicks are huge compared to this mallard! And she is so tiny she can slip right out of the bars. it's crazy how tiny she is!

 

[Hangtown Farms]

I'm a little biased, but welsummers are great birds.

Oh and so are my little welsummer x legbar olive eggers. of course they are only 2 weeks old...
and my lone welsummer chick is the most interested one in me....

 

[Hangtown Farms]

would anyone on the thread be interested in a Campine hen and rooster? hen is laying great. Rooster is awsome..

 

[mendocinosunris]

Oh good golly. Can someone help me? We found a baby mallard running around the backyard. No mommy. No nest. There was a HUGE family of wild turkeys quietly moving through our yard- I don't know if that had anything to do with it. It looks like new new new. What in the world do I do with it? My 6 year old found her running around my coop. Do I contact some wildlife thing or something? I am googling...

I can hear the kids now "mom, can we keep it pleeeeeessseee????"

 

[mendocinosunris]

Just finished the big mite cleanup. Eeeewwww. I had noticed a few mite symptoms last week, and thought "oh, it's no big deal. I'll take care of it next week."
So as we were dusting chickens, my DH flipped one of the roos over so we could get his belly, & you could see a zillion mites crawling all over the place.

Now to go take a 3-hour shower...

 

[ronott1]

Quote:
What, you have a legbar x Welsummer already? I thought creme legbars hit the US last November?

Do they keep being auto sexing?

Pictures please!

Ron

 

[Hangtown Farms]

yes they are young though. just 2 weeks

 

[Hangtown Farms]

the 4 big ones are penedesenca's the yellowish ones are icelandic's 5 are the crosses. I will have to see as they grow if they are autosexed.