California - Northern

[tommysgirl]

She's from Deann's mixed laying flock, which includes:


The Ladies
Swedish Flower hens
Basque
Dark Brahma
Lakkenvelders
Partridge Rock
Cornish Rock
Easter Eggers
Polish
Icelandic
Orpingtons
Mille Fleur Leghorns
Cream Legbar
Olive Eggers
Welsummer
Phoenix
Coshin
Dominque

Roosters:
Cream Legbar
Olive Eggers
Swedish Flower

But she's from a brown egg, so that narrows it down.

Yes that narrows it considerably hahahahahahahaha

 

[PetRock]

Do any of you in Sonoma County buy your feed/supplies from Hunt and Behrens in Petaluma? Can you give me any intel. Do they carry King??

My friend/breeding partner who has 10 acres and all kinds of animals gets her feed from there. She drives the 1 hr. plus about once a month to pick up feed. She likes that they when at all possible source locally for their grain, that it is fresh, and the prices are good. When I went to Santa Rosa to pick up my Bresse trio, we stopped there on our way. It is an actual feed mill. Their prices are excellent and I purchased 80 lb. of layer pellets that they mix there on site, 50 lb of organic layer pellets, 50 lb. of starter feed, 80 lb. of cleaned barley, and 80 lb. of wheat. (The wheat and barley are for fermenting, sprouting, and fodder.) When I picked up the Bresse, I asked the breeder if she had ever used their feed. She told me that she had but was not happy with the way her birds looked while they were on it. She thinks that the ash content is too high. Soon after that, I took the 3 final Langshan cockerels out to the farm. In sitting there and comparing them to the ones that had been out there for a couple months, I could see a big difference in the condition of their feathers. I thought maybe it was just free ranging on that many acres or some rooster jockeying for position or lack of their morning yogurt treat. I messaged the Bresse breeder and told her what I was observing with my Langshans. She told me that poor feather condition was exactly what she saw in her birds when they were eating H & B feed. So, I have been mixing a little of that 80 lb. of feed in with King Feed when I fill the PVC feeders and also fermenting a mixture of it. It is taking me a while to get rid of it but I haven't seen any signs that it is negatively affecting my birds at this reduced amount. I will not be buying it again and I am going to try to talk my friend out of buying it for the farm birds. Definitely, the breeders are going to be getting King Freedom feed. I don't know if they carry King as well as their own. I didn't even think of asking since they are a feed mill.

 

[PetRock]

That actually makes a lot of sense to me. It is so much fun! And since I can't give birth once or twice a year as I would love to, this is a great option.

I know most of you have done this already

, but here are the videos anyway

So adorable! I never get tired of seeing a chick hatch! It is a miracle each and every time!

 

[tommysgirl]

OK I just stumbled on this http://www.amymcmaster.com/ which is the website of zooeemama and knew it had to be shared with you. You have to get over there and check out her pics be prepared to oooooo and awwwww they are amazing. My fave is the laughing toothless baby!


Can our other pro photographers please share their websites too. I would love to see your art!

 

[Deerling]

Hey guys, how do you know if a chick is too big to zip properly? I'm not jumping in to help of course, but that one in the shot next to our first baby seems stuck. It is just making the hole bigger but its beak isn't moving much at all.

 

[capayvalleychick]

I have blue slate & RP, so the poults will be BS, RP, blue Palm, Lilac or Black.

So the varieties are cross breeding? Or do you have a breeding pair/set of Slate? Will you be selling poults?

I've wanted turkeys for a long time. Loved the RP pair that I had, but need to figure out management. The one in the coop died when it got it's head stuck in a bucket and the other wandered off with the wild turkeys. So I don't know if I can keep them on the property if I free range. How big of a run do they need if kept in a fenced area? How high can they fly?

Slate was one of the varieties that I am considering. Do they have dark pinfeathers when processed?

 

[ronott1]

Hey guys, how do you know if a chick is too big to zip properly? I'm not jumping in to help of course, but that one in the shot next to our first baby seems stuck. It is just making the hole bigger but its beak isn't moving much at all.

They usually are not too big. They can get stuck with goo or shrink wrapped by the membrane. The general rule is to not do anything until 24 hours after they pipped.

This guide will help but I bet the chick gets out on it's own!

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/step-by-step-guide-to-assisted-hatching

 

[Deerling]

Also one of the chick zipped a few hours ago but there hasn't been any movement for a long time, and there is yellow sappy stuff leaking out of the last part of the zip. Dead?

And white membrane, good? Humidity is at 70% so I would think everything would be good, but idk. The one I think might be too big is starting to cheep really loud and it is the cheep that always sends me running to the brooder, you know? Part of the membrane looks more clear/yellow and sticky.

 

[Deerling]

This is the one i'm worried about. See how the membrane seems to be getting sticky?


I think this one quit.


First baby


Second (very lively!) baby


Brand new Crevecoeur (mix) baby! Look at that vaulted skull... wowza!

 

[ronott1]

Also one of the chick zipped a few hours ago but there hasn't been any movement for a long time, and there is yellow sappy stuff leaking out of the last part of the zip. Dead?

And white membrane, good? Humidity is at 70% so I would think everything would be good, but idk. The one I think might be too big is starting to cheep really loud and it is the cheep that always sends me running to the brooder, you know? Part of the membrane looks more clear/yellow and sticky.

The white membrane is good-it is bad when they turn brown--that usually means shrink wrap.

Hopefully most will be ok but some might get stuck and need to be helped out. Follow the guide for assisted hatching.

For the next hatch you will need to decide about adjustments. Not absorbing the egg yolk is caused by too much humidity, too little humidity, temperatures too high or too low.

They were fairly close though! Good Job.

Adjust by 5% next time and see how they hatch.

What were temps and humidity like?