California - Northern

[tommysgirl]

@fowlman01 Are you willing to sell to someone who is not yet set up for breeding them? I would love to take a couple of pullets.

 

[lawatt]

yay for hatching, Ron!

so here's an unexpected development -- I have a broody hen, and put seven eggs under her from my two birchen marans pullets, both crossed with a birchen marans cockerel -- i've previously hatched eggs from one of them, and those chicks have (as expected) hatched as black with some white markings, and at 6 weeks, one is already definitely showing the birchen pattern, and the other might.

so this morning the eggs under the broody are "due," and I just checked -- two have hatched so far, but they are both *yellow* chicks. totally not what i expected to see.

the younger birchen pullet hatched from an egg that came from (as i understand it) a mixed-marans pen -- but I didn't realize two birchen-patterned black birds could produce a light-colored chick. or might they be sports?

they are very cute, just not at all what i expected! have posted this on the marans thread, hoping to get a better sense of what might be going on genetically.

(no pictures yet, since more eggs are pipping under the broody & i didn't want to disturb her too much)

 

[sewandgrow]

Thanks ladies.....Call ducks may be louder than a roosters crow...I'm pretty sure they are......and it is the females in this case. Driving to a show in the middle of the night and having the Calls all of a sudden go off is quite thrilling if you don't expect it. Yup, it is survival of the fittest here. It was very difficult in the beginning, but well worth it after a bit. Birds pretty much die of old age here. I have a white Call duck that is 16 years old and some China geese that are over 20 years old and still producing.

Walt

I so like your way of thinking Walt. Maybe I am getting old but I don't think it helping chicks hatch is NOT a good thing, just to seem them fail later in so many cases.

 

[ronott1]

Nope, no increase in treats. I have never wormed them before...they're about a year old now. Just under a year old, actually. I will check for lice and mites when my mom gets home in just a little bit. How do I check for them?
I'll also have her help me look at the vents and feathers. I know one of the hens has a bunch of watery poop dried onto her feathers but I assume that's not what you're talking about.

I just find it odd that they eat so much(eating normally) and yet none of their poops are solid. Makes me wonder where all the food is going.

It is time to worm them then.

@casportpony

Kathy has links to using Horse Paste wormers in her signature file. Those are cheap and easy to find at most feed stores.

 

[ronott1]

I so like your way of thinking Walt. Maybe I am getting old but I don't think it helping chicks hatch is NOT a good thing, just to seem them fail later in so many cases.

I had to slap my hand last night-- I came home to a zipped chick at 5pm and it was still just sitting there when I went to bed at 10pm. I was so tempted to get it out!

I did not and one of the Delawares in the picture I posted is that one. I could have hurt the slow chick and the eggs with pips if I had helped. It did not need my help so why help?

 

[chrissyr]

Ok, here is the ad that keeps coming on my screen about Etsy. I swear i did not look for soap that looks like dog poo, when shopping. Look where the arrow is pointing

 

[ronott1]

Ok, here is the ad that keeps coming on my screen about Etsy. I swear i did not look for soap that looks like dog poo, when shopping. Look where the arrow is pointing

Sorry for that ad!

on getting the Golden Feather Membership!

Go to preferences and you can now click on turn of advertising!

 

[TheKeeper]

It is time to worm them then.

@casportpony


Kathy has links to using Horse Paste wormers in her signature file. Those are cheap and easy to find at most feed stores.

I feed my flock cucumbers and pumpkins instead of using medication. They've never had worms so far in 10+ yrs. Does anyone else do this? Am I just lucky so far or does it really work? I think I remember reading posts regarding curcurbits creating an unfriendly environment in fowl guts.

 

[chrissyr]

Sorry for that ad!

on getting the Golden Feather Membership!

Go to preferences and you can now click on turn of advertising!

Oh no worries on the ad. I have a son… and a husband who like to throw rubber snakes in my path when I'm walking in the field. So I'm no stranger to things of gross or scary sorts

And Yay on my Golden Feathers! I can turn off the ads, huh? I will do that now! Thank you!

 

[ronott1]

I feed my flock cucumbers and pumpkins instead of using medication. They've never had worms so far in 10+ yrs. Does anyone else do this? Am I just lucky so far or does it really work? I think I remember reading posts regarding curcurbits creating an unfriendly environment in fowl guts.

Possibly a bit of both.

I do not think there are worms here. Necropsy and float tests have not found them yet. I do worm them at point of lay though.