California - Northern

[browning6]

Moving and I want to buy eggs.

I Have a proposition for anyone who is interested. I live in the central valley and have just taken a job in Idaho. So on the 29th of May i will be traveling from the Merced area up through Sacramento and Reno and then to Idaho. I have loved raising chickens and have even built my own incubator using the cooler-bator plans from BYC. However i used a mini-fridge and it works great. I am not taking any of my birds up to Idaho with me but i would like to take a bunch of eggs or new chicks (since they are easier to transport).

Does anyone that lives in the northern California are Have any hatching eggs that i could buy on the 29th? I have loved the wyandotte breed especially the blue wyandottes, marans, americuana, orpingtons and barnvelders especially Or really anythng that is Blue in color (I love blue chickens). But I might consider other breeds. Due to my chicken addiction and the money i have spent on birds and eggs in the past. My wife has placed me on a budget; 6 to 8 dollars a dozen.

If you will have any hatching eggs that will be less than a week old on the 29th. Will you please message me. I would love to hear what is available and if we can get some eggs to hatch up there. the chicken community is larger in Nor. Cal than it is in my area of Idaho. You can send me a Message here on BYC. Or I can get you my phone number if needed.

Thanks,
Steven

 

[browning6]

This is a picture of the incubator i built. I can fit about 7 to 8 dozen eggs in it.

 

[Kaylish]

This is a picture of the incubator i built. I can fit about 7 to 8 dozen eggs in it.

Can't help with eggs but that is one awesome bator!

 

[browning6]

Can't help with eggs but that is one awesome bator!

Thanks,

It has hatched thousands of eggs. At one time i was putting about a 100 chicken eggs and 90 quail eggs in it every 3 weeks for almost a solid year. It has been pretty fun.

 

[PetRock]

What type of broodies do you have? I might be willing to take my chances with an unproven (I'm thinking most people that have a proven one are holding onto her if she is a good broody). Let me know what you have, cost and your location. Thanks.

Yes, I'm holding on the my proven ones. I'll have to check to see if there are any out there that I am willing to part with. I have one Bresse with chicks and one wanting them but I am keeping them. I also have 2 of my 3 Welsummers who are wanting to be mamas and several large fowl black Langshan who are determined sitters but not so good with eggs. They are so big that they squish the eggs and sometimes the chicks. Plus, they seem to like to tandem sit and that creates its own problems. I have several Pita Pinta mix pullets who have been broody but most of them have successfully hatched eggs and are raising chicks. It seems to me that in my flock, the smaller pullets/hens do a better job hatching & raising chicks.

 

[ronott1]

Yes, I'm holding on the my proven ones. I'll have to check to see if there are any out there that I am willing to part with. I have one Bresse with chicks and one wanting them but I am keeping them. I also have 2 of my 3 Welsummers who are wanting to be mamas and several large fowl black Langshan who are determined sitters but not so good with eggs. They are so big that they squish the eggs and sometimes the chicks. Plus, they seem to like to tandem sit and that creates its own problems. I have several Pita Pinta mix pullets who have been broody but most of them have successfully hatched eggs and are raising chicks. It seems to me that in my flock, the smaller pullets/hens do a better job hatching & raising chicks.

Did you cross Pita Pinta with Bresse? I was asked if that would make a good meat cross.

 

[PetRock]

Did you cross Pita Pinta with Bresse? I was asked if that would make a good meat cross.

Not that I know of. Last year, I was so excited to have a rooster here in town and to get fertile eggs that I hatched a bunch of mix chicks. So I could have but don't know which ones they are or were. I still have 3 Bresse hens. Maybe I should put them in a pen with one of my Pita Pinta boys.

Edited to add that IMO, there would be no advantage to that cross. I prefer the taste of the Pita Pinta meat and both mature at about the same rate. I also like the Pita Pinta birds better especially the cockerels/cocks. Both breeds are very friendly chicks but my experience with the Bresse was that the girls were very flighty and the boys developed a Napoleonic complex when their hormones started raging.

 

[ronott1]

Not that I know of. Last year, I was so excited to have a rooster here in town and to get fertile eggs that I hatched a bunch of mix chicks. So I could have but don't know which ones they are or were. I still have 3 Bresse hens. Maybe I should put them in a pen with one of my Pita Pinta boys.

That would be fun to see!

 

[Audio51]

My version of spam

How adorable!

Cornish meat bird update at about 3 weeks old. They are getting big and still following " momma" around foraging. Though they try to forage for themselves, they prefer to lay down and let momma hen do all the work.

This picture is kind of ironic. The cockerel decided to rest on the block of cement where I process birds, LOL.

They still try to snuggle under momma.

Laying down...all the time the lazy birds.

I have my as-yet-unprocessed Cornish Crosses in the rest of the flock too. They grow so fst it is hard to keep them penned up separately for long. I processed 9 so far and they are big this year! Last year was my first year and I tried to go organic. Then Cocci reared it's ugly head and I lost some. I also had respiratory problems and they all were set back so far that by 12 weeks I was lucky to get 3 lbs per bird. This year they have down very well and at 7 weeks the first ones finished out at 5 lbs dressed out. I am doing a max of 4 a day and there are a few that are smaller. They will be last. I also have 1 that ended up being put in with the other layer grow outs and she is much smaller than the others at the same age. She moves around a lot more and doesn't have the constant access to food as the others. I have noticed that all of them are more active when they are allowed access to the full chicken yard.

More Bleach information--Use household bleach and not industrial. The cup per gallon is very strong and should not be used except for extreme clean up--like after sewage spills. The strong bleach solution kills germs and is not toxic like straight bleach.

Quote:

I have switched to Oxine for cleaning since I invariably end up with bleached out spots on my clothes when I use that...even with a relatively weak solution...

First to hatch.

yesterday afternoon

These 3 since. 5 to go

Awesome! Hope they all hatch!!!

Quote:
I've missed that research, but I was raised by hippies who believe "God made the dirt and it won't hurt", so I don't worry overly much about sanitizing unless there's an actual reason to do so (like an illness in the house/barn).
I am the same way. I think it helps with immunity when things are not super clean.

This is a picture of the incubator i built. I can fit about 7 to 8 dozen eggs in it.

Awesome incubator!

 

[ronott1]

I have switched to Oxine for cleaning since I invariably end up with bleached out spots on my clothes when I use that...even with a relatively weak solution...

Awesome! Hope they all hatch!!!

I am the same way. I think it helps with immunity when things are not super clean.

Several years ago(more than 5 actually) we were at a dinner at a church function in a members house. immediately after eating, the host was spraying down every surface, draw and etc with a bleach solution. I asked her what she was doing and she said she had to sterilize everything because of the beef juice from the tri tip.

It was a real eye opener for sure. Bleach fumes were so strong my eyes burned and we were not even up to eating dessert yet.