Consolidated Kansas

[cherwill]

Don't have much time.... Am working in our sun porch roost...neighbors can't complain if they roost there! Grrr..... But had to share this pic! The thing isn't even finished and my white Rick HAD to try out the new nest boxes.... I caved and put in some shavings. Voila! Egg laid with sawing and hammering right next to her!!! I think she likes her new digs!!!

LOL! I know people use the term "chicken" to mean afraid, but I find that mine are more curious than anything else. Set up anything new and they're right there in the middle of it.

Both pullets and cockerels will do the chest bumping thing to determine pecking order, so don't worry too much about that. I would sure hope that you got what you paid for - all pullets. Unfortunately mistakes do get made and sexing is only about 90% accurate. I know Cherwill has had some bad luck, ending up with about 40% cockerels from the sexed pullets bins.

That chest bumping is fun to watch. When mine were chicks, they'd also get a running start from across the brooder and pounce on each others' heads. Made me laugh every time.

Yeah, I've not had good luck in the pullet bin. They tell you there's a 10% chance of getting roos, but I'd be thrilled if I only got 10% roos! I wonder if it's it's just my Orscheln store. I haven't heard anyone else on here who's had an abnormal number of roos. We're thinking next time we'll get our chicks from Tractor Supply. They're more expensive there, but not if most of theirs end up being pullets. We only add 2-4 birds at a time to our flock, so we really can't order from a breeder. If we had the space for more birds and could do some hatching, I'd pay more for better stock.

My hatch is over and it was my first 100% hatch

Congratulations!

 

[lizzyGSR]

Geese are seasonal layers, usually starting in early spring. The chinese are one of the most prolific layers and will sometimes start laying in November. One year I had some laying eggs in October.

You mentioned you go to Salina. Maybe you could put an ad on the Salina Craigslist for a goose, gosling or eggs. If someone has what you are interested in, make arrangements to pick it up when you are making a trip there. Also, do a search for chinese geese on the Salina, or any area near you cl, and you might find an ad and they still have some. I have found things I want that way.

I have a pretty little white girl and her sibling, a brown, that I thought was a gander, but it is acting more like a goose? They are so bonded I hate to seperate them, so will keep them. They are a mid summer hatch. Like someone mentioned this is the time of year people are getting rid of what they don't want to keep over winter.

I've already checked the Salina Craigslist. There's nothing there... I realize that people are getting rid of what they don't want to keep over winter. That's why I was so optimistic about finding someone that wanted to get rid of a goose. I've found several birds for sale that MIGHT match what I want, but they're all in the Denver, and I rarely ever go to Denver. I've had an offer of an African gander that is only an hours' drive away, but I was really wanting to stay away from the larger birds.

Lizzy I don't think I would attempt to hatch a goose egg unless you had several to try with. If you aren't going to be hatching chickens or anything else it certainly wouldn't be cost effective. And geese really do require some experienced hatching.
I suppose if you made your own incubator it might be okay but in the long run you would still be better off to look for a young goose. I do wish I could have figured out a way to get those from the auction to you. I'd watch the Salina craigslist or even put in an add under farm and garden looking for one if I were you. Or in whatever other area that will work for you.
I so love hatching. I hatched a fairly large group of chicks yesterday and have another batch that goes in the hatcher tomorrow.

My DH's grandmother MIGHT be willing to hatch for me. If not, she has all the supplies (incubator, etc) and would most likely allow me to borrow them so I could attempt to hatch for myself. She'd probably also be willing to give me advice on what to do as I know she's hatched geese before. I would definitely prefer to get a young goose, but so far have had a terrible time finding the kind I want that is also close enough to not make the cost of gas cost prohibitive in getting the bird.

 

[sunflowerparrot]

I'm so new to this entire lifestyle - but finding myself becoming more and more intrigued with hatching my own - especially since I have a rooster!

Between the 2, which would be best for success?

1. http://www.amazon.com/Little-Giant-...987149&sr=8-7&keywords=little+giant+incubator

2. http://www.amazon.com/Brinsea-Octag...UTF8&qid=1347987322&sr=1-9&keywords=incubator

 

[Trish44]

Sunflowerparrot, if you're going to buy an incubator go with a good one, you may have to pay a little more, but it's worth it in the end. I love my Brinsea 20 Eco, it's what I started out with like Hawkeye & it's almost foolproof. I'll tell you where to get the therm/hygrometer that will fit really good in there too. Go on FaceBook on Brinsea's page on there & check & make sure they're not going to have a sale, they often announce them on there. I ordered mine directly from Brinsea & make sure you order the auto turner unless you want to spend your time turning the eggs. If you're going to hatch chicks though you're going to have to build some kind of brooder box or buy a stock tank like I told you about because you have to have heat for these babies for awhile in colder weather.

I went out & did all my chores & was just getting ready to come back in when a big bird of some kind flew over the front yard. I looked around & there wasn't a chicken in sight & Rusty, my BC Marans rooster was sounding the alarm. He was the only one standing out in the open, good boy Rusty!

 

[JosieChick]

Good morning all loving this weather its chilly this morning. I have a question what do you all use in your coop and runs for litter. Currently i have shaving in my coop and dirt in the run. I was reading in a blog about sand. i do the deep litter now and it works great for us but wanted to know if its easier and cleaner to use sand.

Article i was reading
http://www.grit.com/blogs/blog.aspx?blogid=4294968034


Have a great day everyone

Michelle- I used sand in my coop for a while and it was nice to clean. Kind of like a giant cat litter box but I found myself to be obsessive about cleaning it after a while. It does get cold during the winter too. I have used sand in my runs at our last house and LOVED it. It drains quickly and is clean and super easy to rake up poop, leaves, old veggie rinds etc.

Lizzy, that is scary about the hawk. I had a 5-week-old chick taken by a hawk in the middle of suburbia a few years ago. At the time I didn't know what took the chick - just that I put 4 chicks outside and next time I checked there were only 3. I searched the yard and didn't find so much as a feather out of place. The chicks had been "free-ranging" since my backyard felt so safe but since it clearly wasn't, I then confined them to a rabbit hutch run that was much smaller than having the freedom to traverse the whole backyard but covered in wire to keep them safer. Two days later, I looked out the window and saw this perched on my fence:

I guess it was back for another meal. He perched there for about 20 minutes, decided there was nothing there for him and left. I haven't lost another bird to a hawk, although we did see them swoop over from time to time. The chooks seemed to understand the danger and when one was spotted, would call the alarm and they would all run to hide under cover. If I ever went out and found them all hiding, I figured a hawk had swept past recently. The hawk on the fence above was pretty small - maybe a Coopers Hawk, and I don't think it could have carried off anything but a youngster.

I hate coopers hawks. Nasty little buggers.

If you are asking if all incubators are created equal, the answer is definitely "no". If you are wondering about the Brinsea brand, I have heard mostly good things about them. They are fairly pricey but all hobbies are pricey, no?

I LOVE my brinsea eco. It is awesome. I have had the best hatches in that thing. It is very forgiving of my incubating blunders too.

I didn't know you had a midget white! When did you get her? I love my midgets. I didn't know the girls display. That gives me a little more hope that maybe all my last batch aren't boys after all. I never noticed any display in the first batch I had except my one obvious Tom. These are the sweetest turkeys. I noticed since I sold one of my blue slate Toms this weekend that the other one has been displaying and gobbling non-stop. I kept the smaller of the two Tom's cause his coloring was just slightly better. He thinks he is a real man now that he has the girls all to himself. I am also selling my excess wild male. I am taking him to Yates Center the weekend of the sale where he'll get picked up.
So my plans to butcher a home grown turkey have gone south but at least the boys aren't competing now. Maybe this spring I'll be able to butcher one of the midgets instead.

I bought Flo from a lady up in KC when I lost my other three bronze turkeys to keep Mr. Turkey company. She is a pistol of a girl let me tell you!

Sunflowerparrot, if you're going to buy an incubator go with a good one, you may have to pay a little more, but it's worth it in the end. I love my Brinsea 20 Eco, it's what I started out with like Hawkeye & it's almost foolproof. I'll tell you where to get the therm/hygrometer that will fit really good in there too. Go on FaceBook on Brinsea's page on there & check & make sure they're not going to have a sale, they often announce them on there. I ordered mine directly from Brinsea & make sure you order the auto turner unless you want to spend your time turning the eggs. If you're going to hatch chicks though you're going to have to build some kind of brooder box or buy a stock tank like I told you about because you have to have heat for these babies for awhile in colder weather.

I went out & did all my chores & was just getting ready to come back in when a big bird of some kind flew over the front yard. I looked around & there wasn't a chicken in sight & Rusty, my BC Marans rooster was sounding the alarm. He was the only one standing out in the open, good boy Rusty!

I bought my Brinsea directly from the company and got a better deal on it than I would have elsewhere.


Well it is beautiful out today, nice and cool and sunny. Must get out and get some stuff done today. Hoping to sell some birds, have had several people contact me so

.

 

[HEChicken]

I'm so new to this entire lifestyle - but finding myself becoming more and more intrigued with hatching my own - especially since I have a rooster!

Between the 2, which would be best for success?

1. http://www.amazon.com/Little-Giant-...987149&sr=8-7&keywords=little+giant+incubator

2. http://www.amazon.com/Brinsea-Octag...UTF8&qid=1347987322&sr=1-9&keywords=incubator

Between these two, I don't even have to click on the links to tell you you'll be happier with the Brinsea Ocatgon than the Little Giant. ChooksChick has honed hatching in a Little Giant to a fine art, and has written up an incubation tips sheet that you'll find in her signature (she's the thread starter so just go to the first post of this thread and you'll find it) if you do decide to go with the Little Giant but....I'd recommend the Brinsea over the LG. Also, if you DO decide to go with the LG, you can buy them at TSC, Atwoods etc so don't have to wait for shipping.

 

[JosieChick]

Between these two, I don't even have to click on the links to tell you you'll be happier with the Brinsea Ocatgon than the Little Giant. ChooksChick has honed hatching in a Little Giant to a fine art, and has written up an incubation tips sheet that you'll find in her signature (she's the thread starter so just go to the first post of this thread and you'll find it) if you do decide to go with the Little Giant but....I'd recommend the Brinsea over the LG. Also, if you DO decide to go with the LG, you can buy them at TSC, Atwoods etc so don't have to wait for shipping.

Ahhhh! Ditto! Don't buy an LG, there are some people out there that can run those darn things but I gave mine away I hated it so badly. I don't know how many batches of eggs I cooked in that beast before I gave up.

 

[sunflowerparrot]

Between these two, I don't even have to click on the links to tell you you'll be happier with the Brinsea Ocatgon than the Little Giant. ChooksChick has honed hatching in a Little Giant to a fine art, and has written up an incubation tips sheet that you'll find in her signature (she's the thread starter so just go to the first post of this thread and you'll find it) if you do decide to go with the Little Giant but....I'd recommend the Brinsea over the LG. Also, if you DO decide to go with the LG, you can buy them at TSC, Atwoods etc so don't have to wait for shipping.

Thanks! I think first though, asTeresa said, I need to get a better area for chicks (other than in my house in a big box in my dining room!) and want to set up this area in my coop with a heat lamp setup. This is something I'm going to look into come spring

 

[HEChicken]

Thanks! I think first though, asTeresa said, I need to get a better area for chicks (other than in my house in a big box in my dining room!) and want to set up this area in my coop with a heat lamp setup. This is something I'm going to look into come spring

Yeah, I guess I didn't realize you didn't already have a brooder set up - it does make a difference to have a good area for them. When I built my coop I did intend to have an area for a brooder but have wound up brooding them in my house anyway, because I like the daily interaction with them, for them to be friendly. DD likes to have them in her bedroom and that works great for me as they get tons of attention that way. The last batch was only inside 2 1/2 weeks because it was so warm. This lot will probably be inside up to 3 1/2 weeks since it is cooler at night now.

 

[Hawkeye95]

Good morning all loving this weather its chilly this morning. I have a question what do you all use in your coop and runs for litter. Currently i have shaving in my coop and dirt in the run. I was reading in a blog about sand. i do the deep litter now and it works great for us but wanted to know if its easier and cleaner to use sand.

I just poured sand in my outside run. Not sure I'm loving it. I probably didn't put in enough, because it mixed right down into the dirt. I use pine shavings inside the coop-- deep litter.

All this talk of hatching is making me want to go buy one of these and get started! I was looking on amazon at some... any suggestions? Are they all equal as far as quality?

Buy the Brinsea Eco 20! Like Trish said-- go to their Facebook page and wait until they offer a coupon code. It's WORTH it. When they offer the code, THEN sign up on their facebook page for their newsletter. They will give you another 10% or 20% off. You can combine both of those codes to make it cheaper! Don't sign up for the newsletter until you're ready to buy, because you only have so many days to use that coupon they give you for signing up. If you miss it, you'll have to have a friend or someone else's computer to sign up again. I would spring for the Brinsea because it really is fool-proof. I can mess up ANYthing. And I actually did mess up my Brinsea-- because I relied on the therm inside it-- don't do that!!! Go buy a therm to put in there-- in fact, buy two so that you will know what your temp is. I had mine set too high because I relied on a faulty therm. Killed a lot of babies until I figured that out. Once I had it set correctly, the machine runs like no one's business and it regains it's temp and humidity FAST after you open the lid.

Two days later, I looked out the window and saw this perched on my fence:

I guess it was back for another meal. He perched there for about 20 minutes, decided there was nothing there for him and left. I haven't lost another bird to a hawk, although we did see them swoop over from time to time. The chooks seemed to understand the danger and when one was spotted, would call the alarm and they would all run to hide under cover. If I ever went out and found them all hiding, I figured a hawk had swept past recently. The hawk on the fence above was pretty small - maybe a Coopers Hawk, and I don't think it could have carried off anything but a youngster.

Yikes!!! Great photo!!!

Sunflowerparrot, if you're going to buy an incubator go with a good one, you may have to pay a little more, but it's worth it in the end. I love my Brinsea 20 Eco, it's what I started out with like Hawkeye & it's almost foolproof. I'll tell you where to get the therm/hygrometer that will fit really good in there too. Go on FaceBook on Brinsea's page on there & check & make sure they're not going to have a sale, they often announce them on there. I ordered mine directly from Brinsea & make sure you order the auto turner unless you want to spend your time turning the eggs. If you're going to hatch chicks though you're going to have to build some kind of brooder box or buy a stock tank like I told you about because you have to have heat for these babies for awhile in colder weather.

I went out & did all my chores & was just getting ready to come back in when a big bird of some kind flew over the front yard. I looked around & there wasn't a chicken in sight & Rusty, my BC Marans rooster was sounding the alarm. He was the only one standing out in the open, good boy Rusty!

X2. What a great rooster! I just hope he doesn't stay out in the open when it's coming after him!