Consolidated Kansas

[Trish44]

Whew am I tired tonight! I have spent the last two days at my friend's house in Wichita helping her with her garage sale. It was horrid in this heat, remind me next time I say I'm doing one how miserable I was this time, ugh. Yesterday actually was really, really busy & we did some decent business, but today was just dead, dead. We found out this afternoon that there were two citywide garage sales north of Wichita, so I guess everyone went up there. It was even more awful in the heat since we were mostly just sitting around twiddling our thumbs all day today. I know my birds & animals are mad at me because I haven't been around here to do as much for them these two days. I will have to make it up to them tomorrow. I couldn't leave the goats out since I wasn't here to put them back & my DH doesn't do as well with them as I do. They follow me around like puppies, but then I'm the one that feeds them. I came back later tonight than I wanted to, but it couldn't be helped, I had to pack up all the stuff that was left & leave most of it for her to donate to someone. I did get rid of quite a few clothes though that I had cleaned out & a few other things that needed to go. I still have a load in the garage, mostly my son's stuff that I need to take to Goodwill yet, some more of the garage cleaning. I felt pretty good about getting rid of so much though. I wish we would have had a better day today, but oh well that's the way it goes. You just never know when you have a garage sale if you're going to have lots of people come or none. We had one snafu when our signs blew away at one point & they had to be retrieved & new ones made. That affected our business some I'm sure. Anyway, I'm very glad to be done with it all.

When I got home I just got out & went to take care of what I could before dark & the guineas were waiting for me to let them in & the turkeys had already gone into their pen to roost since I had left their gate open. They also had 3 young pullets in there roosting with them that I haven't been able to convince they belong in the main coop. I haven't been here much to work with them these last few days & they have decided they like it better either in with the turkeys or in the pen with the guineas & peafowl. I guess that's OK, but I would prefer they learn where they're really supposed to go at night. Two of them are fairly easy to get in the turkey pen, but the third is really wild & runs away when I get too close, she's going to be the problem one. I have a few other pullets in the grow-out pen that are probably about big enough to go in with the main flock too. I will need to bring out those Franks' BRs soon so I will need to take out the bigger birds so there will be room for them. Oh & I meant to say that my ducklings are really getting big too. I need to get some pics of them soon. I will have to get a pen built for them too.

 

[ChickieWickies]

Our broody momma destroyed an egg today. I don't know if it broke and she went after it, or if she just went after it. She's been doing such a good job sitting, but for the first several days she was on unfertilized eggs until we got some to put under her. Could she have just been wondering why it was taking them so long to hatch? We're fairly new to chickens and VERY new to broody gals. This was our 9-mo-old Blue Cochin's first time (ours, too). She's never broken an egg before.

 

[ivyrash]

I have 5, almost 4 wk old frizzle bantam cochin chicks. I purchesed the eggs online all from the same breeder and hatched them here. They are all doing well but one of them got feathers earlier than all the rest and still has a massive amount of curly feathers compaired to the other other four chicks. I am just curious why this is.

The chick in the bottom picture on the left side is the one I'm talking about, the others are all his/her little hatch mates.

 

[sharol]

I have 5, almost 4 wk old frizzle bantam cochin chicks. I purchesed the eggs online all from the same breeder and hatched them here. They are all doing well but one of them got feathers earlier than all the rest and still has a massive amount of curly feathers compaired to the other other four chicks. I am just curious why this is.

The chick in the bottom picture on the left side is the one I'm talking about, the others are all his/her little hatch mates.

 

[ivyrash]

I was thinking something like that also but it is so drastically different that I wondered if it had something to do with breeding. I'm fairly certain there is at least one other rooster in there that is not feathering out like that. I wasn't planning on keeping any rooster's but might have to keep that one and see what it grows into.

 

[JosieChick]

Howdy everyone! I have been super busy with family in town and finalizing house sale stuff. Hope everyone is well!

Typically pullets will feather out a little faster in bantam cochins but there are some lines that just feather in really, really slowly. I know one of the gals over on the cochin thread is always waiting on combs to determine sex because her chicks feather in sooooo slowly!

I was thinking something like that also but it is so drastically different that I wondered if it had something to do with breeding. I'm fairly certain there is at least one other rooster in there that is not feathering out like that. I wasn't planning on keeping any rooster's but might have to keep that one and see what it grows into.

 

[ivyrash]

Howdy everyone! I have been super busy with family in town and finalizing house sale stuff. Hope everyone is well!

Typically pullets will feather out a little faster in bantam cochins but there are some lines that just feather in really, really slowly. I know one of the gals over on the cochin thread is always waiting on combs to determine sex because her chicks feather in sooooo slowly!

So do some just feather in faster or differently than others? I guess I was thinking maybe it had something to do with the breeding.

 

[HEChicken]

OK, I'm not an expert here, but I remember vaguely back a couple of years ago an extended discussion on feather development as a predictor of gender of the chicks. As I recall, the consensus was that the ones that feathered out first were the males (I think). Anyone remember that one?

In my experience it is the females who feather out the fastest, particularly the tail. I love to see tail feathers sprouting in the first few days as those almost always end up being the girls. You would think since the cockerels end up with the larger tails, they would be the ones who would need the headstart but it doesn't seem to work that way.

 

[HEChicken]

Last night I went to check on a broody duck as I do daily, not even really thinking about when her eggs might hatch. All looked good, and there were no bad smells emanating from the nest so I started to back away and then realized that I was seeing two heads - Mama Duck and a tiny duckling sitting right on her back. Since both Mama and the baby are black, in the dim light I had not instantly seen it. I was so pleased that she hatched at least one, so she can stop being broody and get off her nest. By this afternoon there are three and it is interesting that every time I check in they are sitting on, rather than under her. I guess it is just too warm to need to snuggle under Mama today.

 

[ivyrash]

Their cute! Wish I had time for ducks. How many eggs are left to hatch?