Consolidated Kansas

[jennyjane73]

LIzzy we are way behind in precip again ourselves. I guess the problem is that when we have gotten moisture it has been snow which is very little moisture or the wind has driven the rain so hard we really didn't get as much as it seemed. I thought it had rained quite a bit but it's not very muddy out there. I did hear however that 30 miles east of here they got 6 inches of rain. At least the knot weed is starting to green up a little so there is something besides bare dirt out there.

I found a duck sitting on a nest and two chickens sitting on duck nests today. I hadn't been gathering duck eggs. I should have because I always have buyers for them. Now I can't use any of those eggs cause I don't know how old they are. I did have a huge thrill today. I have three broody geese right now that don't even want me to gather their eggs. But I also found my buff sabastopol sitting on eggs. I've always thought it was a female but finally confirmed it. I am HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY. She is absolutely gorgeous. If I managed to hatch a half dozen just like her I would be tickled pink. I still have a few more I need to confirm sex on. It's kind of hard when they look so much alike and all the leg bands are the same color..just numbered different.
Jennyjane is that a gold laced polish? Kind of hard to tell with the red light. How old?

It's a Gold Brabanter. They are about a month old I think.

 

[lizzyGSR]

LIzzy we are way behind in precip again ourselves. I guess the problem is that when we have gotten moisture it has been snow which is very little moisture or the wind has driven the rain so hard we really didn't get as much as it seemed. I thought it had rained quite a bit but it's not very muddy out there. I did hear however that 30 miles east of here they got 6 inches of rain. At least the knot weed is starting to green up a little so there is something besides bare dirt out there.

I found a duck sitting on a nest and two chickens sitting on duck nests today. I hadn't been gathering duck eggs. I should have because I always have buyers for them. Now I can't use any of those eggs cause I don't know how old they are. I did have a huge thrill today. I have three broody geese right now that don't even want me to gather their eggs. But I also found my buff sabastopol sitting on eggs. I've always thought it was a female but finally confirmed it. I am HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY. She is absolutely gorgeous. If I managed to hatch a half dozen just like her I would be tickled pink. I still have a few more I need to confirm sex on. It's kind of hard when they look so much alike and all the leg bands are the same color..just numbered different.
Jennyjane is that a gold laced polish? Kind of hard to tell with the red light. How old?

Our biggest problem with the precip is that we simply haven't gotten much... and then when we have gotten a decent amount of snow, it turns out really windy right after we get the snow and blows all of it away...

Congrats on all of the broody birds!

 

[chicken danz]

Well it took forever but we finally got our chickies.
We have two Silkies, two Ameraucanas, and two Silver Laced Wyandottes.

Congrats on your babies. Did you get taht coop done? Did your Mom do okay after her accident?
Quote:

Quote: I had brabanters once. I ended up with three males and one female. I sold them because they were really hyper birds. I like lazy fat ground birds. Just my preference. This is a no fly zone!!!

They sold really well cause no one had seen them before I think. The boys were gold and the girl was a cream.
Lizzy I'd really rather the geese weren't broody yet. I'd like to collect eggs for a while longer. I've got two broody turkeys right now too and it's way too early for that.
How is Ethan doing? Is he growing?
I took a little nap and woke up the find the temperature had dipped down. I guess this darned cold front is going to make it here too. I sure don't want any freezing weather though. I've got most of my heated bowls unplugged now. I had to run out and shut up the brooder house which I had open all afternoon.

 

[ctrymama]

Lol, we are still working on the coop. Mom is still having issues but compared to what could be she is great. Life has just been ctazy so far this year but it surely keeps things interesting.

 

[jennyjane73]

Danz, I don't want flyers either! I live in the city limits. I thought they were pretty chill birds. If they turn out hyper & flighty, they may not work out here. I have bantam Cochins now & they're super cool.

 

[Trish44]

I don't know that I'd want all pullets, but maybe a 80/20% split would be awesome. I could sell trios then and or pairs and then keep a few spare pullets for future breedings. I guess the way it is, I manage to keep my acquaintances supplied with cheap butcher chickens. I really loose money doing that but I can't just kill a good bird because it is male.
I'm not feeling as well as I was yesterday. My jaw is really hurting. I may have to get a refill on the antibiotics or get something else. I really am tired of feeling awful. I am so far behind in my work.
We got quite a bit of rain last night and it still looks really gloomy out. Sure doesn't help my mood any.

I can see getting a few cockerels if you want to sell pairs or trios, but when you're hatching sex linked birds then nobody wants the cockerels at all. I've been trying to find an outlet close by for the extra cockerels in the Cinnamon Queens. They're going to be pretty birds, but nobody wants them, just the pullets.

Danz - get feeling well soon!

Feeling yucky really stinks! You know - you could share some of that wet stuff with us! We are currently getting snow, but it has been snowing all morning and has barely been enough to settle the dust. We really could use quite a bit more. If we don't get a decent amount of precip this spring/summer, we are really going to be hurting for grass in the pasture this summer. There isn't much left out there after having the horses grazing on it all winter and having a couple really dry years in a row.

My birds have been out free ranging today, and I just saw all four ducks running around a lot faster than normal. Upon closer inspection, I saw that one of them had found a worm and was running away, trying frantically to keep her prize from the others.

They are so funny to watch when they waddle that fast!!!

We didn't get any rain here last night either, it went north of us. It got cloudy & cool & I heard lightening, but I watched it go right by us. It's pretty dry here now too, we could use a little shower. I think it's forecast to rain on Sunday. I hope you get some rain over your way soon lizzy, that will be the pits if your pasture dies out. Aren't birds fun to watch when they get a prize like that & run like crazy to keep it.

Well it took forever but we finally got our chickies.
We have two Silkies, two Ameraucanas, and two Silver Laced Wyandottes.

Did you get them from a hatchery? The ones they called Ameraucanas arel really Easter Eggers, the hatcheries don't sell true Ameraucanas. They will still lay pretty eggs, they just won't meet the standards for the breed. I have 5 Silver Laced Wyandottes, they're pretty birds, I really like the contrast of the black & white, they're good layers too. I just got some eggs I hatched of the Red Blue Laced Wyandottes as well. I have one of those already in my laying flock & she is really pretty, but she is cream & red, she has no blue at all. I'm hoping some of these new chicks will actually turn out to be blue like they're supposed to be.

We went to Wichita today & it was about 60 when we left home & got up there & what a contrast, it was 46 when we got there & the wind was cold, brrrr. I was glad I had brought my jacket! I was a little later getting my chores done tonight & by the time I got them done the cold wind had gotten here & the temp went down. I went ahead & turned the heat lamp back on in the growout pen because I moved some other chicks in there the other day & I want them to have it just in case. Boy those heritage Rhode Island Red chicks are getting big. I'm going to have to get their pen built soon. They're making the other chicks in that pen look like dwarfs. I think they're going to be nice looking birds when they're grown. The cockerels are already starting to get that really dark brownish red sheen to them that the heritage birds have. I can't wait to see them full grown & the cockerels with their pretty tails. I never was that impressed by that breed before but I never have had the heritage type before either, they're as much different as the heritage Barred Rocks are.

Pikeman, I meant to say welcome back, it's been awhile. I have a few Marans cockerels left, but I don't think I have any pullets out there to go with them. I would have to look again to make sure. OQB or KKB do you have any Marans chicks?

 

[ctrymama]

We got them at Orscheln as recommended by other 4hers. The lady was super nice and knowledgable. I am really clueless and learning right along with the kiddos. My youngest is not at all happy he doesn't have any chickies, I didn't think he would even notice but he seems to.

 

[sharol]

We got them at Orscheln as recommended by other 4hers. The lady was super nice and knowledgable. I am really clueless and learning right along with the kiddos. My youngest is not at all happy he doesn't have any chickies, I didn't think he would even notice but he seems to.

Good way to start. I don't think I would have wanted my first group to be breeder quality. I was worried enough about them as it was. Yeah, what Danz said. They are EE's (and that isn't an insult). They are the coolest birds. You never know what you are going to get. The last time I bought chicks at Orschlen's, I got 4 EE's and a Buff Orpington. These girls are going on 3 years old. Of course I intentionally picked chicks that looked unusual.



They grew up into these:
Chick 2 (Diva)


Chick 1: (Skeeter)


Chick 3: (Hermoine) deceased -- laying problems last summer.


Chick 4: (Precious)


And this is Jake, son of Butch (aka Associate) and Diva, my EE Roo: He will be a year old this summer.

 

[ctrymama]

Pretty birds. I just hope these few do okay at the fair this year for the kids. I am not expecting anything spectacular from a feed store but I guess lots get their birds from there. I just can't wait for the eggs, lol. I am also hoping we didn't get two roos with the silkies since those are straight run.

 

[Trish44]

There is nothing wrong with hatchery birds, I have some myself & I also have 3 EE hens in my laying flock that give my egg customers really pretty green eggs that they love. I also have pure bred Ameraucanas but I think my EEs are pretty special girls too. sharol yours are some pretty birds. I have one that we got on a trip down to Missouri to see my DH's family one year, she probably is about 3 now & she always has a home till she dies, she's very pretty. She was sold as an Ameraucana, but she's an EE, she is a take on the silver Ameraucana if you have seen pics of those, that's pretty much her coloring. I have one that is black based with blue lacing & she is just gorgeous, & my little crested girl that is just a character, she is Cream Legbar/Ameraucana it appears & she lays a very pretty blue egg. What is fun about the EEs is that you can get endless color combinations with them.

Anyway, the only reason I brought up the difference between the Easter Eggers & Ameraucanas is that there is so much confusion about them. The hatcheries don't help things by saying that they sell Ameraucanas when that isn't what they're selling. To me that is just bad business practice to lie about what you're selling, but they keep getting away with it. There is at least one hatchery that has been educated about it & are honest about what they sell, but there are many more that are not.