Consolidated Kansas

[TaraBellaBirds]

TaraBella I'm not sure why you would do that unless you just had one for a pet. Are you planning to offer to capon roosters that other people have just so they can keep them? I always thought this was something one would do to grow a bigger bird for butchering. I hadn't thought of it from a pet stand point.

I feel am learning a practice that has been lost. Yes it is definitely great for meat. I won't have to support the practices of hatcheries any longer, or be on a time scheduled for butchering (as with a bird bred just for meat).

I will be able to give my my heritage bred roos a longer life span. They can stay with the flock without causing any problems.

Some will be sold as pets to people that live in areas where cockerels are banned. A caponed rooster will not crow, mount hens, or fight. The capons will still look like a roo everywhere but in the comb and wattles, they will stay smaller and pink like a pullet.

My capons are recovering perfectly and if they had their way they would already be out with the flock!

 

[chicken danz]

Pretty quiet here right now. I spent most of my day hanging curtain rods and curtains in my front room yesterday. Now that they are done, I don't like them at all. Even though they are not blocking the light just their color is making the room appear darker. What can I do? I spent too much on them and it's been quite some time since I bought them. I guess I'll just have to live with them. Bummer.
My days seem to be going way too fast recently. I keep working and working but not accomplishing anything. It's driving me insane.
I have more chicks hatching today. It seems like I just hatched a huge bunch. It's not working well to quit hatching I guess. I still get eggs from these expensive birds and I hate to just eat them.

 

[Trish44]

danz my breeders have all pretty much stopped laying except for maybe once in awhile. They all seem to take a break at the same time. Someone near me is looking for hatching eggs, but I really have nothing to offer.

 

[chicken danz]

What kind are they looking for Trish. I've got lots.

 

[Trish44]

Anything but they want them in my area.

 

[zigzag45]

Odd question - do broody hens snack on their eggs? When I put this batch of eggs under her, the next day there was a clean egg shell next to her. I removed it and didn't think much more of it. Now, today, I noticed, mixed into the nesting material is egg shell. She's still sitting on a bunch of eggs, so it's not a daily thing. I need to count when she's taking her break today, but I'm guessing we are down two.

She seems pretty content... when she started no one told her it would be five weeks before she finished, two weeks into the first round the eggs get pitched and she starts over.



Will it be hard to rehome her to the coop when the chicks are hatched?

 

[chicken danz]

Zig most likely the egg cracked or broke. Hens will eat broken eggs. If she were an egg eater per say you probably wouldn't have any eggs left under her. I often find egg shells but I know it has just been eaten because it broke. Not a worry.
As far as rehoming that will depend on the hen. You just can't predict how that will go. If you will be moving the chicks with her I'd certainly make sure they were at least a couple weeks old before I moved them. The other hens might peck on them. Of course that is my opinion. An awful lot depends on what kind of mother she is.
It sure has been quiet lately. I know I have been really busy so I guess it's that time of year.

 

[StinkyChicken]

Is there anyone breeding some splash Ameraucanas? Blue splash and I think you can get splash from wheaten or blue wheaten.

 

[zigzag45]

Zig ....

Thanks @chicken danz - I kinda figured the same thing on the egg shells, but didn't know for sure.

The rehoming will be interesting. I certainly want them in the main coop before winter sets in hard. I'm hoping she will be a good mom and protect them from the other hens.

 

[chicken danz]

Zig, I had a hen hatch one chick from her egg stash a month or so ago. She was in the pen with 3 other hens and a rooster. Well he is a very independent chick and kind of does what he wants but the other hens totally accepted the chick and never bothered. Flip the page though, I had put a young pullet in there one time before and the same hens picked it to death. It was almost fully grown too. You just never know how these things will go. If the Mom does a good job of mothering the other hens probably won't get a chance to bother the chicks. A lot depends on how many chicks she has. This is one case that small groups are really much better. If she has too many she will loose track and not be able to watch them all as carefully.
I had a big hatch today and I am wondering why I set that many eggs. I just don't have a place to put them right now. So much is waiting on getting the building done.
I got my water heater for the building today. Too bad my water still isn't hooked up! I was going to work on plumbing but have to get the outside wall framed in in order to attach a wall to support my plumbing. I'm just going to have to go get a load of lumber soon and start building. Maybe after this weekend I'll have some birds sold and can actually afford to buy some.