Consolidated Kansas

[chicken danz]

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So cute!

@sharol -- Congrats on the hatch.

I just got caught up on a few pages. I found the calcium carbonate interesting. I've been doing oyster shell. From what I gathered, the calcium carbonate is a replacement/alternative to oyster shell right? I was thrilled when I found that I could buy oyster shell at a feed store/coop. I was purchasing it at TSC and felt like it was way over priced. It was!!

I lost one of my cinnamon queens overnight. She was dead this morning in the coop, under a roost. Probably past in the night. I'm not one that wants to tear apart a cold hard dead bird so I won't know what happened. Since I run so few birds, each one I loose is always sad. I heard a funny cough/gag from one a few nights ago, made me wonder if it was her.

My chicks are happy and growing. These gals seem to be hearty and not very skittish which is great. They ate some scrambled egg out of my hand this morning which was fun.

I'm hoping to make the Gardner auction next weekend. Long range forecast calls for colder weather which would be a bummer after the beautiful temps we've had.

Calcium Carbonate is the most easily used form of calcium for fowl. Oyster shell only works as grit and whatever leaches of in their gizzard is all the get. I just hadn't found the right stuff before. And it's so much cheaper than the oyster shell.
I put some in the bowls I use for grit and oyster shell but haven't seen a lot of interest in it, so today I mixed some in the food barrel I was feeding out of. I'm thinking that might be the best way to give it to them. Of course 75% of the food ends up in the shavings but surely they'll get some.
I've been working all day long and still got a ton of things to do. I just can't see to get it all done.

 

[chicklover56]

Hello everyone!

@sharol congrats on the hatch!

Does anybody who lives in Topeka know when Orschelns or Tractor Supply are getting chicks in next?

 

[chicken danz]

Hello everyone!

@sharol congrats on the hatch!

Does anybody who lives in Topeka know when Orschelns or Tractor Supply are getting chicks in next?

I had one of their employees contact me wanting a huge quantity of buff orpingtons which I wasn't able to fill. She said it had been two weeks since they could get chicks from the supplier and the are expecting to wait another two weeks. Orschelns put out an add saying they had chicks this week. But that was the general add and I don't know if that included Topeka.
What are you looking for. I may have something you'd be interested in. I'm not as cheap as the stores but I have much nicer quality.

 

[chicklover56]

I had one of their employees contact me wanting a huge quantity of buff orpingtons which I wasn't able to fill. She said it had been two weeks since they could get chicks from the supplier and the are expecting to wait another two weeks. Orschelns put out an add saying they had chicks this week. But that was the general add and I don't know if that included Topeka.
What are you looking for. I may have something you'd be interested in. I'm not as cheap as the stores but I have much nicer quality.

Some different breeds I've been looking for are Welsummer, White leghorn, Buff Orphington, and Bantams of any kind. Also, if you have any others I would like to see what all you have.

 

[sharol]

Orschlen's had cages all set up last weekend, but not a chick in sight.

 

[venymae]

Hello everyone!

@sharol
 congrats on the hatch!

Does anybody who lives in Topeka know when Orschelns or Tractor Supply are getting chicks in next? 

Orschlen's had cages all set up last weekend, but not a chick in sight.

Manhattan orschlens had meat birds when we went a couple days ago.

 

[Trish44]

Maybe the hatcheries are experiencing some delays as well, who knows. I can't wait to check my next batch of eggs I put in for fertility & am hoping it's improving. I have my first hatch due the 18th & I need to get some things ready for that.

Oh I'm so excited, I went out to put my Sebbie geese back in this evening for the night & my Buff had made a nest at the back of the hoop coop & I peeked & she has several eggs in there! I sure hope she can hatch them because that will save me incubator room & they're a little harder to hatch than chicks. These will by my first goslings from my Sebbies.

Oh & speaking of geese, I heard a big commotion out by the side of the house where one of my GPs likes to lay this afternoon. I thought maybe the two of them were arguing over something so I went out there to see & it was not the two of them arguing, it was my male Sebbie gander & Lily the GP. I have no idea why but he didn't want her to lay where she was. He would trumpet & then bite her on the rump & she was naturally upset about it so she would growl & bark at him. I almost laughed but I was afraid Lily would get upset enough to really snap at him so I made her get up. She was thankful I think to go up the hill away from him. Geese can really pinch when they want to, so I'm sure it didn't feel all that well even though she has a lot of fur. I was wishing at that moment I could have gotten a video of that.

 

[sharol]

I need some gender help here. These chicks are 6 weeks old. The gray is a Breda Fowl, and the spotty one is a Jubilee English Orp (from Danz's line). They were broody raised, so they are more advanced than brooder chicks (in my experience).









I am concerned that I have 2 cockerels. What do you all think? I need to rehome/sell them to make room for the hatched chicks in a couple of weeks.

 

[chicken danz]

Quote: I'll send you a list of what I have.

I need some gender help here. These chicks are 6 weeks old. The gray is a Breda Fowl, and the spotty one is a Jubilee English Orp (from Danz's line). They were broody raised, so they are more advanced than brooder chicks (in my experience).
I am concerned that I have 2 cockerels. What do you all think? I need to rehome/sell them to make room for the hatched chicks in a couple of weeks.

You know of course you chose the two most difficult breeds to sex don't you. Just looking at what you have I would guess perhaps the Breda is a cockerel. Too bad you don't have others the same age to line up with them. I can't see the feather shape at all and that isn't necessarily a factor on Bredas. I've had some cockerels that laid some nice eggs!!! I'm going mostly from size if the two chicks are the same age.
I am thinking the jubilee is a female. Just looking at her stance and the absence of comb. I don't see sickle feathers forming and the cockerels are usually slow feathering which leaves their backs fuzzy longer than 6 weeks lots of the time.

 

[Trish44]

@sharol That Jubilee does kind of look like a pullet but they can really fool you. I had one that I kept from last year & it turned out eventually to be a rooster but I sure couldn't tell till it was older. I know nothing about the Bredas.

We got a nice soaking rain last night & that's exactly what we needed for the grass. It's been so darned dry here all winter that I have been worried that the grass won't grow so I can put the sheep & goats out on it to graze. I have enough hay for a little while yet, but will need them to go out soon.