Consolidated Kansas

[chicklover56]

Orschelns gets their chick in on Tuesday mornings. Not sure about TSC on south topeka Blvd, but the TSC up north off 24 highway always has some chicks in stock.

Ok, thank you very much!

 

[Trish44]

My hatch is ongoing, I had several hatch early yesterday & got up to find quite a few more hatched this morning. I still have quite a few eggs in the hatcher to go yet, but today is the actually hatch date, so hopefully by tonight most will be hatched that are going to. I hatch a lot of chicks but I just never get tired of seeing the little fluffy things. One of my cats was very interested yesterday when they started hatching. She was sitting on top of the brooder looking into the hatcher. There is a clear door on it so you can get a full view of what's going on in there. I'll try to get some pics if I can later of chicks but right now they're just pretty much huddled under the sweeter heater.

 

[HEChicken]

My hatch is ongoing too

Since my hatch date was two days ago, this is a bit ridiculous. I would think the temp in my incubator was "off" if it wasn't that the NH eggs all hatched on day 20-21. It is only these project eggs - quite a bit larger than the NH eggs, that are taking so long. I had one egg that didn't even pip until last evening and that chick hatched unassisted during the night. However three others have started to zip and then got stuck. After not progressing for several hours, I gave them an assist by completing the zipping for them but making them push their way out of the shells. Those three are still in the incubator recovering. There is one more that is partway zipped so as soon as it is out, dry and able to go to the brooder, I'll be able to reload the incubator.

The next hatch will be all project eggs so at least I'll know not to expect anything to happen on them until a day late.

My little cairn terrier is very interested in all the chicks as well. As I am moving each chick from incubator to brooder I bend down and show it to him. He gives it the once over and then supervises as I transfer it to the brooder. Before getting a small, companion dog, I was told a terrier will "never" be poultry safe as their prey drive is so high. This little dog has proved one should "never say never"

He is not only 100% poultry safe but almost behaves like a guardian to the birds. Last year when a turkey poult got stuck behind a coop, he was the only one who could fit back there with it. He very gently guided it out and back to me, without ever trying to hurt it. He likes to check out all the chicks as they hatch and observe them in the brooder. Last year if a chick managed to escape the brooder, he would lay with it until I got there to put it back in. And he HATES conflict at the coop. My free-range flock mostly get along but if I've had birds segregated for breeding purposes, when I turn them back out, there are some minor scuffles among the roosters as they re-establish their position. My cairn does not like these scuffles, perceiving them as conflict, so he will run over and get between them to break it up.

It has been trying to rain here all morning. I sure hope we get a little moisture - we desperately need it.

 

[Trish44]

My little Yorkie last year whined all the time when she heard the chicks peeping, she thought they were in distress. She isn't quite as concerned this year, but awhile ago she wanted to be picked up so she could see the chicks. She however is not safe with poultry, I found that out last year. A chick escaped when it flew out of the brooder & she went after it & caught it. It had a slight injury but recovered. Yorkies were bred for rodent control on ships so I can't fault her.

 

[sharol]

My little Yorkie last year whined all the time when she heard the chicks peeping, she thought they were in distress. She isn't quite as concerned this year, but awhile ago she wanted to be picked up so she could see the chicks. She however is not safe with poultry, I found that out last year. A chick escaped when it flew out of the brooder & she went after it & caught it. It had a slight injury but recovered. Yorkies were bred for rodent control on ships so I can't fault her.

It is so important that we keep that in mind. Some breeds are bred to be predators, and unless they are atypical, members of that breed will BE what they are.

I didn't know Yorkies were bred to be rodent killers. Fascinating. We have 2 dachshunds, and one of them is a serious rodent predator. He tried to take out a full sized opossum in the yard last fall. It was as big as he was, and he almost had it when my DH finished it off with his rifle. I've seen him bark mice out of a hole in the wall -- I suppose they were committing death by dachshund to shut him up. He is LOUD. He is absolutely trustworthy with the adult chickens, but I'm not sure I'd trust him with the babies.

 

[oskie]

[/IMG]

 

[sharol]

I thought I'd post my 1 week baby pictures of the Breda Fowl that hatched last Friday and Saturday. I built a box to contain them for photos, and they really cooperated. Stinkin' cute. Tomorrow the Campines. They will be harder to tell apart to some extent.

Blue #1


Splash?


Black




Blue #2






Blue #3

 

[Dani4Hedgies]

Awww way too cute!!!

 

[sharol]

Saturday funny from a friend:

A farmer has 200 hens, but no rooster, and he wants chicks. So, he goes down the road to the next farmer and asks if he has a rooster which he would sell.

The other farmer says, “Yeah, I’ve got this great rooster, named Randy. He’ll service every chicken you got, no problem.”

Well, Randy the rooster costs a lot of money, but the farmer decides he’d be worth it. So, he buys Randy.

The farmer takes Randy home and sets him down in the barnyard first giving the rooster a pep talk, “Randy, I want you to pace yourself now. You’ve got a lot of chickens to service here, and you cost me a lot of money. Consequently, I’ll need you to do a good job. So, take your time and have some fun,” the farmer said, with a chuckle.

Randy seemed to understand, so the farmer points toward the hen house, and Randy took off like a shot. -WHAM!- Randy nails every hen in the hen house – three or four times, and the farmer is really shocked.

After that the farmer hears a commotion in the duck pen, sure enough, Randy is in there.

Later, the farmer sees Randy after a flock of geese, down by the lake. Once again – WHAM! He gets all the geese!

By sunset he sees Randy out in the fields chasing quail and pheasants.

The farmer is distraught – worried that his expensive rooster won’t even last 24 hours.

Sure enough, the farmer goes to bed and wakes up the next day, to find Randy dead as a doorknob – stone cold in the middle of the yard. Buzzards are circling overhead.

The farmer, saddened by the loss of such a colorful – and expensive animal, shakes his head and says, “Oh, Randy, I told you to pace yourself. I tried to get you to slow down, now look what you’ve done to yourself.”

Randy opens one eye, nods toward the buzzards circling in the sky and says, “Shhh, they’re getting closer

 

[Trish44]

@sharol LOL, that is a good one! It looks like you got some really nice chicks. Bredas are something I have not had, I have enough breeds as it is, but they look pretty.

My hatch is still going, I had a few more chicks this morning that hatched overnight. I happened to remember last night as I was laying in bed that I did put a few extra eggs in with this hatch the next day so I could still have some hatch yet today. I'm glad I remembered that or I might have pitched good eggs. I have a lot of really nice little chicks in my brooder. I have been keeping track of numbers as I pulled them out but need to put some bands on them today. I don't like to disturb them for awhile after they go in to let them rest & get stronger. Maybe when I open the brooder today I can get some pics. This is my first hatch from my Silver Penciled Rocks so I am thrilled to get chicks from them, they are just beautiful even as chicks. I have quite a few different breeds in this hatch & will in the next one coming up the 27th as well. I hope to start getting some orders out with those first two hatches. I have a few eggs in the incubator for myself as well that I plan to keep the chicks separate till I decide how many of what I'm keeping after they hatch. Those are for my laying flock to replace some I've lost over time & older ones. I have BLRW, Rhodebar, & Welsummer in there for me. I plan to keep a couple Silver Penciled for myself too for out there. I need another flock rooster as well since I lost rooster 2 last year. I haven't decided which breed I want to put out there yet, I will have lots of choices. Whichever I choose though has to get along with the Welsummer guy, he is rooster 1, the boss. He is a good flock rooster though, he really watches over the hens but he has his hands full right now with way too many hens by himself.

I have to tell you about my friend's hen who showed up at her house. She has no other chickens there now so she has no idea where the hen came from or who she belonged to. She is a Barred Rock & is really unusual for that breed. She told me that she flies up on the window outside that has a sill I guess where she can sit. She pecks on the window to let them know she wants attention & she lays eggs there that the 3 year old daughter collects. She lets the 3 year old carry her around like a kitten or puppy & yesterday she sent me a photo of her sitting on the fort the kids have in the backyard while the kids were swinging. They are thoroughly enjoying her, but I think she doesn't know she's a chicken, lol!