Cream Legbars

[lonnyandrinda]

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Somewhat figured it out.

Gorgeous! Looks like you got cream hackled girls and it is encouraging that the boy doesn't have much chestnut yet. Can't remember... did you just get a trio?

 

[lonnyandrinda]

So I just cleaned out the incubator from Sundays hatch. Ready for the numbers? 1 female, NINE males, a female that pipped and died and a male that failed to pip. That's a 1:5 ratio. Yeesh. This sets me up for an all female hatch next Sunday, right?

Lonny said I should have sold that batch of eggs- LOL! That's funny because he's the one that keeps making me spread out the egg sales so we can hatch at least 12-18 each week ourselves. Went ahead and put down all but one or two of the boys. Hate to do it but there is nothing good in their future for that many boys. It's cull at day old or feed to my friend's vulture in a few weeks.

 

[normanack]

Does anyone use an iPad on this site and if so how do you go about adding pics to your posts? I was wanting to post pics of my CCL'S I got from lonnyandrinda and can't figure out how to post them.

You can choose either the mobile or regular site when using the iPad. The mobile site has limited functionality -- can't add pics as far as I know.

I used to be able to add pics using the regular site, but that hasn't worked for me lately, at least not when uploading directly from my device. It does let you enter a web address for the picture, though.

 

[harriedhomemaker]

So I just cleaned out the incubator from Sundays hatch. Ready for the numbers? 1 female, NINE males, a female that pipped and died and a male that failed to pip. That's a 1:5 ratio. Yeesh. This sets me up for an all female hatch next Sunday, right?

Lonny said I should have sold that batch of eggs- LOL! That's funny because he's the one that keeps making me spread out the egg sales so we can hatch at least 12-18 each week ourselves. Went ahead and put down all but one or two of the boys. Hate to do it but there is nothing good in their future for that many boys. It's cull at day old or feed to my friend's vulture in a few weeks.

You have a friend with a vulture? Now that's at least one breed of bird I don't think I'll ever get into!

I've been thinking about culling a lot lately. I breed ducks and I am able to sell all the ducklings I do not keep.

CLs are different because of the auto-sexing feature. I presume that I will be able to sell some boys, but obviously the market for them is smaller. I can grow out and eat the rest, but if I have a lot of hatches like you had, that will end up taking up a lot of room. Yet I'm not sure that I can cull a perfectly healthy day-old chick just because no one wants to buy him. Tough stuff.

For those who do it, how do you put down culled chicks? I'm sure I will have to do it eventually and I'd like to learn how to do it humanely.

 

[lonnyandrinda]

Old timers either wring their necks or snip them with scissors. I can't bring myself to do that. I make a kill chamber using an ice cream bucket, a glass that fits inside, a few teaspoons of baking soda, and about 1/2 C vinegar. It creates carbon dioxide and puts them to sleep. I put down 11 boys at once this morning that way- most of this hatch and last hatch since I had a boy heavy hatch last week, too.

LOL About the vulture. His name is Stinky. Depending on the age of the chick he eats 2-4 per week, and I keep him fed usually with males.

My friend is older and used to breed and sell a lot of exotics, from reindeer and emus to pheasants and reptiles of various kinds. He's down to just a few special "pets" from his breeding days as he is going on a church mission later this summer and will be gone for 18 months. His son that lives next door will take care of the vulture while he's gone, he already gave the crocodile, turtles, and various other pets to his grown kids. He just gave us an ancient brooder set that I'm hoping to get working, they are really neat but will need rewiring. There are 3 of them and a frame set that can hold 2 of them. Scientific style, like for universities. I need to share pictures and do some web surfing to see if I can find details/wiring diagrams.

 

[normanack]

You have a friend with a vulture? Now that's at least one breed of bird I don't think I'll ever get into!

 I've been thinking about culling a lot lately. . . . . For those who do it, how do you put down culled chicks? I'm sure I will have to do it eventually and I'd like to learn how to do it humanely.

 

Well, with only one culling under my belt, I'm no expert. I did a lot of reading, though, and it's fresh in my mind. I considered Rinda's carbon dioxide method as well as ether, and went with the second because we had some ether. (As it turns out I couldn't find it, so I used starter fluid, which is supposed to be ether. I'd go with the real stuff, though.) Small disposable Tupperware-type container with a nest of cotton balls, hold the chick, cry, put chick in container with several ether-soaked cotton balls. Chick peeps, then sleeps. Cry. Wait 20 minutes or so just to be sure, then bury chick under some leaves back in the woods.

I didn't find much consensus on what's best for the chick. As Rinda noted, one must also consider what you are willing to do.

 

[harriedhomemaker]

Old timers either wring their necks or snip them with scissors. I can't bring myself to do that. I make a kill chamber using an ice cream bucket, a glass that fits inside, a few teaspoons of baking soda, and about 1/2 C vinegar. It creates carbon dioxide and puts them to sleep. I put down 11 boys at once this morning that way- most of this hatch and last hatch since I had a boy heavy hatch last week, too.

LOL About the vulture. His name is Stinky. Depending on the age of the chick he eats 2-4 per week, and I keep him fed usually with males.

My friend is older and used to breed and sell a lot of exotics, from reindeer and emus to pheasants and reptiles of various kinds. He's down to just a few special "pets" from his breeding days as he is going on a church mission later this summer and will be gone for 18 months. His son that lives next door will take care of the vulture while he's gone, he already gave the crocodile, turtles, and various other pets to his grown kids. He just gave us an ancient brooder set that I'm hoping to get working, they are really neat but will need rewiring. There are 3 of them and a frame set that can hold 2 of them. Scientific style, like for universities. I need to share pictures and do some web surfing to see if I can find details/wiring diagrams.

I will save this information, thanks. It seems do-able. Do you feed live chicks to Stinky or does he need them dead since vultures are usually carrion eaters? I wouldn't feel so bad if I knew my culled chicks were going to a use like that. I will kill chickens to eat, but killing just to kill.... that's more difficult.

Well, with only one culling under my belt, I'm no expert. I did a lot of reading, though, and it's fresh in my mind. I considered Rinda's carbon dioxide method as well as ether, and went with the second because we had some ether. (As it turns out I couldn't find it, so I used starter fluid, which is supposed to be ether. I'd go with the real stuff, though.) Small disposable Tupperware-type container with a nest of cotton balls, hold the chick, cry, put chick in container with several ether-soaked cotton balls. Chick peeps, then sleeps. Cry. Wait 20 minutes or so just to be sure, then bury chick under some leaves back in the woods.

I didn't find much consensus on what's best for the chick. As Rinda noted, one must also consider what you are willing to do.

Hmmm... I think I could do this option, too. Still hard, though.

 

[kennym99]

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Very cute! How old are your babies? I have some Rinda chicks too. They are nearly 2 weeks old.

I got them on 4/10 from Rinda so about 6 weeks old.

 

[kennym99]

Gorgeous!  Looks like you got cream hackled girls and it is encouraging that the boy doesn't have much chestnut yet.  Can't remember... did you just get a trio?

I originally got 4 from you but one of the roo's didn't make it. Not positive but I think he fell asleep in the waterer.

 

[KPenley]

R and A, how are you deciding which boys to cull?

I've been thinking that there are only so many boys we can keep...but I was planning on raising them with freezer camp in mind. Not sure it's cost effective though...or I could just populate the forest with CLB Roosters! Just kidding, but my pen 1 backup boy ran off during green/forage time today. He has become very anti-pen. After two hours we gave up trying to catch him, but I hope he'll come back for water at least.

whoops I spoke too soon...just checked and he was waiting at the door to his pen looking sheepish lol.