DH's new job brings me NEW BABIES! <insert SHOCKED face here!>

[4H kids and mom]

I posted about part of this on the other poultry board, but I wanted to post the whole story here! My DH has got the sickness! :|

So, lets start at the beginning....the DH comes home the other day and says, "call the feed store (he works at the mill not the retail store, but same company...lol) and see what they got in the way of other poultry..." and I'm like "Other poultry?" :|

Then he goes on to say that his boss has some guineas and says they'd do wonders for us. Personally, the more the merrier with me!

Then he adds "Well, the kids want some geese too, and long as they stay nice-nice we wont eat them!" and by this point I am already on the phone with the feed store before he can change his mind! Then before he walks off, he says "Ya know what? I always wanted some ducks. Get some cute lil duckies too...." <Insert JAW DROP smilie here!>

So, like the good wife I am I got right on that phone!

Sure enough, the feed store only gets guineas in on rare occassion, and they just HAPPEN to have some coming in on Wednesday! I have reserved six of them, but I wont know what I get in the way of colors until I get there and see whats left. They are getting Whites, Pearls, Lavenders, and Purples in. I hope to get one or two of each color! They are all Straight Run so I'll have no idea what I'm getting for a couple months!

I also went ahead and ordered a pair of Cayuga ducks, a pair of Fawn Runner ducks, a pair of Welsh Harlequin ducks, a pair of White Embden geese, and a pair of African geese that will be coming the first week of June!

DH is working on the seperate brooder (and will be future night time pen when they are older) for the waterfowl (complete- well WILL be -with a nice size fountain and pool-type basin for them to play in! And I intend to stock THAT with fishies!

I have completely LOST my mind! Have you seen it? lol), as our brooders attached to the chicken coop are still full! I plan to brood the guineas in the house (again? What am I crazy? I just got everyone out! Sigh...Oh Well....lol) in the spare room again, because I hear they are masters at escape and evading capture!

So, anyone gotta crash course for me...Lol! I've been filling my head with guinea care and asking questions on yonder board ya know...but any other info would be appreciated here too! I'm just GIDDY! Think I'm gonna start chargin the local kids and advertising as a petting zoo with all I got goin on here! lol

 

[BirdBrain]

You are going to have to change your by-line to "4h Mom and kids". I hear the sickness is catchin'

 

[Sugar Sand Farm]

Congratulations. I get my 6 baby goslings (white embdens) and two fawn and white Indian runners tomorrow. I can't wait. They need the same type of brooder set up as chickens. I'm not sure of the guineas. I found alot of informatin on another site. www.petsasgeese@yahhoo.com They are a forum for geese lovers. Pretty informative. We are using a child's 5 foot swimming pool as a brooder Hope you have as much fun as I'm looking forward too. Micki PS don't feed medicated chick starter. TSC has a feed that is for chicks, ducks, and geese.Its unmedicated and is I beliieve 20% protein. We had to drive 70 miles to get it yesterday as out of four feed stores in town no one had it.

 

[4H kids and mom]

My DH found me a feed at work that is Organic and made for ducks, geese, turkeys, chukar, and guineas and we picked up several bags already.

Its not medicated, as I don't feed anyone here the medicated feeds. (I'm trying to go 'all natural' with them all! lol)

DH is building the seperate brooder because they are messy, messy eaters I hear, and that would be bad for the two and three week chicks I have in the chickie brooders now. Plus, I wanted them to have their own "place" to go to, like the goats and chickens have.

Its so nice to look out my windows at dusk and see that my goats are in their pen waiting for me to lock them in for the night, and the chickens are roosting in the coop. I do hope things will go that smoothly with the waterfowl and guineas!

 

[robbobbin]

Have fun with those guinea fowl. I have several-man their loud when their in an enclosed coop and they don't want you in there with them. BUT they do eat A LOT of bugs!
You probably won't be able to sex them very readily. I spent hours trying to determine which were making which sound.
Females make 2 syllable sounds and males one syllable.
heres a link to help distinguish them.
http://www.guineafowl.com/fritsfarm/guineas/sounds/

 

[SpottedCrow]

What a sickness!!!
Too bad we almost all have it!!!

Good luck with them all.

 

[WoodlandWoman]

I think your husband sounds like he's happy.

 

[Critter Crazy]

Can I have your Hubby????

 

[cookinmom]

Lord have mercy, 4HMom! You're gonna need a bigger yard!

 

[TitiBebbs]

Quote:
4H Mom and fowl and kids,

What is the organic feed you found. We've been looking for something good that we can feed our babies. Dad got some 22% protein organic feed today but I think something about it (22%) sounds wrong.

I think Dad and I got the sickness as well (see recent post) man it sure is catchy!

Beth