Dixie Chicks

[vehve]

Karin's friend ordered some production eggs and asked if we wanted some too, so I guess we'll be hatching soon again too. I think we'll start them off in the Brinsea, but I'll put some golf balls in the coop too, and try to get someone to volunteer as a mommy.

 

[hennible]

Cool Felix

 

[vehve]

Hatching out the bunnies is a lot easier though. There's really nothing you can do until they're born, and after that there's nothing you can do either, so very hands off, just the way I like it. I do hope I get someone to become broody though, because there's no way I'm keeping chicks in the house again. That was disgusting. I didn't even realize how much dust they put out until afterwards, but eww.

 

[hennible]

Oh man, I know. The dust was insane. The ducks weren't dusty but they crap sideways, projectile poo... And if you use a mesh play pen as a brooder it means they can crap on the wall. These chicks can stay inside for a week and then out they go to my broody pen. The weather is very favourable and that little pen with a heat lamp or heat pad will be perfect. I don't care if we get cockerels, they'll get eaten, but cross your fingers for pullets, if it goes like my duck hatch I'll be laughing (1 male out of the 8).

 

[BriardChickens]

Lucky henni, my last hatch I got 2 pullets and 3 roosters.... only 5 of the 7 eggs made it to hatch day.

 

[Razadia]

Quote:
Here are the chicks I hatched. Mutts galore! I'm getting better pics of them when I move them to the brooder a little later.










these hatched overnight, really dirty eggs too!
mutts are awesome and can end up being the most beautiful chickens too!! but you know that!!





Great hatch threw one egg out!!! 8 more in the bator two hatched 6 pips waiting!

DIRTY EGG QUICK HATCH!!! so many at once the cooler was soaked!!
noisy lil bustards too!!! listen when I threw in the brooder!!

Aw. Mutts can turn out to have colors no one seems to be able to breed for. One of my best and friendliest layers is a mutt. RIR and BA.

Quote: I candle every day from day 3 until lockdown and get awesome hatch rates. Better than if I just did the 'accepted' days to candle.

 

[CanuckBock]

@CanuckBock brilliant post as ever! The more structures I want the more tools hubby seems to get. He calls it a win/win situation. All I can say is ok, because I do want a barn. haha
I will forward all the info to hubby, he'll be a busy man soon and I'll post pictures as we built.

My ducks will require a fairly large pasture, and i am debating on covering it too. Daytime thread is eagles. They will just fly off with a whole chicken in their talons. Yesterday I spent a significant amount of time looking up commercial fishing nets, it's a much more affordable option then any kind of wire.
Will it hold up, I sure hope (think?) so. After all, if a shark can get caught in one, I'd think it'll keep an eagle away from my ducks and chickens.




My last day sitting at this desk/computer.

Freedom, I can almost see you!!!

Yah to last day...don't get too wild and crazy and toilet paper the office!

If'n you need some more clicks for Hub...give me a hollar and I'll see what I can get.


Yeh, we got eagles here too. Hawks, owls, ravens, crows, magpies...all hungry like the wolves, eh. Only ever lost one bird since 1998...my fault too.

Double net yer pen--about 18 inches between top and bottom layers and the bottom level only needs to be bird proof to your domestics so can be a lesser wire if you hafta. We had coons and bald eagles cut thru the seiner net on our runs when I lived on the WEsT Coast as a kid raising the chooks. I'd go metal roof in all circumstances but I don't deal well with losses. Always the most precious one and the one you least can afford to lose; good birds taste the best to predators I guess.

Tractors for chooks will work for ducks too if you need to pasture raise them and want them mobile but protected. I mean breeds like Runners where used in ancient times to clean up rice patty grains. The duck herder would carry a staff with a flag and stick that in the middle of the area they wanted the Runner Ducks to stay...pick up staff and go for the jaunt on home.

Fixins would put the run on winged prey I had out. She hated the fly by's to see if I had let anything lax for an easy meal, eh!

July 9, 2014 - Fixins has just had a belly bath...her undersides are wetted to cool her off.
​

Netting here won't stand up because we get that Coast snow that sticks and drags it all down--tearing whatever fasteners you figure might work. Even if you beat on the netting, like a dang ice storm these days, once or twice a winter. Might be OK where you are heading. Do the best you are able.

Quote:

Dat's the winter sub--got that one in Dec (was barely used as a standby ambulance at an oilfield site!).

This is the summer sub--got that one in May...she's an 1980...we're bound and determined to continue to live in the 80's.

1988 1980 4x4 loaded and barely abused​

We got five insured as daily drivers (never know what my Hero is gonna fire up for going in) and at last count (who's counting?) I think we got seventeen trucks in all. I'd go redneck and say we cut the grass and find another truck but well, more like we plow the snow and another one comes to light.

Lmao
Chitty Chevy.

Yeh...I get to keep the ducks whilst Rick has his trucks. We SO enable each other. Nobody ever says NO to ducks, trucks, dogs, or guitars...dang it all--means we are always acting up badly.

www.stovebolt.com/gallery/higgins_mapleleaf.html

Rick's stove bolt pages if'n you like big bolts.

Think I'll post a visual head count on the trucks, trailers and other insanity over in Pear-A-Dice...

Off I go--there goes my loafer...Whee hee hee....

Edit - Left too soon and typed an "8" instead of a zero...dang...

 

[Sally Sunshine]

Quote: sounds like you did well! so keep it up right!

Karin's friend ordered some production eggs and asked if we wanted some too, so I guess we'll be hatching soon again too. I think we'll start them off in tthe Brinsea, but I'll put some golf balls in the coop too, and try to get someone to volunteer as a mommy.

good luck with getting a broody! always get them when I dont want them and never when I need them!!

Lucky henni, my last hatch I got 2 pullets and 3 roosters.... only 5 of the 7 eggs made it to hatch day.

love your avy pic!



I have to clean out the bator from this hatch fast! look what two BYC friends dropped off with harmonyanns toulbunt chicks!

 

[vehve]

Sally, yeah, I'm familiar with trying to break broodies, so far we've mainly hatched when someone has happened to go broody, but we've never needed to make someone broody. I think it should be possible though, the past few days when I've gone to collect, someone has been sitting on the catch of the day. So might be that they're open to the idea of little chirpers.

 

[LocalYokel]

Dat's the winter sub--got that one in Dec (was barely used as a standby ambulance at an oilfield site!). This is the summer sub--got that one in May...she's an 1980...we're bound and determined to continue to live in the 80's.

​

1988 4x4 loaded and barely abused​

We got five insured as daily drivers (never know what my Hero is gonna fire up for going in) and at last count (who's counting?) I think we got seventeen trucks in all. I'd go redneck and say we cut the [COLOR=008000]grass[/COLOR] and find another truck but well, more like we plow the snow and another one comes to light. Yeh...I get to keep the ducks whilst Rick has his trucks. We SO enable each other. Nobody ever says NO to ducks, trucks, dogs, or guitars...dang it all--means we are always acting up badly. www.stovebolt.com/gallery/higgins_mapleleaf.html Rick's stove bolt pages if'n you like big bolts. :/ Think I'll post a visual head count on the trucks, trailers and other insanity over in Pear-A-Dice... Off I go--there goes my loafer...Whee hee hee.... e