First Run of Cornish Cross Meat Birds and Super Excited!

[duluthralphie]

Please... stop... the... cuteness... pics, as well as the talk about how adorable EE chicks are. I've promised myself that I wouldn't buy any chicks this spring... just hatch from my own flock. I have 2 EE gals, and an EE roo, but the old gals are not producing... well, one is... but she has a persecution complex, and lives on the perch, so her eggs fall to the floor and break, or are frozen by the time I find them. I'm thinking about putting her in a dog crate at night so I can get some of her eggs for hatching.

AN easy fix. Just tie a xmas stocking off her ......I can't say the word I want too.... BUTT.... let the egg roll into the stocking, Problem solved!!


If you used a knee high nylon you would see then the egg comes out real easy...



I am hoping for eggs soon. I moved the guineas to their new Gulag. They are not happy. Their free ranging days are over until June or July whenever I decide I have enough guinea eggs and babies to hatch, sell or grow up and eat...

I thought I had 10, I only caught nine. I will have to keep a lookout for number 10. I did have an eagle making low passes today so that could count for the shortage. We had almost 40 degrees here today, The birds loved it. I loved it.

 

[mountain mom]

All chickens are welcome to stay for a little mountain retreat and R&R

The babies are so dang cute! I love baby chicks. I have no self control around them.

Jessica- my daughter has a guinea pig too. We joke about fattening him up to eat. There is no way I would ever be able to eat a guinea pig. We have a friend who was down in South America for 3 years, when she saw Rocky, she laughed and said he is very ready for eating!
Their little personalities are hilarious!

Ralph- congrats on getting the guineas to their new prison! Hopefully you don't end up with more gals going mysteriously bald.

 

[duluthralphie]

I just came from locking up my coop. It was so QUIET..


When I walked in one hen growled at me ( she always does) SO I petted her, and told her I loved her too..


Another one purred, So I petted her.

And a couple make small noises when I petted them good night...

The guineas are in their prison, silent for now, I feel sorry for the poor CX's in the morning. Even though the CX's are not in the prison they share a building. The CX's can go outside. The Guineas will be lucky to ever see the sun again.

 

[lazy gardener]

I love guineas. (the pig kind.) Raised a family of them when I was a kid. My first experience (successful) as an animal mid-wife was picking up a very cold little pig body that had been trampled into the shavings, amniotic membrane still intact. I cleared it off the face, and massaged life back into that cold limp little body, and the little guy LIVED!!! Yes, they do have wonderful personalities. I remember when I had one later on, how it would squeal every time it heard the fridge door open. And just love the way they'll snuggle into your neck and make that little purring sound.

Now, Ralphie, I think you're on to something with the idea of tying a nylon onto a chicken's butt. Just think of the practical implications. This could be the beginning of a liberation movement for all of chickendom. They could go out and free range with their little nylon butt slings, and not have to make that tiresome treck back to the nest box for the morning egg ritual.

 

[JessicaThistle]

Love the egg sling idea!!

So, do you all remember the 7 baby rescue chicks that I got some months ago?? I have located the parents!!

We live on a square block neighborhood that is a mile long. My husband and I like to walk the block several times each day if we are feeling spunky. Two days ago, around the corner from us about halfway through the mile, we saw a big flock of chickens, ie. a couple of beautiful roosters and and a bunch of hens. They look exactly like those babies!! I could pick out who was the daddy or momma for nearly all of my rescue babies! They were actually in a yard two houses down from where the babies were found but I have NEVER seen chickens in this particular yard.

Today, during our walk, the same flock was several houses closer (to my house) in another yard. I think these guys have flown their coop or something! If they make it down to my yard, I may just open the gate and welcome them home. We are SO going to have to build a bigger coop!

 

[duluthralphie]

Love the egg sling idea!!

So, do you all remember the 7 baby rescue chicks that I got some months ago?? I have located the parents!!

We live on a square block neighborhood that is a mile long. My husband and I like to walk the block several times each day if we are feeling spunky. Two days ago, around the corner from us about halfway through the mile, we saw a big flock of chickens, ie. a couple of beautiful roosters and and a bunch of hens. They look exactly like those babies!! I could pick out who was the daddy or momma for nearly all of my rescue babies! They were actually in a yard two houses down from where the babies were found but I have NEVER seen chickens in this particular yard.

Today, during our walk, the same flock was several houses closer (to my house) in another yard. I think these guys have flown their coop or something! If they make it down to my yard, I may just open the gate and welcome them home. We are SO going to have to build a bigger coop!

There is a name for people that walk around luring little birds to their "special area".

Bigger coops are not the answer, MORE coops are. I want a lot of small coops, I will be able control breeding better with them and adjacent covered runs. If I happen to get a nasty cold in the flock being in smaller coops might help contain it.

I will always free range and then just B&Moan here when something takes one. ALL CHICKENS DESERVE TO RUN FREE!!!! I will do that except during breeding season when I want certain crosses.

I found last year with 2 coops going they would free range during the day together just fine at night they all went to "their" coop. The late Great Brutus even enforced who got into his coop and who did not. No outsides got in, except for "ICU baby" who every male on the property loved and desired. She went where she wanted to, even moving in with the CX's for a while. BUT she is special.

Anyway enjoy your walks, and try not to be too obvious when dropping the "chicken candy" to lure them back to your place..... Have you thought about driving a non-descript windowless van around the block and offering "chicken candy" that way?????/

 

[duluthralphie]

Additional notes, Rick is looking depressed. He has not left the coop all day. The guineas are gone he should be a happy boy. I petted a couple hens and they squawked and he never made a sound, that is so not Rick. Maybe he wants to see his new babies? I did tell him he was Daddy, I hope that wasn't an error. Maybe he is worried about paying chick support. I told him not to worry.


I am not getting any blue or green eggs, my EE are on strike! I am not getting the big round chocolate brown eggs either. I think those are from the birds I thought was E but are not, they are some Asian Blues... They are not in the list the hatchery said I was getting. However, when reading the fine print it says the birds on the list will be include, does not say other might be included....

I went to the Hoover Hatchery website and found a picture of birds that look like mine.

http://hoovershatchery.com/baby-chicks/asian-blue-266.html

And this is one of mine:












Like I said I thought it was a black EE, but the people in the EE thread says it is not one because of the huge comb...

 

[lazy gardener]

Possibly black sex link.

 

[duluthralphie]

Possibly black sex link.

A black sex link hen looks like this?

With the funny colored legs?

 

[JessicaThistle]

Hmmm! What is the bird? And Ralph, my husband informed me what the name for a person that lures chickens to their special area is. He said I'm a hoarder! AAAGGGGHHHHH!
Well, whatever. Those chickens need a good safe home. And really, I haven't lured them......yet..... (hehe) They haven't made it around the corner to my yard though.

So, I may be buying an egg business that serves 6 stores in my area at about 600 dozen eggs a month! ***** Dream job! ****** At first my hubby thought I was crazy and then we found out we have great mutual friends with the seller of the business and then he decided we must go check it out! We'll see. I'll keep you posted.