Getting the flock out of here - a diary of a crazy chicken man

[piglett]

the brooder is great!!!

i love the thermometer and the high sides.

mine is a circle made of 24 inch wide gi metal about 6 feet in diameter, Made from GI as the rats cant climb it. I am going to need a second one. I will probably do something like yours, elevate it and rat proof the legs instead. The GI sheet makes a heck of a noise when touched. scares the devil out of the little blighters

tell those girls to keep on layin'

mine is 2' tall 2' deep & a little over 4' long
the lid doesn't fit like you would think it would
there is a 1" air gap , there is also a small gap on the ends up near the top
i may add some ajustable vents once warm weather arrives
it will hold 50 little ones with no trouble
once they are about 4 weeks old i'll transfer them to the almost empty woodshed
i'll keep em penned up there till i sell off the pullets & put the little roos in my soon to be built
meatie roo tractor, we are going to fill up the freezer with all the extra boys once we fatten em on up

 

[ozexpat]

i'll keep em penned up there till i sell off the pullets & put the little roos in my soon to be built
meatie roo tractor, we are going to fill up the freezer with all the extra boys once we fatten em on up

With the 36 we hatched and 12 local chicks so far, Bernie has about 3 months of pretty good chicken meals for his family from the 20+ roos,

 

[piglett]

With the 36 we hatched and 12 local chicks so far, Bernie has about 3 months of pretty good chicken meals for his family from the 20+ roos,

i'll bring the garlic & onions )))))
we have chicken twice a week & never buy any from the store
keep your fingers crossed OZ
i set 4 BBS orp eggs in the bator
i'll check em on the 23rd which is day 10
i sure hope Blue is getting the "work" done with his girls now after the "trim"
there are also 7 silkie eggs in there, my free silkie roo George is a real ladies roo

well it's midnight so i better hit the rack boys & girls
catch ya later


piglett

 

[Rockashelle]

silvers from Dick H and some local reds/mixed

That's great!!! I'd love to see pictures of them they get older.

 

[ozexpat]

That's great!!! I'd love to see pictures of them they get older.

Dont worry - you will see lots of pics

I have to admit Dorkings were a surprise to my collection. I had not considered them until SoCal Dorkings contacted me. It took 10 mins of research to turn them into a must have.

They fit into my description of the ideal flock perfectly.

They are heritage style dual purpose birds

They are distinct with their 5 toes and thus distinguishable to a novice

They are also the only birds I will have so far with large white eggs.

 

[Rockashelle]

You will LOVE them. They are personality plus... VERY primal. Excellent mamas, great foragers, mousers, and very social. I have colored dorkings. Great job SoCal! I think the only reason you may not like them is... beating them to the hatching eggs. Lol!

 

[LFchixranch]

This is what I was referring to as for the looks of the Dark Cornish I am hoping to go for

I have hatchery stock so it will be a challange

Some hens have the double lacing, others not so much. None have the pearl colored eyes that I hear the the standard requires.

 

[ozexpat]

This is what I was referring to as for the looks of the Dark Cornish I am hoping to go for

I have hatchery stock so it will be a challange

Some hens have the double lacing, others not so much. None have the pearl colored eyes that I hear the the standard requires.

those drawings look more like the true game fowl origins. you have a cute hen but a long way to go.


i love you pallet collection. thats going to make some great buildings

 

[Bulldogma]

This is what I was referring to as for the looks of the Dark Cornish I am hoping to go for

I have hatchery stock so it will be a challange

Some hens have the double lacing, others not so much. None have the pearl colored eyes that I hear the the standard requires.

So interesting! Even the SQ Dark Cornish bear little resemblance to the old illustrations!

 

[Sally Sunshine]

wow those birds look scary! they look like vultures! no wonder they scare away hawks! Oz they could be your gate keepers!! LOL