HALLOWEEN Hatch-a-Long 2016 w/ Hosts, Mike, Sally & BantyChooks

[mlm Mike]

Last picture.

 

[DwayneNLiz]

I had a couple sets as a kid too - he's already showing signs of allergies, so i'm not at all surprised. his oxygen doctor disregarded my concern about allergies, yet he gets the circles around his eyes like kids do who suffer from hayfever type of allergies. No signs of asthma though.

at least no asthma

I hope they all hatch for you!!

I use a variety of baskets but I love these baskets because I found another basket that fits on top. It keep the eggs separated and the chicks inside when they hatch so I can keep track of specific chicks. It does keep the poops from dirtying the incubator but it doesn't stop the chick fuzz mess. That stuff gets everywhere!

My 'bator right now. I think I cleaned it in June or July? Something like that. I need to mark things down...lol.


Thanks! How's your eggs?

nice baskets
they are locking down this weekend, they were jumping around last night when i turned them

​

Here's the kid/dog gate he made. LOL I joke that it's for midgets. (Or... short people? whatever they prefer to be called.)

I told him that the fence looks like a roosting bar, so the chickens may end up hanging out on the fence once they are grown.

​

We fenced around the shed, so they have all that area, plus the other side of the shed, too.

​

The normal sized people gate.

We still need to use critter/chicken wire on the back side of the horse fencing behind the shed, but for now, they are content to free-range inside that area. I just have to find a way to latch the gates so our dog can't push it open. I'm content with her outside watching them as a puppy for now.

awesome!!

Last pic on my cell phone:

awwww!!

Last picture.

purdy birdies

 

[Wickedchicken6]

Quote: Omigosh...answered you last night but forgot to send it!

Honestly I would have to say I am not the best example in regards to planning.
Usually with me, things just kind of happen. Animals have always been my thing and everything seems to go well for me whether I plan or not.

The chickens were very much like the sheep. We saw a booth at a fair with the sheep. (I've wanted sheep since I was a little girl)
We asked questions, found breeders in our area...asked more questions. This was before the internet.
I just wanted a couple sheep; we got 7 ewe lambs and a ram. Showed the sheep with encouragement from the breeder we purchased from.
Talked to breeders at the show and got more info. I pretty much immersed myself in sheep.
Loved the sheep SO much...I went on a 3 day trip...purchased 3 separate lines of 27 bred ewe lambs and another ram.
And I hadn't lambed yet...lol. The problems we dealt with were genetic faults...not anything that could be seen when picking out breeding stock.
At peak I had 70+ breeding females an 6 rams. And we have a fistful of ribbons from years of showing.


Chickens, same thing. I just wanted a few for yard candy.
A person had 14 chickens; a pair of EE's, a trio of Old English Game bantams, a black hen, a white bantam rooster and Silkie crosses.
Didn't know what any of those were until I looked them up...lol. Introduced a "Barred Rock rooster" (I think he's actually Cuckoo Maran...lol.) a week later.
Best two weeks in my life until foxes hit and predated everything but 5.
I got upset. I learned to trap. I found out info about homemade incubators and with eggs 3 weeks+ old when I started building my 'bator ...hatched 3 chicks from the predated hens plus eggs from the 2 surviving pairs of EEs and OEGBs. I've been immersed in chickenry ever since.
So I guess technically, I do things backwards...lol.
If I had done any planning from the start...I would have ended up with barred rocks or something similar...and I would have missed out on having EEs.

(My first hatch. The grey and two whites were from the predated hens. Their two lines will be game changers for my flock.)


I like the 3 breeds I began with so I bought a small number of chicks that were EE, Silkie and Old English Game bantams in 2015. I also took in 4 purebred Silkie roosters last fall.
I have enough variety to breed for years. I'm still honing my plans.
I'm didn't realize how well the hens were performing until after being on BYC for a while. I've been very fortunate.

So… I'm liking the non purebred thing with the EE's. Definitely OEGBs. I'd like to faze out any feather footed chickens. "Silkied" is ok...but probably not Silkies.
I'm breed for everything you can imagine that improves and creates a well rounded bird. I'm also specifically breeding for eggs; both type and color with the EE's.
I want to create incredibly robust, resistant and beautiful chickens.
Everything you covered on your list is on my list as well. I'd like to introduce Sussex perhaps to increase the meat factor.
The Maran looking chicks that are suddenly popping up out of the EEs should help size and meatiness as well.

My OEGBs are quite small, so I'm breeding for personality, color and robustness. I want to make a line of birds with my Babygirl X OEGB. I'm continually researching other breeds and everything there is about chickens...lol. I basically live and breathe chicken right now.
When I started with 5 chickens last year, I did not plan on having 200ish this year (with my newly hatched chicks)
It's a work in progress.

 

[kajira]

Omigosh...answered you last night but forgot to send it!

Honestly I would have to say I am not the best example in regards to planning.
Usually with me, things just kind of happen. Animals have always been my thing and everything seems to go well for me whether I plan or not.

The chickens were very much like the sheep. We saw a booth at a fair with the sheep. (I've wanted sheep since I was a little girl)
We asked questions, found breeders in our area...asked more questions. This was before the internet.
I just wanted a couple sheep; we got 7 ewe lambs and a ram. Showed the sheep with encouragement from the breeder we purchased from.
Talked to breeders at the show and got more info. I pretty much immersed myself in sheep.
Loved the sheep SO much...I went on a 3 day trip...purchased 3 separate lines of 27 bred ewe lambs and another ram.
And I hadn't lambed yet...lol. The problems we dealt with were genetic faults...not anything that could be seen when picking out breeding stock.
At peak I had 70+ breeding females an 6 rams. And we have a fistful of ribbons from years of showing.


Chickens, same thing. I just wanted a few for yard candy.
A person had 14 chickens; a pair of EE's, a trio of Old English Game bantams, a black hen, a white bantam rooster and Silkie crosses.
Didn't know what any of those were until I looked them up...lol. Introduced a "Barred Rock rooster" (I think he's actually Cuckoo Maran...lol.) a week later.
Best two weeks in my life until foxes hit and predated everything but 5.
I got upset. I learned to trap. I found out info about homemade incubators and with eggs 3 weeks+ old when I started building my 'bator ...hatched 3 chicks from the predated hens plus eggs from the 2 surviving pairs of EEs and OEGBs. I've been immersed in chickenry ever since.
So I guess technically, I do things backwards...lol.
If I had done any planning from the start...I would have ended up with barred rocks or something similar...and I would have missed out on having EEs.

(My first hatch. The grey and two whites were from the predated hens. Their two lines will be game changers for my flock.)


I like the 3 breeds I began with so I bought a small number of chicks that were EE, Silkie and Old English Game bantams in 2015. I also took in 4 purebred Silkie roosters last fall.
I have enough variety to breed for years. I'm still honing my plans.
I'm didn't realize how well the hens were performing until after being on BYC for a while. I've been very fortunate.

So… I'm liking the non purebred thing with the EE's. Definitely OEGBs. I'd like to faze out any feather footed chickens. "Silkied" is ok...but probably not Silkies.
I'm breed for everything you can imagine that improves and creates a well rounded bird. I'm also specifically breeding for eggs; both type and color with the EE's.
I want to create incredibly robust, resistant and beautiful chickens.
Everything you covered on your list is on my list as well. I'd like to introduce Sussex perhaps to increase the meat factor.
The Maran looking chicks that are suddenly popping up out of the EEs should help size and meatiness as well.

My OEGBs are quite small, so I'm breeding for personality, color and robustness. I want to make a line of birds with my Babygirl X OEGB. I'm continually researching other breeds and everything there is about chickens...lol. I basically live and breathe chicken right now.
When I started with 5 chickens last year, I did not plan on having 200ish this year (with my newly hatched chicks)
It's a work in progress.

That sounds a lot like us.... We decide we want to do something, and research/learn as we go... I do a lot of research prior and share what I learn with my husband, but he usually says "I already youtubed that." So.... LOL

 

[Wickedchicken6]

Quote: Thanks, it would be sweeter if it wasn't every time I sat down.

Oh my! You know you're loved that way. Dogs...lol.

Quote: That's pretty cool. If fence posts aren't treated here...they don't last long.

Last picture.

Oooooh....nice!! Love the colors!!!

Everyone has so many nice chickens.

Quote:
That's the first time anyone's told me I have nice baskets...

Quote: It's nice you both are on the same wavelength.

I always think my husband's eyes glaze over when I'm always talking about chickens...but apparently he IS actually listening...lol.
He's a little overwhelmed the chickens have morphed into the monster they are.

 

[kajira]

Oh my! You know you're loved that way. Dogs...lol.


That's pretty cool. If fence posts aren't treated here...they don't last long.

Oooooh....nice!! Love the colors!!!

Everyone has so many nice chickens.



That's the first time anyone's told me I have nice baskets...

It's nice you both are on the same wavelength.

I always think my husband's eyes glaze over when I'm always talking about chickens...but apparently he IS actually listening...lol.
He's a little overwhelmed the chickens have morphed into the monster they are.

He says "It makes you and our daughter happy." when I ask him about chicken stuff. Apparently, since it makes me leave the house every day, and be active, he's glad to have them around. Being autistic and slightly sensory sensitive to temp changes, wind, bugs, and other things, I can easily avoid going outside, the birds make me go outside, so he likes me having them.

I remember a period of time when we first got married, I spent 6 months indoors to the point where the coffee ladies asked him if he murdered me, and he finally forced me to go get my own coffee from the stand to prove I was still alive.

 

[Sally Sunshine]

Quote: That's neat! Mesquite trees look so cool! Does the wood stand up well?

Quote: I've got shoulder length cattle palpitating gloves for everyone!!

But maybe that's overkill.

I've got vinyl, latex AND Nitrile wrist length???

LMAO!! will I need any of them if a goat has issues kidding ??? ughhh I am already fretting!

Last picture.

Nice one too!

 

[DwayneNLiz]

That's the first time anyone's told me I have nice baskets...

It's nice you both are on the same wavelength.

I always think my husband's eyes glaze over when I'm always talking about chickens...but apparently he IS actually listening...lol.
He's a little overwhelmed the chickens have morphed into the monster they are.

LOL i think i will need to do baskets eventually
my husband doesnt listen to chicken gibberish EVER lol

He says "It makes you and our daughter happy." when I ask him about chicken stuff. Apparently, since it makes me leave the house every day, and be active, he's glad to have them around. Being autistic and slightly sensory sensitive to temp changes, wind, bugs, and other things, I can easily avoid going outside, the birds make me go outside, so he likes me having them.

I remember a period of time when we first got married, I spent 6 months indoors to the point where the coffee ladies asked him if he murdered me, and he finally forced me to go get my own coffee from the stand to prove I was still alive.

LOL

 

[BantyChooks]

Chick pics must have more chick pics!!! Lets do this...... POST THE LAST PICTURE YOU TOOK ON YOUR CELL OR CAMERA, dont have to be chicken related

this is a chocolate cuppy cake just for @BantyChooks

That's neat! Mesquite trees look so cool! Does the wood stand up well? I've got shoulder length cattle palpitating gloves for everyone!! But maybe that's overkill.:/ I've got vinyl, latex AND Nitrile wrist length???

 

[NaJoBeLe]

    Chick pics must have more chick pics!!!



Lets do this......

POST THE LAST PICTURE YOU TOOK ON YOUR CELL OR CAMERA, dont have to be chicken related

Hrrm. Dresser I was supposed to refinish 2 months ago for the nursery. Started on it last night and wanted a before and after pic.