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

[deserteggs22]

    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

 

[chickendreams24]

My 1st batch of CCL's went into lockdown today with an expected hatch day on the 1st. I started out with 31 beautiful, true blue eggs that arrived in a very beat up box. 11 never developed (2 were cracked), 10 were blood rings by day 3, and 3 quit along the way. Out of 31 eggs, 7 made it to lockdown Fingers and toes are crossed and prayers are being said because this is my keeper clutch!

I would love to see pics of the egg color and if you would PM me where you got them please. I'll be looking for some hopefully in the spring.

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

Phone won't upload darn.

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.

What color OEGB do you have? We also have OEGB and I adore them!!! Well we did a lot of research but we are still learning constantly in spite of over a year's research. I do love our EE a lot too Some people think we should just pick one breed and focus on and raise only them but I think variety is good and you can find some wonderful traits. Plus most breeds began as a cross breed.

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.

Lol tell me about it we have had about 200 chicks pass into or through our hand this year to date. Mostly from our own hatches. Our numbers are still near 100 whoch is way too high for true winter numbers. Fortunately we still have a coop to bring here and could winterize but also we have 50 or so cockerals that will continue to be processed over the next month or every two. DH2B is definitely overwhelmed and I am a little at times too but very happy with our flock. The spring pullets are really coming into lay and we are getting a new beautiful green egg from our first project pullet with more to come. I will say that DH2B does usually try to at least listen to and follow what I'm saying about chickens.

My last pic is of the 2 newest members of my fam, Herman and Seamus. Great Dane pups I got from the shelter

They're beautiful!!! Man you're house is gunna be full with those two! We have a Great Dane named Bella. Anyone have guineas(do they need higher protein feed or is layer okay for them?) They can live with chickens alright correct?

 

[TJChickens]

Chickendreams.... I have guineas. They need high protein. I give mine game bird crumbles and alfalfa hay.

 

[chickendreams24]

Chickendreams.... I have guineas. They need high protein. I give mine game bird crumbles and alfalfa hay.

so they couldn't be housed with the chickens? I have a friend who's new to chickens and got some guineas that she offered me her hubby is being driven insane by them. Well we've always wanted them so I'm trying to get as much info as possible. How high of protein do you feed them? I've been thinking about upping our protein for our layers and mixed flock. I think free ranging really lessens it. Some of our juveniles seem too thin to me despite chick feed mostly what's supposed to be show quality SLW. Could they also need a higher protein? Would a higher protein feed be harmful to our flock of chickens?

 

[melnjerm]

The Danes are #'s 2 and 3 in my house, as well as a Vizsla! It's not so bad, except they're double trouble! Lol! I will send egg pics after they hatch, and I got them from Foxfire Farm.

 

[TJChickens]

so they couldn't be housed with the chickens? I have a friend who's new to chickens and got some guineas that she offered me her hubby is being driven insane by them. Well we've always wanted them so I'm trying to get as much info as possible. How high of protein do you feed them? I've been thinking about upping our protein for our layers and mixed flock. I think free ranging really lessens it. Some of our juveniles seem too thin to me despite chick feed mostly what's supposed to be show quality SLW. Could they also need a higher protein? Would a higher protein feed be harmful to our flock of chickens?

I have housed them with chickens before. The feed wasn't a problem, but sometimes the guineas would be more aggressive. I fed them all purina flock raiser. There was free choice oyster shell and hay. It all balanced out. I don't use a lot of layer feed because it's not so good for the boys. Sounds like a higher protein would be good for your flock.

 

[Pyxis]

I'm in again, lol. I keep saying I'm done hatching for the year and it keeps not happening. But some AC eggs are about to find their way into the incubator, and I'll probably set some of my own eggs for an actual Halloween hatch.

 

[NysiaAnera]

Oh, how fun! I have 2 broody hens right now, one Australorp, and one Buff Orpington. The Australorp has 12 eggs, and we will be giving the Orpington 14 tonight (would have been last night, but 2 of the eggs we got from my sister broke :-( ). I also have a Buff Orpington with three 8 week old chicks she still takes care of. She is a great mother! She was our first broody! These other 2 just started laying a month ago. I can't wait to see the variety of chicks we get!

 

[NysiaAnera]

The last picture I took is of the eggs chosen to go under our broody Buff Orpington. There should be 3 dark brown ones, but after picking them up from my sister, we broke 2 of them! So, hoping her hen lays one tomorrow for a replacement.

 

[Mylied]

I have two guineas that live with the chickens. They all eat layer crumble and everyone seems healthy. They laid an egg a day up until recently. I did raise them with a batch of chicks, so they've always got along.