Heritage Large Fowl - Phase II

[Wisher1000]

I think I would be killing some dogs!

LOL! Yea, I understand that! Actually, it is my dog and it has been living here on this farm since before the chickens. He is old and set in his ways and I can't blame him to that extent. He has always protected our property from all other animals, except new pet dogs, and I have always praised him for it. I won't have to put up with his chicken killing for too much longer. He is over 15 and has congestive heart failure. He is nearly deaf and his teeth are worn down to the gums. He coughs all the time and can barely get up when he has been laying down for a long time. I should likely put him down, but he still enjoys a roll in warm grass and greets me by barking and wagging his whole body when he sees me. When he seems to stop caring to live, I'll let him go, until then, I keep him in his pen during the day while the chickens free range, and let him roam at night when they are locked up. He only manages to kill some when there is some sort of human error or miscommunication.

 

[capayvalleychick]

My Dorking project isn't going quite as expected. I ordered hatching eggs from two separate breeders...one from here on the BYC and one from eBay...who said they were selling Silver Gray Dorking eggs. I had an awesome 90% hatch from the eBay breeder, but half of the birds appear to have White or Colored Dorking mixed in, as their feathers are very white with splashes of gray and they have rose combs. Most have five toes, but a few have only four. The BYC breeder did a HORRIBLE job packaging the eggs she shipped and many were broken or complete adhered to the tape she wrapped them in. Only one egg has made it through day 10 of incubation and all but four of the others didn't even show signs of fertility. Very disappointing.

My first hatch of Dorkings is 3 weeks old now, and they're beautiful but very flighty birds. I think I've got a lot of work ahead of me.

 

[gjensen]

I would have to take advantage of an offer like this. It is hard to get a good start in some breeds.

 

[fowlman01]

They would be worth the drive.

Walt

 

[DesertChic]

I would have to take advantage of an offer like this. It is hard to get a good start in some breeds.

I wish I could, but the responsibilities of helping my husband run our business prevent me from taking time off to go to Sacramento.

Thank you so much for the offer @capayvalleychick , but I just can't make this work right now. Maybe we can meet up one day in the future.

 

[Lacy Blues]

Lacy Greer who lives in the Phoenix area comes to the PPFA show in January every year. I don't know if capayvalleychick does or not but someone from the area where she lives will. That's the biggest show on the west coast and lots of breeders/fanciers attend.

I cannot speak for him about whether he would be willing to carry for you but I imagine, if you make arrangements well ahead of time, he would reserve space for them... something to consider.

 

[3riverschick]

Hi,
And then there is the question of if we can even get birds over state lines with the flu outbreak.
My personal opinion, if you have a chance to get birds and eggs now, do it because I can see
the possibility of a ban on interstate fowl movement for a period sometime in the near future.
Best,
Karen

 

[capayvalleychick]

Thank you so much for the offer @capayvalleychick , but I just can't make this work right now. Maybe we can meet up one day in the future.

You're welcome. Just thought I'd ask, just in case.

Lacy Greer who lives in the Phoenix area comes to the PPFA show in January every year. I don't know if capayvalleychick does or not but someone from the area where she lives will.

I go every year as a spectator. I took birds for the first time, last year.

 

[3riverschick]

Well this just goes to show how strong a determined hen can be....
So, I had the hen ( March, my avatar) in the coop sitting 9 eggs. The eggs were laid by various hens,
including herself, so have a staggered hatch schedule.She hatched one.
3 days later one of the outside hens decided she wanted the chick feed
in the coop with them. I have a pop hole with a vertical sliding door to the coop. I had wedged a piece of hardware cloth tightly into the door slides for more ventilation. This outside hen managed to push the hardware cloth open enough that the chick wandered out and fell to th run floor (not hurt) ....fast forward, I go out to check on the birds and hear this loud cheeping. ..what?... check the run, nothing...check again and there is the lone chick with the other 6 hens....6 hens? ....wait, one is setting eggs...nope...when the chick wandered out March managed to dislodge enough of the hardware cloth she squeezed thru to get to her chick! I mean 3/4 of the hardware cloth was still stuck in the sliding door track! That was one small hole though which she squeezed! Anyway, I put March and her chick back in the coop with fresh feed and water.... The other 8 eggs? Well, they all have chicks in them but I don't know how long she had been off them. So even, tho she went right back to sitting them, I don't know if any more will hatch. Nuts, they were at about day 19-20.
Best,
Karen

 

[Sunflowergirl]

Oh Karen! I hope you get some chicks from the rest of the eggs!!!

Keep us posted please! Just crazy how things go sometimes!!!