I know it's early but....Who's ready for 2024 Baby Chicks!

[BigBlueHen53]

Have you been able to track down your babies?

Yes, they did make it to the PB PO this morning. They called me about 9:15, but ... there were no survivors. I called Hoover's to tell them that I had not accepted the shipment, and why, and they are sending me a reshipment next MONDAY. Hopefully all will go as planned. Poor little things.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Oh dear, I forgot all about this thread! Well, my second shipment of chicks arrived just fine. I only lost one little EE.

Here they are early on:

I got six Sapphire Gems and six Prairie Bluebell Eggers. The Gems will be pretty blue birds but lay brown eggs; the Eggers are supposed to lay pretty blue (not green) eggs.

Here they are more recently, in their outdoor brooder:

I'm hoping thst guy standing up in the middle looking all cocky, isn't in fact a cockerel ... I laugh at how fuzzy their little heads are. They're five weeks old here.

 

[Chicken poppy]

For me i might be getting some wyandottes, they have been on my list for a bit now (wyandotte bantams) thinking about chocolate color to breed or the calico.

And I’ll probably continue to breed my Japanese bantams and see if i can sell them. Or sell the fertile eggs.

 

[Rose the Legbar]

No kidding. Back to the drawing board then. Do you think it's the Welsummer's personality? Or is the Cream Legbar a target with their unique head/comb?

It honestly depends on each bird’s personality. I have an Opal Legbar (the color is like cream but with the lavender gene) and she is the newest head bird and she is the nasty one to everyone. My other Opal Legbar (she has passed) was the most sweet thing ever and was picked on by the (at that time) lead hen.

It really depends on many different factors. I’ve found that sometimes adding a younger pullet that has a crest into a group of adult hens that don’t have crests, can be bad. But if they were raised with other crested, bearded, or feather legged chicks then they are usually more kind to the unique feathered chick.

 

[SchwartzLakeFarmNC]

BABY CHICKS! LET'S GOOOOO!

I'm too nervous to ship through the mail (we're only getting 3), but I'm intending to pick up a Speckled Sussex, Welsummer, and Cream Legbar from the local farm store.

I'm always nervous anytime I have our babies shipped, but we are getting a small batch mailed this time and they always seems to take good care of the small batches in my opinion and they typically come in very healthy.
Good choices by the way!

 

[fluffycrow]

I definitely am! Although I don't plan on ordering/getting chicks, but hatching a bunch from the birds I have. That's the plan for now at least...

 

[SchwartzLakeFarmNC]

I definitely am! Although I don't plan on ordering/getting chicks, but hatching a bunch from the birds I have. That's the plan for now at least...

Do tell! What breeds do you currently have and what are thinking of hatching in 2024? How many?

 

[fluffycrow]

Do tell! What breeds do you currently have and what are thinking of hatching in 2024? How many?

Serama and Tsouloufati! Two serama hatches during the year, and one Tsouloufati hatch. 20 Tsouloufati eggs and a number of serama eggs I have not decided on yet

 

[fluffycrow]

Sure! And I'm not surprised, they're a rare landrace from Greece. Here you go!

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/tsouloufati-a-quick-look-into-this-humble-landrace.78702/

 

[Yard Farmer]

I am SO ready for spring chicks!!
I actually have 9 eggs in my incubator, and 7 more ready to go...

Thinking about getting the Cackle hatchery surprise box in the spring..