Kentucky people

[shelleyd2008]

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Good luck with that!!

I'm gonna go to bed, talk to you all tomorrow.

 

[cthrash1]

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LOL I'm hearing that song in my head ... High hopes, he's got high hopes....

Meri

 

[cthrash1]

Thanks, I really do appreciate that...my bator will be ready and almost empty other than the swap eggs(EEs, YAY) I recieved and one from my BR. Trying to hatch a male for Bluedog420 as he was so impressed with my roo this last Spring and he'll need one for his hens. Out of a total of 3 BR eggs in my bator I'm sure he'll get a male. I bet those babies are so cute!!! LMK how much $...

Thanks, Cindy

 

[Mojo Chick'n]

Heya all -

Well, I got "the word" my standard cochins eggs shipped this morning -- I can't freaking wait!!!!!!!! WOOHOOOO!!!!!

Now I just hope they don't come scrambled.

Shelley - I was looking around, and I think your dad's white chickens that lay brown eggs are Plymouth Rocks. (also called White Rocks). That is probably why they are so much bigger - leghorns aren't that big, I don't think. I'll keep looking (just did an abreviated search on them this morning) to see if they are good for meat chickens.

Well, last night was the coldest night yet, I think and the room I got the bator is in closed up - so no woodheat, but the furnace kicks on if it gets to be a certain temp and the stove goes out. The temps held really well, I don't think I'll have to tweek those much at all during the long wait to hatch. The humidity dropped to 41 at one point, but even that isn't terribly bad, I don't think. If I leave the door open to the woodheat, it would really vary, I think, since the stove gets HOT then cools down, it would freak the bator out, I'm afraid. If I need extra heat in that room, I'll just set up a heater that I can adjust better to warm the room.

I've been looking at pics of fluffy babies, LOL I cant wait to have some teenies running around in a box here. I got a cardboard box for the sewing room, for the first week or so, then they'll probably go out into the coop with major heat lampage to keep warm.

It was so cold the banties didn't even go out this morning, until I went out to feed. I had the heat lamp on for them inside the coop (but left the chicken door open) and they were all inside hanging out, even Loretta who never even wants to go inside at night.

The japs are really getting around a lot more now. They run all over the run and scratch and eat and such - for about a week or so after I got them, all they did was hide inside. They are pretty, I like seeing them running around. The blue splash babies are hiding inside more - partly due to the cold, and partly due to all the bigger banties, I think. They have a lot of room in there, though, and stuff to climb onto and hide under. LOL They flew up onto the perch the second night - it is a good 5 foot off the floor, I didn't expect them to be able to fly that high.

Atticus is doing ok if he is inside where there is warmth, but he goes outside and fluffs up again. I don't want to lock him up - so I guess it's a matter of if he lives he does, and if he dies from being stoopid, he can die.

Hate to say it, but I'm not gonna keep him alive if he is bound to die - done that before with a roo - he lived, and turned out to be a mean little sucker for all the spoiling he got. I should have let the other roos cull him like they wanted to. I ended up killing him myself, after all the trouble I went through to save his ignorant butt.


Well, off to read up on plymouth rocks and read more byc threads.

Peace -
Meri

 

[Mojo Chick'n]

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Yeah yeah, I know,

But, Shelley has White Rocks - which she is trying to pimp to us for meat birds. So, I am checking to see how good they would be for meat.

I think the whites are bigger (more meaty breasts) than the barred.
Plus, if it is as cute as Raoul, I might have a harder time eating it, LOL. White chickens = meat in my warped brain.

So far it is looking good on the meat chicken thing. All of the research I've done points to them being good for meat chickens - slower growing than Cornish, and maybe not quite as big, but sustainable in a flock - you can grow your own rather than having to buy chicks every year.

My biggest concern is if I have to grow them longer that they still have tender meat - I don't want tough stringy meat.

The consensus seems to be Butcher at 4 months old.
Now, that would be cool - and if I didn't HAVE to butcher them all at the same time (like I would a cornish cross) so much the better.

I'll let ya know what I find out.

Meri

 

[Mojo Chick'n]

Ok, Shelley -

I've done some major research this morning (since it is too cold to go out and play with chickies, I think I may be coming down with something, feeling spacey and sort of dumpy).

Plymouth Rocks seem to be great dual purpose birds for eggs and meat. White rocks (for some reason, never found quite why) seem to be preferred for meat - maybe it is simply the skin color or some nonsense like that.

So, I talked to hubby and gave him the pros and cons and he agrees that Plymouth Rocks are the way to go for trying some meat chickens.

So - next question is... can you tell which eggs are from the White Rocks?

We really have to get your dad to seperate his chickens. Or if I can get some hatched that I know are white rocks, I can then save those for my own breeding purposes. If I have any out of the batch I got from you for this first hatch, I'll keep them for trying the meat (for texture, mostly, I don't want stringy and tough). If I can get them to how I want them to "chew", I'll get a few dozen eggs off ya next time to hatch me out a meat flock.

And Yes, Cindy, I might even consider throwing in a couple of the barred for variety of colors, LOL.

Wow, I was planning this for next spring, but maybe I'll have to get the flock started sooner, so they can be giving eggs by early summer.

I'm wondering how many I should keep as a breeding flock, and if I'll need another coop

Well, I wanted to be self sustaining here on the farm - and I can't "grow my own" cornish crosses, so here's hoping the rocks are the next best thing.

LOL -
Meri

 

[shelleyd2008]

Dad only has 3 or 4 of the white ones, and 2 or 3 of the columbian rocks, or so I think that's what they are. I think it would be more or less impossible to tell their eggs from the wyandotte's. The RIR's eggs are really red looking, and the others are more brown. I would think you have mostly those, because I never catch the wyandotte hens on the nest. They could have not started laying yet. Not sure though, I'd have to ask dad about that. He is just aggravating though. He doesn't see the point of seperating them, then he's wanting to throw his other chicks in there, the ones running around the yard? Those are RIR, astrolorp, BR or dominique, and idk what the others are. Those would be a mix. Plus the chicks he just got off that guy. There are some buff orps in there. Like I said, he's aggravating.

 

[cthrash1]

Keep 7 girls and 1 roo to start with.

BTW forgot to tell you that is a good idea you have on selling Laynes broilers to you. I still think he should experience the processing to a degree though so he understands the difference between food chickens and pet chickens, maybe go to your house to help with a small processing so he isn't too overwhelmed. Not trying to be a mean mommy. I was taught very young about the food animals. That is why when Ron used to hunt I saw deer as freezer fillers, but if I see one out in the field I love to admire their beauty.

At the next 4-H meeting Layne gets his poultry workbook. And I'll ask them if he must get his broilers at a certain place or can it be from anywhere and if they have to be a certain breed. He may have to have the cornish crosses.

Are you going to invest in or build a feather plucker?

If one of the BRs ends up a male I want to give it to Bluedog420...He really liked Raoul. Maybe there will be 2 boys and a girl out of the 3 eggs, then you'll have a pair to start with.

Oh yeah and if I didn't have bad luck I'd have no luck...Out of my first 3 eggs in the hatcher 2 were bad and the other one poked through the membrane but didn't make it to pip...It was Belles my broody Silkie. Not the one I gave back yo her. I didn't have much faith for these 3 anyway, they had a pretty rough start. The next 3 due Monday are all kicking so maybe better luck this bunch. And I will be thinning down my big batch on Sunday as well, that will be day 14 for them so if anything was to form it should be showing.

 

[Mojo Chick'n]

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I'm gonna build a kill station

Yeah, I'll have a feather plucker - one of the cheaper ones that goes onto a drill. I've been checking otu what parts cost and I can make one for under 10 bucks, easily. I may make two, but I only have one drill, so if your hubby has a (corded - not cordless) drill he doesn't mind us using, bring it along.

When does he begin the raising? Does it start now, or is he supposed to wait until spring or something?

Yeah, I think I was 7 years old when I processed my first poultry - it was a goose, and my sister and I did it (she is 5 years older than me). Thankfully it was a small goose, LOL.
Of course, I had lived on the farm, so I knew where the meat came from and had watched my dad and mom process before. For a newbie who hasn't ever seen it, it might get gross

- have you any idea how RED chicken blood is?

With a kill station, however, it might not seem too bad for him - he might even think it's sort of neat.

I hadn't planned on building the kill station until this winter, though, so I don't know if I'll have it done by the time he needs to process his. Basically it'll be a wooden table with a cutting board (one of those plastic type ones) and some cones for draining. I'm still trying to figure a way to do the scalding outside, too - I need to find a pot (not my canner, LOL) that will hold enough water and such for the bird, and something to heat it efficiently. Even an electric burner would work, I may buy one of those for it.

I want the entire operation to be outside.
I need to find my coolers, too, and scrub those up for ice water to cool them in.

I have power to the outbuildings, so I can set it up anywhere I can reach power.

Heck, I could probably do it right down by the last (new) coop - I got power all the way down there and then I could just hose the ground down into the woods if I spill any blood (although I don't want to draw critters, either, so maybe somewhere else would be better.)

I was thinking 5 girls and one roo - but maybe 7 girls would be better. I could for sure free range without George having a problem that way - they'd have plenty of girls to go around. I suppose I'd need more girls if I were selling live broilers at the auction. I'd need enough for everyone (and us, too).

Well, shoot, I hope that yours and Shelley's bad hatches lately don't rub off on me!!

I got high hopes, too

LOL -
Meri

 

[Mojo Chick'n]

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LOL Ok, so when they hatch, I'll have to just see if I can find some that look more like the plymouth rocks - and hope I get lucky. Otherwise I might have to buy some pure breds, and I can mix in some of your dad's mutts with them.

The SLW that Cindy brought to me hasn't started to lay yet, either, and I would think she'd be old enough by now. Maybe they are late bloomers.

Do the Columbian Rocks have feathers on their feet? they might be Brahmas. They were pretty big birds, too, though, so I imagine mixing a little with those wouldn't be too bad.

I went to Day & Day today - had to get some chick starter for the babies when they come, I'm almost out (saw your ad there

) and I got some soybean meal to mix with the broiler babies feed. They didn't have Broiler Starter there, so I needed something to boost the protein levels in the chick starter. All the other poultry starter they had (turkey, game, etc...) was medicated, and I didn't want that.

One of the Amish guys near me said to give it to my laying hens (a little bit) also to boost their egg laying. Maybe this winter they can have some, but I don't think I would feed it all year round.

I need to start keeping a chicken diary so I know what works and what doesn't, LOL.

Well, got to go clean my kitchen.

Peace -
Meri