Kentucky people

[Mojo Chick'n]

Quote:
Do they still have it?

Meri

Not sure, but I think your hubby would leave you for that!! I could ask my friend though if you want!!

LOL Well, he wouldn't be happy, but if I could convince him that I could make money with it.....

300 is pretty cheap, I think.

Let me know if she still has it

Peace -
Meri

 

[shelleyd2008]

Quote:
Not sure, but I think your hubby would leave you for that!! I could ask my friend though if you want!!

LOL Well, he wouldn't be happy, but if I could convince him that I could make money with it.....

300 is pretty cheap, I think.

Let me know if she still has it

Peace -
Meri

Yeah $300 is very cheap, Those sell brand new for at least $700!!

 

[shelleyd2008]

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I'll have to think about the hen

Kinda think I like her

I could save you some of her eggs if you want. I just set 8 in the bator last night of hers, and she lays an egg a day, so it shouldn't be long before I have enough.

Like I said, I have one light blue splash, that is from a dutch mama, and the splash roo, and the B&W chick, and there are like 4 more in the brooder that are the black hens as well. I really need to get rid of what I can right now. Plus I will have more, Lord willing, in about 3 weeks!! The ones Meri got are in their ugly stage right now. But they were really pretty, before they started getting feathers on their heads! Now they look like they've been attacked by something!
I have a brooder for little ones, but once they get bigger, I will have to make a bigger one, or make sure they are gone! So you are welcome to any chicks that I have. Maybe when you come down, you and Meri can come over and check them out?

 

[shelleyd2008]

Well, I didn't listen to myself, and let the silkie/jap tractor birds out. So now I am fresh out of OEGB gray cockerels. I found this one laying in the pasture. It looks like a hawk tried to get it, but it was too heavy to carry it off. Either that, or dad's dog Princess ran it off. Poor thing had a huge gash in its back.

I know I wanted to get rid of some roos, but not like that...At least now I know it is not the pup getting them. I will not let the young chicks out anymore, until the hawk threat is not so high.
I need to do some reorganizing. Dad says I should take the chicks away from my hens, but I don't want to do that! It seems the ones that are disappearing are the ones that don't have mamas anyway. I will most likely put Gertie's chicks in with the silkies and japs.

This makes 4 birds that I know of, this week alone! And I think my splash hen is missing a chick too. I thought she was the other day, but dad took all the chicks out of her nest. He counted 21, and there were 10 in the other nest, where Gertie used to be. That would have made the count right, but now whenever I see the splash hen I only see 12 (since Meri took hers). She should have 13. I don't know what's going on. It is really bumming me out. The poor things, and I flat out don't have any way to pen them up for long periods.

 

[estpr13]

Sorry to hear about your loss Shellyd. I know the feeling.
I went and bought some bird netting to hang between my garage and the neighbors so that I can let my birds out without worring about the hawks. My two laying hens know what hawks are and run hard to hide when they see one.

I lost several last year and do not want to have that repeated this year. My yard tractor is 5' by 7' and isn't big enough for my adult birds only the young ones. Last year I was loosing them while they were in the pin and didn't figure it out until I found one underneith with its head missing. The tractor was on wheels and they were grabbing the chicks and pulling them under the 2 x 4 and wire.

It breaks you heart to loose any bird and especially one you name and like.

 

[Mojo Chick'n]

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Sorry about your babies, Shelley - I know how it feels. This summer I've lost 6 chickies to one thing or another. (and yet those dang guineas are healthy as ever, and avoiding the racoons

)

Of course, the 13th one might be there somewhere, I know I'd have a hard time counting your babies - they all run around like crazy and look so similar.

We've got the corral almost done (finished the roof today behind the barn) so all we have left is to finish making it pig proof (just in case) and put in another gate. Then we just have to level the ground, but that can wait for a bit.

I mentioned that cabinet incubator to hubby this morning, and he didn't really say anything, LOL. Which means he'll might pitch a fit if I actually try to get it. He keeps saying how we have to cut back on spending, and I know he's right, but I could make money off something like that. So, find out if it's available anyway, and I'll keep mentioning it to him, along with hints at how I can make money by hatching and selling.

I made chili for dinner tonight, so I'm in agony now, LOL (stuffed, not heartburn).

Oh!! I also had a great idea (and hubby is good with this one,

). We have this cage rack that goes in the back of the pickup truck bed, for hauling furries, and I mentioned today how it would make a good temp pen for meat chickens in the spring, I could wrap some chicken wire around it with zip ties, and put them inside that. He agreed it would save us having to build a tractor. I'd have to put it upside down, so the bottom goes all the way around, but that isn't a problem.

So all I need are some zip ties and I'll have a meat chicken pen (and keep my coops free from all that poo). I can at least put some of them into that, and put some somewhere else if they get too big to all fit. Heck, once they get big enough, I can put them into the corral if I don't have a pig in there.

Oh, and all of my books finally came - it's supposed to rain all weekend, so maybe I'll get some reading done. (well, thursday, friday and saturday at least.)

Cindy - How long on those cochin eggs hatching? just curious

I'm still playing with my incubator - I have it to within a few degrees of humidity and temp, but I still think it's a bit too high. But then, it got warmer today and the room heated up to about 80 - the room has been at about 70. Temp inside the bator today ran from about 99 - 101 and humidity got up to 49 at one point, on down to about 39 - but mostly humidity has been at about 45.

I have 6 of my own eggs, so far, to add to the bator. So if anyone is gonna want some black australorp mixed with old english game, or new hampshire red mixed with oeg, let me know, LOL. I'll have babies in a month. Ought to be interesting to see how they turn out. I have the one baby from George mixed with the light orange half banty hen, Shug, that turned out white with black speckles on her. No idea where that came from.

I was sort of hoping for another George, but it turned out to be a pullet. I don't know how old George is, and I'd hate to lose him suddenly and not have a replacement. Not that I want a lot of extra roos, but one special roo would be cool.

Well, gonna go and veg in front fo the TV for awhile.

Peace -
Meri

 

[shelleyd2008]

99-101 is perfect for a still air. Mine would bounce around more than that, before I put the fan in there. Now my problem is the humidity. When you first start the eggs, you can keep both the plugs in. That would make it easier to regulate the humidity. Then once you take the plugs out, it will bounce around like crazy!! All my chicks have hatched with about 45-50%. Can't get it to go and stay any higher. You can toss some wet sponges in there to bring it up, and make sure they are HOT!!! That way it will bring the temp back up too.

You said you would keep meat birds in there until they got too big, then move them...You could always move them to your freezer! Then you wouldn't have to feed them anymore!! Then just get some more the next year, and so on and so on. Fatten them up in the summer, when feed is supposedly cheaper, then let them fatten you up in the winter!!

 

[cthrash1]

Meri So far on day 8 doesn't look like we will have any Cochins. Out of 23(one was cracked) looks like I have 4 silkies bebopping around in their eggs, two Serama just a hopping, and one or maybe two of the ? eggs she sent. The Cochin eggs had several that had floating air sacs, a couple of the silkies look , hmm...scrambled I guess, won't know unless I open it. And most of the extras are clear too. Am leaving them all in though until next Monday. Of my own flock, the ones due tonight out of 3 only one seems to look good even though the whole space doesn't look full it either looks like it broke through the air sac or it's just a spot where the sac hung up, dunno. The 3 due next monday is a BR, Millie, & BTBJ are all over in their egg.
I just found out Saturday that Layne has to buy and raise 25 broilers for 4-H all the way up to slaughter or sell so, I still want to either go in on the order with you but we'll have to raise them here, or I can just order them. What are broilers by the way? We can still all get together to process them all when that time comes and I also want Layne to learn how...He just can't name these ones. Gonna be hard for him, but he'll have to do it. It will be a good growing experience, we can give him an easy job.

I found two bantam eggs in a nest today so put them under Belle. First I laid them in front of her and she just sat there so I pushed them under her. She has been a good broody for me as far as not pecking me when I reach in to move her or pet her...She does do this trilly sounding thing though.

Broody question for you guys...Belle leaves her nest every morning for about 30-45 min. to drink and eat and lay her HUGE broody poo. Is this normal? I worry about the egg getting too cold. I put a little bowl of food in the corner of her nest this afternoon and am going to buy one of those water cup things to hang on the front(If I remember to anyway).

Shelley I'll give you some BTB chicks or eggs next Spring so you can have a little more variety in your color scheme you have going right now. And the Millies will help too...

 

[shelleyd2008]

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I would kinda worry about it, with the temps like they are. I wouldn't give her feed and water real close to the nest, she might end up pooing in there if she doesn't need to leave it!! Mine usually only leave for about 15-20 minutes, but some would do this like 3 times a day!! Then my OEG that is setting, I swear she only gets off the nest once every 2 or 3 days. I felt so bad for her today! She finally got off when I was out there feeding. Of course I had run out of scratch yesterday, so she had to settle for the regular feed. These silly chickens would LOVE me if I would just feed them scratch!! They are getting cracked corn now, scratch is like $13 for 50#, corn is like $6! And the scratch seemed like it was mostly corn anyway!
Do you have straw in your nests, or just shavings? Straw would hold the heat much better, that would keep the eggs warmer.

 

[shelleyd2008]

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I could give you some of mine. I do have a whole bale, put some in the nests, and some in the piggy's pen, That's about all I will use the rest for. Horton likes to sleep in it. I doubt he would need a whole bale of it!! Just bring a feed sack with you when you come with those mille eggs!!