Maine

[buckabucka]

Anybody had any dealings with Duane Urch@Turnland Poultry?  He's got all of the breeds I'm interested in, available as chicks or eggs.  Anyone got hatching eggs from him?  Good hatches?  I'm not able to access him via e-mail.  If anyone has a valid e-mail address, I'd love to have it.  Thanks.

I have not dealt with him personally, LG, but his birds have a good reputation. My guess is that, like Sandhill Preservation, he is a busy person. It may take patience to get what you want. Here is a thread with photos of the price list. If you search his name on here, you'll get all kinds of results.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/842143/duane-urch-lis

 

[buckabucka]

LG, - after reading the whole thread, I realized they only like to be contacted by phone call. You can find the number by looking on all the order forms (can't remember what page). Now you've got me looking too, I need that like a hole I the head .

 

[MustardTiger]

I think the chicks I got from Paris Farmers Union in Portland were from Mt.Healthy. I got BBB turkeys and freedom rangers. Opposing what everyone else has said...they were all very healthy and thrived amazingly well.

Someone has probably mentioned this but McMurray has RCBL and the availability looks good. I do know the minimum orders can be an issue.

 

[engberg]

hi i live in rumford maine im new to this so im not sure if im doing this right im looking for fertile eggs for hatching at a decent price duck turky chicken must be close to rumford

 

[MEMama3]

hi i live in rumford maine im new to this so im not sure if im doing this right im looking for fertile eggs for hatching at a decent price duck turky chicken must be close to rumford

This is the perfect place to do a shout out if you want to buy locally. If you don't mind shipping, the buy sell trade forum is good too. Plus, I hear we ave swaps coming back soon That is a great way to shop from multiple people in one stop.

 

[Jazor]

Well I'm back with more questions and problems.

Seems I've got egg eaters. It's my own **** fault for taking too long to get their nest boxes ready. I had subbed out the project to someone (prior to Christmas) and he said he could have them before the end of January. He didn't/couldn't and the birds began laying in the coop. Evidently they realized they could eat the eggs, and of course, wont stop.

Had some help from a fellow BYC'er Saturday and we built some excellent nesting boxes (photos to come when I'm not ready to butcher half my birds) and a new roost. As we were building the boxes we already had birds going in and laying eggs in them. Seemed great! Now every time I check the coop (530am and 630pm) there are no eggs, but signs of a mess where they have eaten them.

Long story short: I have egg eaters.

Long question short: Should I put all of the offenders in the freezer? Assuming I can even figure out the ones doing it.

 

[malcom]

If it was me them egg eaters would be looking mighty fine in stew form...

 

[lazy gardener]

I think the chicks I got from Paris Farmers Union in Portland were from Mt.Healthy. I got BBB turkeys and freedom rangers. Opposing what everyone else has said...they were all very healthy and thrived amazingly well.

Someone has probably mentioned this but McMurray has RCBL and the availability looks good. I do know the minimum orders can be an issue.

Thanks Mustard Tiger. Yes, MMc has them listed, but my most recent e-mail from their CR person said that they no longer carry them due to lack of demand, but she referred to them as Black, not Brown, so I'm waiting for her to clarify for me.

LG, - after reading the whole thread, I realized they only like to be contacted by phone call. You can find the number by looking on all the order forms (can't remember what page). Now you've got me looking too, I need that like a hole I the head

.

Thanks Bucka. I was up until after midnight last night chasing down info on him. (I'm like a pit bull chasing a bone when it comes to chasing down missing info.) I did come up with an e-mail, and a telephone #. He has Lt brown RCL, and he has Doms, and Silver Penciled Wyandottes. I'd love to get a doz eggs made up of these 3 breeds to hatch. I know he has a very good reputation, and I'd be likely to buy stock from him without seeing any pics.

Well I'm back with more questions and problems.

Seems I've got egg eaters. It's my own **** fault for taking too long to get their nest boxes ready. I had subbed out the project to someone (prior to Christmas) and he said he could have them before the end of January. He didn't/couldn't and the birds began laying in the coop. Evidently they realized they could eat the eggs, and of course, wont stop.

Had some help from a fellow BYC'er Saturday and we built some excellent nesting boxes (photos to come when I'm not ready to butcher half my birds) and a new roost. As we were building the boxes we already had birds going in and laying eggs in them. Seemed great! Now every time I check the coop (530am and 630pm) there are no eggs, but signs of a mess where they have eaten them.

Long story short: I have egg eaters.

Long question short: Should I put all of the offenders in the freezer? Assuming I can even figure out the ones doing it.

Perhaps put some dummy eggs with some veg. dye in them? or a game cam focused on the nest boxes? I'm sorry. This is a very frustrating experience to deal with.

I have 4 if not 5 of my girls laying now!

If I do get some hatching eggs form D. Urch, I'm planning to set some EE and BSL eggs to test out the incubator before setting some costly eggs. How much difficulty will I have getting rid of the test babies? And I'd like to brood all the chicks together. What kind of success have you folks had with multi age chicks in a brooder, and how much of an age span is practical? I do have 2 lamps available, so can provide multiple temp areas, or angle the lamp to give a warm and a cold zone.

 

[MEMama3]

Well I'm back with more questions and problems.  

Seems I've got egg eaters.  It's my own **** fault for taking too long to get their nest boxes ready.  I had subbed out the project to someone (prior to Christmas) and he said he could have them before the end of January.  He didn't/couldn't and the birds began laying in the coop.  Evidently they realized they could eat the eggs, and of course, wont stop.

Had some help from a fellow BYC'er Saturday and we built some excellent nesting boxes (photos to come when I'm not ready to butcher half my birds) and a new roost.  As we were building the boxes we already had birds going in and laying eggs in them.  Seemed great!  Now every time I check the coop (530am and 630pm) there are no eggs, but signs of a mess where they have eaten them. 

Long story short: I have egg eaters.  

Long question short: Should I put all of the offenders in the freezer?  Assuming I can even figure out the ones doing it.

Have you googled any ways to break egg eating. I haven't had to do it, but a few may be worth a try before throwing in the towel with these birds.

 

[IZZYBELLA]

Hang in there Izzybella! I lost 11 chickens from July 4 to mid-November last year. 3 of them came from TSC who gets their chicks from Mt. Healthy. 4 to a predator--most likely a fox. 2 to mites & worms. 1 to mites & cocci. 2 I just found dead in the coop. 1 may have had enteritis. 1 from heat exhaustion. 4 fun-filled months

I was feeding fermented feed, veggies, free-ranging, ACV w/mother in the water--my DH said those birds were eating better than him. I had treated for worms, mites & cocci. I agree it is very disheartening when you are experiencing these difficulties. The Animal Health Lab told me to stop feeding fermented feed and just do dry. My girls just love to bill out the dry feed--wasting a lot. I started moistening the feed which did help.

I posted the same words that I didn't know what I was doing wrong. People on here were quick to point out that worms and mites will run down any animal regardless of what you're feeding them. They also said some animals just don't thrive.That being said, it doesn't hurt any less when you lose one or battling to heal another.

Thanks for the encouragement, CoopChick! I remember when you were having trouble... I didn't realize it was 11. That must have been just awful!

Izzy, thanks for the heads up. I'm nervous about Mt. Healthy, but they seem to be great prices, and have at least 2 of the breeds I want. The only place I can find RCBL listed is Ideal, with a wait list pushed out at least until May. Most hatcheries have dropped them. I fear that it's just one more breed headed towards extinction. An other option would be Perkco Feeds in Exeter, but I think they may be a 25 chick minimum, per breed. They do have excellent prices. Any one interested in splitting an order? I'd be interested in getting some SLW and some Ranger meat type birds from them if they have them. I'll get the details from them this week. Does anyone in Maine have RCBL?

Izzy, what kind of birds from Mt. Healthy did you get?

LG, I got two golden comets, three buff orpingtons (one died), and three barred rocks (one is ill). The caveat here I have to mention is that I didn't get them directly from the hatchery. I got them when they were 7 weeks old from someone local who had gotten them as day-olds and raised them.