Minnesota!

[Bogtown Chick]

Usually it's the electricians who are fast for us...but the plumbers...they are hard to come by for a good one. Although I think we've found a good one now.

I've always brooded in the attached garage. Sometimes we get a little 40-50 degree days but the birds do well under the lamp. But also the Garage is insulated so it warms up a bit with the lamp as well. I think I would go bonkers with the dust and smell.

Oh....I'm wanting to get more chicks....somebody stop me.......................................................................

 

[Drea07]

Wondering what is the best way to introduce my chicks and ducks with each other.

I have 7 (4 BR, 3 BYM) chicks who are all together in their brooder, 3 ducks (1 Pekin, 2 Khaki Cambells) who have been in their brooder next to the chicks for a week and a half. The BR chicks are 3-4 weeks, the BYM are 2-3 weeks, ducks are 3 weeks old. The Pekin has taken on the role of lead duck and the Khaki's hang back to see what happens to the Pekin before trying anything. I have noticed one of the BYM seems to be in the top of the pecking order for the chicks...she even tells the roo's what to do. (I like her

.)

We have 10 new 3 day old duckies (not sure on breeds yet...did a mixed run). I know they have to stay away from the other ducks for awhile yet.

I plan on the ducks and chicks having their own coops/runs, but I will allow for them to free range together and I don't want them to get into tiff's.

When the new ducks are older, I plan on keeping them with the older ducks.

 

[duluthralphie]

Usually it's the electricians who are fast for us...but the plumbers...they are hard to come by for a good one. Although I think we've found a good one now.

I've always brooded in the attached garage. Sometimes we get a little 40-50 degree days but the birds do well under the lamp. But also the Garage is insulated so it warms up a bit with the lamp as well. I think I would go bonkers with the dust and smell.

Oh....I'm wanting to get more chicks....somebody stop me.......................................................................

Take a trip to TSC, or Runnings,

Looking at all those cute cuddly little chicks will cause you to overdose on chicks and not want anymore......











Or attend you local CA meeting.

 

[duluthralphie]

I have figured out how to stop my dogs from eating chicken poop!


And I do not have to worry about them finding stray nests and eating the eggs any more..



My dogs are less than excited about this device...

 

[Rhetts]

Hey Ralphie did you get your turkey set up with her homing device yet? After you have a successful go of it at your place you can come on over here and set one up on my hen. Pretty sure she is nesting NOT on my property! 35 acres to choose from and she goes across the road. Just fantastic!

@nordicacres I had to move mine out cause they were just getting to be too smelly for us. I had to run an outdoor extension cord to the building they are brooding in. Not ideal but I don't have a choice. We are working on setting up a temporary coop/run for them until they can go into the main coop later on.

@Minniechickmama I had ordered Welsummers to see if they were a breed I would like. Mcmurray only sells them straight run. I only ordered 4 hoping maybe 50% on sexes. Right now I am most certain that 3 of them are roos with the size of the combs and wattles on 6.5 weeks being GINORMOUS! Yeah I have a lot of roosters in my brooding box. I figured 8-10 but right now I am sure its at least 10-12 with some straight run breeds to figure out still and the lets not forget they only guarantee 90% sexing on the pullets.

 

[duluthralphie]

For me the tracking device was a bust. I do not have good enough hearing to hear the beeps. My wife can.

I find the map locating thing clumsy and unworkable. I think in a few generations it will work fine, now it is too close to beta to be any good..



I have found, in my limited experience, on straight runs, hatcheries will send out more females on the CX's (meat birds) and more males on the egg laying breeds...

I know I am cynical, but I think they get more requests for roosters only on meat birds and hens only on layers,,,,,and it helps balance their numbers to add a few extra to the straight runs..

 

[Cyrus83]

Ummmm, remember how I was shopping for 3 hens and a rooster? Well I may or may not have just bought 6 hens and 2 roosters. or it might be 5 hens 3 roosters. one of the birds that I may have bought, could maybe go either way. Oh and on another note, it was so beautiful and calm last night that I decided to sit on a chair in my new yard and burn stuff. I think I drank to much beer and forgot at least a weeks worth of tidbits.

 

[Cearbhael]

Good luck getting it all off the ground.  But especially, good luck with teaching your Standard (note, I have 3) to leave the chickens alone.  They get that taste of feather in their mouth and you will need to invest in an in-ground fence.  I did and it saved my birds and my sanity.  We tried all the advice about breaking them, but to no end.  I got them on the in-ground system and they learned it in one day.  All it takes is a beep if they get too close and they back off.  The only chickens I have lost since got out of their own fence and came to the house.


The Orps sound lovely!  They will likely be as big of an investment as Ralphie's Creamettes!   

My Standard has never been allowed to run "loose" but I am hoping his "presence" with me settled into my folding rocking chair (yes a real rocker that folds like lawn chairs... Found in a camping store) will be deterrent enough to keep the large arial predators away, as well as wild fowl such as turkey's, ducks, geese and our ever present local pheasants. Actually I have NEVER seen a turkey here but we have pheasants coming out of the woodwork...the roosters are all ready crowing but not into breeding season yet... They sound a tad different when they start posturing for the hens.
Anyway, the dog will be there with me only when the flock is allowed to forage loose in the paddock. He will remain as always never loose. Well, I shouldn't say that... If he adopts the chickens as family he may get lucky. He is not your average fido...he plays hard and rough with our Bengal cat who only knows rough. I have seen him pin that cat by the throat but he is only playing... The Bengal has been known to leap onto the dogs back and sink in claws and teeth... Good thing the dog usually has a thick coat. If he feels one cat is too rough with another and a cat fight is brewing he will break it up (cat policing) if he feels they are threatened he is right there to protect them. My sister's Kuvasc actually stood guard over a baby bird that fell out of its nest (baby bird was TERRIFIED of my sister's dog which was huge but it was safe) of course that breed was bred to protect people as well as livestock, but she had never seen a baby bird before then. I have seen many a female dog get maternal and protect babies no matter what specie it was LOL.

 

[Rhetts]

Ummmm, remember how I was shopping for 3 hens and a rooster? Well I may or may not have just bought 6 hens and 2 roosters. or it might be 5 hens 3 roosters. one of the birds that I may have bought, could maybe go either way. Oh and on another note, it was so beautiful and calm last night that I decided to sit on a chair in my new yard and burn stuff. I think I drank to much beer and forgot at least a weeks worth of tidbits.

Chicken math strikes again!! Pics of your newbies? Love the part about sitting and enjoying your new place!!

 

[Minniechickmama]

so I recently bought some chicks from a breeder that said they were 98 percent female or something like that. What do you supposed she did with the males? Also, I've noticed some people on craigslist are looking for roosters only, is that just because they want to breed?

Some people looking for roosters only are from some of the Asian communities in the Cities that do prefer the purebreed birds or range raised birds as opposed to the CRXs. I sell most of my cull roosters to them, sometimes 100 or more at a time. However, I have started culling them as chicks due to the space I have and time and feed costs to raise them to a size where someone would buy them for eating. I know to some that sounds terrible. I have gone the way of keeping them all, and it is not practical. I do humanely euthanize them, and I believe you will find more breeders who are hatching for more than just themselves do the same. That is what the big hatcheries do as well with their excess cockerels. When the demand is for pullets/hens only for most people, and you can only have so many roosters in a flock and not have problems from them, what else is there to do with them?