Minnesota!

[duluthralphie]

I have four chicks that hatched out Sunday/Monday last weekend. I moved them before the hatch, to a rabbit hutch. The bantam decided, one week in, that she was going to help set the eggs. She was pretty mean and on Thursday the week before last, one of the eggs went missing. At what age can I introduce them back into the flock? I've got a temporary enclosure ready to be built around the rabbit hutch so they can forage in fresh grass while they're little.

If the mother is already in the pecking order it will not really matter when they are introduced back to the flock. The Mother hen will take care of that, and no one messes with a mother hen, at least in my flock. As I posted yesterday Ethel brought newly hatched poults back to the flock at a day or less I am sure. No one dares to mess with them. (of course, I moved them into a covered run which put me on Ethels Poop list.)

( this is predicated on your flock being in a secure area)



I tried to get the poult I have in the house to graft to Ethel. Ethel protects it and wants to attack someone as sweet as me, for picking it up. But the poult has picked up the keets intelligence and refuses to accept Ethel as her mother. it runs from her, which was driving Ethel insane.

So I brought the poult back in the house and told it "to plan to live it's entire life with Guineas and expect time in prison as a juvenile offender or gangster.



Oh and grats on the cute babies!

 

[scandiafowl]

Family Argument:

Jeffrey or Zeus?

 

[duluthralphie]

Jeffery...


Minnie, I have a question for you.

The Cream legbars I have are from your stock correct?


I need to know how you got them crossed with road runners?

When it comes time to put them to bed they are the fastest little buggers. They refuse to run into the brooder/tractor. They prefer to run under the lilac bushes, under the scrap iron trailer or under the old granary. They run fast and look like the road runner avoiding Wiley coyote. They point their head low and in the direction they want to run, stretch their tail out straight behind them for better aerodynamics and off they go.


Last night we had every bird in the tractor except one. I had him cornered, he flew up and over the brooder. So back to square one. We finally got him headed to the door, we use a funnel made of OSB to force them to go in and not around, when 2 others ran out the door and under my DW's legs. This is not an isolated event it is every night with them. The act more like guinea than chickens. Obstinate and strong headed and faster than us old people. They may find themselves in the coop with a covered run sooner than they think.

 

[holm25]

I have babies!!!! They staryed on Thursaday but I was busy so I couldnt post it. 2 ducks and 2 chicks so far!! Now I am gonna have to sell some ducklings!!

 

[duluthralphie]

I have babies!!!! They staryed on Thursaday but I was busy so I couldnt post it. 2 ducks and 2 chicks so far!! Now I am gonna have to sell some ducklings!!

Grats...

Can I jump on the baby bandwagon?

I think I got my last Creamette last night. I have one more egg in the hatcher but I see no cracks on it.


I am going to have creamettes to sell!

 

[holm25]

Grats...

Can I jump on the baby bandwagon?

I think I got my last Creamette  last night.  I have one more egg in the hatcher but I see no cracks on it.


I am going to have creamettes to sell!

Yay!! I hope the last one hatches!

 

[holm25]

Family Argument:

Jeffrey or Zeus?

Zeus!!! My roos name is Zeus!!!

 

[scandiafowl]

@holm25


Zeus won!

I'm partial to Greek and Roman mythology sources for chicken names. Very dignified.

Plus Zeus felt that Jeffrey was an affront to his masculinity. Go figure.

 

[scandiafowl]

Grats...

Can I jump on the baby bandwagon?

I think I got my last Creamette  last night.  I have one more egg in the hatcher but I see no cracks on it.


I am going to have creamettes to sell!

Would you tell me more about Creamettes?

 

[duluthralphie]

Creamettes are overly priced chickens that should lay diamond encrusted eggs that retail for about 100 bucks apiece.

They are a smaller bird comparable to my EE in size. They lay a medium size egg that is a pretty, dark baby blue. They are eye candy especially the roosters, Most have a crest on the top of the head, my females are either combless or have a small comb in front of the crest. You can tell the sex of the chicks when they are dry after hatching.

One of the reasons I got rid of Ole was Ole could not stand being the second most colorful rooster in the yard. My Creamettes are a little more flighty than my other birds, I cannot say any of mine are pet like.

Right now they are all free ranging, so I have no "pure" creamette eggs. I will be putting the creamettes into a coop by themselves around Oct 15th. That way I can be assured of having pure eggs in late December. I am going to introduce some EE hens to the roosters around Feb 1st so I can better my chances to keep the blue egg gene in my EE for next year.

Here are some pictures of creamettes:



The one below got shrink wrapped in his egg, You can see the egg color fairly well.

And of course I had to include the one of Bert and Ray having a little disagreement. I find Ray fights best when there is a fence between him and his opponent, he is not in the race for top rooster.