Montana

[ZetaPet]

Hi everybody!! I'm in Billings and just started a flock. I also have two Black Runner ducks! Its really nice to connect with other in the area especially with people that have done this before.

If anyone has any helpful tip about raising Ducks and Chicken in this area please share! Thanks so much. Also how are the laws on having Chickens in city limit's would be helpful, I'm pretty nervous about it.

 

[ZetaPet]

So we got a new hen, 4 new Scovies and 3 Runners.



All 3 Runners (front) are supposed to be Drakes... I'm not sure on ONE.


I got an adorable new decorative hen, so I thought she should meet "Minnie" the new uber-friendly hen

Sorry I just found out how to do this, But.. How do the runners take to the winters here??

 

[Mrsfoote]

Hello all!

How is everyone here doing? Haven't been on much...to darn busy. Been teaching between, horse breaking, turkey battling, goat raising and then I came to realize I haven't hatched in two years. Not getting many eggs anymore...my girls are getting up there in years so.

What is everyone raising or hatching, inputs? I really want to do some brahmas, and true amerucauna's and maybe some marans. But I'm not quite sure yet...


Getting a shipment of 15 poults from porters soon if anyone is interested.

Had to get rid of our Spanish Black Tom ....he turned into a karate kicking demon, and I couldn't do it anymore. And I'm contemplating another rooster

 

[ReptileMom]

Yes, most of us are busy outside. Spring brings alot of work: fixing coops and fences, mucking out, planting, pruning, mowing, etc. I think most of us are spending our time outdoors because of the nice weather we finally are getting.

Sounds like you are thinking about getting younger flock additions. There are several of us that have good types that you are interested in, just depends on how far you want to travel to get them! Montana is a BIG state. I have just took my Ameraucanas and put them back in with the main flock. I have half a bator full of their eggs. I separated my Lemon Cuckoo Orps into their pen, and after a month I hope to be collecting their eggs for the bator and to sell. I also separated my French Copper Marans into a separate pen too. Now to just wait that month. (Tapping my foot.) After I collect enough their eggs, I will separate out my silkies and work on breeding them. I need a couple of more pens!

I have 6 Mille Fleur bantam Cochins sitting on eggs in their pen. They all went broody - seemed to catch like some contagious disease! I am hoping they will hatch out a bunch without me having to do the work.

If you aren't looking for a purebred rooster, I am sure you will find one on here!

 

[DuginMT]

Hi Everyone,
We just bought a house in Billings/Lockwood and I'm looking for places to get fertile eggs/chicks come later this summer after we get a coop set up. Also, is there a good organic feed available locally? I really know next to nothing about the area when it comes to chickens. And finally - are snakes much of a concern? We're moving from a high elevation in Wyoming where we really didn't have that problem. I'm sorry if I'm repeating, I read through some of the pages but nearly 300 is a lot

I have an occasional rattlesnake or bull snake or blue racer here in West Billings, but so far they haven't harmed one of my chickens or crawled into the coop since I got the chicks on St. Pat's Day 2013. What I am having problems with is an EE eating eggs, which poses a real problem because she is my oldest boy's favorite chicken! Also, she seems to be about the smartest in the flock. Should be getting 10-12 eggs per day now, but only getting 4-8!

 

[ReptileMom]

I've got an egg-eater too. I have tried ceramic eggs, that worked for a while. But a few months later she figured out that the eggs were not mixed with ceramic ones anymore and started eating them again.

I am going to try filling blown out eggs with mustard next. I have read in a lot of places that this method is the best to break them of eating eggs. After a few mustard eggs, they stop trying. Guess I will see... when I have time to get around to making the mustard eggs.

 

[ZetaPet]

Yes, most of us are busy outside. Spring brings alot of work: fixing coops and fences, mucking out, planting, pruning, mowing, etc. I think most of us are spending our time outdoors because of the nice weather we finally are getting.

Sounds like you are thinking about getting younger flock additions. There are several of us that have good types that you are interested in, just depends on how far you want to travel to get them! Montana is a BIG state. I have just took my Ameraucanas and put them back in with the main flock. I have half a bator full of their eggs. I separated my Lemon Cuckoo Orps into their pen, and after a month I hope to be collecting their eggs for the bator and to sell. I also separated my French Copper Marans into a separate pen too. Now to just wait that month. (Tapping my foot.) After I collect enough their eggs, I will separate out my silkies and work on breeding them. I need a couple of more pens!

I have 6 Mille Fleur bantam Cochins sitting on eggs in their pen. They all went broody - seemed to catch like some contagious disease! I am hoping they will hatch out a bunch without me having to do the work.

If you aren't looking for a purebred rooster, I am sure you will find one on here!

Do you sell your Chicks??? It would be nice to get babies somewhere other than Shiptons. None of my chicks were what they were supposed to be.

 

[ReptileMom]

Yes, I do sell chicks. Right now, I am just hatching out a bunch of Blue Wheaton Ameraucanas. Have Mille Fleur Cochin eggs in the incubator. Have a number of crosses from broodies that started and then finally gave up when egg nests were made into musical chairs - minus the music. I took them and candled. Any that were still in development, I put in the incubator.

When I know that my Orps and Marans will be pure, will be collecting and incubating chicks for sale.

When my Rhodebars are old enough, I will be doing the same with them.
I just hatched out some Crested Cream Legbars and will be breeding them when they are old enough.

I'm working on making another pen so I can seperate out my Silkies and breed them too.

Walter Boese in Deer Lodge, is also a good one to buy chicks from. He has several types of Orps, different types of Brahmas, and I forget what else he has.... He is on Facebook and the Montana/Wyoming Poultry Buy Sell Trade group on Facebook. I can probably put you in contact with him if you don't do Facebook.

 

[charnic44]

Hello, everyone! I live in Polson! I've got 16 assorted chickens who are 15 weeks old and 3 ducklings who are 6 weeks old (along with 46 horses, 5 dogs, 4 cats, and 6 pigs, but who's countin'? XD) My parents, 2 sisters, and I own and operate a ranch called T Lazy S Ranch. I find it funny that people from the same state who don't know each other have found each other through BYC. I want more chickens but my dad says no. Anyways, where are all you guys located?

 

[ZetaPet]

Yes, I do sell chicks. Right now, I am just hatching out a bunch of Blue Wheaton Ameraucanas. Have Mille Fleur Cochin eggs in the incubator. Have a number of crosses from broodies that started and then finally gave up when egg nests were made into musical chairs - minus the music. I took them and candled. Any that were still in development, I put in the incubator.

When I know that my Orps and Marans will be pure, will be collecting and incubating chicks for sale.

When my Rhodebars are old enough, I will be doing the same with them.
I just hatched out some Crested Cream Legbars and will be breeding them when they are old enough.

I'm working on making another pen so I can seperate out my Silkies and breed them too.

Walter Boese in Deer Lodge, is also a good one to buy chicks from. He has several types of Orps, different types of Brahmas, and I forget what else he has.... He is on Facebook and the Montana/Wyoming Poultry Buy Sell Trade group on Facebook. I can probably put you in contact with him if you don't do Facebook.

I would really like to get a Ameraucana. We are new to chickens and my daughter wants to get into 4-H. I come out to Livingston about once a month, Ill message you and see if you would have time to take my money LOL! Thanks!