My extended "family" *picture heavy*

[Mrs MIA]

More babies!!!

White, blue, lavender...
This one is through the plastic, but shows the relative size difference of a dorking and silkie chick compared to a Button Quail chick, at only a couple of days old.

My dear little Chip passed away this winter from complicatons from the cold weather.

But... we have several new babies in the brooder at about 6-7 weeks old, and only one is a roo so far!

We had 25 Button quail hatch - we will only be keeping a couple of breeding pairs as pets, and the rest will be sold or given to our elementary school as a fund-raiser project.

Then we had 14 coturnix hatch, with another hatch due in a couple of days. I think there are about 75 eggs in the 'bator at the moment.

All jumbo browns/goldens.

Dorkings, LBs, silkies getting ready to pop, and now that the weather is a little warmer, even the Millies have gone off strike!

Now if only Charlie's splash silkies would start to lay...

 

[Mrs MIA]

Buttons...

 

[speckledhen]

So cute, Tori. Believe it or not, I'm going to start incubating the first week of February. Building my Delaware flock and hatching some BBS Orps for a BYC member. I think I need this while recuperating from this darn ankle.

 

[Quail_Antwerp]

OH Tori! They look wonderful...must control myself don't need babies until March....ARGH!!

 

[Mrs MIA]

Bwahahahaha!!! Aly, you're in trouble now! LOL!

Cyn, my incubator has been on since just before New Years...

I couldn't help myself!!! (P.S. I'm also looking into Delewares... what can you tell me about them?

)

 

[speckledhen]

Breeder quality Delawares, the ones actually descended from George Ellis's Indian River chickens (their original name), are highly endangered and a true American breed. They are excellent dual purpose birds and usually fantastic layers. Many hatchery ones are outcrossed with Columbian Rocks, not what you want at all. Temperament is quite dicey with the hatchery stock, but much more steady in the true heritage Dels. My girl, Kira, is a very stocky lady, lays an egg EVERY morning; or at least, she has every single early a.m. for the past three weeks. I think you'll find them sweet, friendly, curious, etc. The pullets are so lovely and feminine looking. Their Barred Rock heritage is evident in the personalities.

 

[Mrs MIA]

I think that if I find myself with room for one more breed, they are the way to go. I want to concentrate on the truly rare breeds.

How are they with the cold weather?

 

[speckledhen]

The only cold weather issue would be the large single combs, well, not huge combs, but they could get frostbite. Otherwise, they are a heavy, deep-bodied breed that does well in the cold.

 

[Mrs MIA]

I think I can deal with that.

I'll have to see how this year goes before adding to the flock. But I know who to call!

 

[speckledhen]

I have to grow out a new cockerel for the flock and add ladies, but by summer sometime, I'll have some eggs for you, hopefully.