- Jan 28, 2011
- 7
- 0
- 7
Howdy All!
Been lurking here for 6-7 months and can't tell you how much I have learned in my lurking. First off a big THANK YOU ALL! for the tremendous amount of information in dealing with back yard chickens.
I started my venture into back yard chickens 5/10 with 6 - 6 week old black australorps. The day after I brought them home much to my dismay a large black snake slithered through the chicken wire pen and dined on the smallest of my australorps. I'm a snake lover so I sent him on his merry way with a bloated belly. My wife was not in favor of my kindness...... The other 5 are in good health and laying regularly. I replaced the lost australorp with a wonderful silver laced wyandotte of the same age.
In my lurking I learned about coops, pens, free ranging, feeds, bedding, predators, pests and so much more. I have a raised coop for my free ranging flock, they come running when they hear the scratch grain tub-a-shaken and go nuts over a handful of meal worms. Even started my own meal worm farm...
For my b-day in July my daughter bought me a couple 3 day old brown/red ameraucanas. What fun, I learned how to introduce them to the older hens and to accept the harassment they would endure while the pecking order was established. Now I have one happy flock.
I guess you know you are hooked when you just cant resist building a homemade incubator and hatching some chicks. I read up on incubators and looked at every example posted here at BYC. I got a great find of a non working 48 bottle wine fridge on Cl and was off and running. Got the heating down using a 100 watt bulb and a water heater thermostat (PIA... gotta be a better way) and the humidity with some porous gel ice packs. I tried water bowls with wash cloths, sponges and so on then settled on the gel packs. the gel packs last a long time and make it easy to open the bator and rehydrate in a matter of a couple minutes. On top of that they are quickly recharged with just a splash of water.
With the incubator ready to go I guess I jumped into the deep end of the pool and ordered black cooper marans eggs, 40 to be exact, in January... winter cold, shipped....... I know what I was feeling but what was I thinking??? Well they hatched this week starting early Wed morning, 26 to be exact 5 of which I had to rescue yesterday because of them being shrink wrapped. All of them are doing great. 16 of the first arrivals are in the brooder the remaining 10 will join them in the morning(well later today). My wife is now anxiously awaiting the next hatching, Ha! she's hooked!
Someday I hope I can pass on some of what I have learned here to a newbie like me.
The eggs are great, the chickens are a hoot and the chicks adorable.... and 2011 has just begun.
Thanks again,
Retread
Been lurking here for 6-7 months and can't tell you how much I have learned in my lurking. First off a big THANK YOU ALL! for the tremendous amount of information in dealing with back yard chickens.
I started my venture into back yard chickens 5/10 with 6 - 6 week old black australorps. The day after I brought them home much to my dismay a large black snake slithered through the chicken wire pen and dined on the smallest of my australorps. I'm a snake lover so I sent him on his merry way with a bloated belly. My wife was not in favor of my kindness...... The other 5 are in good health and laying regularly. I replaced the lost australorp with a wonderful silver laced wyandotte of the same age.
In my lurking I learned about coops, pens, free ranging, feeds, bedding, predators, pests and so much more. I have a raised coop for my free ranging flock, they come running when they hear the scratch grain tub-a-shaken and go nuts over a handful of meal worms. Even started my own meal worm farm...
For my b-day in July my daughter bought me a couple 3 day old brown/red ameraucanas. What fun, I learned how to introduce them to the older hens and to accept the harassment they would endure while the pecking order was established. Now I have one happy flock.
I guess you know you are hooked when you just cant resist building a homemade incubator and hatching some chicks. I read up on incubators and looked at every example posted here at BYC. I got a great find of a non working 48 bottle wine fridge on Cl and was off and running. Got the heating down using a 100 watt bulb and a water heater thermostat (PIA... gotta be a better way) and the humidity with some porous gel ice packs. I tried water bowls with wash cloths, sponges and so on then settled on the gel packs. the gel packs last a long time and make it easy to open the bator and rehydrate in a matter of a couple minutes. On top of that they are quickly recharged with just a splash of water.
With the incubator ready to go I guess I jumped into the deep end of the pool and ordered black cooper marans eggs, 40 to be exact, in January... winter cold, shipped....... I know what I was feeling but what was I thinking??? Well they hatched this week starting early Wed morning, 26 to be exact 5 of which I had to rescue yesterday because of them being shrink wrapped. All of them are doing great. 16 of the first arrivals are in the brooder the remaining 10 will join them in the morning(well later today). My wife is now anxiously awaiting the next hatching, Ha! she's hooked!
Someday I hope I can pass on some of what I have learned here to a newbie like me.
The eggs are great, the chickens are a hoot and the chicks adorable.... and 2011 has just begun.
Thanks again,
Retread
