North Carolina



Think she's doing OK with the chicks. The tallest "yellow" is either 1/2 EE or 1/2 PR - not sure by which rooster. There should be at least one more "larger" chick, though there were 2 more, but not sure. AND I supose even if one of them was out of the larger bird but by the bantam rooster, then I guess they wouldn't necessarily be larger. The yellow chix (calling them "barnyard chix") were hatched on 23rd of May. The larger blue Ameraucanas were hatched on 19 May, smaller ones on 26 May and I purchased and "grafted" them onto the Banty hen (Blackie) on 28 May...

I like this pic of the Blue Ameraucana that our daughter named "Mo"...



And I just had to post this one as it's too funny!! Mr. Red is one of our barn cats. He HAS chased some of the bantams (but the PRs then chase him!!).



The duck setting on eggs -



and the Drake and the other duck (hen?)...

 
Wow, have no idea where I left off the NC thread previously. This thread seems to stay busy! Learned some stuff today on ??s I was actually googling & searching BYC about (weeks to leave a hen with chicks). Read thru lots of pages. Looks like I've got about 2 weeks to get a coop set up to keep the chix in.

Our banty hen sat on a total of 14 eggs 6 of which were from LF. 10 hatched, 3 of those LF - tho right now I can only tell that 1, maybe 2 are larger birds.. . I threw out 4 large eggs (1 EE, 3 PR) - Know that one of the eggs that I threw away would probably also have hatched if I'd left her to it - maybe a couple more days (?). I was a little ill, when I did that.

If my idea for a coop/run works for them - will need two more. Want to get my current flock out of my barn. I love them all, but I've learned my mistake in letting them "do whatever they want". They don't like the nesting boxes I set up for them in the barn (they'd prefer to roost there). And they are letting me know they aren't happy (4 PR, 3 EE & 1 CM). Plus the 1 Banty "Roo", and the 1 Ameraucana/Leghorn (Din-Din) and 1 Banty hen "Fluffy". "Blackie" - bantam hen is with the chicks - 9 she hatched of mixed parentage from flock above and 8 Blue Ameraucana chicks I purchased.

We got the rain, but it washed a ton of sand out of one pasture, thru the pasture next to it & into the paddock of our 3 yr old Shetland stallion - raising him much higher than he should be compared to the 50" stock panels. UGH - I need to unbury the fence and especially the gate! Glad no one in the pasture next to him. The trench along the back side of the barn also filled with washout (clay, dirt and ... probably decent compost) - so had lots of water running thru our barn. Glad I got it cleaned out last weekend and stuff sorted and gone thru. All feed and stuff up on new pallets - just in time! BUT the water didn't stay long enough to "do anything". I'm already dry again... :(

Got some pics taken the last several days - still "fixing" them and then will post in my albums on Picasa. Purchased my blue Ameraucana's thru this thread and really likeing them. Hoping I have mostly hens...

I have become fascinated by blues (both the BBS and the Self Blues) of several breeds as well as the Lavenders. Going to put in an order for Lavender Ameraucana Bantams from J. Blehm for next spring. Thinking of some Blue Bantams I could do too... Anyone here in NC breed show/breed quality blue/splash bantams? IF so what breeds?

Any chance I could meet some of you? I live between Sanford and Lillington. I still go down to Parkton every now and then (leased pasture on Canady Rd for 7 years) to say "Hello" and visit with friends down there (only had horses and ponies then, no chickens). Might be making a trip to Parkton (NSE Vet Hospital) with a friend the end of July. I will probably be hauling some ponies to have their teeth floated.

I live one street over from NSE. You would be welcome to visit if I'm in town. I'll be in Georgia and Florida part of late July, so it will depend on how the dates fall out!
 
How long do ducks sit on their eggs before they hatch? I have a duck sitting on eggs - don't want them to be/turn rotten. BUT I don't know exactly when she started sitting them. I thought when we cleaned up our carport on Memorial Day that she'd be too upset to go back to them, but I was wrong... She'd rolled/knocked two out of the "nest", they were cold so I tossed them in our burn pile. I'll post a pic a bit later... Actually think both of our ducks are sitting on nests - one in the empty dog crate in our carport and the other under the cover of the truck I was going to haul in to shop to get made into a drag that the ponies can move stuff with. I haven't gone near it since deciding there is a nest under it.
Depends on the species. Some are 28 days. Muscovies are 35.
 
Greenchickenman - do you still have Cuckoo Maran chicks available? LM on your phone - kinda jibbery. Computer isn't working happily and couldn't get your site to work well while I was asking a couple of quesions.

Think forgot to leave my name, but did give a number and location (Lillington - just N or Spring Lake/Ft. Bragg).
 
Depends on the species. Some are 28 days. Muscovies are 35.

Think they are Rouens. They spread and flap wings, but never seem to get off the ground. UNLIKE our Mallards who all departed! I don't want to do Mallards again... :)

Just posted a couple of pics...

Hubby bought them at TSC when I was in TX over St Patrick's day in 2012. So the Drake and the 1st hen are a little over 2 yrs old. Pretty sure the one setting on eggs in the dog crate is his daughter from last June... But not positive. The ducks are just pets right now. Several departed or disappeared. Think two walked "down the road" with our Pekin duck "Penny". Heard them quacking across the road (neighbor has a HUGE pond), then down the road there are several more ponds. When I went looking for them a couple of days later (neighbors not happy about me doing that!), I couldn't find them and hadn't heard them that morning. Not sure what happened to them... figure they may have become someones' dinner - weather animal or human ??
 
Last edited:
I live one street over from NSE. You would be welcome to visit if I'm in town. I'll be in Georgia and Florida part of late July, so it will depend on how the dates fall out!

YiPPEE!! Do you live on same road as Dr. Dean? Or the other way? OK. we'll see. I can't remember the date. I think the 22nd... Will have to ask my girl freind (Vicki) - she set appointment originally and I'm hauling critters and have to call next week to add mine in (if I can).

Vicki has "birds" too. Can't remember what she just got - total of 12 (6 white, 6 red) and then 3 others (that are still doing ok - she lost a couple). The rest of her flock is mixed - 1 guinea, RIR, EE, 1 is a big bodied "greyish" color - looks like a PR, but not colored like one and a couple of white birds I don't know the breed of... She's lost several recently to predators with all the building in our area from Ft Bragg and age (older). She asked me if mine were laying all last winter (they slowed up a bit, but not much) - hers totally quit in the cold snaps and for a while in between as well.
 

New posts New threads Active threads

Back
Top Bottom