NY chicken lover!!!!

[ChickPrincess]

Thanks I knew someone mentioned it earlier ...I forgot to save it .
Do you have Amber Links ? How old are they ..?
Mine are about 5 weeks ...& are pure white ..I am suspecting they maybe white leghorns ..
Or do they do their last color change with their last growth spirt ?
One I am pretty sure is a rooo .Rox

We have one amberlink, and that's "Pancake" the one we rescued from being squished under the gallon waterer. She's 5 weeks old now and still pure white. A real sweetie, though!

Hi guys!

First time chicken owner here in Avon, NY (20 min south of Rochester, NY). I've been begging the husband for 6 years now and he finally caved in after we started to eat over 2 dozen eggs a week from store bought junk. Yippy!

Our 6 Sex Link chicks are 3-4 weeks old now, I just finished our Dutch Hollow Hoop Coop and I'm waiting for warm weather and the chicks to grow up. I jumped in cold footed so hoping to pick brains along the way as I get stuck.

--Lindsay
Dutch Hollow Acres

Welcome neighbor! Canandaigua here! Why does Dutch Hollow sound so familiar?

Finally a chick has hatched!! Today is day 24! I have had 3 pip then die. There are no pips right now but some are peeping and rocking

I don't know what they were waiting for! I still have 33 eggs to go!

Yay! Keeping fingers crossed for you!

I'm so glad we moved to NY when we did and my son got the opportunity to do this now 3 times! If we remained in CT, he definitely wouldn't have gone to a school that did it. My friends in CT wish their kids got to experience it.

My kids haven't done this in school and I'm SO disappointed. It's supposedly a cleanliness or allergy thing. Yet they will dissect owl scat.

I'm trying to figure out what's going on with one of my australorps now. She's been listless for a few days now, but still eating. She prefers to sit with her eyes half closed. I checked her over today and put on some VetRX. I did discover her vent is pale and seems a bit swollen. I do not feel anything that might make me think an egg is stuck. It's not hugely swollen, but just doesn't look right. Does this sound like a prolapse?

Also, deciding what to do with my roos. They are both good roos and do their job very well. Great protectors. Rooster Cogburn has come after me a few times but has been better the last couple weeks. Suddenly today, they BOTH came at me, at the same time. They both got a good swift kick. Not enough to do damage (I'm not cruel!) but enough to make them pay attention. Oscar (the 2nd in charge) strutted away and kept his distance. Rooster Cogburn backed off but stayed close. I think I may do away with RC. Once the alpha is gone, hopefully Oscar will behave again.

I was afraid my daughter would be sad, because if he goes, he will be processed. My dd says, "So???". lol What a farm girl.

 

[Cass]

My kids haven't done this in school and I'm SO disappointed. It's supposedly a cleanliness or allergy thing. Yet they will dissect owl scat.

Hmmm....I don't buy either of those excuses. Egg allergy? They don't EAT them, they don't even touch them, they just watch the chicks hatch. Feather allergy? They chicks are only in the classroom for a day or two, so that would be minimal exposure. (and how many children have feather allergies, really?) Cleanliness? Again, they don't touch them, so where is the problem? They pick their nose and then touch each other, that' s a lot less clean then touching a just hatched chick...and they can WASH....will get rid of chicken AND nose germs.

Sounds more like unmotivated teachers, because it is a 21 day commitment, including weekends. Some schools don't have weekend access to their classrooms any more, due to budget cuts. Some don't have access to funding for egg purchase (which can be surmounted with donated eggs) or incubators (which they can borrow from the local Cooperative extension) Perhaps if they knew that, they might reconsider depriving the children of this wonderful experience. Other teachers stopped doing it because they couldn't get rid of the chicks. You can help them out with that, right? And they don't have to hatch a whole dozen eggs or in EVERY classroom....one classroom can do it and the other classes students can come in to view the progress while the host class is out to a "special" or lunch, for that matter.

Can you tell I was an educator? And I am a problem solver? And I don't take "no" for an answer easily? LOL

 

[Cass]

Check

your zipper before going out in public.

 

[Lynzi777]

Hmmm....I don't buy either of those excuses. Egg allergy? They don't EAT them, they don't even touch them, they just watch the chicks hatch. Feather allergy? They chicks are only in the classroom for a day or two, so that would be minimal exposure. (and how many children have feather allergies, really?) Cleanliness? Again, they don't touch them, so where is the problem? They pick their nose and then touch each other, that' s a lot less clean then touching a just hatched chick...and they can WASH....will get rid of chicken AND nose germs.

Sounds more like unmotivated teachers, because it is a 21 day commitment, including weekends. Some schools don't have weekend access to their classrooms any more, due to budget cuts. Some don't have access to funding for egg purchase (which can be surmounted with donated eggs) or incubators (which they can borrow from the local Cooperative extension) Perhaps if they knew that, they might reconsider depriving the children of this wonderful experience. Other teachers stopped doing it because they couldn't get rid of the chicks. You can help them out with that, right? And they don't have to hatch a whole dozen eggs or in EVERY classroom....one classroom can do it and the other classes students can come in to view the progress while the host class is out to a "special" or lunch, for that matter.

Can you tell I was an educator? And I am a problem solver? And I don't take "no" for an answer easily? LOL

That is weird...I didn't even get a note home stating they were going to do this, I'm going solely on what my son told me. There were no papers to sign or anything with the hatches in kindergarten or preschool - again, just a mention that they were going to be doing it.

So yesterday when my son was telling me that "Ben's mom" brought in eggs, I said "Really?? Who is this Ben and where does he live?" LOL Thinking, hey there's another chicken owner close by....wonder what they have. Today he comes home with this piece of paper and says "Oh Mom! I asked Ben what his last name is and he wrote it down for me! Told him you wanted it because of the chickens." OMG, thanks kiddo! I gotta keep my mouth shut around this kid. Lord only knows what else he is saying about me in school.

LOL


Speaking of all this hatching - I want to get an incubator by the end of this summer so I can start hatching eggs on our own come springtime. What is everyone's recommendations for one? I know nothing about hatching.

 

[ChickPrincess]

That is weird...I didn't even get a note home stating they were going to do this, I'm going solely on what my son told me. There were no papers to sign or anything with the hatches in kindergarten or preschool - again, just a mention that they were going to be doing it.

So yesterday when my son was telling me that "Ben's mom" brought in eggs, I said "Really?? Who is this Ben and where does he live?" LOL Thinking, hey there's another chicken owner close by....wonder what they have. Today he comes home with this piece of paper and says "Oh Mom! I asked Ben what his last name is and he wrote it down for me! Told him you wanted it because of the chickens." OMG, thanks kiddo! I gotta keep my mouth shut around this kid. Lord only knows what else he is saying about me in school.

LOL


Speaking of all this hatching - I want to get an incubator by the end of this summer so I can start hatching eggs on our own come springtime. What is everyone's recommendations for one? I know nothing about hatching.

ROFL!!! Coming from someone who works with 90 or so 1st and 2nd graders...
"Out of the mouth's of babes!".
If only parents knew.

 

[ChickPrincess]

Hmmm....I don't buy either of those excuses. Egg allergy? They don't EAT them, they don't even touch them, they just watch the chicks hatch. Feather allergy? They chicks are only in the classroom for a day or two, so that would be minimal exposure. (and how many children have feather allergies, really?) Cleanliness? Again, they don't touch them, so where is the problem? They pick their nose and then touch each other, that' s a lot less clean then touching a just hatched chick...and they can WASH....will get rid of chicken AND nose germs.

Sounds more like unmotivated teachers, because it is a 21 day commitment, including weekends. Some schools don't have weekend access to their classrooms any more, due to budget cuts. Some don't have access to funding for egg purchase (which can be surmounted with donated eggs) or incubators (which they can borrow from the local Cooperative extension) Perhaps if they knew that, they might reconsider depriving the children of this wonderful experience. Other teachers stopped doing it because they couldn't get rid of the chicks. You can help them out with that, right? And they don't have to hatch a whole dozen eggs or in EVERY classroom....one classroom can do it and the other classes students can come in to view the progress while the host class is out to a "special" or lunch, for that matter.

Can you tell I was an educator? And I am a problem solver? And I don't take "no" for an answer easily? LOL

I don't either. Maybe I can send a letter to the BOE. They are ROBBING these children from this experience! One incubator per grade level would be awesome!
I don't think it's lazy teachers. They'd like to do it as much as I would. I think our district is just too worried of sue-happy parents!

 

[rancher hicks]

That is weird...I didn't even get a note home stating they were going to do this, I'm going solely on what my son told me. There were no papers to sign or anything with the hatches in kindergarten or preschool - again, just a mention that they were going to be doing it.

So yesterday when my son was telling me that "Ben's mom" brought in eggs, I said "Really?? Who is this Ben and where does he live?" LOL Thinking, hey there's another chicken owner close by....wonder what they have. Today he comes home with this piece of paper and says "Oh Mom! I asked Ben what his last name is and he wrote it down for me! Told him you wanted it because of the chickens." OMG, thanks kiddo! I gotta keep my mouth shut around this kid. Lord only knows what else he is saying about me in school.

LOL


Speaking of all this hatching - I want to get an incubator by the end of this summer so I can start hatching eggs on our own come springtime. What is everyone's recommendations for one? I know nothing about hatching.

You will get many opinions, but what you can afford does matter and what you're willing to spend. I have a Genesis 1588 and that's does plenty of damage (enough chicks) for me. I believe it has been improved.

 

[Lynzi777]

You will get many opinions, but what you can afford does matter and what you're willing to spend. I have a Genesis 1588 and that's does plenty of damage (enough chicks) for me. I believe it has been improved.

I really don't want to spend more than $100-$150 on one. I don't need anything that will hatch more than a dozen or even less at a time. I'll even turn the eggs myself if I have to. I'm home all day anyway. But I do want something that will be pretty easy control as far temps go. I plan to hatch in my office since that is a room in the house that keeps a pretty constant temperature.

 

[McBride55]

Ok, where to start? Got a couple pay checks from the new job. Am going to TSC tomorrow to get 6 Golden Comets that are marked down. Am working on getting the brooder box set up tonight.

Just to catch up. I am from the northern fingerlakes, joined to reasurch raising chicks for eggs, lost both my jobs in a week, was bumed I wouldn't afford my chickens this year, and everyone was very supportave of me and I got many wishes for luck.

 

[NookNook01]

There is a tutorial on YouTube for vent sexing ducklings. Dunno how effective it will be, wish I could learn it too!!

Now THAT is a skill I would like to learn.  If I could vent sex the hatchlings I am going to acquire soon, I could keep the roos for the freezer and sell the girls.