NY chicken lover!!!!

[stonykill]

Oh how I wish I could take some ducklings! They look so cute, but I need to take things one at a time!

Still learning with the chicks. I was heading out this weekend and drove by someone's property and there were three white ducks walking across the front yard, so nice and in line, just following one another. They were so cute. Maybe one of these days I'll add a few.

Question...Now that my chicks are outside, how much longer should I keep them on the chick starter? They'll be 5 wks this coming weekend.

i have always switched them over at 8 weeks old.

 

[ladylibra]

Marquisella has Lav Orps, too.
Don't know how far away you two are.

Marquisella is about 20 minutes from me.

 

[greymane]

Does anyone else hate this new Byc? I may get 1 notice that someone posted to the NY byc a day, but thats it..I find it frustrating, and annoying that the "back" button doesn't work here anymore!

I have been gone a few days and just now scanning through, so sorry if this has been answered. If you go to MY PROFILE > EDIT SUBSCRIPTIONS, then scroll down until you see SUBSCRIPTION OPTIONS > IMMEDIATE SUBSCRIPTION NOTIFICATIONS, you will get the option to either get one notification per day when the thread is updated OR a notification each time the thread is updated. I think it defaults to once a day.

 

[greymane]

Just wanted to share this. It is one of our Jumbo Coturnix hatching in the incubator. I did speed up the frame rate to 400% to shorten the clip. The actual hatching took about a half hour.

 

[marquisella]

Anyone have a Silver Laced Wyandotte cockerel/rooster available? Breeding quality at least. I have laying girls & my rooster is not fertile....

 

[ladylibra]

Just wanted to share this. It is one of our Jumbo Coturnix hatching in the incubator. I did speed up the frame rate to 400% to shorten the clip. The actual hatching took about a half hour.

that was cool...it never gets old ....watching babies hatch.

 

[Henicillin]

The ducks have figured out that nighttime means "go in the coop." No more rounding anyone up!

Two of the chickies did make a mad break for it today. They managed to tunnel their way out of the broody pen (deep litter - they found the one spot that wasn't done up tight and enlarged the hole until they could squeeze through), and made their way outside into the run. Alan noticed it when one of the dogs was sitting by the run fence looking in quizzically. He couldn't figure out what she was watching until he spotted two peeping fluffballs wandering around. He went in to corral them, and the roos kept placing themselves between him and the chicks. So, as I am head livestock wrangler, I got an exasperated phone call.

I told him to open the broody pen and let Mama out. He did so - and ditzy Mama continued contentedly sitting in her pen with the other two chicks, showing no inclination to move. Obviously, she can't count. So, he went back out to try chick-catching again. He finally managed to capture one, and put it into the coop through the pop door. The other one didn't give him a chance to catch it. As soon as it heard the first one peeping in the coop, it raced up the ramp and practically launched itself through the pop door. I wish I had video - evidently it was hilarious!

Hearing their peeping, Mama finally roused herself and came to collect her errant offspring. Needless to say, as the crazy Sussex hen's chick-stealing drama appears to be over, and they're bound and determined to get out in any case, we've taken off the end of the broody pen so the happy family can come and go as they please. We left a wall up for some privacy and for a more "enclosed" feeling, and they still have a chick waterer and a pan of feed nearby (I feed Flock Raiser, so everyone eats the same thing - no worries about it being gobbled up), but otherwise they can do their own thing. Alan said there was no aggression evident from any other member of the flock when the littles were out in the run, and Mama is now puffing up and hissing at things she considers threatening (like curious ducks), so I'm going to let them do their thing.

I also candled two of my other broody's eggs tonight. Both of them are developing, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

 

[featherz]

My dual broodies can't seem to get the hang of keeping track of their offspring. Each and every day they lose one that I have to go get back LOL. And it's generally in the woods - when they never went there before they were broodies!

I went around the run yesterday and tried to fill in any hole small enough for a chick to get out (the run isn't 100% done yet) and I left everyone locked up. I get home and sure enough, I can hear loud cheeping alllll the way from my car (and it's a long way from the car to that coop). Run back there and a little week old NN is running around in the woods.. /sigh. At least none of the others managed to get out.

(I snatched mama and let her get the baby out).

Thankfully neither of my barn cats have any taste for chicken.

 

[vmdanielsen]

Oh how I wish I could take some ducklings! They look so cute, but I need to take things one at a time!

Still learning with the chicks. I was heading out this weekend and drove by someone's property and there were three white ducks walking across the front yard, so nice and in line, just following one another. They were so cute. Maybe one of these days I'll add a few.

Question...Now that my chicks are outside, how much longer should I keep them on the chick starter? They'll be 5 wks this coming weekend.

I keep them on starter until I finish the bag. Then grower until you get an egg. I mix the layer with grower until the grower is finished.

 

[pharmchickrnmom]

Morning all. Today is a rainy, gloomy day and it matches my mood. Today is the funeral and the wake was last night. It was soooo very difficult to look at that beautiful little boy in his coffin with all his favorite things around him. God has a beautiful angel in heaven now.

Cute story. We had a family gathering at the house on sunday evening and all the cheeps were out enjoying freerange time. My daughters were outside (all 3 of them) with their boyfriends and so I asked them to grab my silkies and put them in their run as we were going to eat and I didnt want them outside alone because the falcons were around. My two daughters manage to grab Little Man and Sarah and put them in the run. Sassy, however, proved to be much more difficult. When they approached her, she took off running and screaming her head off, down the road. This little hen had them running down the road, around the lawn and through the woods before anyone could lay hands on her! Every time they thought they had her, she would make a quick turn and was off again! Hilarious watching 3 grown children trying to catch such a tiny little hen! She finally gave up and my youngest caught her. By that point she was tired and my daughters were mentioning a barbque. All I could do was laugh! Silkies may be small, but they are fast. There is a reason why I call that one Sassy because she is a sassy girl!!!

Coop update--Half the roof is on and one side is partially sided. The rain is holding us up some and the siding is taking some fiddling to get it just right. My dh is particular about getting it right so it looks good and is nice and tight. Pushing to get done as the terrorists are getting huge! They really need to be in the coop. Their box is too small. I am cleaning it daily because of the smell and because its good hygene for them.

My broody silkie Stripe is sitting tight on her eggs so i will candle later to see how they are progressing. She has been on them for almost 2 weeks now. The 9 in the incubator look good so far. I am hoping everyone makes it. It is a mothers day hatch so hopefully I will be a mommy again!

Hen and Featherz--no matter the species, kids always managed to find all the stuff we dont want them to find and get themselves in trouble doing so!!! heres hoping they learn to stay home with momma!!