***OKIES in the BYC III ***

[muesky]

How do you treat the feathers so that they don't acquire mites and disintegrate after harvest?



Last year, I got impatient for keets and bought about 30 at auctions for a premium price in April. Later, in May and June, I was able to buy slightly older keets for the same price and was kicking myself for buying the day olds since they didn't have as high a survival rate as the older keets did.

Hi Maribeth, long time no see. You going to the Newcastle auction Saturday. Love to see ya!

 

[BlanchardOK]

I dont know why it just added my response to the quote - but thank you! I will keep that in mind - Good things come to those who wait right?

 

[jcatblum]

Quote: Originally Posted by jcatblum Mitzi I Hope that the turkeys go to a great new home. I kept saying I was getting rid of oldest DD peafowl.... Been saying it for wks. Now when I think about it I know we will all miss them. The peacock is very entertaining. He gets excited & hops around in his pen & then of course we all enjoy watching him display! My peahen is boring though She doesn't talk to us, she never wants to see me, the peacock is by far my favorite! Much more personality! Plus my girls LOVED making hairbows & earrings out of the peacock tail feathers. Come July we will have our feather supply replenished if I hold onto him! How do you treat the feathers so that they don't acquire mites and disintegrate after harvest? Quote: Originally Posted by BlanchardOK Man wish my atwoods had keets - even for 5 bucks! I have four french keets but looking for another blood line to make sure they are okay to grow out a small flock.... shoot now I am going to have to go to atwoods today! Last year, I got impatient for keets and bought about 30 at auctions for a premium price in April. Later, in May and June, I was able to buy slightly older keets for the same price and was kicking myself for buying the day olds since they didn't have as high a survival rate as the older keets did.

I freeze the feathers for a few wks or months (depending on my memory). Freezing them seems to kill any thing that could have been on the feathers. I have yet to have any of last yrs earrings or hairbows fall apart. I do the same with guinea feathers.
DD sold keets at cement auction in July & they brought more than any others she sold. Auction price always is sat by the buyers. You never know what price anything will bring.

 

[old*cowboy]

What a day. Lets start with yesterday. Got up to find one of my game roosters had been near killed by something. I figured it might have been a small dog. But have later come to think it was a coon that maybe Bear had ran off before it could get it all the way killed. I put the rooster out of his misery and used him as bait in a live catch trap. Set 2 others also and put out some other stuff to keep varmits out. Penned Bear in the back yard so he would not get into anything. I went to Atwoods and bought some 2x4" wire and spent the day building pens to get roosters off of string walks. At 2 this morning my wife woke me saying Buster (Buster my cur dog, not to be mistakin for Bear that I got from Buster, I know it is confussing) was barking. I then made a trip around the farm with the shotgun. Saw nothing and chickens were all present and accounted for. Had to get up at 5 to go to OKC VA appointment at 8. Made another trip around chicken yard only to find one hoop house had been tour into and rooster was gone, lots of feathers and blood. I then made my trip to OKC only to get to VA and be told appointment had been canceled. But worked out good as got to be the first customer in the New Tandy Leather store where they moved on Reno. Got home and looked and saw where whatever had been doing the damage had also got 3 of my 2 month old asils out of their outside pen. Also see where it had been in each live trap and got bait, but only one was set off. I reset live traps and set 4 steel traps this eve. I have officialy declared war at my house.

 

[Okla-doodle-doo]

NaNa you mean you didn't get pics of all the cows and calves while you had them up! Got any really pretty ones this year? Hope the grass hangs on longer this year. We are actually getting a little dry for spring here. I had to water some of the flower beds today. I got some of the chicks moved out of the shed and into an outside coop but put a light in with them in case they get cold. Haveing ahrad time getting my chicks to thrive this year. I am adding the electrolytes and vitamins to their water but getting a lot of pasty butts and listlessness. (is that a word!lol)

P&B how are your rabbits doing this year? do you have a bunch of Easter bunnys? I have four left,a lady is supposed to come and get them tomorrow. I am enjoying getting into the dwarf rabbits and also have a nice pair of flemmish. They are both cottaintail colored and huge and sweet.

LOoking forward to this sat. Its the last Amish sale of the spring(in our area at least) Its a huge all day,two auctioneer(just for the poultry section!) sale. Don't really need anything but love to see all that goes thru the sale. And one or to things usually catch my eye.

 

[Ksane]

Been thinking about sorting through the birds & separating them in a different way. Now way in the world can I mention we need more pens. DH might jus loose it! It is all the silly rooster aggression that has me rethinking the current set up. I have 5 roosters & about 50 hens or pullets in the lean too of the barn & somehow they still can't share! I don't want to get rid of any of the Roos I like all 5, I just want them to get along. Is that too much to ask? My Roos that I have in their own breeding pens will even fight with my other Roos through the fencing. Boys have no self control sometimes.

Welcome to my world. I hate that my boys don't get along. I did manage a Cochin roo and 2 Silkie boys in the layers yard, stroke of luck is all. Then the 2 Marans boys get along thankfully so they share girls. But I'm going crazy trying to separate everyone. And I also have to put up barriers on the chain link because they fight through the fence. jeez!
I went through yesterday and looked down chicken throats expecting to see pox still in the throats of the affected ones. And NOBODY had the yellow patches in their throats anymore! Hooray!! It was 2 1/2 wks ago that I vaccinated for Fowl Pox, that just had to be what it was and how I stopped the spread. What a freaking headache-arg!
Got my turkey boy placed, that was really hard. It helped the lady was a sweetheart and I feel like she'll take care of him. I told her the same thing I tell everyone with any kind of animal I place-if it doesn't work out I'll buy him back for his lifetime no questions asked. So at least she has an out if it doesn't work. I did keep the 2 Turkey girls, they're getting along wonderfully in the fenced back yard with the EE who is healing from roos messing her up. I'm glad they get along, this way the EE can always live with the Turks since I can't put her with roos. The Turk girls are awesome-just want to snuggle up with us. They've never been out of their pen and now the tom isn't here trying to mount them all the time, they really seem to be enjoying themselves.
Our internet has been down since this morning, I broke down and bought some 3G for my iPad. So Robin, I didn't forget the picture of the crooked beak Brahma chick. I'm really praying you'll take it. I'm absolutely not keeping any Lavender Ameraucana boys so if any of these 5 are boys they're up for grabs for free. They're beautiful! Their color really truly is Lavender, darndest thing I ever saw, purple chicks. NoCityBoy-the male Brahmas are still yours if you want them, otherwise they're up for grabs, too. There's one who's my favorite I'm keeping either way. I know you wouldn't want the crooked beak one for breeding, I'll figure something out for that one. Carl hatched out *1* LF Faverolles for me that came from my big Favs here and it happens to be a boy. I've got 4 in the incubator but don't know if they're fertile yet.
Rebecca, I still have that Splash Cochin boy, he's seemingly healthy but I'll keep him here for awhile to be sure. I'd feel like a real heel if you took him and he got any of yours sick.
Ok, the blabbermouth will shut up now. (Let it go, Jim lol)

 

[Ksane]

Oh man, Cowboy! I hope you or the dogs catch what's getting the birds! It must be sneaky to be getting past the dogs.

 

[nocityboy]

Yea, I'll take the males, are they staring to feather out yet?

Guy, do you think it's a raccoon or do you have any idea?

 

[Ksane]

Yea, I'll take the males, are they staring to feather out yet?

Yea, but I'm not sure how to sex them? The tips coming out are laced on 4. The one who hasn't started to feather out yet is the crooked beak one. Does that mean anything?

 

[Okla-doodle-doo]

Kane it sounds like you need to load up a bunch of Roos and head to an auction!lol

Cowboy hope you catch your varmint tonight,that's so frustrating to loose good birds that way. What neat toys did you get at Tandy? Haven't seen a Tandy catalog in years. Need to order me one. Just what I need another hobby! Lol