***OKIES in the BYC III ***

[ashtree]

I can't remember who was looking for silkie hens (someone's birthday) but these look worth checking out and at a good price
http://tulsa.craigslist.org/grd/4707968242.html
@greenacregirl just found your original post. I have no idea if these are in your area.
Best of luck!

 

[ashtree]

@HeyBigRhondaq We are definitely getting eggs from the Rosecomb. I actually think we got the first egg that Sunday after we brought her home. I thought that was impossible (moving/stress/delayed laying?) but I caught her laying a tiny pullet egg today little cutie! It's hard to imagine that little body making an egg.

 

[HeyBigRhondaq]

@HeyBigRhondaq We are definitely getting eggs from the Rosecomb. I actually think we got the first egg that Sunday after we brought her home. I thought that was impossible (moving/stress/delayed laying?) but I caught her laying a tiny pullet egg today little cutie! It's hard to imagine that little body making an egg.

So glad! She must be feeling right at home! I hope more of my large fowl decide to start laying...seems like it's taking forever!

 

[greenacregirl]

I can't remember who was looking for silkie hens (someone's birthday) but these look worth checking out and at a good price
http://tulsa.craigslist.org/ grd/4707968242.html
@greenacregirl just found your original post. I have no idea if these are in your area.
Best of luck!

Thank you I will check it out.

 

[NanaKat]

I was looking at the different kinds of chickens just about 15 min ago. I think chickens are beautiful. I live in South East Kentucky. I only have Rhode Island Reds and Golden Comets. I only have about 30 hens and One Rooster. I let them free range all the time except winter. They have a coop and covered fenced area for winter. I am a retired nurse and the chickens keeps me busy..

to BYC and the OKIE thread. Sounds like you have a nice flock.
Have you also joined the Kentucky threads...I bet you have neighbors who would help you diversify your flock...enable, enable, enable.

 

[artsyrobin]

The Jersey Giants have started laying! Look at how dark millies eggs are!

 

[Tony O]

@NanaKat Im glad to hear you are doing ok! And I agree what a wonderful hubby

Mine is awesome like that too... gotta love them!
A few days ago my neighbors house burnt and in the meantime i've been walking down and feeding her 30+ chickens and ducks for her until hopefully she can find a new place rather soon. I dont know what shes gonna do because with the house burnt to the ground it isnt easy convincing the chickens to stay in the back yard and only two of them are cooped up. Animal control stopped by a few mins ago to confirm rumors I had been feeding the chickens everyday and I told her to let me know if the neighbors started complaining about wandering chickens... its only been a few days and I told the kids if they see them wandering to either chase them home or catch them and bring them here and id put them in my about to be empty coop... im trying to get up my nerve because I am going to cull my first rooster today! Im nervous but all yalls posts on here about rigor ect. And the research I have done (hours of reading and you tube videos) has given me enough confidence to finally try it... the roo in question is very mean anyway, I even gave him away once and they brought him back because he kept attacking her other roosters because before he was given to me he was a fighting rooster (I had no idea when I accepted him) so who better to practice on! I know how and where to cut but I think I will probably just skin him to void out the hot pot and blow torch this time around and I have plenty of ice and salt ready to go. Since he is like 2yrs old (I believe) I figure ill let the meat rest until sat. Or sunday to be sure it Isnt tough. Anyways any last min. Advice, Tips, tricks or key things to know would be great!

Sorry, but . . .

. . . If he's a 2 year old fighting game rooster, he'll be tough no matter what you do.

 

[Tony O]

Guinea question. I picked up some guinea eggs in OKC last month, they started hatching this week right on schedule in my big sportsman. In fact they were a little early- when I put them in lockdown Monday a few had started pipping already. Out of roughly 20 keets about half of them have splay leg straight out of the incubator- I could see it before I even removed them from the tray. I bandaged their legs in place. By my understanding splay leg has several causes: too low of incubation temperature, being placed on a slippery surface soon after hatch, and vitamin problems in the adult birds. I can completely rule out #1 and #2, so it by default option #3 my problem? I will give each a drop of Poly-vi-sol just in case. This is try #2 on hatching guinea eggs so I'm hoping these little guys make it!

Sometimes an early hatch will cause it too. It's probably to late to try this now, but next time you have straddle legged hatches, try this. Anything about one and a half inches wide, (give or take, depending on the size of the chick) at the bottom, with slippery sides, should work. If you have any round bottom cups, beer glasses, etc. narrow enough that they can't sit or spread their legs will work. When they hatch, as soon as you see the leg problem, put the chick in one and set it back in the incubator or hatcher. In 12 to 24 hours, remove the chick,and it should walk normal. If not, it probably never will. I've done this many times in the past and got about a 90% success rate. Best of luck with yours.

BTW, one more thing. Guinea keets have weaker legs than chicks. Paper towels are bad for them. They need a non-skid surface to walk/run on. With mine, I found about an inch of dried grass clippings or chopped up hay works well.

 

[Tony O]

? Can one bad egg make the rest of the eggs go bad? Here's what happened on a clutch of 20 eggs one egg had hairline crack I missed a and it went bad so I took it out the next day they all were bad.

I would guess all the eggs were bad to start with.

 

[lonnyandrinda]

Sometimes an early hatch will cause it too. It's probably to late to try this now, but next time you have straddle legged hatches, try this. Anything about one and a half inches wide, (give or take, depending on the size of the chick) at the bottom, with slippery sides, should work. If you have any round bottom cups, beer glasses, etc. narrow enough that they can't sit or spread their legs will work. When they hatch, as soon as you see the leg problem, put the chick in one and set it back in the incubator or hatcher. In 12 to 24 hours, remove the chick,and it should walk normal. If not, it probably never will. I've done this many times in the past and got about a 90% success rate. Best of luck with yours.

BTW, one more thing. Guinea keets have weaker legs than chicks. Paper towels are bad for them. They need a non-skid surface to walk/run on. With mine, I found about an inch of dried grass clippings or chopped up hay works well.

Good to know. Thanks. No way I could have put 10 cups in the incubator though. And they were spraddle legged straight from the wire floor of the incubator- and after a few hours in the paper towel box went into a wire brooder. They are looking much better already, even the ones that managed to pull their hobbles off.