***OKIES in the BYC III ***

[Kassaundra]

Around how old are chickens when you can tell if they are male or female?
We bought 6 from the pullet bin at Atwoods around a month ago and I am starting to suspect that one of them might be a male.

Depends on both breed and individual, some keep you guessing until saddle feathers, egg, or crow, others seem obvious from very young.

 

[Elbert Garrett]

Well, my lil' Splash silkie is definitely a pullet, so now I am looking for a Splash silkie cockerel for sale here in Oklahoma to be her true love. If anyone has one, please PM me pics of him, and tell me how much you'll sell him for.

Pics of her. She's eight months old, now!

Pretty little pullet!

 

[Chickenfan4life]

Pretty little pullet!

Thanks; she's my lil' baby. She'll follow me around the yard.

 

[CruchyJeepMama]

This is Merida, she is my favorite. She is always first out of the pen,
She always flies up on my leg and never wants me to put her down. <3

 

[NanaKat]

We have had an interesting day on the farm...and exciting too... thud:

Took the dogs out and peeked in on Sunshine in the barn. Hallelujah! Eureka! Mom cow is in the stall with Sunshine and baby in nursing away! And she has been all day.

The rest of the day started off with the sound of a chick in the incubator...under the egg turner...set on March 23... Due on Sunday the 13th. I was going to put those eggs in lock-down this evening. Went ahead and started lockdown this morning. Already have three in the brooder and 6 pipped and zipping. Never had so eager a hatch... lol.

Then after the breakfast dishes, went with the boys to feed cows and check the pregs. A first timer was going into labor early in their pasture Insead of the lot by the house. Some first timers can fool you into a false sense of security in thinking they are weeks away. We kept an eye on her and just before dropping her calf, she decides the pond bank was a good spot...with a little herding we were able to get to move her and the newborn to a safer spot. For a first time mom, she did remarkably well ending her calf and standing still for it to nurse. You would have thought she was an old pro.

Next, after feeding and watering the chickens and changing hay in nest boxes, noticed a heifer in the lot by the house was in the early stages of labor. She had been holding her tail high this morning and I warned hubby she might have it today. Hard labor started at 5 pm and just befor 6 pm she had her calf. Once the calf was up, the circle dance began...mom moving backwards and calf nuzzling...for 30 minutes until the calf wore her down. We enjoyed the show as the calf with a full belly began bucking and cavorting around Mom.

Will be checking the hatcher thru the evening. The first egg to hatch was one of the last collected on the 23rd from the CW pen and tucked in the incubator. The shell was really clean on the inside...an indication the chick was really full term....on day 18.75.

 

[mjgigax]

Well, my lil' Splash silkie is definitely a pullet, so now I am looking for a Splash silkie cockerel for sale here in Oklahoma to be her true love. If anyone has one, please PM me pics of him, and tell me how much you'll sell him for.

Pics of her. She's eight months old, now!

Talk to OKBetsy. She has amazing Silkies and Showgirls.
Here is the latest pic of Esmeralda that I got from Betsy in Decemper. You can't see them in this pic but Esi has has beautiful, huge black eyes. Her "hair" is still growing in.

 

[erinszoo]

Chickenfan - beautiful little silkie. Our boy follows me around the yard too. He really is a little pet. We had lunch on the patio today and he sat at my side and ate salad greens and tomatoes from my plate. (I handed them to him) He's white though.

Had a long night last night. Not only was it going to be super freezing cold last night so we had to blanket all the garden beds and fill hot water bottles for all the plants as well, then our rabbits, both females, decided to start building nests ... on the coldest night of the spring of course. Sigh. So we had to stop in the middle of washing fodder trays and covering plants, to fix up a box in our room for the girls to have babies in so they wouldn't freeze to death like they did last month. At 2:00 am we ended up with 4 from one rabbit and 7 from the other one all at the same time. So far, so good. We moved momma's out to their pen in the barn today and fixed the nest boxes up. It was kind of amusing this evening then as we put the babies on top of towels and when we put the girls back in for feeding, they dug up the towels and covered their babies with them like a blanket.

I tell ya, this daylight savings time is kicking my butt this year. I just can't adjust. My brain is still working with the sunlight. Supper is getting later and later which means we aren't even sitting down til after 9:00. We've even missed the news the last two nights in a row because we just aren't done with everything yet. Yikes!

Harvested today ... spinach, lettuce, and beet greens.


Sampson's four rugrats


a full pound of leaf lettuce


Chubbo's seven babies


Spinach chilling in the sink - 1/2 pound


Beet greens from thinning the beet today. Not a lot but enough for our salads for lunch. We only grow beets to pickle for my dad and son and the greens for our salads so we don't have much to start with.

 

[Kassaundra]

Good harvest. What kind of babies?

 

[erinszoo]

Babies are New Zealand with a little California thrown in. They make great meat rabbits. The last litter dressed out about 3 1/2 lbs on average at 12 weeks.

 

[jcatblum]

Very tempted to go outside & figure out which rooster has been crowing nonstop this AM. He may be on the short list.
Yesterday I set some Birchen maran & call duck eggs, they were shipped eggs so figured crossed. Still haven't found a single egg from the Mandrain ducks this season! However, on a good note, all our roof trusses were delivered yesterday. Think the framing is on track to start Monday or Tuesday, hope the nice weather stays so our house can be dried in quickly.