***OKIES in the BYC III ***

[lonnyandrinda]

Hey all,

As I have explained, I am new to the chicken world. Can I just say, props to all of you! @lonnyandrinda you are great, and I didn't realize what I was missing out on when I didn't take you up on adding your flock to ours. I used to think that $30 was a crazy amount for a chicken. Well, after the stress and nursing of sick babies, I am beginning to realize how much work goes into producing healthy chickens. I give props to everyone on here doing the hard work for us beginners! This year we have lost a few babies and it just breaks my heart every time. Sometimes it's fate, and honestly, sometimes it's our ignorance. I hope no one hates on us, but we lost my favorite pullet this weekend because she was sick and we put a big dish of water in her quarantine pen...We had to travel to OKC and checked on her before we left. When we got home, I found her little beak in that water dish. I feel so bad...I loved that little girl and she got sick because we put her flock in with the big birds before they were ready. My husband and I bury every animal who crosses the rainbow bridge, and I personally buried her because I felt so bad about her passing.

I'm being a bummer, and I am sorry. But at what age do you add juveniles to your flock? We re-separated everyone who was her age because we don't want to lose any more chickies.

(Also, my father-in-law is home and is able to walk and move his arms despite his injury! thanks for your support!)

Glad to hear your FIL is home and doing better!

Don't feel bad about the pullet- accidents happen! I had a BIG one hear a few weeks ago and lost almost everything in my brooders to the heat because of it. Makes me heartsick to think of it! And yes I took the responsibility to bury the 75 little bodies myself. Still hurts though!

I keep juveniles separate until they are a little more than half the size of the larger ones I want to add to. It helps to give them a "short" place they can hide where the big ones can't pick on them, and to add them at night.

I tell people only buy from someone if you feel comfortable. If you're not comfortable don't feel bad to walk away. It's not worth it to add the wrong or sick birds to your flock. Give any bird a good look-over for illness or bugs!

 

[HeyBigRhondaq]

@i-love-my-honey I too have some large fowl (and one lone bantam) cochin eggs hatching this week. They have a 25% chance of being frizzled, but again, you can't know for a week or so. I don't know where you or @Tony O live, but I'm in the Norman area.

 

[SharkmanDan]

I am trying to convince her she does not need a frizzle, just a beautiful cochin.  She is not so convinced - yet...  Are they good layers?

My one remaining. Frizzle' is of unknown breed. She is a consistent layer, of smallish eggs, which are always lightly stained. She has a beak that makes her look like a crow. She is assertive, but generally not mean. When she was young, she was one of six birds, 2 Frizzles, 2 White Crested Blue Polish, and 2 a bronze turkeys, who liked to hang out together, while free ranging. One morning, we found a spot of the coop, where the turkey could get his head out, and got it taken off, by a predator (we know it was a predator, because it happened on a night when I decided, because of a chance of rain, I'd leave the dogs inside).
After that, we would refer to the now one turkey and others, as "The Five".
Something went wrong, one day, and our Catahoula, after having earned our trust, went on a killing spree, and killed 16 pullets and the remaining poult, including one each Polish and Frizzle.
Now a days, she is not intimidated by the Narragansett turkeys, which are 4-5 times her size. If they start being mean to a pullet, she will run from across the yard, head down, like a missile, and break it up. She doesn't get mean, but she puts herself in harm's way, until the pullet is safe. She has even been known to get in the way of a guinea vs. turkey spat. But, unlike all the Polish, we've had (back to two left, after buying 7) she wants nothing to do with my wife and I.

Now, that said, if you really want a very sweet Polish, or Frizzle, I'd check with Hodge Podge Poultry, right there in Muskogee
The owner is a very nice fellow, and the kind of person I like to give return business to. Only issue is that we've just had such bad luck with Polish, we've decided to stick with other breeds, and not buy any more Polish, although this fellow, is developing some beautiful color strains, in his Polish Chickens.
Facebook, seems the best way I've found to contact him. https://www.facebook.com/hodgepodgepoultry

 

[jaxia]

Hello all!

Yesterday we got 2 new chicks, they were prolly only 1 day old. So little! I got one black pullet and a cute little black bantam with fuzzy feet. Im not sure about the feet. I picture poo all over them but I couldnt pass up the smallest chick ive ever seen. Anyways we have a tote for our brooder, its on the work bench. We cut a section out and used duct tape to tape some hardware wire on it so my daughter can see in and so they can see us coming and not b so startled. I guess the tape is crap cuz this morning the hub found the pullet on the floor! Thats a 3 foot drop! She seems fine. She huddled up with the other as soon as he put her back. She stands fine. Im just worried. We have learned alot about chicken loss this summer. Id hate to lose another. Are chicks like babies, soft and resilient? Or should I be worried?

 

[i-love-my-honey]

@i-love-my-honey I too have some large fowl (and one lone bantam) cochin eggs hatching this week. They have a 25% chance of being frizzled, but again, you can't know for a week or so. I don't know where you or @Tony O live, but I'm in the Norman area.

YES!! HeyBigRhondaq - I live in Edmond, that would be wonderful!! Can you PLEASE keep me in mind and let me know if you get some frizzles?? My daughter is SO excited!!

 

[i-love-my-honey]

My one remaining. Frizzle' is of unknown breed. She is a consistent layer, of smallish eggs, which are always lightly stained. She has a beak that makes her look like a crow. She is assertive, but generally not mean. When she was young, she was one of six birds, 2 Frizzles, 2 White Crested Blue Polish, and 2 a bronze turkeys, who liked to hang out together, while free ranging. One morning, we found a spot of the coop, where the turkey could get his head out, and got it taken off, by a predator (we know it was a predator, because it happened on a night when I decided, because of a chance of rain, I'd leave the dogs inside).
After that, we would refer to the now one turkey and others, as "The Five".
Something went wrong, one day, and our Catahoula, after having earned our trust, went on a killing spree, and killed 16 pullets and the remaining poult, including one each Polish and Frizzle.
Now a days, she is not intimidated by the Narragansett turkeys, which are 4-5 times her size. If they start being mean to a pullet, she will run from across the yard, head down, like a missile, and break it up. She doesn't get mean, but she puts herself in harm's way, until the pullet is safe. She has even been known to get in the way of a guinea vs. turkey spat. But, unlike all the Polish, we've had (back to two left, after buying 7) she wants nothing to do with my wife and I.

Now, that said, if you really want a very sweet Polish, or Frizzle, I'd check with Hodge Podge Poultry, right there in Muskogee
The owner is a very nice fellow, and the kind of person I like to give return business to. Only issue is that we've just had such bad luck with Polish, we've decided to stick with other breeds, and not buy any more Polish, although this fellow, is developing some beautiful color strains, in his Polish Chickens.
Facebook, seems the best way I've found to contact him. https://www.facebook.com/hodgepodgepoultry

WOW! that sounds like a lot of trouble!! I hope all is better now! Thank you for the referral. I appreciate you!

 

[MrsDickey]

Been over a week since I've been on. Too nice of weather to be online . My guineas have found their voices! My oh my, I had forgotten how loud they are! I can't count how many of each I have yet but I do hear both male and female calls! Planning to get some more in the spring.. we live on 40 heavily wooded acres and ticks are rampant. Had an Australorp get her foot caught and was hanging upside down for a little while. She's back out in the main coop but still limping around, hopefully she'll make a full recovery. My 8 boys are about ready for freezer camp- as soon as we get the guts to try our hand at it for the first time. I want to try and use every bit of them so none is wasted. Read a blog of a Lady who uses 100% of the chicken and says she uses the blood for garden fertilizer and the feathers for mulch? Any one else try and use all of the bird with little to no waste?

 

[HeyBigRhondaq]

YES!! HeyBigRhondaq - I live in Edmond, that would be wonderful!!  Can you PLEASE keep me in mind and let me know if you get some frizzles?? My daughter is SO excited!!

Absolutely. It's a small hatch (6 eggs) due Wednesday. We'll actually be in Edmond next weekend for soccer. If I get lucky with frizzles, it could work out great!
Edited to add: by "next weekend" I mean September 13, 14.

 

[i-love-my-honey]

Quote:
Where are you located, Tony O?

 

[i-love-my-honey]

Absolutely. It's a small hatch (6 eggs) due Wednesday. We'll actually be in Edmond next weekend for soccer. If I get lucky with frizzles, it could work out great!
Edited to add: by "next weekend" I mean September 13, 14.

That would be perfect!! :0) Just let me know!