This thread sure is hard to keep up with-- miss two days and I'm about 200 posts behind! I didn't read everything, but I sure do enjoy following everyone on here.
Okieridge, I hope you catch your snake. Tell that varmint that those eggs have my name on them and I'm not willing to share! LOl I really appreciated the eggs the other day. They are in the incubator and on their way. I got a new (to me) incubator Thurs. and am anxious to fill it up. It has a 216 egg capacity and is miles ahead of those little styrofoam jobs I've been using. But, the good thing is that I've figured them out to the point of getting about a 90% hatch rate with good eggs, so this new one should be a cakewalk.
Went to the sale at Perkins yesterday and it was pretty sad. Chicks were only bringing from about $.30 to $1.25 for bigger ones fully feathered for standard breeds like barred rocks or rhode island reds. Marans brought a fair amount, but not nearly what I've seen them sell for. Big roosters only brought between $1 and $3.50. It was not a good day to sell.
I came home to 29 out of 31 eggs hatched in the little incubator. I had two of my grandkids here this weekend and they were so excited to get to see baby chicks hatching. My granddaughter would go check about every 20 min. Friday evening and she would come out excited that another one had zipped or hatched out. She learned some chicken terminology this weekend and my 6 yr. old grandson told me he is going to be a chicken farmer when he gets big.
Something got into one of pens last night and killed 8 of my youngsters. One of them was completely torn apart, but the rest were all intact. When I went out this morning I thought the rain had did them in because there were a couple laying out in the pen. But, when I checked in their little coop, there about 5 in there and that's where the torn up one was. The opening into their "box" is only about 6 or 8", so it couldn't have been anything big. Of course, whatever it was got some of my best LF cochin chicks. I had one that was a beautiful dark blue and its feathers were all laced almost black. Prettiest blue cochin I've ever seen and it was definitely slated for the breeding pen. Of course, it was one I lost. I felt like sitting down and crying, but tears have never solved anything that I could see. I just can't figure out what it could have been. All of my pens are inside a bigger enclosure with 6' chainlink fencing with solid metal sheeting around the bottom. I have shade cloth over the top, but I guess whatever it was could have climbed over and squeezed between it and the fence. I just don't know what would have torn only one up like that and left the rest. I am totally bummed right now, at any rate. I guess now I'm in the market for more blue and black cochins.
