Online Large Fowl Chat Thread

[CapricornFarm]

I am getting some Dominique chicks next month I think.... I tried hatching eggs shipped from Louisiana, but no luck. Did you sell any birds, Coach?

 

[Chicken Coach]

No, i didn't sell anything just went to see what they had and they had a bunch of roosters, a few mixed hens for 7 or 8 bucks.I didn't stay long. This year we keep the buck goat away from the girls so we could have april kids,but the buck got out for one day and now we have a goat about to kid, She had 3 last year and looks that way this year.Tomorrow we are going to clean out the kiding pens in the barn,which has chickens in it.

 

[shellyga]

Arielle... I wish I had parents willing to come in..but tis not the case. On possible issue might be timing.. if I know a parent is coming..on say Tuesday - I can have things for them to help me with.. a group to read with, some copies to make.. something productive for us both.. it is when they drop by unannounced that I am scrambling for something for them to do. It is all in the planning.

Chickens.. ok.. my pet peeve of the day is this - people who have called you for two weeks wanting eggs.. you finally agree on a date and how many they want.. and they cancel!!! Not just the "something came up" thing.. that I can understand as life is unpredictable.. the "I've decided not to buy hatching eggs until April" is what gets me. I had the chance to sell the eggs I was saving for her several times over..but now I am sitting here with stuffed incubators and 4 dozen eggs.. Some people are just determined to ruin my mood.

Now on to the auction last night..I came home with 5 new laying hens for the mixed flock.. need egg layers for the egg customers... PLUS.. I found a great cage in the discard pile that I am going to use for my lavendar silkies.. a win win situation. I tell you what though.. I have learned a valuable lesson. I will be raising up some of my mixed "yard" chicks for sale this time next year. Laying hens went for up to $25 per chicken!. These weren't any special breed -- prices just go up to "crazy" this time of year according to the old timers to go all the time. Both livestock auctions close are the same.. Laying hens are as valuable as gold.. I started going to the auction back in the heat of the summer.. you could pick up laying hens for $5.00. Again.. seems that timing is everything. I was lucky enough to win these at the end of the auction when most of the heavy hitters were headed home...so got them for a decent price.

Well now it is time to go check in on all my new ones and see if the broody blue silkie I bought with her clutch of eggs has hatched any more.. one so far on Friday...none since.

Shelly

 

[CapricornFarm]

I have a group brood going on, four silkies with a jillion eggs in a big pile. They roll them all over, refuse to use the nest box... and I am afraid they let the serama eggs get cold. Ugh.
So prices are up now Shelly? I was wondering when that was going to happen. I have a pen full of feathered chicks ready to go if the price is right. I will tale them Saturday. Ugh, my phone is not compatible, so I can't change tale to take
I slept in good today, just got up a little while ago. Guess I was tired:-D

 

[Chicken Coach]

Guess what happens when you billy gets out for one day. Two girl goats today.The rest are due in april.We where very glad to get girls,the mommy is one of our best does .We brought the bater in today and are getting ready for the dom eggs i'm getting in the mail.Also i've been saving eggs this week. I wait untill spring most of the time but you guys are a bad influence on me.

 

[CapricornFarm]

Today DH was working on converting another goat shelter to a coop when I finally crawled out of bed. It was after 10! The goat shelter was a small one I used to keep in a small pasture for the bucklings. But now it will serve as a coop for my Gold Laced Polish. He got the door on, and replaced a couple of rotted boards. I painted the interior a whitish grey. Then I put wire across the bottom.
It was warm again today, but overcast. The Cochins liked their new coop so much that they laid two eggs today, twice what they laid yesterday.

I can't believe they are not broody, everyone else is. I have a broody BO, four silkies, two bantam cochins, a Buff Brahma and a Light Sussex all broody. The Light Sussex had a disaster with her eggs, the light got knocked down, landed right in the nest and baked the eggs she was incubating! At least she had enough sense to get out of the nest. I only gave her the eggs hoping she would stop being broody and start laying again! Poor thing, maybe I can stick some chicks under her. One of the eggs the silkies are camping on had pipped when I checked tonight, hope it is a serama.
Tomorrow I will be packing more eggs and shipping again. Hopefully I can find my old glasses , because I still have not found the lens from my current pair that got lost somewhere on the farm here.
Here is my Gold Laced Polish rooster after the rain messed up his " hairdo"

 

[CapricornFarm]

Another lovely mild day today, after the big storm last night. The chicks all survived the power outage. Only time will tell about what it did to the eggs. I know I slept lousy.
Today I packed and shipped four boxes of eggs, got two more to go out tomorrow . Got chick catalogues in the mail today. They are trying to tempt me but they don't know I already have a barn full :-D I was wishing I had more time to spend outside today but I had work to do indoors. Tonight I finished ironing DHs clothes Went to the dentist about my bad tooth and they did xrays and said it might be a sinus infection so I get antibiotics tomorrow .
Jack, the butt headed goat , jumped the fence today and I discovered him eating my irises. I put a leash on him, tied it to a tree and cut his hooves back. He was not impressed. Then I walked him down and put him in the OK corral by himself. He hates it but I am tired of him jumping fences. Still no baby goats! They will wait until it gets really cold I bet. I am going to take pics of them dressed in their baby clothes, which I put on to keep them warm. Too cute!

 

[CapricornFarm]

Triplets today for Nina! Two boys and a girl!

 

[mrheinz77]

Congrats

 

[Arielle]

Congrats on the triplets!! And congrats on the twins!! Love it when the girls give me twin girls!!

DH and I sorted the ewes on Sunday, moving the "most likely to lamb" to a barn closer to the house. Easier to make the midnight check for me. Now it's hurry up and wait. I'm still collected the lambing supplies. ANd we put little coats on , too!! THought we were the only ones!! LOL


Customers are a funny lot-- For spring lambs I require a deposit, otherwise it's first come, first served. Too many say they want an Easter lamb and never show up. I'm reading a book on marketing

At the auctions-- are the 25$ hens at POL ? Or does this include any that are all feathered in??