Pennsylvania!! Unite!!

[dheltzel]

Well crap. On that note, anyone in the Delco area have hatching eggs available?

What are you looking for? Someone may be closer, but I work in Blue Bell (Montco) and can get these:

barnyard mix - from several pens depending on what you are looking for
ameracauna x easter egger - should be good layers of blue eggs
breda fowl - smallish white eggs, but rare and pretty.
new hampshires - limited quantities of these, maybe 5 or 6 per week.

 

[LisaYolkUm]

another E name idea


How about "Elvis"

Ernesto

Enricho

Emerald

Emeral ( bam.............as in the cook)............not sure how to spell it!

Excellcius

Excalibur


I still think I like Egbert the best........................its endearing and humourous..............


EJ

Estrada

Ephiphany

Elephant

Ellie

Exy

Ebert

Elf

 

[LittleMissPurdy]

I have decided to try my hand at growing my own chicken feed! What do you guys think?

hahaha, your looks better than mine!
My ghetto-garden..hahahhaa
Had to cover everything with the boxes again last night..should be okay tonight w/ temps. in the 40's...
You would know pretty much right away if they made it or not..they get black, and just flop over...the key is to make sure nothing is touching the plants when you cover them

I am working backwards here...hahaha, had a lot of posts to read..
These are just too cute!

**Troyer- awesome looking chicks!! Got to make sure you take pics as they feather-out!
!

**jnkbtd08-Talk about using what you have!!! This is great..like the way you set it up.

 

[LittleMissPurdy]

This spring mine are staying with the chicks for 6-8 weeks and starting to lay again. I have found that if the hens are in small pens that are completely predator proof with plenty of feed they tend to leave them sooner than the ones that free range all the time. It seems that they "know" when they're no longer needed by the chicks to keep them warm and safe from predators. My free ranging hens will stay with the chicks for a minimum of 12 weeks before leaving them to fend for themselves and start with a new clutch. It also makes a difference at what time of the year it is, if it's in the fall they will often stay with them until they're 6 months old.

As Troyer said, this seems to vary based on season and even the hen involved. Most of ours stay 5 to 8 weeks, usually the longer time frames in cooler weather. It does seem like the broody understands that some just don't need them as long as others. When my Gracie hatched out banty types who were smaller (and the weather was cooler) she stayed with them 8 weeks, when she hatched out large fowl chicks (such as the EEs she just finished) she pushed them away at 5 weeks.
But remember, broody raised chicks at 5 weeks are nothing like brooder raised at 5 weeks. These chicks head out in the morning and free range all day, they were feathered from about 3.5 weeks old and have been dusting outside and doing their own foraging since 3 or 4 days old with the broody.
Generally I see a progression of behavior with all of the broodies and chicks... Day 1-3... mostly stay in nest or in immediate area, short trips to area within a few feet of nest to get food and water and maybe scratch a little (if that is an option)
days 3-6... roaming a bit farther from the nest, but rarely more than 10 or 15 feet from the coop, broody is taking them outside but frequently stops and sets to allow them under for warm ups (usually about 5 minutes out of every 15 or 30, depending on outside temps) Broody is heading into the coop by mid or late afternoon and settles the youngsters into her chosen floor nest then till morning.
1 week to 3 weeks... broody is getting them out and about as much as weather permits. Stopping for warm ups is getting less and less frequent but hen still gets them into coop well before dark and they all stay under her (as much as possible) for the night. Broody tends to keep chicks within a close distance at this stage, mostly see them moving as a group within a circle of 4 or 5 feet... though there is usually one explorer in each group that gives the mama fits.
3 wks+... their time outside is getting more like the other birds' schedule, warm ups are rarer, chicks are ranging farther and farther away from the broody and she isn't freaking about it, often one gets 'left behind' and will be heard cheeping frantically as it realizes it missed seeing the group move on while it was exploring. Mama usually goes back for it and it then rushes to rejoin the group. At night the mama still nests with them, but often some will be seen laying around her rather than under her... she will start trying to get them up onto a roost like the other chickens around week 4 or so many times (at least ours do)
When you notice mama hen starting to eat treats herself rather than immediately give everything to the chicks then you know it won't be long till she goes back to the roost and leaves them to fend for themselves.. Broodies can be vicious about it... once she is done with the chicks she may peck them any time they try to come close to her or roost near her... some hens are more gradual about it, but I have a couple who are absolutely finished the day they decide the chicks can do for themselves...

The 'abandoned' chicks sound pathetic for a day or two, but they form their own little group and will run together all day and sleep together at night until they are nearly ready to lay eggs or crow, and by then they will often have established a small foothold in the coop pecking order. I often notice our broody raised 'siblings' will remain closer to each other than to other flock members even after a year or two, though not always. If all but one or two from a broody hatch are sold the remaining chicks quickly assimilate into the rest of the flock. (but ours are raised in the flock, not separately, so that may be why they mix in so quickly)

Your broody should give up the meat birds by about week 5 I would think... so well before butcher time.
I won't hurt her to have the egg shell choice, but she doesn't need the calcium right now... she won't start egging until she has decided it is time to leave the little ones or even just that they are big enough to do things on their own, even if she is willing to let them hang around with her. Our hens eat whatever the youngsters are getting for the most part, though there is always an oyster shell dispenser available in the coop I never see a broody with chicks anywhere near it.

You guys are the best!!

...Thank you so much for the help!!
I gave her egg shell, just for the heck of it...never know, she is a little 'different' anyway, just don't tell her that! hahaha
She is definitely at the 1-3 week stage of things...they are 2 weeks + a couple days....

 

[LittleMissPurdy]

Had to cull a 3 week old silkie chick with a crossed beak yesterday. I really, really, hate this part of keeping poultry. It ranks up there with a bad decision costing the life of a bird. I know this wasn't my fault, but I still feel bad.

GM all:

Checked on my broody this morning and found a chick on the coop floor....got out from under her and couldn't get back...really hope something else hatches so I can remove the extra dozen my other marans deposited under her...

Also went to Pickering Valley feed....and they did have three CCL girls as well as BBWs, White Migits, Seabrights, frizzle Cochins, a bunch of ducks and a pretty big selection of other chooks...

Sorry about your losses guys. most definitely not the part of raising any animal one wants to think about.

 

[Blarneyeggs]

My Lavender Orps.
My favorite breed , sooo cute as little chicks and gorgeous adult hens.

Gotta love an orp! Do you breed them? I hear it's hard to get a good tail on them.

 

[Blarneyeggs]

Quote:

 

[LittleMissPurdy]

Very pretty girl Stake!..so feminine.

wow, big chest!! I really like that barring...is that barring or am i blind?

CC: enable much?

Stake: birds look great!

Dennis, so sorry. Chicks seem a bit harder.

Wing...Pickering has Midget Whites!! Or did you already order yours? We have some poults that hatched yesterday. MsLadyHawke gave us eggs she bought as 'Royal Palm', now that they're hatched...I don't think they are actually royal pals. Their down is not yellow.

LMP, the Beekeeping supplies we took to auction were plastic supers. We only used them to house feed as the bees weren't too fond of it.

So I had a very bizarre Broody mishap this morning. I saw a chick hanging off the back of the broody, hanging there limp. So I scooped her up and saw that a feather had wrapped around the chicks neck and killed him. Then he was stuck to her. Very odd. I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it myself.

okay...I just saw the "bee supplies" and got all excited, you know how that goes!

...
So sorry about your little one..geesh, that is weird....
Have you & family finalized on names for your goaties?

 

[OneMountainAcres]

everyone's first few minutes in the coop they were really confused and rather nervous at first but within a few minutes they figured out the water bucket and a couple were jumping up on the roost shelves. I guess now they have to re-establish their pecking order. Hubby and I ended up watching them chase each other around for a good hour lol. It's obvious that they're loving finally having the extra space. They were running around, stretching and flapping their wings and just all around having a good time. Working on finishing up the run over the next couple days

 

[Blarneyeggs]

LMP so far we have Eva for the lil girl and Egan for the little boy, the big boy hasn't been named, but I'm loving all the suggestions I'm getting here, THANKS!

So for you turkey experts... Here are the 'Royal Palm' poults that aren't looking much like Royal Palm. I feel really bad for MsLadyHawke as I think she really wanted a Royal Palm for a friend. Any guesses here? MLH thought perhaps Red Bourbon...