Pipd's Peeps 2014!

lightchick · Jul 20, 2014

Hi Pipd! Your chicks are adorable as always! My new chicks can fly REALLY well. I mean they are only 2 weeks old and they are jumping out of their brooder (it is higher then my last brooder I used and that was 18 inches high)! Today when they went outside I called to them and I was on a lower part of a hill and Elsa (white/black chick) jumped and went flying and landed on my head! Sadly I think Ana is a boy...
See the way he/she stands and how dark his/her comb is? Elsa is still guessed to be a girl.

See "she's" a lot more girlish looking.

pipdzipdnreadytogo · Jul 24, 2014

Had to hop on to post here--and then I realized I read these posts and never responded to them! Oops!

lydzchix said:
I've so enjoyed reading your thread. My chicks are hatching and shipping tomorrow. These are my first. I grew up around chickens but that was 50 yrs ago. I'm getting 6, Australorp, golden-laced Wyandotte, Welsummer, Buff Orpington , Silver-laced Polish and an Easter-Egger. Hopefully, they will all arrive healthy. Pictures of your babies are so cute!

Oh, how are your babies? I hope they arrived safe and sound! Mabel is my first Welsummer, but I do have Wyandotes and EEs, and one of my first hens was an Australorp. My Dottes are sassy, big-bodied hennies that behave like dignified ladies. Definitely among the highest-ranking hens on my flock! And I LOVE my Easter-eggers, although about half of them are quite shy. Love those blue and green eggs, though! My Australorp was sweet and soft, but a bit shy as well. We got her from the feed store, though, so I think she had been traumatized by all the hands grabbing at her and kids running around screaming, you know? Depending on how things go, especially with the duckies, I might invest in another Aussy next year, and maybe an Orpington as well. I've never had an Orp, but heard good things about them.

We'll see!

lightchick said:
Hi Pipd! Your chicks are adorable as always! My new chicks can fly REALLY well. I mean they are only 2 weeks old and they are jumping out of their brooder (it is higher then my last brooder I used and that was 18 inches high)! Today when they went outside I called to them and I was on a lower part of a hill and Elsa (white/black chick) jumped and went flying and landed on my head! Sadly I think Ana is a boy... See the way he/she stands and how dark his/her comb is? Elsa is still guessed to be a girl.

Aw, yeah, with that big comb already I'd say you have a boy. :/ It's a bit too early to be sure on Elsa, but fingers crossed for her being a her! :fl

It's kinda funny, I named my Elda after a character in a book, didn't even think of how close it was to Elsa! :lol:

My Ancona, Rangi, was like that last year. Always flew to the top of my head when I let her. She still hops onto my shoulder sometimes, but she likes to peck my eyes, so I usually discourage her from doing so anymore. Instead, I pick her up. Most people say Anconas are flighty, but Rangi's such a sweetheart. :love

She is meek, though, and gets picked on by the other girls. Maybe that's what they mean by flighty? And my reason for posting here: Tonight is the official candling day for my duck eggs, but I got overzealous and decided to candle just one last night. Well, the one egg I picked had a very clear little ducky embryo in it!! :wee

e I was so worried the post office handling had ruined my chances at hatching these babies! Yay!! :celebrate

So hopefully it's not the only one! I'll find out when I candle tonight!!

lightchick · Jul 24, 2014

Well Ana and Elsa are 3 weeks today. The big chicks turned 12 weeks old yesterday. It's so exciting! The thought of eggs! I need to start layer pellets in only 4 weeks. The only problem is that the new chicks are going to be living with them by then and I don't know how to make the little ones eat the chick starter and the older chicks eat layer pellets.

pipdzipdnreadytogo · Jul 24, 2014

I don't use layer pellets at all. I've fed my birds from day one on on flock raiser for some years now. They get the calcium they need from oyster shell and the little ones can coexist because they aren't interested in eating the oyster shell yet. I also don't have to try to transition them from crumbles to pellets. That's something you could try, anyway.

If grower is sold year-round, that works just as well, too.

Can't believe how fast time's going by! My babies are almost 10 weeks old! :th

They grow too fast!

lydzchix · Jul 24, 2014

pipdzipdnreadytogo said:
Had to hop on to post here--and then I realized I read these posts and never responded to them! Oops!
Oh, how are your babies? I hope they arrived safe and sound! Mabel is my first Welsummer, but I do have Wyandotes and EEs, and one of my first hens was an Australorp. My Dottes are sassy, big-bodied hennies that behave like dignified ladies. Definitely among the highest-ranking hens on my flock! And I LOVE my Easter-eggers, although about half of them are quite shy. Love those blue and green eggs, though! My Australorp was sweet and soft, but a bit shy as well. We got her from the feed store, though, so I think she had been traumatized by all the hands grabbing at her and kids running around screaming, you know? Depending on how things go, especially with the duckies, I might invest in another Aussy next year, and maybe an Orpington as well. I've never had an Orp, but heard good things about them. We'll see!

They arrived on Tuesday in the best of health. I am amazing how their personalities show right off the bat. I already have a favorite which is my Silver-Laced Polish, Georgette (named after my DH, George. :lau

). Runs to my hand as soon as I put it in the brooder and was the first to figure out everything. They most aloof is my Buff, Goldie. The buddy of Georgette seems to be the Welsummer, Cornflake. I think my EE, Opal, is a day older than the rest as she was sporting little new wing feathers the day she arrived. I get the biggest kick out of the Aussie, Tarbaby, with her little white butt. Too bad that will go away. Dottie, the Wyandotte, is a sweetie too. She is one of the biggest and jumps up on the brooder already. They change so fast. Overnight, their wings have grown. I have a camera in front of the box so I can watch them anytime w/o being in the basement. Can't wait to introduce them to the big coop and the backyard. The bugs are waiting!

Here's my sweetie, Georgette and the others.

lightchick · Jul 24, 2014

lydzchix said:
Quote: Awww ADORABLE! I just want to hold them!

pipdzipdnreadytogo · Jul 24, 2014

Aw, your babies are too precious! :love

Heehee, Georgette is a great name.

So... I've gone from a good high to another low in regards to the duck eggs.

Candling tonight revealed that that one egg I looked at last night is, well, the only one developing. There are 5 maybes that look like they might have something going on, but the rest of the 18 are clear. I'm leaving them all in the 'bator for now, of course. Going back to my cheerleading ways from when Marge was sitting--come on, eggies! :fl

lightchick · Jul 25, 2014

pipdzipdnreadytogo said:
Aw, your babies are too precious!

Heehee, Georgette is a great name.

So... I've gone from a good high to another low in regards to the duck eggs.

Candling tonight revealed that that one egg I looked at last night is, well, the only one developing. There are 5 maybes that look like they might have something going on, but the rest of the 18 are clear. I'm leaving them all in the 'bator for now, of course. Going back to my cheerleading ways from when Marge was sitting--come on, eggies!

That's sound disappointing...hope you get some ducklings out of it. If only one hatches then you'll end up with a duck that thinks he's a chicken!

pipdzipdnreadytogo · Jul 27, 2014

Well, it's been a nasty, wet, stormy day here, so I don't have very many pictures. Still, the little ones are 10 weeks old today, so I made sure to get at least one picture of everyone!

Here are the babies!

Elda cuddles!