- Jul 18, 2014
- 7
- 0
- 9
Hi all,
Always had chickens as pets since when I was small in Belgium. When I met my wife, I had a great idea and we got 3 chicks. My father in law helped me build a coop, way to big and we decided to get a bunch more. We bought a house never thought about it would be illegal to keep chickens in an HOA. So after many tickets, we gave the chickens away to a local farm. We started reading about how bad food (GMO pesticides,...) And we started growing or own veggies in the smallest backyard ever in the same neighborhood. I got myself a pair of New Sealand rabbits for breeding and food. When my veggies grew to tall we got another ticket from the HOA. So we had to get out of there as soon as possible.
We placed the house on the market and looked for a house with a big backyard (+1 acre). House was sold but we didn't find a place yet, so we moved in with the in laws. One day my wife found an old brick and concrete warehouse and she wanted to go check it out. It was an old waterworks building that had been vacant for years. It was disgusting, rats were running around and a big mess. I didn't want it, way to much work to rebuild to a living place, but she insisted. I gave in and now 1 year later its fully renovated we live here sins December 25th, I am actually really happy that she found this. probably the best buy I will do in my whole life.
During renovations, my wife was exited to get chickens, So we got 5, 4 week old Ameraucanas. The guy promiced us they were all hens (3 roosters), we got 5 silkie hens (1 showgirl). They were all older 8-9 months. One changed sex to rooster, I am 100% sure she laid eggs before. 3 Buff orpington, 2 wynedots, 5 copper marans, 2 blue marans, 1 spickled maran, 3 spickled sussexs.
1 silkie (my wifes favorite) got cought by an eagle. The next day he came back and my wife protected the flock, the eagle tried to attack my wife. We lost a wynedot, fell off the roost and broke neck? and we lost a sussex to the other chickens (pecked to dead).
All my chickens have a 8x8ft coop and a 50x50ft run (now covered with bird netting).
3 months back we got a 9 more week old chicks. Ameurecanas, easter eggers and marans. We also got 5 bronze turkeys and 50 quail. One night when they were 2 months old and slept outside in a shed, a raccoon broke in and got 3 of the chicks. Turkeys were unharmed (they slept on the highest spot in the shed). One day we came home from work 3 Turkeys dead and next day 1 more day or 2 after the last one died. This all happened after the raccoon attack.
I love my quail and currently have 20 hens and 5 roosters. We have between 16 and 25 eggs a day (how 25 a day is possible I have no idea only have 20 hens (I'm sure about the sex of the males (foam) ) ) I keep them in rabbit cages and I'm planning to expand to 125 birds in total. I want to breed with them and maybe sell my excess eggs. I love the meat and eggs.
6 weeks ago I bought some duck eggs off of ebay, I wanted to put them under my broody silkie. My wife didn't want me to do this so I went to TSC to get a forced air incubator. Tested the incubator for a full day and even though it didn't hold temperature put the eggs in. In the mean time my wife got 12 eggs Rhodebar eggs and she wanted me to put them in the bator. After adjusting the temp every day, and having trouble keeping humidity down, it was time for lockdown. I put a sponge in and got the humidity to 75-82%. I went into lockdown with 9 rhodebar eggs and 3 duck eggs. 6 rhodebar chicks hatched (2 hens 4 roosters autosex), but the ducks kept waiting for them. suddenly a pip. but it stayed with a pip for 24h. suddenly a second pip, but then nothing for 18h, so i decided to help. I slowly peeled away the shell with tweezers and saw the duck was still alive. When I had the top off, I put it back in the incubator for 30 min, the duck didn't move so I started helping again, got some more shell off and put it back again, 1 hour later, it didn't move. I decided to get it out of the egg so i peeled everything away and kind of shaked it out of the egg. When it was out i put it in the incubator and noticed slime inside the bottom shell. yellow/ blue/ red slime (part of yolk?) the chick started moving slowly and he survived. today he is 5 days old
and is the most active off all the chicks. I llove this little fellow. I think I will keep him as house duck...
I had one chick with dislocated knee and pulled it back into place, it also had spraddle leg on that side. That's when i got serious and started really reading on this forum. Thx for all the info, because of you guys the chick walks perfect again.
I returned the TSC incubator and got a GQF 1588 Genesis Hova-Bator with digital readout. I have 12 more Rhodebar eggs in it right now. It seems to keep a steady temp.
I think this is my story and I'm very happy that I found this awesome forum, again thx guys for all the info!!
Tom Leroy PPT
Here is my first post with pictures
Always had chickens as pets since when I was small in Belgium. When I met my wife, I had a great idea and we got 3 chicks. My father in law helped me build a coop, way to big and we decided to get a bunch more. We bought a house never thought about it would be illegal to keep chickens in an HOA. So after many tickets, we gave the chickens away to a local farm. We started reading about how bad food (GMO pesticides,...) And we started growing or own veggies in the smallest backyard ever in the same neighborhood. I got myself a pair of New Sealand rabbits for breeding and food. When my veggies grew to tall we got another ticket from the HOA. So we had to get out of there as soon as possible.
We placed the house on the market and looked for a house with a big backyard (+1 acre). House was sold but we didn't find a place yet, so we moved in with the in laws. One day my wife found an old brick and concrete warehouse and she wanted to go check it out. It was an old waterworks building that had been vacant for years. It was disgusting, rats were running around and a big mess. I didn't want it, way to much work to rebuild to a living place, but she insisted. I gave in and now 1 year later its fully renovated we live here sins December 25th, I am actually really happy that she found this. probably the best buy I will do in my whole life.
During renovations, my wife was exited to get chickens, So we got 5, 4 week old Ameraucanas. The guy promiced us they were all hens (3 roosters), we got 5 silkie hens (1 showgirl). They were all older 8-9 months. One changed sex to rooster, I am 100% sure she laid eggs before. 3 Buff orpington, 2 wynedots, 5 copper marans, 2 blue marans, 1 spickled maran, 3 spickled sussexs.
1 silkie (my wifes favorite) got cought by an eagle. The next day he came back and my wife protected the flock, the eagle tried to attack my wife. We lost a wynedot, fell off the roost and broke neck? and we lost a sussex to the other chickens (pecked to dead).
All my chickens have a 8x8ft coop and a 50x50ft run (now covered with bird netting).
3 months back we got a 9 more week old chicks. Ameurecanas, easter eggers and marans. We also got 5 bronze turkeys and 50 quail. One night when they were 2 months old and slept outside in a shed, a raccoon broke in and got 3 of the chicks. Turkeys were unharmed (they slept on the highest spot in the shed). One day we came home from work 3 Turkeys dead and next day 1 more day or 2 after the last one died. This all happened after the raccoon attack.
I love my quail and currently have 20 hens and 5 roosters. We have between 16 and 25 eggs a day (how 25 a day is possible I have no idea only have 20 hens (I'm sure about the sex of the males (foam) ) ) I keep them in rabbit cages and I'm planning to expand to 125 birds in total. I want to breed with them and maybe sell my excess eggs. I love the meat and eggs.
6 weeks ago I bought some duck eggs off of ebay, I wanted to put them under my broody silkie. My wife didn't want me to do this so I went to TSC to get a forced air incubator. Tested the incubator for a full day and even though it didn't hold temperature put the eggs in. In the mean time my wife got 12 eggs Rhodebar eggs and she wanted me to put them in the bator. After adjusting the temp every day, and having trouble keeping humidity down, it was time for lockdown. I put a sponge in and got the humidity to 75-82%. I went into lockdown with 9 rhodebar eggs and 3 duck eggs. 6 rhodebar chicks hatched (2 hens 4 roosters autosex), but the ducks kept waiting for them. suddenly a pip. but it stayed with a pip for 24h. suddenly a second pip, but then nothing for 18h, so i decided to help. I slowly peeled away the shell with tweezers and saw the duck was still alive. When I had the top off, I put it back in the incubator for 30 min, the duck didn't move so I started helping again, got some more shell off and put it back again, 1 hour later, it didn't move. I decided to get it out of the egg so i peeled everything away and kind of shaked it out of the egg. When it was out i put it in the incubator and noticed slime inside the bottom shell. yellow/ blue/ red slime (part of yolk?) the chick started moving slowly and he survived. today he is 5 days old
and is the most active off all the chicks. I llove this little fellow. I think I will keep him as house duck... I had one chick with dislocated knee and pulled it back into place, it also had spraddle leg on that side. That's when i got serious and started really reading on this forum. Thx for all the info, because of you guys the chick walks perfect again.
I returned the TSC incubator and got a GQF 1588 Genesis Hova-Bator with digital readout. I have 12 more Rhodebar eggs in it right now. It seems to keep a steady temp.
I think this is my story and I'm very happy that I found this awesome forum, again thx guys for all the info!!
Tom Leroy PPT
Here is my first post with pictures
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and Welcome To BYC! Sounds like you are putting together a nice flock. Congratulations on your successful hatch and saving the ducking, sounds like you have a house duck in the making! Sorry about the predator problems you have had. Be sure to check out the Predator forum, there are a lot of threads on dealing with raccoons especially 
