She said/He said Who's right? Who's wrong? No one!

[holm25]

Walnut I found one of those feeders in an old coop to!! I think they r so cool. Definetly old made out of heavy Tamarac and made with what looks to be home cut wood. I fixed it up and am going to ve using it for the B/B/S Cochin pen.

 

[RubyNala97]

Update on the tag team silkie hatch. Over the course of 8 days, I wound up with 15 chicks and 2 unhatched eggs. I have been getting a chick a day for the last week. My assumption is that those were the eggs that were laid after the broodies first set. I had hens swapping positions as the chicks made their ways out. There were a couple of days that I would come home to 3 hens on the nest. I know this will drive Amy nuts, but I just let them be. I did have to remove a couple of chicks myself, just because I was afraid they had been on the nest too long, but I still wound up with 15/17 in what was a staggered hatch. Tough to beat broodies

Love the pics!! Do you have any other colored silkies or just the white? White's my favorite. I can't wait for this... For my birds to get old enough to lay & hatch their own eggs and get to watch them be mommies! I took my two, 5 week old silkies outside for playtime yesterday. Do you know those two birds just jumped right up in my lap and wouldn't get down. They were dying to get out of the brooder then when I let them out, they wanted to hang out on me! I was very flattered though. One played with my hair and the other laid down on my lap. So cute!

They remind me of the popular cheerleaders in school. Very pretty, and everyone wants to hang out with them, but not the head of the class

A little extra action on my lone pipper, but not started zipping yet. I was looking in the window and said "c'mon chickie! At least give me a sign that you are still alive" and a small chunk of the shell moved. Awwww!! I still don't hear any chirping though. (even when I play the video)

I use my finger nail to tap on the window of the incubator (trying to mimick a mother hen pecking at the egg) and I swear I always see the pip move when I do it. Try it!

Thank you. Don't vaccinate, don't intend to. From the Mareks research I've done: Vaccine only masks the disease in that the lethal tumors don't show up. Vaccinated poultry can catch it, can spread it. So, you may have vaccinated your first flock, and continued with a closed flock, only to still end up with it infecting your flock (chicks you've hatched yourself), and you may never know that the disease came from one of your vaccinated birds. Also, it is most likely to show up in over crowded conditions and in immune compromised birds. Well tended poultry with healthy immune systems are not likely to become ill with it. (I'm not saying they WONT, but I'm saying it's less likely to have it show up in a home flock. The commercial folks vaccinate b/c their flocks are over crowded, stressed, living in filth, and immune compromised. Furthermore, turkeys carry a strain of Mareks, which is less lethal to chickens. So, if you have a population of turkeys around your flock (I have tons of wild turkeys), your chickies are most likely to pick up that strain, which will afford them immunity to the more lethal strains. (Similar to the milk maids of the past being immune to small pox b/c they'd been infected with cow pox.) As far as other diseases, I have similar opinion: it's a shot in the dark. Money spent for a disease that may never be encountered, and if your flock is healthy, they will most likely not get sick. How to build flock immunity? I'm a fan of getting chicks exposed to native soils while their "peri-hatch" immunity is highest. (within the first 2 weeks) I give them a plug of sod: toss it right into the shavings in the brooder (upside down). I also put them on fermented feed. If you don't want to do FF, then you can do natural ACV with the mother, plus the sod, and add some packaged probiotics. I appreciate the rep that silkies have as excellent broodies... and have occasionally considered getting one for that purpose... but. When I look at pic #2, it looks like a flock of mutant sheep to me! I'd do a lot of research before jumping on the NPIP band wagon. There are very few diseases included in the testing, and all the NPIP certification does is state that your flock tested negative at the time you had the testing done. Personally, with all of the AI hype going on, the last thing I'd want to do is put my flock on a national registry. I'll take care of my flock, cull as needed, and fly under the radar.

This is exactly what I was thinking about NPIP! Very well said, Lazy!

The feeders are old tech wooden gravity boxes, each holds 100# of feed. They're based on late 19th century-early 20th century designs I found in old coops. For waterers, I cobbled some together. http://www.tractorsupply.com/en/store/fortiflex-sf-6-small-feeder-5-qt-capacity-sapphire plus http://www.tractorsupply.com/en/store/little-giantreg;-trough-o-matictrade;-plastic-float-valve. Build a wooden frame with extended supports to prevent the bowl from tipping, especially with turkeys or large fowl. Make it lift-out for easy cleaning. The float valves come with a couple of brackets, assemble as desired in a removable manner for easy cleaning. I use the die cast version of these valves for turkeys as a big bird can break the plastic by standing on it. I just put together a bucket with nipples and will try it with the babies. I'm currently using 1 gallon founts for those birds and have to refill several times a day.

I use the same type of feeder but I'm sure on much smaller scale. I have an extra nest box that it fits right into!

 

[bantam brood 17]

It's a pekin bantam, never hear them mentioned on here though. She's one of 3 birds I've got (2 pekin and 1 silkie x type bird) they are by far the best pets I've had and I've had a lot of pets!

I have just got 2 pekin bantams ,fingers crossed they are girls

I had hatched 1 chick just over a week ago and when I had managed to find these 2 and gone to pick them up my little 1 became ill and died ,so now I plan on getting a small flock of pekins , Ive asked for a new incubator for my birthday

 

[cppeace]

lol I didn't know there was a pekin chicken lol I only know of the duck. Great that you have a peeping pipper hope you get many more

 

[chickiedoodahs]

I have just got 2 pekin bantams ,fingers crossed they are girls    I had hatched 1 chick just over a week ago and when I had managed to find these 2 and gone to pick them up my little 1 became ill and died ,so now I plan on getting a small flock of pekins , Ive asked for a new incubator for my birthday

I got them when they where about 16 weeks and really wild but became supper tame within a week or 2, they are quite clever little birds or compared to my silkie they are anyway lol I love the way they run the best, I only have to open the back door and they come waddling straight up to me!

 

[WalnutHill]

I use the same type of feeder but I'm sure on much smaller scale. I have an extra nest box that it fits right into!

Mine are about 4 feet long and 2 feet high (100# capacity). I use two of those in the layer house and each one holds enough food for 100 layers for a week or more. Or for 25 broilers.

 

[bantam brood 17]

lol I didn't know there was a pekin chicken lol I only know of the duck. Great that you have a peeping pipper hope you get many more

I think they are called cochin in your neck of the woods

 

[scflock]

Agreed, very good post lazy. I like the way you think.

Just noticed a pip in a polish egg. Not sure how long its been there. Not very noticeable, just a little V, but definitely a pip!

Can't wait 'til they start popping out. If sales don't pick up soon, I may make you a deal on a breeder flock and 19 straight run chicks. I just don't think Carolinians are too keen on top hats...

Ok I had a sneaky little peek under 1 wing and I have a pip!!!! There's 5 eggs under her and I could only see 1 other egg from the tiny glance that I managed to get. I'm guessing that because one has pipped I should leave her completely alone now until she moves herself off the nest to keep up chicken humidity? It's boiling here today (for Wales anyhow) so only so long I could sit next to nesting box lol do you remove shells from the nest box before though? I presume my broody will take care of it?
Ahh so excited, I hope she's a good mummy...

Ok chickie, you've been here long enough. I don't know how much of this thread you have read, but everyone else knows what is coming next.






It's for your own good








Leave those eggs alone

Seriously, though, I wouldn't do anything else until she comes off the nest with her babies. I will peek under a broody to see how many chicks there are, but I won't remove any shells or otherwise disturb the eggs until the hatch is complete. The mama will take care of all the duties in the nest until she feels that the hatch is done, then she will bring the babies out when she is ready. Mine usually stay on the nest for 2 days while hatching. After they come out, that's when I clean up the nest

 

[RubyNala97]

Anyone see the chicken coop for sale in the latest Christmas Tree Shop flyer? I wonder if it would last one season?

 

[scflock]

Anyone see the chicken coop for sale in the latest Christmas Tree Shop flyer? I wonder if it would last one season?

I had something similar that I bought from TSC for my first d'uccle pair. It was decent as a coop but I built a more sturdy coop and bigger pen after a few more hatched. It wouldn't last as a full time coop, but it is a phenomenal brooder