Should I buy eggs or wait it out?

[Wishing4Wings]

Hey wishing you might want to try Waltham butternut if its for the chickens and you have a hard time with pumpkins that or Amish pie pumpkins...small but I find they are easier to grow. You can usually toss those seeds right into a compost pile and they just do the work themselves....I've got plenty of butternut this year. I did have an issue with pumpkins of the giant variety because of bad squash bugs this year. If you want to try again next year I could even send you some seeds that might work for you. Pumpkins are supposed to be easy to grow they just take up a huge amount of space in the large variety. I grow some ornamentals in containers some years. I'm excited for next spring to be able to grow for these little ones. I even kept some small cabbage in the garden for them to have as treats this winter. I had a watermelon sitting here but forgot that they aren't supposed to have treats so young.....guess pie will wait for next year for the girls.

That's a great idea! I'll look around for seeds for pie pumpkins and butternut. Pretty sure I can find some that will work here. There's an heirloom seed bank in the next town over. But in case I can't find any, thanks for your offer! Our summers are dry, dry, dry so inconsistent watering may have played a huge part in my pumpkin failure.

There are pumpkin patches locally too, so I should find out what variety they use. I need Sahara Pumpkins! Luckily, the winters are really mild and it rarely gets below freezing, so chard and kale grows year round.

As for treats for young chicks, I think some things are ok in moderation. If a mama hen was raising them, she'd be offering them all sorts of goodies from day one. When my chicks were 2 weeks old, I showed them how to eat aphids off of kale leaves.Yummy! They ate the leaves too! No problem. Stick to natural stuff, no bread or cake, but you could probably make them a mini-pie of chopped greens! If you do give them anything other than chick starter, make sure they have access to grit needed proper digestion. Be prepared for them to be scared and suspicious of anything new!

Any new pics of the babies? Have you figured out any of the mystery breeds yet?

 

[Sallysec]

That's a great idea!  I'll look around for seeds for pie pumpkins and butternut. Pretty sure I can find some that will work here. There's an heirloom seed bank in the next town over. But in case I can't find any, thanks for your offer! Our summers are dry, dry, dry so inconsistent watering may have played a huge part in my pumpkin failure.   There are pumpkin patches locally too, so I should find out what variety they use. I need Sahara Pumpkins! Luckily, the winters are really mild and it rarely gets below freezing, so chard and kale grows year round.

As for treats for young chicks, I think some things are ok in moderation. If a mama hen was raising them, she'd be offering them all sorts of goodies from day one. When my chicks were 2 weeks old, I showed them how to eat aphids off of kale leaves.Yummy! They ate the leaves too! No problem. Stick to natural stuff, no bread or cake, but you could probably make them a mini-pie of chopped greens! If you do give them anything other than chick starter, make sure they have access to grit needed proper digestion. Be prepared for them to be scared and suspicious of anything new!

Any new pics of the babies? Have you figured out any of the mystery breeds yet?

We think there is a welsummer and possibly a splash maran as well as an extra Easter egger
Will post more pictures later. Get some self watering containers and use a bush style squash and you can forget watering...at least not daily...maybe every other day if its rally hot

 

[Achickenwrangler#1]

I don't regulate what the chicks can eat, the mama broody has them into everything from day one, as long as they have grit they can eat anything...also, consider that early nutrition is most important, for development. Its fun to watch a tiny chick gulp down a huge bug.

 

[cheeka]

FOUR

FOUR...Today we laid FOUR ~ so far, still waiting on Betty, she's in the nest now...
the smaller brown egg on the right is Violet's very first egg, (probably laid last evening, but I'm counting it for today

) same poor kitchen lighting... and the flash washed out the nice green color of Blu's egg...

so for all my efforts making Pie and Poetry, I took those precious eggs and made myself some breakfast! over easy, with shredded cheddar cheese, served on Udi's awesome gluten free bagel, and a fat side of crispy bacon....

perfect... i love drippy yolks and nice firm whites....


I'm stuffed

 

[animallover505]

day 9 with no eggs. I NEED EGGS! I can't stand the taste of the storebought ones, can't guy them from a friend right now, either. WHAT DO I DO???

 

[cheeka]

I don't regulate what the chicks can eat, the mama broody has them into everything from day one, as long as they have grit they can eat anything...also, consider that early nutrition is most important, for development. Its fun to watch a tiny chick gulp down a huge bug.

isn't that the best!!!

hi Sallysec! how's the lil' chickiedoos today?? when my chicks were about a week old, I started bringing them outside during the warmest part of the day, and let them have at it... they were amazingly quick and were snatching baby crickets like no tomorrow, they even tackled a bee and shared it. no bug was safe, even hiding in the cracks of the rock wall wasn't protection enough! lol, and they loved the different grasses I have (i don't really maintain a "lawn", I have orchard grasses... and weeds.

you can give them "Baby Pie" ~ a little spoon of applesauce and some chick feed, or a farina type cereal with some chick feed... get em hooked on Pie early!

 

[cheeka]

day 9 with no eggs. I NEED EGGS! I can't stand the taste of the storebought ones, can't buy them from a friend right now, either. WHAT DO I DO???

that's such a bummer! are they molting? I have to go back and re-read the last couple of pages... cuz I can't remember... I can't eat store bought eggs either. even Violets very first egg had a yolk that glowed like the sun... store bought eggs are so pale in the yolk and so loose and watery-like in the whites.

if Pie won't break the spell, try squeezing them!

 

[animallover505]

that's such a bummer! are they molting? I have to go back and re-read the last couple of pages... cuz I can't remember... I can't eat store bought eggs either. even Violets very first egg had a yolk that glowed like the sun... store bought eggs are so pale in the yolk and so loose and watery-like in the whites.

if Pie won't break the spell, try squeezing them!

nope. Got 5 new ones 9 days ago.

 

[cheeka]

oh yeah, thanks for reminding me... it's gotta be stress... even if they are in an equal or better environment... they don't like change

 

[animallover505]

NONE of them are laying though. I have 9 now