Should I buy eggs or wait it out?

[animallover505]

and I love the puzzle

 

[Wishing4Wings]

Animallover, Can't think of much that beats jigsaw puzzles, grandparents, and snickerdoodles. Well, maybe chocolate chip cookies. Or chocolate anything!

Got 6 lovely eggs today.

The yolks have gotten so dark since the rain brought the green grass. My hubby commented that he remembers 25 years ago making scrambled eggs up at the old farm and was amazed at the dark orange yolks. It was his first experience with free ranged chicken eggs. Suburbanite meets farm girl!


Cheeka, you're so lucky to have such a sweet granddaughter, even long distance. We got going so late in the family department, I'll be lucky to see a grandkid before senility sets in!


ACW, I'm really enjoying your dark side!

Letting air out of the tires sounds like perfect retribution for a bunch of trigger happy trespassing knuckleheads.

 

[Wishing4Wings]

I'm thinking about painting one of my waterers with high heat black paint...think it'll help? It sits in the sun now and was warm today. I don't have electric out to the coop...last year I'd just alternate waterers...bring out the indoor one, bring the outdoor ice cube one inside by the woodstove. Too much hauling water.

If you want the geeky engineering answer, painting it black will probably be a draw. While it's true that black absorbs heat more quickly, it also radiates heat more quickly so more heat will be lost overnight allowing for freezing to occur faster. Covering the waterer with a quilt or wrapping some sort of insulation around it might help. Thick cardboard maybe, or something that the chickens won't devour. I don't have much experience with freezing temps.

 

[cheeka]

SEVEN

SEVEN.....today we laid.....SEVEN

1

2

3

4

5

6

7........all while Roger

8

I love Roger... can't help it... she's such an inspiration!

ACW, blackberries, blueberries...purple kool-aid in the waterer... anything dark and juicy that I can find... his truck is white!

 

[cheeka]

I might try keeping a water container in the coop if they continue to roost in the enclosure... the coops are too small to keep them from poopin' all over a waterer if they're gonna sleep in there... unless I carry it in and out daily and nightly... my winter spot is quite close to the back door, still a bunch of path shoveling come snow flyin' time, but it's not so bad to do the waterer exchange. if it was further from the house, I would have to be more creative, i don't like to haul water too far.

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

I love Roger... can't help it... she's such an inspiration!

ACW, blackberries, blueberries...purple kool-aid in the waterer... anything dark and juicy that I can find... his truck is white!

Muahahahahaha!!!

Love it! park it under a mulberry tree, those draw birds, i am talking megapurple-poop festival there... just sayin

Been an awful busy few days, just got caught up reading! I have my "want list" done for 2013.. drumroll please....
15 black maran (layers), 15 buff orpington (for layers), 3 Narragansett turkeys (trio) 3 lavender, or blue orpington (trio.. Thats for fun... they are pretty birds) Opinions, comments welcome. not that i don't love my current chickens, just want to expand a LOT.

 

[cheeka]

I like your list, i was perusing available chicks tonight too... compiling a list... I would love marans as well ~ i like the cuckoos, love the dark chocolatey colored eggs. I heard both raves and boos about orpingtons... but they are beautiful, esp. the lav's and blue's.
I want more EE's, but those I can breed myself. I really need to get more hens for the # of boys... one of my friends wants to get red stars in the Spring, and was asking if I want to split the order with her... I would be interested in a few, but not 12... started pullets are a decent price at the hatcheries, but I might fare better with someone local. choices choices... I want geese and turkeys too...

ok, had an impulse control issue and momentarily lost my mind, but have already rationalized the whole thing as my Ultimate Birthday Present.


projected shipping date 12/3/12 !

Item Qty Unit Price Ext. Price
Baby Chick Vaccination

15​

$1.00​

$15.00​

Easter Egger ($3.25)
--> Females (+$0.50)

15​

$3.75​

$56.25​

​

Subtotal:

$71.25​

Tax:

$0.00​

Shipping:

$36.95​

Total:

$108.20​

​

so... I will be brooding chicks indoors for a bunch of weeks this winter, but with the coop setup being so easy to modify, I can move them fairly quickly into the apple coop. i can board it off to cut draft, and separate a section of the enclosure for them so they can be beak to beak with the older birds, yet be safe and sound. 15 pullets (hopefully sexed correctly) by Spring will be 4-5 months old. that would give me 21 hens total, 7 for each roo. Royce doesn't have to give up his girls unless I want to change up the breeding pairs, and that would be temporary... plus he'll get one more to add to his harem...

 

[BullChick]

My ideas for winter water are to pack hay around the waterers (it is somewhere on BYC) and what I am doing is half filling a 5 gallon bucket, and adding the ACV to it in the house. I have two 1 gallon waterers. I bring them outside, and use the bucket water to fill them. If they are dirty, I splash some water on them, and use my hand to wipe them off. If it is too bad, I take advantage of having 2 waterers, and bring the bad one in the house to wash and fill. I just bring it out a few hours later when I go to collect eggs.
I like the lists. I don't want turkeys since I didn't handle killing the roosters very well. They are still in the freezer after three months.
I received my 2013 Meyer Hatchery catalog today. I see a lot of mistakes, and some things I HOPE are mistakes. Anyhoot, they are offering Blue and Splash Ameraucanas (yes, really). They also still have EE. I believe I also saw Blue Marans. I don't feel like checking now. I was supposed to be in bed 2 hours ago!
Good night everyone. Wish me luck with my 14 not-yet-laying pullets!
Anyone else forget how many birds they have when their math switches 3 times in 2 weeks? Or is it 4?

 

[BullChick]

Orpingtons! They have blue Orpingtons! Duh!

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

I am now anxious for the girls to start laying. The 4 hens I bought to get me through are being re-homed next weekend. I was going to sell them at the swap in May, but someone was in need. I will be down to one egg a day between then,, and when the other 14 start. On the plus side, I am going to save on feed this winter, and that is four more chicks I can get in the Spring .... Or Christmas. Or because my husband feels bad for something ...

I am looking at more Ameraucanas, Welsummers (maybe), and really want Marans.

Hahahaa love the guilt trips

I am saving that one for getting me an incubator....

Its so exciting waiting for the new ones to lay. (am still scanning everything i missed hehe...) Hubby WANTS me to get more chickens, I about fell out of my chair! He asked me tonight if we can go get more next weekend and wants "the shiny black ones" (eeeeek, not ready need a bigger coop)He might mean jersey giants too tho hmmm... I love marans, i have seen several this summer, and not a mean one yet. What a beautiful bird. Last spring, he was the one with the horrified look when it all started. He is really enjoying the fresh eggs, and since we had the "food oops" he realized store eggs are "gross looking". I have had no luck finding anyone selling around here. Hmmm i see $$$$ signs!!!!