South Carolina

[Moonchild]

I have slowed way down on hatching. I used to hatch out a lot..... lot more than this!
Last winter I tried to slow down but still kept hatching about a dz a week but when I was in full swing last year at this time it was about 60 a week in just one incubator. That does not count the other incubator or all the hens sitting on eggs, which is still going on this year. I probably have about 15 hens sitting on eggs now, maybe more. I seldom count. When chicks start hatching, like today under the Frizzles, I just start watching them and seeing if I need to rescue any chicks. The Muscovy hatched out those Guinea keets the other day and they are running around pretty happy in the Muscovy pen. I should have named this the Funny Farm.

Just Lovely Ducky!! and keet! How sweet!!

 

[Moonchild]

I just had to post this DEVOTED mom Padma. This BO loves her chicks so much she will not let them go. They are half her size and yet she still takes care of them and sits on them at night. Well She has to stand to get hem under her. Bless Her but atleast she raised pullets this time and only one roo! I'm excited about that.

 

[leirob007]

I decided to have chickens so after a month on here it went to a feed store and bought a chicken tractor for 400 dollars and it leaks like a sieve. made with particle board on the inside so it has a tarp over it most days. I went from there to the auction to purchase chickens 2nd bad mistake. I got one good one out of 3 2 appeared very old and sickly they only held up the good one when I bought it. I went to Lowes bought pvc used a dog igloo house and built another coop to house the two old girls in. Started antiboctics and vet rx with no luck lost the 1st one a week later took the second to be put down. My husbands friend said he had to rrs for sale so I bought those very cool chickens 2 where laying 4 days later and sitting in my lap. Thought I had the hang of things. The lady at a feed store said she was hatching some easter eggers so I built another tractor to try my hand with chicks picked them up at 4 wks all seemed to be doing good one stayed smaller then the rest but was very active and appeared normal one morning last week I went out to feed and the small one had no use of her legs brought her in the house in a kennel started baby vitamins and electrolytes was really sad it just keep doing face plants she wasnt doing any better and quit eating so I had to cull. Built a 3rd tractor which by the way stays dry in storms went back and bought 2 easter egger hen 20 wks old. When it got looking closely at one of them she keeps one eye closed most the time it doesnt appear swollen and neither one has a runny nose have been putting on euythromicin eye ointment one the eye for 2 days twice a day still the same should I but them on an antibotic in their water if so what kind and where do I get it have duramycin here that they sold me for the old girls dont want to do the wrong thing and dont want to bury anymore. I keep everything as clean as possible and move the tractors every week so they have good grass and its not nasty.Sure could use some good advice!

well I'm overrun with Rhode Island reds and still have a few barred rocks to get rid of. The man down the road sells nice pens for 75 dollars. and This time of year all your going to buy at auctions is culls someone does not want to feed since prices are at rock bottom till October and then in march and April . the best thing I have found sounds odd but works wonders. first when you wash out the waterer use clorox and leave a few drops of clorox in the waterer when you fill it back up. second. load the sickly birds up on sugar anyway you can load them up on it. even if it means a heavy sugar solution in a syringe and shoot it down their throats.

 

[leirob007]

Finally started my new coop for the babies. I know a coop 50 feet long and 8 feet wide sounds large for just a bunch of babies but since I hatched out over 150 chicks in the past month plus what I have already hatched over the last few months. it is going to be full before it is even built. I opened the gates up on my big pen and it was kinda sweet seeing the new coop full of chicks even before one wall is built. I'll try to remember to take pics tomorrow.

 

[Patsy29332]

Finally started my new coop for the babies. I know a coop 50 feet long and 8 feet wide sounds large for just a bunch of babies but since I hatched out over 150 chicks in the past month plus what I have already hatched over the last few months. it is going to be full before it is even built. I opened the gates up on my big pen and it was kinda sweet seeing the new coop full of chicks even before one wall is built. I'll try to remember to take pics tomorrow.

I love pics!!! Can't wait!!!

 

[WestKnollAmy]

I just had to post this DEVOTED mom Padma. This BO loves her chicks so much she will not let them go. They are half her size and yet she still takes care of them and sits on them at night. Well She has to stand to get hem under her. Bless Her but atleast she raised pullets this time and only one roo! I'm excited about that.

Is that not the sweetest thing? I swear, you would think with all the BO that I have that they would go broody and be some great moms but even though I have BOs from 4 different places/people they do not care for the job of being moms. Yours has done an excellent job! And I love her name!
Why is it those blue ones have to be roos? I swear! I have a gorgeous blue barred Olive egger roo and I so wanted it to be a girl! I would keep him but I prefer the splash Ameraucana roo and only have so much room for everyone. Actually, I am out pens but I will strive to make something work out.

Great photos, Yancy. Keep them coming as your cuties grow up!

 

[WestKnollAmy]

Finally started my new coop for the babies. I know a coop 50 feet long and 8 feet wide sounds large for just a bunch of babies but since I hatched out over 150 chicks in the past month plus what I have already hatched over the last few months. it is going to be full before it is even built. I opened the gates up on my big pen and it was kinda sweet seeing the new coop full of chicks even before one wall is built. I'll try to remember to take pics tomorrow.

I love to see photos of coops!
I used to go to the building section here on BYC all the time but had to stop myself when I kept adding more to the farm. It takes me forever to feed, clean, water, clean, collect eggs, clean and check on maintaining pens and birds. Oh and did I mention cleaning? I know when people visit it looks like I seldom do much of anything as it always seems dirty and disorganized (okay, that much is true) but I really do clean an awful lot. Every waterer gets cleaned every day but when you add vitamins and electrolytes back into well water it has a tendency to turn green in a few hours and look nasty. And all this rain is making all the feeders grow mold so i am constantly cleaning those but 2 days later there is mold again. It drives me nuts as I swim through this moist air to do chores.

Hurry up with coop photos!

 

[Lroach711]

Ok..I'm not doing so good keeping up on here! Just wanted to drop by and say hello to all my chicken friends! I need some advice too! So, I have some "test eggs" in my Brinsea incubator. They're mostly blue orpingtons and blue orp mixes and are all going to a friend because I do NOT need anymore chickens with a baby on the way. But for the life of me...I really don't remember when I set them I *think* it was July 5th...maybe?? Seriously I'm only 9 weeks pregnant and my absent mindedness is already kicking in. Any suggestions? I candled them today and think they look about 2 weeks along but it's really hard to tell. This is why I need to be more organized and write things down. I always write down set dates but didn't this time ughhh

 

[Moonchild]

The d'Uccles Habitat is really looking good with the gourd vine covering it. Plus they love to hide under it during the sunny times of the day.





And on the emergency hatch of the d'Uccle's eggs All 5 that I threw in a bator at last minute HATCHED...one hatched 4 days after the others. I was about to turn the bator off(but I forgot to) and went to clean it out and BAM a baby chick that needed to cook a little longer.

 

[RockerHen]

My new white silkie chicks, from CarolinaChickenKeeper (thanks so much!)

I also have 6 silkie eggs under my broody 'goat eyed' bantam!