South Carolina

[pinkwindsong]

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I too hate when learning involves the death of something.. the hardest lesson seams to be animal nature.. they can seam so uncaring at times.
)O(
Pink

 

[WestKnollAmy]

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I had a similar experience last year. The guineas had been living peacefully with the chickens then one day decided the Silkie roosters needed to die. I'm glad I was outside. Bueller and Beckett had been top dogs until the two guinea girls started the chase. Those two disappeared in our first two snowstorms.

I guess I need to remove the chickens from the guinea runs when I get back home. Thank you for reminding me of this. I'm sorry for your loss but you might have prevented one (or more) at my house.

Yes, folks, my name is Janie. I spent about half an hour looking for Amy and West Knoll Farms on FaceBook. Finally gave up and called Amy. She didn't answer so I left a message and we started texting. We apparently amused her daughter.

My Thanksgiving trip got lengthened because my grandmother died Wednesday night. She was 94 and 1/2 and had been having a tough year. The past few weeks were hard on the whole family. It is a blessing that Grandma is no longer suffering. I "know" Granddad was waiting for her. Grandma is partying in Heaven and no longer in pain. I can't be sad about that.

Oh wow! Our neighbor's aunt died Tuesday at age 94! She had been having bladder infections and the antibiotics were no longer doing any good so they put her on Morphine and she passed away. So sad. I am very sorry for your loss but know that Heaven is a great place to be after so many wonderful years on earth!

And yeah, us two crazy ladies trying to find each other on FB! LOL DD thinks us old folks are funny and Miss Janie is no where near being old!

 

[WestKnollAmy]

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I'm with you! Facebook is not nearly the great place that BYC is! It is okay and I have met up with some old friends from high school but I seldom check it like I do BYC. There is just tons and tons of info on BYC and I have friends from all over the world on here. I have just been posting some photos on FB and checking out some of other people's photos but my heart lies with BYC!

Been pretty busy today with people coming and going so I haven't had a chance to snap photos of the Guineas. And it is very cloudy so I am not sure how well the photos will show up. It is supposed to storm the next 2 days but I will try for some photos.

Thanks for the compliment on the chickies. I love them.

 

[dixiebeast]

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YAY!!! COOL BEANS!!!

I got one yesterday after a 4 week break...I was glad she was back at it! I havent decided if I will set anymore yet though...She lays about 3 a week and of the ones I set only one would hatch...I am hoping to sell some " POL" birds in spring...but I am hatching in much much smaller numbers than you usually do!!

And I am fighting the urge to set moms Ameruacana eggs she is now getting!

Ha! It is a sickness! You HAVE to set eggs! Even in the winter.
And I am really not hatching many right now. It is nice to have easy mornings this winter. I have spent the last few years up to my eyeballs in chicks (at least 400 every month!) through the winter and am tired of it.
For the few that go outside in a pen during the day I am already stressing over them not getting to go out tomorrow or Monday, maybe not even Tuesday depending on rain and wind. They stand at the door and beg to go out, about as bad as a dog! At least there are less than 2 dz on the floor in the brooder room right now and I only have 4 brooders down there with lights. And one without light because they are big enough to be out of it but won't leave the "nest"!
And I have 2 brooders in the house. My baby d'Uccles and the new hatches. Oh well, still not 400 to keep up with plus all the tractors, pens and free ranging birds.

I have customers on the way now to buy some chicks so that will lower my volume a bit.

I guess it was decided when mom showed up this afternoon with a blue egg in hand for me! LOL I will collect all week and set friday I guess!!

 

[Patsy29332]

Quote:
Ha! It is a sickness! You HAVE to set eggs! Even in the winter.
And I am really not hatching many right now. It is nice to have easy mornings this winter. I have spent the last few years up to my eyeballs in chicks (at least 400 every month!) through the winter and am tired of it.
For the few that go outside in a pen during the day I am already stressing over them not getting to go out tomorrow or Monday, maybe not even Tuesday depending on rain and wind. They stand at the door and beg to go out, about as bad as a dog! At least there are less than 2 dz on the floor in the brooder room right now and I only have 4 brooders down there with lights. And one without light because they are big enough to be out of it but won't leave the "nest"!
And I have 2 brooders in the house. My baby d'Uccles and the new hatches. Oh well, still not 400 to keep up with plus all the tractors, pens and free ranging birds.

I have customers on the way now to buy some chicks so that will lower my volume a bit.

I guess it was decided when mom showed up this afternoon with a blue egg in hand for me! LOL I will collect all week and set friday I guess!!

I will collect some more this week too! Yay!!!

 

[Patsy29332]

Quote:
YAY!!! COOL BEANS!!!

I got one yesterday after a 4 week break...I was glad she was back at it! I havent decided if I will set anymore yet though...She lays about 3 a week and of the ones I set only one would hatch...I am hoping to sell some " POL" birds in spring...but I am hatching in much much smaller numbers than you usually do!!

And I am fighting the urge to set moms Ameruacana eggs she is now getting!

Ha! It is a sickness! You HAVE to set eggs! Even in the winter.
And I am really not hatching many right now. It is nice to have easy mornings this winter. I have spent the last few years up to my eyeballs in chicks (at least 400 every month!) through the winter and am tired of it.
For the few that go outside in a pen during the day I am already stressing over them not getting to go out tomorrow or Monday, maybe not even Tuesday depending on rain and wind. They stand at the door and beg to go out, about as bad as a dog! At least there are less than 2 dz on the floor in the brooder room right now and I only have 4 brooders down there with lights. And one without light because they are big enough to be out of it but won't leave the "nest"!
And I have 2 brooders in the house. My baby d'Uccles and the new hatches. Oh well, still not 400 to keep up with plus all the tractors, pens and free ranging birds.

I have customers on the way now to buy some chicks so that will lower my volume a bit.

lowering the volume...

 

[WestKnollAmy]

Okay, Heidi, what have I got? This is a very pretty kid and is the most smokey marked one I have. Next to one of your gorgeous coral blues.

And how about this one? It looked white for a long time but now has some barring in the feathers.

And here are several whites, lights and brights.

And of course, here is my slate growing up. Still has a bit of red on her.

I have 2 coral blues but I did not get good shots of them to post here. But then, you know what those look like. I can pick them out of the lavs if I look at the feathers but not at a glance.
Here are all 14 together in the corner of the pen.

Again, thank you for so many beautiful additions to my existing flock! I have really grown more fond of them than I should have. I can see a population explosion again next year.

 

[RedBugPoultry]

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Your first pictures are of a chocolate. I am trying to get some of these to darken up by crossing them with royal purples. Your lighter ones look like buffs. The slate hen is really pretty! Yes, buffs look almost white for a long time and then they start getting a little darker. I find there to be a fine line between my buffs and browns. I do have one dark brown hen, but only one. She basically looks like a royal purple with out the purple shine. Maybe crossing with the buffs has made them lighten up? You have some very pretty birds there!!

 

[WestKnollAmy]

Thank you! I thought that was the right color to say that one was but I wanted to make sure.

I really like them that light. I don't want them darker. It may be more correct but I adore those shades of light feathers with darker trim.

However, I am not sure if I will be able to separate this bunch next spring for breeding. They may all stay in together and I will have to see what neat colors I get from all these light birds. Blues, lavs, slate and light chocolate may give some beautiful keets and Guineas.

I had a lot of folks coming up to buy the Royal Purples and Pearl keets to ask after the lavs and light colors but I held on to all 14 that I liked. I kept all my older Pearls and added only a pied Pearl to the flock that was young. A lot of folks liked the Royal Purples but I had very few of those to sell.
So now I have about 8 out free ranging and these 14. I hope I am set with Guineas. Til next spring when they start laying......

 

[RedBugPoultry]

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It will be fun to see what you get. You will have to keep us all posted!