South Carolina

[RedBugPoultry]

I'm so sorry! We bought 20 WCB chicks from someone and they are all dying. He sent two "packing peanuts" with them that I think are cochins. They're fine. We got these last Saturday and 12 have died. The packing peanuts seem fine. I keep thinking they are done dying because they all seem perky but a few hours later, I'll find another dead one. Poor Colin is so upset. Are Polish harder to raise? They're worse than Silkies so far! I hope you find one.

Susanna, how are the polish doing? I had really bad luck with the ones I raised last year--reason we got rid of all of them. They are said not to be a very hardy breed and I believe it. I am so sorry for yours and Colin's loss. I hope things get better and you do not loose any more. I found I had to keep them in a very dry wire floor pen when I had them last year while they were young. Once they got to adult hood they did much better but I still had problems with one pen and had to move them. My fingers are crossed for them!

 

[RedBugPoultry]

I surely have been MIA! They started the foundation on the house last week and three pieces are here already. Our master bath comes today! They hope to put it all together next Tuesday. It's been a whirlwind of picking out lighting and other stuff that I hadn't done. Plus I'm launching a redo on my website today so I've been working on that. Plus the lambs, one of which won't eat and I'm not sure is going to make it. My little lamb is doing great though. Had my first guineas hatch yesterday! I was told they take 28 days so I went to take them out yesterday on day 25 and five were hatched in my Dickey. Three had fallen from the top rack all the way down to behind the hatcher which is a long way! They seem fine though. Next time I'll know it's not quite that long. Now if I could just find where they are laying. Every time I find a nest, they stop laying in it even if I leave a few eggs in there. That's on my list for today! I lost another hen yesterday. That makes 5 since last week. Not sure what's going on with them. And one of my lav ameraucana roos apparently has a broken leg or has a bad injury. He can't stand. I put him in with some chicks, hoping it will mend.

That's about it here! I'm going to go back on the thread and try to get caught up!

My guineas always take 26 days to hatch counting the day I put them in the incubator. I know some people have told me theirs take 28 but not here. I am excited for you with your new house going up so fast! That is really exciting! Hope things get better with the chickens....

 

[RedBugPoultry]

Susanne: So sorry about all the troubles your having with your birds but congrats on the house coming together so quickly!

I'm totally heartbroken today. Went out to the barn to check on my call duck pair and all three eggs she had laid are GONE. Apparently a lovely field rat dug in and had a meal. I'm so upset. She was just standing there staring at her empty nest like "what happened???" It isn't all bad news though...the d'Anver roo looked awful last night. I thought for sure I'd be burying him this morning. Well..he continues to suprise me and was standing up this morning. He even drank some water. My other exciting news is that my olive egger hatching eggs are arriving today from Mississippi! Now if my new incubator would hurry up and ship. (it was on backorder..supposed to ship this week or next week) Guess I'll just have to put these eggs in my old LG with whats in there now and hope the new bator comes before I have to put my BB red and Blue Orp eggs on lockdown.

Anyone interested in BB red OEGB chicks? I put 8 in the bator with 2 blue orpington eggs to test fertility and guess what?? They are all developing! Yay!

Lauren, I am so sorry to hear about the call duck eggs! That poor little duck....

My fingers are still crossed for your d'Anver roo!

 

[dixiebeast]

Yes...Amy gave me a lesson! I hope I did well at $5 a piece...wondering if I should go grab a couple more...no one knew how old they were so that is my next question...and do they look like good birds...they seem very healthy and crazy for sure to me but I am new to keets...can't wait to get my eggs from Amy!!!

I suppose someone has told you your beautiful babies/keets are going to be pearl in color! Very nice!

 

[huckleberryfarm]

They're awful. I have 5 left out of 20. Of course his packing peanuts are doing great!

Susanna, how are the polish doing? I had really bad luck with the ones I raised last year--reason we got rid of all of them. They are said not to be a very hardy breed and I believe it. I am so sorry for yours and Colin's loss. I hope things get better and you do not loose any more. I found I had to keep them in a very dry wire floor pen when I had them last year while they were young. Once they got to adult hood they did much better but I still had problems with one pen and had to move them. My fingers are crossed for them!

 

[huckleberryfarm]

He's still alive although I haven't fed him anything in three days. He refuses to eat and Cole said trying to take on tube feeding with everything else going on (and, I hate to say it, for a ram we really don't need), is just too much. I'm so frustrated with him! He's getting skinnier and weaker every day. I keep trying to feed him, thinking he'll be hungry enough to eat but he won't. Even if I squirt formula in his mouth, he won't swallow. It just runs out. The other one is doing great though. Live and learn!

Hey...how is the lil lamb who is weak...I think about it alot...pooor baby...

 

[WestKnollAmy]

Yes...Amy gave me a lesson! I hope I did well at $5 a piece...wondering if I should go grab a couple more...no one knew how old they were so that is my next question...and do they look like good birds...they seem very healthy and crazy for sure to me but I am new to keets...can't wait to get my eggs from Amy!!!
Quote:

Considering how well mine have wiped out a few fire ant hills already I think $5 is a great price. Unfortunately, those poor Guineas are kept very busy with all the new hills popping up after every little rain shower we have.
We opened 4 Guinea eggs this morning for Terry to try them over easy and the Chocolate one (LOL) was fertile but only 2 of the 3 Pearls was fertile. They better get on the stick as I have a waiting list that is growing for Guinea eggs. Yes, Sam, you are at the top of my list!

Heidi, I just sent Sam to my website where I show the difference in keet colors and what they will be when grown. I try to educate some through my website as that saves me from answering a lot of the many, many emails I get every day. I wish I could sit and chat all day with chicken and animal folks but my time has become limited. Where do all the hours in the day go, anyhow?

 

[WestKnollAmy]

They're awful. I have 5 left out of 20. Of course his packing peanuts are doing great!

Quote:

I hate to hear this! They are so beautiful and I know it is a huge disappointment to Colin! So sorry for the losses.

 

[WestKnollAmy]

I thought I would share a photo of my Frizzle Mille Fleur Cochin boy, Shazam.
He is going to grace my Frizzle pen this year and help produce more Mille Fleur bantam Cochins.
It has taken me a while to get a boy I could use by hatching a lot of my own eggs but he is shaping up very nicely.
I really enjoy breeding for my own projects but hatching out hundreds of eggs to get one that suits my needs can be a pain. Then again, I feel such satisfaction in creating something so pretty once it is done I am happy.
Forgive him being a bit dirty. He was outside playing when I brought him in the brooder room for his photo shoot. LOL

 

[KrisH]

I forgot today was the Winston Salem show. I had planed to go, hoping to find a d'anver adn darn it, I just plain forgot it was today.

oh well, when is the next show close by? any ideas.