Southern NY, Dutchess county and below

[magsrags]

Feel better roberta!

 

[magsrags]

Help! I am so dissapointed/frustrated..............just now 2 hens got off their nests and I grabbed up eggs to candle for the first time. Been 11 days and I am a good candler in my dark closet at 4-5 days normally.
I couldn't see but 1 out of 13 eggs I just checked developing.

I've only got 4 more to check if and when miss silkie gets up to eat.

I broke open 4 and they were scrambled. 1 was a stinker and early quitter.

I replaced the rest in their nests till I decide what exactly I can do????

Does anyone close by have any pure fertile and inexpensive eggs who can ship by priority mail tomorrow so I can hope for a few live babies?

Maybe I should just get some chicks next week to place under them?

This is killing me. Darn PO had a hand in this mess.Boo Hoo.........

.

 

[ChickenAl]

No Al, that's great. I get myself completely worked up sometimes too and then I feel like I need to lay down somewhere with the lights off eating organic celery for the rest of my life. I get emails from a guy that raises his own pigs and cattle from start to finish and he sends out these missives about GMO soy and corn and pesticides and it's scaring me to death. The last email I got he said some of the big brands use sand as a filler (!) which sucks. I also get emails from our local SPCA group advising me about bad batches of dog food and stuff all the time, and it all comes from China. What a world we live in, eh?

I look at it this way, in 1850 the life expectancy in years was 39.5 if you were white, 23 if you were black, and in 2000 it was 77.4 and 71.7, respectively. I figure in the past 150+ years we've made a lot of progress in the way we grow food, deliver drinking water, provide medical care, sanitation and so forth. In 1850, I would guess most of the produce was organically grown, and in 2000 the greater majority was fertilized, insecticide and herbicide sprayed. The data seems to support a longer life with the advances we've made. I'm sure there are enough arguments on either side of the issue, but I can't let OCD rule decisions regarding chicken feed. I don't listen to the doomsday crowd any longer. And I don't think they put sand in for filler in chicken feed. They may use calcium carbonate, which is sand-like in chicken pellets, but why use sand? It is heavy and costly to ship. Beet pulp is cheap enough to use as flller, which many of them do.

Sorry to get off on a mini-rant, but I had my reality check a few months back and I'm happy with the decisions I've made. I may get obsessive again and revert, but for now, I'm content.

Imagine, we get this crazy over chickens...

 

[magsrags]

I look at it this way, in 1850 the life expectancy in years was 39.5 if you were white, 23 if you were black, and in 2000 it was 77.4 and 71.7, respectively. I figure in the past 150+ years we've made a lot of progress in the way we grow food, deliver drinking water, provide medical care, sanitation and so forth. In 1850, I would guess most of the produce was organically grown, and in 2000 the greater majority was fertilized, insecticide and herbicide sprayed. The data seems to support a longer life with the advances we've made. I'm sure there are enough arguments on either side of the issue, but I can't let OCD rule decisions regarding chicken feed. I don't listen to the doomsday crowd any longer. And I don't think they put sand in for filler in chicken feed. They may use calcium carbonate, which is sand-like in chicken pellets, but why use sand? It is heavy and costly to ship. Beet pulp is cheap enough to use as flller, which many of them do.
Sorry to get off on a mini-rant, but I had my reality check a few months back and I'm happy with the decisions I've made. I may get obsessive again and revert, but for now, I'm content.
Imagine, we get this crazy over chickens...

Well said Al.

 

[JerseyHen]

And now, introducing Amana! Little bugger wouldn't come out for a full fuzzy shot, but I did promise a pic.


here are 2 of Amana's siblings (#4 is the darker one and one that is yet to be named. I can never get all 4 in at the same time)

And this is Faith, Hope, and Charity from the last broody hatch. Now 4 weeks old. I think they are all pullets, at least none are showing the typical dark brahma male feathering yet.

 

[magsrags]

Awwwww...........eye candy.

 

[ChickenAl]

Really cute young ladies you have there. Hoping they are all ladies for ya.

 

[KathyT]

Thanks for the welcome! What great animals these chickens are! Mine are only about 4 months old, so no eggs yet. They are so fun to watch.
Looking forward to getting to know fellow chicken lovers.

 

[JerseyHen]

Thanks for the welcome! What great animals these chickens are! Mine are only about 4 months old, so no eggs yet. They are so fun to watch.
Looking forward to getting to know fellow chicken lovers.

Welcome Kathy! Chicken peeps are just as wonderful as the chickens themselves!

 

[smkchick]

Welcome Kathy! Chicken peeps are just as wonderful as the chickens themselves!

At least this flock of chicken peeps is!