Surviving Minnesota!

[MNChickMom]

HUH!? Didn't know 30 day old chicks could fly.....surprise, surprise....

had an escapee this morning during feeding time....One of my Barred Rocks (which I think is the same one that has tried everyday this week to escape) finally made it up and over the brooder wall when I lifted the top off! Then he realized all his buddies were still inside and he FREAKED! Running back and forth along the brooder wondering what the heck just happened??? Boy did he squeal when I swooped him up and tossed him back in!

This is true comedy folks, you can't pay enough money to get such entertainment!!! I HAVE TO GET THEM OUT TO THE COOP!!! (it's almost complete)

Let me tell you a story or two about young barred rock. Some are sweet and some are sassy. End of Story! (This is my first experience with them and other than they are a little mischievious they have been good chicks. Mine are around 7 weeks.)

 

[KlopKlop]

I'm enjoying this talk about blueberries. There was a rack of them at lowes late last week when I was there and was tempted to get a few but decided to think on it. Seems like future me would thank current me if I got them and started them now bs later

 

[bantiesrule]

The white one has pretty wing feathers

Was it someone on here that said you can't have three roosters because two will gang up on the other? Well I have a roo that is a half breed that is super freindly I want to keep him. Then I have a roo that is definitely staying (half breeds dad). And I want to keep a barred Cochin bantam roo for breeding cool colors of Cochin bantams. Should I try 3? Need help. Don't want to get rid of any

Alot depends on the roos and how much room you have. I've had more than 2 roos a lot of times. They usually work out a pecking order and all's fine but once in a while you will get a rooster that will get picked on constantly, then you have to do something. It's the same as the low hen on the pecking order most of the time she will just stay by herself but every once in a while the other hens will still pick on her until you have to intervene or you'll have a dead hen. I would try it and see what happens.

Moved a broody hen last night . See if she will stay broody . Blocked her in the nest . Going fishing again . Need rain . Predicted for evening .

I had to move one also, she wanted to set out in the wood pile. I left her set for almost two weeks but want to get her into a shed before the chicks start pipping and cheeping...calling all the coons and skunks to dinner. I have her in a crate in the garage now and I think she has settled on the eggs, have my fingers crossed she stays that way.

 

[KlopKlop]

Does anyone here grow winter onions (also called walking onions)

My old neighbor in town had a well established plot and we enjoyed when she shared them but her kids took them all when she passed and I haven't seen any since.

I'm curious where to get them from or if any onion would do and it is more of a method than a type?

 

[Siggie]

Let me tell you a story or two about young barred rock. Some are sweet and some are sassy. End of Story! (This is my first experience with them and other than they are a little mischievious they have been good chicks. Mine are around 7 weeks.)

LOL! Yes I agree! They are very friendly and curious when I am in the room and always come over to investigate what I have in my hands...The Australorps (which are HUGE compared to all the others) are curious too and then the Cochins appear to be the most stand offish right now. My Wyandottes will occasionally come over to see if I have treats. The way it looks I have 4 Barred Rock roo's , their crowns are already turning a vibrant orange, I also think I have 4 hens and only 1 roo in my Cochins (yay) not sure with the Wyandottes or Australorps yet.... still too many roo's and an unlucky few will need to be culled

 

[MNChickMom]

LOL! Yes I agree! They are very friendly and curious when I am in the room and always come over to investigate what I have in my hands...The Australorps (which are HUGE compared to all the others) are curious too and then the Cochins appear to be the most stand offish right now. My Wyandottes will occasionally come over to see if I have treats. The way it looks I have 4 Barred Rock roo's , their crowns are already turning a vibrant orange, I also think I have 4 hens and only 1 roo in my Cochins (yay) not sure with the Wyandottes or Australorps yet.... still too many roo's and an unlucky few will need to be culled

We ordered hatchery stock barred rock and they marked the heads with a little green dot. But now at 7 weeks the roo's are gray (white) with black barring and the pullets are black with fine white barring. This trait became very apparent at about 6 weeks the combs and wattles on the roos are small but you can see they are definite.

 

[ejb3810]

MNChickMom, blueberries flower a little ahead of apples here, but I suspect if you get good apple set you would blueberry set? You likely have another complication
If the does not get adequate water the berries may not be produced?.

 

[Siggie]

We ordered hatchery stock barred rock and they marked the heads with a little green dot. But now at 7 weeks the roo's are gray (white) with black barring and the pullets are black with fine white barring. This trait became very apparent at about 6 weeks the combs and wattles on the roos are small but you can see they are definite.

I wondered about that because I noticed that too that there were definitely two shades in my Barred Rocks...I actually thought it would have been opposite though....but my little escapee from this morning who I think is a Roo, is more of a dull grey as apposed to the others who seem a darker black...I will try and count again to see if the colors coincide with the ones I think are roo's. Thanks! Any tricks for the other breeds? Wyandottes, or Australorps? My Cochins I think are easy...the hens feathered fast with a little tail right away and now only one is developing coloring on the comb, we will see if I am right

 

[MNChickMom]

I wondered about that because I noticed that too that there were definitely two shades in my Barred Rocks...I actually thought it would have been opposite though....but my little escapee from this morning who I think is a Roo, is more of a dull grey as apposed to the others who seem a darker black...I will try and count again to see if the colors coincide with the ones I think are roo's. Thanks! Any tricks for the other breeds? Wyandottes, or Australorps? My Cochins I think are easy...the hens feathered fast with a little tail right away and now only one is developing coloring on the comb, we will see if I am right

While we also ordered Silver laced Wyandottes and Black Astralorps from hatchery, I ordered them as pullets, they all seem to have nice small white "nubbins only" on their heads so I have to assume the hatchery sexed them correctly. My BA's are huge as well...they are also towards the top of the pecking order. The SLW's are standoffish they will not associate with any other breed and the only human interaction is with me as I am the treat lady. I started watching for how they walked "struted", feathering and of course the comb colors.

We are waiting for the crow on our Speckled Sussex though...according to the experts on here they are tough to sex early.

My daughter's 4H project took a turn for the worse as 4 of her 10 Buff Orpington Pullets were mis-sexed and are actually cockereals. Thank God she has a sense of humor and her Dad has a big shed to convert to grow out pens. She decided to add a second How to project of .... How to Cull and Butcher from your flock.

 

[Siggie]

While we also ordered Silver laced Wyandottes and Black Astralorps from hatchery, I ordered them as pullets, they all seem to have nice small white "nubbins only" on their heads so I have to assume the hatchery sexed them correctly. My BA's are huge as well...they are also towards the top of the pecking order. The SLW's are standoffish they will not associate with any other breed and the only human interaction is with me as I am the treat lady. I started watching for how they walked "struted", feathering and of course the comb colors.

We are waiting for the crow on our Speckled Sussex though...according to the experts on here they are tough to sex early.

My daughter's 4H project took a turn for the worse as 4 of her 10 Buff Orpington Pullets were mis-sexed and are actually cockereals. Thank God she has a sense of humor and her Dad has a big shed to convert to grow out pens. She decided to add a second How to project of .... How to Cull and Butcher from your flock.

LOL, My Cochins are like that, they don't seem to want to intermix with the flock...they go do their own thing while everyone else is running for the treats....I wonder if that's because they are so docile, they wind up at the bottom of the pecking order and don't want to rock the boat?

Awww, I feel bad for your daughter - but it appears she is seeing the glass as half full! I wish her luck with her projects! I will need to learn to cull/butcher as well...I am not looking forward to it. I have already told my husband I can gut and pluck but that he will need to bring down the ax. I am a coward. I know that this is a responsibility of a flock owner but at this time I just can't do it. Good thing my husband doesn't have the same problem!