Surviving Minnesota!

[duluthralphie]

Yeah. R yours on a diet?

Not like they are during the summer. I was doing good on it until we went to Nashville. ( You remember when Carrie Underwood wanted to marry me)...

I had a friend watching my birds and ended up having to let them free will feed. That hurt them I know.

I have tried to get them back to a scoop of feed a day. I am doing pretty well at that but I think the damage was done.

I am way more strict on the diet of the baby CX's I raise to eat. If I had a better place for them it would help. BUT I think I am done trying to keep CX's over winter, just too much hassle and ties me down when I want to do other things. Not like the other birds I can feed, water and leave for a couple days.

 

[Dandelioness]

@DuluthRalphie I'm not opposed to hatching EEs later in the season. They take so long to come into lay that I might just hatch them in early fall. I also have a second batch of meatballs to brood in July, so I have a couple scenarios where that might work out. I'll keep your cockerels in mind, for June - thank you!

Holm - that was a CX hen! 2 years is amazing! I did not get to keep any back last year. I am still thinking about trying to keep some back this year.

@Bobcat, welcome to the thread! I am pretty close to you, too, my Fleet Farm is the one in Cambridge. I have always brooded my CX chicks outside, I order them to ship no sooner than the first week in May. I'd give you some advice, but Ralphie & others already covered the basics.

My ceramic eggs came today! Can't believe how fast they shipped - the return address was Princeton, MN, although I ordered them off Amazon. Is the sender on our thread, perhaps???

They came none too soon. I lost 3 eggs today, but collected 6 so far. I sold my first four dozen of the season yesterday, and I think I'm finally done getting eggs at the store.

Guys, if I talk about "experimenting with no supplemental lights" next winter, set me straight OK?? Four months with no eggs is no good. I may wait until the solstice to supplement just to give them a little break.

 

[duluthralphie]

I'm not opposed to hatching later in the season. I have a second batch of meatballs to brood in July, so that might work out. I'll keep your cockerels in mind, thank you!

Ok.. I will be picking 2 for a breeding trio the rest are just soup to me.

 

[lvie]

Quote:
Ahhhh . . . that is mean. 1) because she is on vacation 2) because she did not schedule in the time for a quick visit. Ohhhhh . . . . .

 

[duluthralphie]

Ahhhh . . . that is mean. 1) because she is on vacation 2) because she did not schedule in the time for a quick visit. Ohhhhh . . . . .

Naw,,, not mean.. We did talk on the phone for a few seconds though, They had the whole family with, and for some unknown reason her teens did not want to do anything but get to their motel and swimming pool.. I cannot believe I lost out to a swimming pool!

Besides what can be a more enjoyable vacation than drinking coffee with me?

 

[MinnesotaNice]

R.I.P


Today is a sad day here... We lost one our most beloved flock memberd. Lil' Mrs. Snowball has moved on to the big coop in the sky. She would have been 2 years old this spring

Sorry about your loss, Holm. She was young. Did she fall ill?

 

[MinnesotaNice]

Hi All,

I just found this Minnesota topic! I live in Isanti.

We just got 12 adult (1 year old) laying hens and 1 rooster a week ago. Averaging 9 eggs a day. Never had chickens before so I have a lot to learn!

I'm interested in maybe getting some cornish cross meat birds as chicks. I understand they go out in the chicken tractor at about 3 weeks.

I'm curious with our climate about when I would want to have the chicks delivered so that at 3 weeks of age the outside temps would be okay for them?

Thanks!

Welcome, Bobcat! What breed of Hens and Rooster did you get?

 

[holm25]

Chick number one has hatched! Its fricking huge! Its the biggest chick I have ever seen!

 

[Violetsfeathers]

Chick number one has hatched! Its fricking huge! Its the biggest chick I have ever seen!

Pics?!!!!!!!!!

 

[holm25]

The blue (yes now that its zipping i see its blue not black) is zipping and half out of the egg so I will wait a minute.






Correction it is actually black!