Surviving Minnesota!

[lvie]

Tom Hanks is so protective of his girls. It is fun to watch him 'herd' them. Having him around makes me much more comfortable about the chickens free-ranging. I found them down in the woods this afternoon going through a compost pile.

I have been keeping him and three of the five girls in the smaller, new coop. Its actually big enough for six birds but poor Ruby did not have any feathers on her back from him jumping her. The two RIR, Rosi and Ruby, seem to prefer to be on their own most of the time. I had them segregated in the older coop for healing purposes. I was curious as to where I would find them tonight when I went out to lock up. They were all, except one, in the old coop. LOL. Tess, an ISA, LOVES the newer coop and she was sitting in it by herself. I put her in with the others. Isn't that funny how she prefers likes that coop?

And Rosi and Ruby do not want to use the roost now that the other four have returned to the big coop. They went off by theirselves into the actual coop to roost. The big roost is in the run.

Love these backyard chickens.

 

[lvie]

Hello all!


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Hello all!


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I know! He is a good egg. LOL.

 

[SleepyOwl]

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Whatchya got that you have extra of? Don't worry, I don't need CL, mine should be laying soon.

Maybe some EE?

 

[ejb3810]

Ralphie, glad to see that you got the hatching eggs all right. I knew that Duane Urch was a force to be reckoned with at the Minnesota State Fair. If ever you went through the poultry building and looked at the tags on the cages you would wonder who the heck is this guy and how does he have all the fantastic birds?
I have never been to his place or bought birds from him. Often what you anticipate is something other than really exists, but am curious about his facilities. Are they as large as the "Duluth Ralphie Poultry Emporium"?
Did you have an opportunity to see the brood stock which these eggs came from.

 

[duluthralphie]

Whatchya got that you have extra of? Don't worry, I don't need CL, mine should be laying soon.

Maybe some EE?

I have EE. my barnyard layer birds all have fertile eggs. The only roosters I have with them right now are Sven an EE and Chauncey a EE?CLB cross.

I get 10-12 eggs a day from them. You can have some if you want, just let me know.


Ivie it is amazing what a rooster will do with hens!

When I put Ed into the breeding pen I was a tad worried about Blackie and whether he would step up to the plate or not. Blackie did. Then when I put Blackie in the breeding pen I worried about whether Sven or Chauncey would step up. They did!

While Sven is a better rooster than Chauncey, they are both doing the job. They are young, but doing it. I watched Sven yesterday when I fed them the table scraps, and he did that little rooster call saying, "I found Food, Girls come here I found food, can I get to 3rd base now girls"" You know the call and dance they make. I find it funny they pick up a piece of food and then kind of drop it at the hens feet... The whole time he was actually looking up for hawks and eagles I think.!


Ed it was amazingly close to what I have! He has larger buildings, but he has row after row of them. I should take Judy down there so she can see them and stop complaining about all my "little buildings". I did not get to see the parent stock. I did not ask to though. He hatches in a room off his dining room!

I told him I hatched in the dining room but had to move them to a building next season.

He asked why. I told him the state people said I needed it to get NPIP approval. He brushed that off as if they were nuts. BTW he has been hatching in the house for over 65 years.

I asked him if the eggs were washed and disinfected and he again gave me that "are you crazy look" and asked why I wanted to disinfect the eggs. Again I said because the NPIP people said I have too....

He told me they are clean, they don't need anything more. He said they go overboard on some things. Chickens have been hatching for years out of dirty eggs...

He is diminutive in size (well compared to me and my son anyways) and very unassuming. A super nice guy. I wish he was a neighbor so I could stop and have coffee with him once a week. He is so nice and what he knows would be valuable to anyone with chickens.

I asked him for a "statement of origin" for the state incase they want to audit my flock. He said, "you don't need one, just tell them you got them from me" or a neighbors rooster got loose".

He reminded me of my Grandpa, Dad or any of the old time farmers I knew growing up.

 

[ejb3810]

Ralphie, thanks for the info on Duane and his operation. I assumed that he was an old time no nonsense kind of guy. I also assumed that he did not have some fancy hatchery operation.
He must be NPIP or he could not show in all the shows which he does?
I am sure he has a wealth of information and would be fun and informative to have coffee with.

 

[duluthralphie]

Ralphie, thanks for the info on Duane and his operation. I assumed that he was an old time no nonsense kind of guy. I also assumed that he did not have some fancy hatchery operation.
He must be NPIP or he could not show in all the shows which he does?
I am sure he has a wealth of information and would be fun and informative to have coffee with.

You had him pegged correctly. I have been reading up the little I can find on him. I am thinking anytime I want to add breeds to my flock he will be a place I will consider looking.

Kloppers, being as close to him as you are to him, you should consider birds or eggs from him.


I see he has Welsummers, and Royal Palm turkeys maybe even some Narragansett . I might have to make another trip for them. I really need some dark eggs in my basket.

My back pasture is quickly going to turn into small coops and runs I afraid.

 

[NathanZee]

I sacrificed a few eggs for coloring instead of hatching, one goose egg, two duck eggs, and the rest are bantam eggs!

 

[KlopKlop]

You had him pegged correctly.  I have been reading up the little I can find on him.  I am thinking anytime I want to add breeds to my flock he will be a place I will consider looking.

Kloppers, being as close to him as you are to him, you should consider birds or eggs from him. 


I see he has Welsummers, and Royal Palm turkeys  maybe  even some Narragansett .  I might have to make another trip for them. I really need some dark eggs in my basket.

My back pasture is quickly going to turn into small coops and runs I afraid.

My hobby poultry may not have the budget for those birds. Would you mind sharing what his hatching eggs cost?

 

[holm25]

Ralph did u know turkeys are what started his poultry obsession? Him and his wife got a pair of Narragansetts for a wedding gift and that brought him to where he is today. I know stalker mode. LOL he wrote that for the Storeys guide to raising turkeys.