The Aloha Chicken Project

[HEChicken]

Oooohhh...the one creepy crawlie I hope never to encounter. So glad we don't get them here! Glad things are going well with the dog. Sounds like he will be here for awhile still, if you are hoping to train him to the chickens. I have two dogs who are completely chicken safe. In fact, I have their dog house in the chicken yard and that is where they sleep at night. We live in an area with foxes, coyotes, raccoons and possums but since I started having the dogs (not LGD's, just 40lb mutts) sleep in the chicken yard at night, I haven't lost a bird to a predator, even though I've seen coyotes within 50' of the coop. In the morning the auto door opens and the birds come spilling out but I never worry about the dogs doing anything to hurt them, and often don't go to let the dogs out until an hour or more later. So I know it is possible for dogs to be trusted around the birds and hope you get to that point with your doggie roommate.

 

[alohachickens]

Yesterday I shipped out some baby chicks to BYC'er 5moore in MO. Says they are at the Post Office there now. Hope they made it safe! I can't wait to hear from her to find out if they were handled OK in transit. (Bites nails.)

Interesting note for you guys in the Midwest: I dropped them off at 4 pm yesterday and it says they are there as of 11:00 my time. That is less than 24 hours in transit time. Very impressive, Post Office! I don't know if KS would have the same results, but it makes the possibility of shipping Lives very appealing.

Cost to ship 30+ chicks in small box via Express was $41.45 in case anyone was wondering. Chick shipping box plus padding cost about $8 with shipping. So, about $50 total for shipping and supplies. Not cheap, but very fast. Still waiting to see if they are OK. They were looking very healthy when they left. The few leftovers that I couldn't fit in the small box are doing fine in the brooder here, so the "control group" is in good shape.

I am hoping to ship another batch of chicks to Deerfield in a few weeks. Would be from four breeder pens, Pumpkin chicks, Raymond's roo, Susssex/Swedish/Aloha crosses, plus my most colorful hens in with the new pure Sussex rooster.

 

[jbolt]

Found a Speckled Sussex hen on cl sommer, just giving you a heads up lol

 

[Deerfield Acres]

Looking forward to those chicks, too, Sommer!

Yuck! Scorpions. I used to spend some time in the summers at my grandparent's country place in a little unincorporated town called Oak Valley, KS. They had 11 acres with ponds, a creek and all kinds of fun. The downside was that in that part of KS they do have scorpions. YUCK! I hate those ugly things. My older brother and his creepy cousins (yeah, I know, they were mine too) loved to catch them and act like they knew what they were doing. I knew better. Disgusting looking things.

 

[alohachickens]

Found a Speckled Sussex hen on cl sommer, just giving you a heads up lol

Bet it's not as pretty as Sprinkles. LOL!

She really is a pet. I've been letting them out to free range now and she is always up on the patio! I keep trying to shoo her away from there but she just comes back again. Ha ha ha!

 

[jbolt]

Oh yeah she can be very pushy sometimes. Lol. I have super bummer news though, my 2 year old unplugged the bator. Last nite, sometime. I found it at 7 am at 70° . They are 8 days from hatch, so I don't know how many if any will. Hatch now. I lost my marbles this am when I found it.

 

[HEChicken]

jbolt, don't give up on them - they may still hatch.

 

[jbolt]

Ii haven't given up on them, just prepared for a crappy hatch. Oh well, then illhave an empty bator ready for more eggs...........

 

[jbolt]

Still sooooo amazingly bummed. I candled last nite and had movement in 48 eggs.woke this am to ice cold eggs. Bator was off anywhere from 7 to 12 hours before I noticed. My daughter unplugged it and I took allergy meds yesterday . Sommer if you'll trust me with another batch in a week or two ill try again, but only with 20 or so, as I don't know how this hatch will turn out now. Dang it also, I'm looking for a used lg egg turner if anybody has one. That way I can hide the whole bator and never have this happen again.

 

[alohachickens]

jbolt, keep an eye on Craigslist. I just searched now and found nothing, but they pop up there several times a year. Oh - you can also put a "Wanted" ad up on Farm & Garden. Never hurts - you might get lucky and find someone who gave hatching eggs a try this Spring and already gave up on it.

Usually, the turner is sold along with the incubator when they turn up on CL, but sometimes they will sell seperately. I bought my first 'bator off CL for $50 - a Hova-Bator with fan and turner, and it still works great five years later! (And I've used it a LOT!) So keep looking on there! Try to remember to search every 10 days or so and you'll find one eventually. I've seen tons of them through the years.