Thistlewick Smallholding - Chickens & Sheep (for now)

[Shadrach]

two pips this morning, I swear I could incubate eggs all day every day - I love it so much

need 1 more bator so I can just have it on a cycle to have a hatch every week LOLOL

JUST KIDDING

You're not well.

 

[thistlewick]

I used to live right by Dorking and so I just think it would be a nice reminder

Had to get rid of Hurricane today - he was chasing the hens.

Posted my chicks for sale on Facebook

Wow, people really dick you around. lol

I would never treat people that way. It amazes me how people are and think it's okay to be.

Apparently $3 a chick is too much and 2 is better.

Not for the 45 minute drive babe! If you were around the corner, maybe...

 

[thistlewick]

Did a little digging - apparently there is a huge 'flipping' market where people try and 'barter' down the cost of chicks and then in 2-3 weeks re-sell them as 'started chickens' for $10-15

$3 for pasture raised Easter Eggers (basically bym) is a very good price and most sell for $5 a piece.

Honestly people setting up a time/place to make the sale (they are already aware of the $3/ea price) and then after all that, saying how many they want etc - how they will be transported. At the VERY end saying "Hey, what about $1.50/ea?" Yeah no. I'm honestly disgusted with people. I would never *ever* waste someone's time like that. What kind of people do that?

Happened over and over and over.

No wonder the women I met who sold me the hatching eggs (and who I sold some pullets to (the ISA Browns)) were WONDERFUL. I didn't dick them around.

 

[thistlewick]

Tilly's chicks are 2 weeks old and 2 days today -- doing extremely well, got almost all of them here - one was by mama

It's been fascinating to watch. They are *completely* integrated into the large girl flock unlike all the other younger chickens, which are blending in, but slowly.

Tilly, Harriet and Ginger mother them, Harriet still doesn't sit on her eggs very much -- they were alive last I checked (only a couple days ago) but they still may not hatch of course. They are due to hatch in 2 days. I kinda doubt they will. But who knows.

It will be interesting to see what happens if they DO hatch.

I had a landscaper guy come over today to bid on a job and he was obsessed with the chickens and he had a million questions; he was tickled to get a 'contact' as he put it lol

He might buy some of my chicks, we will see.

7 days til my Welsummers and Ameraucanas hatch!

The BRAND new babies are doing well, OH AND GOOD NEWS!! The big scab fell off Sparrow's eye/face and lo and behold, she has an eye! And it looks good! It looks like it was the ear that was damaged badly, but it's healing and it never got infected.

I vent sexed my 4 Olive Eggers - just to see how accurate it is; so I'm writing it down now to see if I am right in a few weeks; 1 cockerel 1 unsure and 2 pullets. The unsure one was a 'configuration' that I did not recognize right off the bat so I am unsure what it means.

Still blows my mind there are 18 different ones.

I never told anyone but I vent sexed my FBC maran babies I got from Greenfire because they were straight run, I got them right (there were only 3 lol)

it was probably just dumb luck! \o/

 

[kattabelly]

I vent sexed my 4 Olive Eggers - just to see how accurate it is; so I'm writing it down now to see if I am right in a few weeks; 1 cockerel 1 unsure and 2 pullets. The unsure one was a 'configuration' that I did not recognize right off the bat so I am unsure what it means.

Still blows my mind there are 18 different ones.

I never told anyone but I vent sexed my FBC maran babies I got from Greenfire because they were straight run, I got them right (there were only 3 lol)

it was probably just dumb luck! \o/

I've been trying this too. It's not easy!

 

[thistlewick]

I've been trying this too. It's not easy!

It has to be done before they are 72 hours old, they grow so fast it cannot be done on older chicks

A little dimple for pullets
A little nub for Cockerels

And it's seriously just lifting the tail gently and quickly looking

They don't need to be upside down or any crazy thing lol

The one I'm unsure of, had both dimple and nub lol

 

[kattabelly]

It has to be done before they are 72 hours old, they grow so fast it cannot be done on older chicks

A little dimple for pullets
A little nub for Cockerels

And it's seriously just lifting the tail gently and quickly looking

They don't need to be upside down or any crazy thing lol

The one I'm unsure of, had both dimple and nub lol

I know how to do it, I just find it hard to "read" what I'm looking at with some of them! It's all the different variations, like you said.

 

[thistlewick]

I know how to do it, I just find it hard to "read" what I'm looking at with some of them! It's all the different variations, like you said.

I think I wrote all that for my own benefit not for you, sorry if it came off that way!!