Thread formerly known as Hatch day is today

[Marty1876]

Time to go but I.will stop.in again. Kisses to everybody

We love you SM. I'm keeping you in my prayers.....

 

[psue]

today.....

view out of my daughters window had to break through some snow drifts so the animals could get to their heated buckets

Napoleon and Josephine have company... all 9 ducks as I'm 2 heated buckes short and they have a 5 gallon I'm so glad Napoleon doesn't have any problem with ducks right now.

 

[Miss Lydia]

today.....

view out of my daughters window had to break through some snow drifts so the animals could get to their heated buckets

Napoleon and Josephine have company... all 9 ducks as I'm 2 heated buckes short and they have a 5 gallon I'm so glad Napoleon doesn't have any problem with ducks right now.

Pretty view.

 

[JulieNKC]

Julie, too bad you're not closer - I'd give them to you!

I'd take them too, lol. Even though I have 5 house seramas already and my japanese eggs in the incubator are mostly looking pretty good.

So whats everyone up to? Whos got what in the bater? I'm about to clean my baters and get one going today. I'm going to hatch out the Java eggs I've got coming, and sell the youngsters (or keep a few).

I've got japanese from chicksohmy, and a few ducks in the incubator. My layer chickens are starting to pick up laying, so I'm hoping some of my breeders will too. The ducks and goose are molting, so I'm not expecting eggs for a bit there.

Snow snow every where. 12" so far

Wow. I was just telling hubby we need to go visit my family (northeast IA) to let the kids play in some real snow.

today.....

view out of my daughters window had to break through some snow drifts so the animals could get to their heated buckets

Napoleon and Josephine have company... all 9 ducks as I'm 2 heated buckes short and they have a 5 gallon I'm so glad Napoleon doesn't have any problem with ducks right now.

Brr. Looks about like that here too. I only have 2 groups outside, so I'm just hauling warm water down a few times a day when I go check for eggs. Everyone is sitting inside out of the wind being lazy and napping so far. They aren't impressed with the snow.

 

[Chicken Crazy12]

I am so devastated right now. Today when I went out to feed the ducks, I only saw three - my male welshie, a female cross of some sort, and one of the welsh harlequin ducklings. The duckling never hangs with the big ducks, but since I had literally 11 ducks missing and no chickens were gone, I thought maybe they had discovered the big pond bordering my property. Went to check, and no ducks, but I saw something white in the woods. There's a pekin, I thought. And there he was - with no head, and something had eaten just his head and the skin off his back. No signs of the others at all, but I must assume something similar happened. And the one survivng duckling has a limp, like she managed to escape whatever was getting them. So I went from fourteen duck to three in the space of an afternoon, in broad daylight. What's more, whatever did it didn't take a single chicken. I don't even know what can eat three grown ducks and 8 mostly grown ducklings in one afternoon. Anyway the poor surving baby has no one to hang out with, so luckily my aunt is very graciously giving me back one of the female ducjlings I gave her, and both are getting penned up until the survivor's leg heals. I think that tenacious little duckling needs a good name.
Anyway, I'm so devastated. The little duckling that imprinted on me and followed me around everywhere is one of the ones I lost. I just don't know what to do. And the fact that not a single chicken is missing baffles me. Either I have some very good roosters or whatever it was has a taste for duck.
Please excuse any typos, I'm very upset.

Sounds like a coon to me. They are notorious for getting ducks around our place, well until the recent attack turned up bobcat tracks. I know how you feel we just lost 6 of our silkie ducks leaving us with no drakes to build back the flock only 6 lonely girls left. Estimates are over $350 - $400 worth of ducks they got and it really does just make you sick. We now have a LGD puppy coming to be our future livestock protection but still it's a huge blow to our farm and our silkie duck program.

I had my npip testing today.

I'm so happy it was nice outside, and the birds cooperated and weren't too big a pain to catch. I just hope since my testing is now in December every year that it isn't freezing next time.

Woohooo! Finally they get your NPIP testing done. The way the Decembers have been going you should be good for next year, but if not you will just have to bundle up that's where a big barn would come in handy. I think this every time we have to get the horses trimmed in the winter weather but we still don't have one. If I win the lottery you betcha I'll have a nice big red one.

Holy Moly! I candled Serama eggs last night and so far I have 100% fertility. I could see all of them squirming around in their shells. I still have 4 more that I put in at a later date to candle, too. I hope I'll be able to sell them in the middle of winter, because my husband will not be OK with 12 chickens in the house all winter. I still have 13 more days to go, though, so I won't count my chickens before they're hatched.

My power did go out for about an hour last night and the temp dropped to 85, but I don't think it will cause a problem since it was such a short amount of time.

Happy Dance

100% is awesome. Hope the eggs don't have to see anymore power outages

So whats everyone up to? Whos got what in the bater? I'm about to clean my baters and get one going today. I'm going to hatch out the Java eggs I've got coming, and sell the youngsters (or keep a few).

Just hatched out a few Saxony ducklings..... to the brooder they went.

Whats baking:
*Wheaten Marans
*Olive Eggers
*Layer mix eggs
*Ancona duck eggs (the first of the season and haven't even checked fertility

)
*Runner duck eggs ( Again the first of the season)
*Paint silkie
*Mille Fleur Cochins

Pretty sure that's it but I pretty much throw eggs in every week except this week I skipped so I could have a week off.

Snow snow every where. 12" so far

Yuck...... I remember getting 18" one year and our town shut down! Stay inside as much as possible.

I sold my ducks and my beautiful geese. They were just too hard to take care of with Jeff on the road. I hated selling my geese. They were so big and pretty. I have some Japanese chickens and a few tophats so very easy to take care of

Awww sorry you had to sell your geese and ducks. I can't imagine not having ducks.

today.....

view out of my daughters window had to break through some snow drifts so the animals could get to their heated buckets

Napoleon and Josephine have company... all 9 ducks as I'm 2 heated buckes short and they have a 5 gallon I'm so glad Napoleon doesn't have any problem with ducks right now.

I hate Winter. We didn't get much down south of Kansas City but the wind makes it so nasty out with the little we did get!

 

[CelticOaksFarm]

that just looks soooooo cold

<=== me and cold

 

[Marty1876]

Chicken Crazy, where S. of the big city? I'm in East Central KS. We didn't get much snow, only 3 inches or so, but it was all the ducks and geese first snow experience. They were hysterical this morning when I ran them back to the day pen. They didn't care it was bloody cold, into the icy pond they went! The goat was not impressed though. She's so uptight, I've had a little milk drop. Silly girl Ava.

 

[ChristineR]

Sounds like a coon to me. They are notorious for getting ducks around our place, well until the recent attack turned up bobcat tracks. I know how you feel we just lost 6 of our silkie ducks leaving us with no drakes to build back the flock only 6 lonely girls left. Estimates are over $350 - $400 worth of ducks they got and it really does just make you sick. We now have a LGD puppy coming to be our future livestock protection but still it's a huge blow to our farm and our silkie duck program.
Woohooo! Finally they get your NPIP testing done. The way the Decembers have been going you should be good for next year, but if not you will just have to bundle up that's where a big barn would come in handy. I think this every time we have to get the horses trimmed in the winter weather but we still don't have one. If I win the lottery you betcha I'll have a nice big red one.

*Ancona duck eggs (the first of the season and haven't even checked fertility

)
*Runner duck eggs ( Again the first of the season)
*Paint silkie
*Mille Fleur Cochins

That's a bummer you lost the silkie ducks.

Post pics of the Anconas when they hatch!

 

[Chicken Crazy12]

Chicken Crazy, where S. of the big city? I'm in East Central KS. We didn't get much snow, only 3 inches or so, but it was all the ducks and geese first snow experience. They were hysterical this morning when I ran them back to the day pen. They didn't care it was bloody cold, into the icy pond they went! The goat was not impressed though. She's so uptight, I've had a little milk drop. Silly girl Ava.

We are pretty much 1 hour straight south of Kansas City, MO. Closest Kansas town to us is Lacygne which we often go to durring warm weather to ride the horse trails out at the lake or just take a vacation with the camper out there. Feed and udder massaging helps to get them to drop the milk. The young FF's are the hardest because they don't have much milking experience so once they get over the kicking they are still a little uptight.

That's a bummer you lost the silkie ducks.

Post pics of the Anconas when they hatch!

Thanks Christine we are trying to find a drake for our 6 remaining hens but Holderread is all sold out of Adult drakes

I will definitely post pictures of Ancona babies as soon as they come.

 

[Miss Lydia]

We are pretty much 1 hour straight south of Kansas City, MO. Closest Kansas town to us is Lacygne which we often go to durring warm weather to ride the horse trails out at the lake or just take a vacation with the camper out there. Feed and udder massaging helps to get them to drop the milk. The young FF's are the hardest because they don't have much milking experience so once they get over the kicking they are still a little uptight.
Thanks Christine we are trying to find a drake for our 6 remaining hens but Holderread is all sold out of Adult drakes

I will definitely post pictures of Ancona babies as soon as they come.

I know you probably already done this but posting on the BYC buy sell trade thread may give you a drake silky, so sorry for your losses.