Utah!

[sideWing]

Congratulations!

I'm not an expert (hatched twice with a broody for the first time this year), but it has been a good experience. The only thing I'd be concerned about is the eggs will be hatching about October, so the chicks will hit 6 weeks in November. If the broody chooses not to stay with the chicks for the full six weeks (my one did, I don't know what my other will do) you might need to provide supplemental heat.

You will probably want a separate place for your broody and the chicks. Here's what I did. My broodies are both bantams. I cut an opening in a small moving box from Lowes and put it in a wire dog kennel in my shed. I moved her into the box at night with some fake eggs. After I was sure she wasn't going to break because of the move, I got her some real eggs. The hen brooded in the box. I put food and water in the box while she was broody and threw her off the nest for her daily constitutional. She and the chicks lived in the kennel for the first five weeks then I fenced off under the coop and let them live there for another few weeks. My second broody I put in my new bantam coop and she brooded in the nesting box there.

(If you use horizontal water nipples, you don't have to worry about providing a chick waterer too, the broody will show the chicks how to use it.)

Integrating the chicks has been a bit of a pain. My coop and run aren't very big. I put a roost in the run, so right now the pullets live up there most of the time. I've heard things improve once the pullets start laying, so I'm hoping that happens soon.

I made a timeline of what happened when, so I'd know for later. It's only one hatch, but might give you an idea of what you might expect.

I really like hatching so far though. Good luck.

 

[Kristenaty]

So I went to Leland Mills this last weekend.  
    SUPER nice people to work with! 
Their feed was a super deal- 20.00 for 100lbs for 18% layer mash. I picked up 150lbs. 
     This is my problem, the ducks waste most of it. If I had chickens to clean up after the ducks it would be ideal but DH is not convinced we need both chickens and ducks. 
I thought the best use of it would be to mix it with water till it clumps then give it to them, like mush in the winter.  if I have to......
           However If someone wanted to buy 100lbs of some quality feed for their chickens .....you could get it here instead of having to drive to spanish fork ;-)  
Anyone interested?

Are you still selling your feed?

Kristen

 

[Cynthia12]

Hello everyone!
I'm terrible about keeping current here, so I end up just popping up every once in awhile when I have a question. We've had a busy year at my house, though! After a years long struggle with infertility we're expecting our second child in March! Which I am ridiculously excited about...I've basically been floating around on cloud 9 for the last two months.

We lost one of our chickens this week, though. We have no idea what happened to her, everything seemed fine, but then she was gone when my husband went out to check on them on Tuesday. I have another girl who's broody. I've moved her out of the nest box a few times, which has always worked in the past, but she's just not having it this time so I'm thinking about getting some eggs for her to hatch. I've been wanting to add to my flock anyway, but with losing my girl this week I think it might be time. Does anyone have any advice or thoughts about this? Good idea/bad idea? I've never done it before, so I have no idea what I'm getting myself into.

Can someone point me in the right direction to find fertilized eggs or does anyone have some if I do decide to go that route?

Congratulations! You have to be very very excited all right!

Fertile eggs? There will be plenty of folks on here that can help you out. Good luck............with everything!

 

[Kristenaty]

I'm so glad my husband made me a new chick brooder for the five new chicks we got. It hinges on the top so it is super convenient to open, get the chicks in and out and fill the food and water. It's attached the to Rubbermaid tote so they have a nice place to go at night or during the rain. I love it much more than what we had before.

 

[RJSorensen]

It is during the Dog Daze of summer that we usually seem to have produce extra and thus the fine fowl are reaping a portion of our abundant harvest. Some corn, tomatoes that have a 'blemish,' cucumbers all the raspberries they can steal and a few fallen apples. My birds seem to enjoy the harvest, any of you yielding some of your garden crops to your birds? I think corn is the preferred item, but they like watermelon ends and such as well. Hot and dry today, reminds me of being up to Green River, Wyoming, where the winds always blows. The heat with the south wind are just sucking all the moisture from my yard.

I've some summer projects I had better get to… I don't like to carry such year to year, got to finish some old before I let myself start new.

Best to all and your birds,

RJ

 

[RedIII]

hey red how did the deer hunt go? you did go correct? madchicken are you going this year?

Yaieeeee! Sorry for the delay in response! I've not been on for a while. Hunting was okay. I got a buck on the opener weekend and we're *pretty* sure I killed him because of the, ahem, trail and the leavings on my arrow. We're not sure, but we think someone may have grabbed him when we backed off to let him lay down and die, because the trail just up and vanished Tried again just this past weekend without success. The bucks were all way too spooked from being shot at for two weeks. I'm just glad DH got one because I couldn't manage to contribute to the freezer. Kind of frustrating.

In regards to the incubator topic, RJ, Lisa, I do like my Brinsea more than the deathbator. I found that when I moved it to a different room, I actually got a live hatch, however most of the chicks were sticky. I was too ashamed to say that I'm just accepting that my poor success rates are probably due to being a lousy hatcher, period. So I really can't offer any good feedback. Sorry.

 

[the-bird-man]

Yaieeeee! Sorry for the delay in response! I've not been on for a while. Hunting was okay. I got a buck on the opener weekend and we're *pretty* sure I killed him because of the, ahem, trail and the leavings on my arrow. We're not sure, but we think someone may have grabbed him when we backed off to let him lay down and die, because the trail just up and vanished Tried again just this past weekend without success. The bucks were all way too spooked from being shot at for two weeks. I'm just glad DH got one because I couldn't manage to contribute to the freezer. Kind of frustrating.

In regards to the incubator topic, RJ, Lisa, I do like my Brinsea more than the deathbator. I found that when I moved it to a different room, I actually got a live hatch, however most of the chicks were sticky. I was too ashamed to say that I'm just accepting that my poor success rates are probably due to being a lousy hatcher, period. So I really can't offer any good feedback. Sorry.

you are fine. i am just impressed you got back with me at all lol. sorry someone stole your deer i hate when people do that. with hunting the way it is and such for me its not even worth it to go but maybe one day things will get better. but i like to check on my hunting friends and see how they do. with how many cities having issues with urban deer maybe you can look into getting one of those tags if you can? i am sure your dh understands.

 

[RedIII]

Birdman, I really hope they start handing out tags for the urban deer in Tooele. They seem to be here all the time. We have them come in and eat the hay for our horses and destroy our garden. I would love to take one here! I may check into doe tags, too And I need to see when the jackrabbits and cottontails are in season. There are a bunch of them in Rush Valley.

 

[iPickYupik]

Cynthia, here's what came out of our eggs from your old EE rooster's twin. The light one's mom is our BO and the blue one's mom is our BR. Both looked to have inherited daddy's beard. They are teeny tiny! Our hens are Feb chicks so very young layers. Out of the 8 we put in, all started developing but 5 quit and one other made it to lockdown and internally pipped but quit after that. I'm guessing it's probably because the moms (and dad) were young and the eggs were still quite small.

 

[iPickYupik]

It is during the Dog Daze of summer that we usually seem to have produce extra and thus the fine fowl are reaping a portion of our abundant harvest. Some corn, tomatoes that have a 'blemish,' cucumbers all the raspberries they can steal and a few fallen apples. My birds seem to enjoy the harvest, any of you yielding some of your garden crops to your birds? I think corn is the preferred item, but they like watermelon ends and such as well. Hot and dry today, reminds me of being up to Green River, Wyoming, where the winds always blows. The heat with the south wind are just sucking all the moisture from my yard.

I've some summer projects I had better get to… I don't like to carry such year to year, got to finish some old before I let myself start new.

Best to all and your birds,

RJ

Isn't today a gorgeous day in Cache Valley, RJ? I ride my bike to school, actually thought it was a bit crisp this morning and made it without breaking a sweat. Nice!