Virginia

[suyoder]

I apparently have a counting problem… or a memory problem… or both. I had it in my mind that I set 12 eggs under my broody. I was freaking out because two eggs were missing and I could not imagine where they (or the hatched chicks) could go. Let's see. 6 EE eggs + two leghorn eggs + 2 NH eggs = 10! Hah. 9/10 hatched. One NH egg looks like it quit late, but I will give it one more day. It doesn't smell funky at least. Momma is turning out to be a fantastic momma!

Aww, so cute! Can't wait until my chicks are big enough to go broody... Oh yeah, and lay eggs. they are only about 2 months old. Bummer. Got a while yet.

 

[Cknldy]

Fire ants will eat what they find if it is edible to them. Ever drop a fish on an anthill? Gone in minutes, bones picked clean! And I believe they are in their protein phase right now. They could have been naturally cleaning up a chick that momma smooshed still in the egg or just waiting to clean the shells after chicks came out which is what I thought when I first saw a line of them yesterday. They were everywhere when I scooped out the shavings!

 

[shmeggs]

has anyone here thought of starting a regional chicken club.

 

[ki4got]

has anyone here thought of starting a regional chicken club.

there already is one.

the Virginia Poultry Breeders and Exhibitors Association...

 

[shmeggs]

thanks I have asked a lot people nobody knew anything

 

[noXcuse]

<--- Chesapeake

Sent from my DROID RAZR HD using Tapatalk

 

[4theloveofhens]

Craigslist has chicken swaps several times a month within decent driving distances from there, usually within 30 min drive. I live about 5-10 min from pretty much anywhere in Portsmouth so it isn't much farther for you. Just check the Hampton Roads area of craigslist and search "chicken" or "chicken swap" under the for sale section.

Hi Spazzy,

I still have had no luck. I've tried facebook groups, craigslist, feed stores, etc. I'm going out of my mind trying to get some girls!! The closest farm to get some pullets is almost 2 hours away! Any ideas?

 

[Maggiesdad]

Hi Spazzy,

I still have had no luck. I've tried facebook groups, craigslist, feed stores, etc. I'm going out of my mind trying to get some girls!! The closest farm to get some pullets is almost 2 hours away! Any ideas?

Can't beat the 2 hr mark here, either...

But if you're up Louisa way, shoot me a pm. I've got some mixes if you aren't particular about breeds- BCMs and BCMxEE... maybe some barred mixes and Basques in a few weeks. My last hatch this year is finishing up today.

Can you wait til Sept? Gilmanor in Glen Allen is a big swap...

 

[HaplessRunner]

Fire ants will eat what they find if it is edible to them. Ever drop a fish on an anthill? Gone in minutes, bones picked clean! And I believe they are in their protein phase right now. They could have been naturally cleaning up a chick that momma smooshed still in the egg or just waiting to clean the shells after chicks came out which is what I thought when I first saw a line of them yesterday. They were everywhere when I scooped out the shavings!

Are you sure they were fire ants? I lived in Vidalia, Georgia in the 1980s and we had lots of fire ants there. From what I understood then is that fire ants had not migrated into Virgina or North Carolina because the winters were too cold for them. Since it has been more than a few years since the 1980s, your post sparked my curiosity. Fire ants are brutal and can be very dangerous. They will pour out of a nest and crawl onto an interloper and all begin to sting at once. From what I understand, the toxin in the fire ant sting is similar to the brown recluse spider in that it kills flesh on contact.

We have many ant varieties in Virginia but as I noted above, I have never heard of fire ants in Virginia. BTW, I live all the way in the top of Virginia where Maryland & West Virginia come together with Virginia and there are absolutely no fire ants up here.

 

[ridinshotgun]

The only confirmed instances of fire ants in VA are in the tidewater area. That is why there is a fire ant quarantine for Virginia that encompasses most of the counties east of James City.