Washingtonians

[itsren]

The oddball was a yellow little bugger with a bit of chocolate color on the top of its head. best guess was either blue slate/chocolate cross or else blue slate/narangansett cross. DANG IT.. I tried my best with the little guy but he didn't make it.

I'm sorry. Sounds like s/he would have been interesting to watch grow.

 

[itsren]

Since it sounds like you only want to hatch once - maybe you could rent/borrow an incubator? Or keep an eye on your Craig's list - I've seen some pretty good deals there - just a month or so ago someone was selling everything you needed for 100 bucks - they had purchased it for their daughters science project, and were looking to move it along to someone with a similar need.


Sorry for the long post

Dave

We've been talking about hatching every year. At least 3 pullets/per year. Or, as many as we need due to losses. The plan is, unless it changes, and plans seem to change as we learn more, that this year's chickens will be dinner in two years. Not sure if that will really happen, but that's what we're talking about. Of course, we said the chickens will not have names, and my kid's ended up naming them. It seems that our 3 little farm animals have turned into pets.

So... I just found this website and it said Brahma's usually become dinner at 10-13 months. Really?!! That seems too young! The chicken's gotta have a life! Poor chickens. Our little Brahma is 8 weeks - she's way too small (and cute) to eat.

It also said Brahma's tend to trample baby chicks. Guess that means an incubator would probably be the best way to go.

Here's that web site: http://chickenbreedslist.com/Brahma.html

 

[ByN8ureHomstead]

Quote:
We took our little Emma to the doctors last night. The doc said she has Hand foot month disease.

 

[itsren]

I use two incubators, both Styrofoam, both with fans. I have an automatic turner in one. Eggs go in there for the first 18 to 19 days, then I move them to the second for hatching. I set 14 at a time, usually every weekend. This means I'm also hatching out 14 every weekend (from 14 eggs I am averaging 11 chicks).

Dave, the more I think about it, that's got to be pretty cool. That would be fun to see new babies every weekend.

 

[Sudsy Chick]

Does anyone have one, two, or three day old chicks in the North King Co/South Snohomish Co area? I would like to purchase one or two to go with our single blue marans baby. Hopefully that will stop Juno from sitting. thanks!

 

[itsren]

Yes, technically I *could* carry them from the coop to the portable run I made...but imagine doing that crazy circus chicken run with 8 of them!

NO way! LOL

LOL! With 8, I can only imagine. Playing chicken chase with 2 of my three is enough to make me

. My Brahma is an easy catch - I come out, she comes to me. I think she still thinks I'm her mama. She's happy to be picked up and held. The other two, not so much. They dart. They run, or fly. They snub their little beaks at Happy Hen Treats because they seem know it's a ploy to catch them. They squawk, and if their feet get on my hand, they scratch (ouch!). And, when I do catch them, they whine all the way back to their brooder. Once they're in their brooder, they seem happy and content. I tell ya, I think they just enjoy playing a game of chase, and they hate to lose. In many ways, they act like my kids.

 

[VelvettFog]

We've been talking about hatching every year. At least 3 pullets/per year. Or, as many as we need due to losses. The plan is, unless it changes, and plans seem to change as we learn more, that this year's chickens will be dinner in two years. Not sure if that will really happen, but that's what we're talking about. Of course, we said the chickens will not have names, and my kid's ended up naming them. It seems that our 3 little farm animals have turned into pets.

So... I just found this website and it said Brahma's usually become dinner at 10-13 months. Really?!! That seems too young! The chicken's gotta have a life! Poor chickens. Our little Brahma is 8 weeks - she's way too small (and cute) to eat.

It also said Brahma's tend to trample baby chicks. Guess that means an incubator would probably be the best way to go.

Here's that web site: http://chickenbreedslist.com/Brahma.html

I think what they are saying is -- at 10 - 13 mo, the bird is fully grown but not yet 'tough'. If you keep a hen for 2 or so years - it will be a great stewing chicken, but you would probably not enjoy it as a fryer.

When I get to the point where my laying flock is past it's prime, I look for people interested in chickens as pets or who are less concerned with the number of eggs laid per week. If I can get 10 or 15 bucks for a hen that has done her job for me, I think that's better for the bird than sending her to the freezer.

Extra roos get butchered about the time they weigh 5 or so lbs.

 

[Flaming Chicken]

Do you prefer hatching with a broody or an incubator? And, are cockerals more common than pullets? If we hatch our own eggs, do we need to plan to hatch a lot more than we want to keep?

I've actually started to think about what we're going to do next spring. We plan to add 3 (city code max is 6 hens). I was thinking it might be kind of cool for the kids (and us) to watch the entire process. I'm not sure which would be the best way to go. From what I understand, our Light Brahma will tend to be broody, but the downfall with a Brahma might be that she'll be so big, she might tend to break eggs. As it is, she's already our clumsy one. I've also been looking at the Brinsea Mini Advance incubator. It holds 7 eggs - and has a clear top to see through.

Any thoughts/suggestions? Fortunately we have nearly a year to think this through.

My hens are not consistantly broody. My Brahma never has been broody. The first time, my black sex link sat on some eggs. I lelt her do it in the regular nesting box. I had to keep an eye on her because she switched nests a couple of times. When the eggs hatched, I found her on the floor sitting on a chick and one dead chick left inthe nest with the now cold un hatched eggs. The second time with a rhode island red, I moved the hen to another area where she wouldnt be disturbed . We have 2 chicks from that time and the chicks that she hatched are much less tolerant of being handled than the ones was raised with out a hen.

I used a hovabator this spring for the first time. We have 5 chicks from 18 eggs . We were able to watch the progress of the eggs and handle the chicks. Getting the tempurature and humidity right (and finding information on what the humitidy should be) was the hard part. Much more reliable unless you have a regularly broody hen. Some breeds are better for that than mine.

Cockerels vs pullets is 50:50 so usually half of you chicks will be boys.

 

[Teva]

My poor wet and hungry Kate took a break from her nest to come home and eat. About every other day, she honks her arrival and waits at my door for her "bucket". It's full of sweet cob and black oil sunflower seeds and if I leave it out, the chickens devour it. Kate eats for about 10 minutes and then scuttles back to her nest, which is hidden somewhere along my overgrown creek. I decided not to go look for it, because if I can find it, then predators can find it too and I'd rather not lead them straight to it. By my figuring, hopefully little peachicks will be following her around in about 2 and a half weeks.

 

[renart]

Where be everyone ?