Wisconsin "Cheeseheads"

[nonsuch]

mikej32782 wrote:

Well hello fellow wisconsiners. I am new to the forum and looking to make good connections. If there is anybody on here that has blue copper marans I would love to talk.

Hi Mikej32782! I am waiting for my two Blue Copper Marans to arrive from SC the end of this month. They are coming from White Oak Poultry. The lines are all Greenfire Farm/Bev Davis. Currently I have 7 French Black Coppers and two Birchen Pullets. What part of the State are you located?

 

[Sweetfolly]

I'm not even going to bother going back and reading all the posts since last time I was here - I'd be up ALL night! I've been enjoying a couple weeks of "mini-vacations" - it's been a slow couple weeks at work, so I managed to get 3 days off that coincided with Will's days off last week, and I'm on Day 1 of 4 days off this week!

Been doing lots - we decided we're going to stay in Baraboo for a year to renovate the house, so we took it off the market. Planning the wedding and selling/buying a house was too much! And then (my latest drama

), Will's best man decided to get engaged to a girl he'd just met after 3 days, and they set a wedding date of August 6th - six weeks BEFORE our wedding. They've been together a whole two weeks now, and she's already bought a dress and is calling him "hubby"

. This guy has been engaged about 6 times before, buys all the rings at pawn shops, and none of his relationships last more than 2 or 3 months - but with the wedding just 2 months away, this one might just last long enough for the wedding to actually happen! Which miffs me a little bit because they stole our wedding colors...

Anyways, I have a whole bunch of duckies hatching right now...this is the tray of eggs that Will dropped (and then sealed all the cracked eggs with candle wax). We ended up losing more than half the batch, I pulled all the dead eggs last week, but the three eggs that were smashed and dented the worst have all pipped! They're a mixture of (all pure) Hookbills, Stanbridge Whites, and Calls. So far, 3 Calls are out, 2 more Calls are zipping (Calls tend to hatch on Day 26 or 27, whereas the larger breeds hatch on Day 28 - which, for this batch, would be Wednesday), and nearly all the remaining Hookbills and SW's have pipped.

Of the 3 call ducklings that are out and running around in the brooder, I have 2 Blue Bibbeds and 1 very unusual Buff color!

I have no idea where if popped up from, it makes NO sense because, with the Black drake, I shouldn't be getting anything with more than one dose of the Blue dilution...maybe one of the hens is "hiding" some mystery gene. I dunno. But I really think this little Call baby is special! We'll see how it turns out!

My oldest two Calls are just about ready to move from the garage here in Baraboo to my mom's property with the rest of the birds - here's my favorite drake, "Little Boy Blue":

We're having the entire family over for a barbecue tomorrow, despite the heat. We'll probably end up inside where it's more comfortable - heck, I'll probably have to bring all the ducklings inside and pile them in the tub too! They all did fine today (I was checking their water literally every 15 minutes - I was off work, there's not much else to do...and besides, the incubator is out there!

), except for my one White Hookbill/possible Stanbridge White hybrid - she was okay, but panting pretty hard. The Calls were all chilling, the heat didn't seem to bother them.

 

[Terri O]

Oh for Pete's sake! Started reading an hour ago and final I am caught up! I cant imagine how much you have to go Sweetfollly--we havent seen much of you lately. My neighbor is still calling about white calls! HE is very anxious to add the to his breeding program.

Welcome all the newbies! We talk a lot but generally are a pretty nice bunch! Feel free to post long and often!

I lost one of the little quail today...I am so sorry--two had pasty butt and the worst one is the one that died. THe ones that are pasty are the older ones too! I just have to share this pic...then I need to go to bed cause I am BEAT!
I gave my hen a nest of guineas and she decided to quit with 2 weeks to go! So I got another broody hen and plunked her down of the started eggs. I decided to "steal" a few of the babies so here they are:
Just hatched
[URL]https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/46457_img_0375.jpg[/URL][/imgAnd here for a size comparison with the quail:
[IMG]https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/46457_img_0380.jpg
Gotta fly guys...I am falling asleep waiting for the uploads...site must be busy!

Nighty-night! Terri O0--pretty much typing in her sleep.......ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ.0p0

 

[Cindlady]

Well, I got 9 fertile eggs and set them in the brooder box. I just went out and moved Jasmine. I tried to be careful how I picked her up and moved her, hardly a cluck!

Well see now how it goes!

I am even more convinced she is a bantam Dominique! From what I read they are frequent brooders and good mothers. She has gone broody 4 times in the last 3 months! (every 3 weeks!) Hopefully she'll be a good mother too!

I'm sure all of you have sad looking chickens too! Poor girls they are so hot I got NO eggs today! (At least not where I could find them) I took a chance and put some screen windows in the coop door so the poor girls could get more air! There is exhaust fan in there but I haven't been able to figure out how to get t to run.

I did put a small fan near the brooder so Jasmine could get some air. It's rather stuffy in that corner, and with this heat I was worried. It's not blowing on her, just moving the air in the corner

Dr.H.... If you could post a picture of the offending plant I could figure it out. Was it in or near a marshy area? Did it have fine prickers?

 

[shantibirdy]

A big shoutout to you new folks!

David, your coop and run are absolutely fantastic....totally jealous! What a beautiful yard.

Today is my last day of school

Figures it will be so hot that I still won't get the last of my garden in. Maybe by tonight. I'm going to put a sprinkler out today for my ducks and see how they like it. Hopefully it will make them stop asking for a pond.

Sweet folly, that blue call has the same markings as our big Blue Swedish hen, Giselle. What a handsome guy. DD23 is getting married next month and she WON'T pick colors (or food, or much anything else.) I feel your pain!

Mourning Dove is still with us.

Everyone take it easy today!

 

[Dr HaHa]

Good Smokin Morning All! Was outside once already WOW! Bigz thought I heard that you guys got 2" yesterday morning? Don't know how much we got but it poured. Put the ac in the window before the roof quit dripping, knew it was gonna get nasty quick. Could almost see the humidity level rise. Raimnel I'm making 10lbs of Q's do you think it'll be enough? Would rather make too much than come up short. As we get closer I'll check the head count and add accordingly. Thinking 2 apiece. Let me know, also need to know if your planning on bringing all the buns? If not PM me and I'll pick up the balance. I'm getting excited again!

It'll be great to see everyone I've already met plus allll the newer people! This is gonna be so cool!

Cind I'll get pics of the nasty thing, no you can't see the pickers. Was amazed when my hand started burning, really thought it was some kind pine tree. TO sorry to hear about your baby quail!

They are so cute as are those pheasants! SF unreal about Will's friend! Welcome mikej!!!! Come join us at the second annual Bigzio Bash! bl4 those are some intimidating spurs on that boy! And you really don't need anything for a size contrast easy to see that he's huge! MLH always liked the Corgi's think their cool! Always a good temperment and smart. otonoh maybe you should keep at least one roo for breeding. The slw's will go broody. shanti good job with the dove! Got 2 surprises when L got home. She brought me a watermellon and while she was at the Pig her phone rang it was the Pig calling her to tell her that she had won a large Weber grill.

We've been using my Smokey Joe and is usually not big enough for what we're making. Gonna do some errands this AM then hide the rest of the day. Stay out of the heat people!

 

[babylady4]

Dr.H, could you have encountered a Honey Locust????


Baby #2 is now attempting to walk; he spends more time flipping over than walking but he is giving it his best shot so I think he will be ok eventually. I would REALLY like to stick him in with his buddy so they can keep each other company!

Off for coffee before it gets too dang hot!

 

[Dr HaHa]

This is the offender Cind. Now that I look at it I can see the 3 pronged tips. The garden and the iris is really loving the weather. 3 Buds popped on the iris and think most of the garden plants doubled in size.

 

[Sweetfolly]

Quote:
The last batch we had, we managed to drown 4 or 5 of them, and Will set the 1 gallon waterer down on another one and crushed it. When he got rid of all the adults a few weeks ago and was cleaning out their cage, he moved the large, wooden "house" in their pen and found two adult quail that had gotten pinned in the 1-inch space between the house and the back of the cage and died. We have a bad, bad track record with the quail! You're doing GREAT!

Only one more baby Call in the incubator this morning, and it looks a little weak.

The rest of the eggs are all still pipped and chirping away, but the pretty much all appear to be shrink-wrapped in the egg - from what I can tell, peering through the glass with a flashlight. I'm having a hard time imagining that in this humidity - I could practically set them outside in a shady spot in the yard to hatch today and it should be almost the perfect temperature and humidity for them!

I have to open the bator today to take out the little weak-looking Call ans see what's up with him (he's another Blue Bibbed), and to turn the eggs in the upper trays, which are due to hatch just before the bash! So I'll pick at one of the eggs a little and try to figure out what the hold-up is. There was a Dutch Hookbill zipping like CRAZY last night, and he's just sitting there, nearly all the way zipped and wiggling around like crazy with membrane all dried to him this morning.

 

[Hurley]

Good oppressive morning all. Yuck weather.

Took a look at the forecast, though. Stupid pool doesn't open until this weekend and since I have Fri-Sun off guess what the weather is going to be! Swimming pool weather til Thursday, then storms and cool weather the weekend.

You know the least it could do if it was going to be hot and muggy is plan it for a weekend so I can get my boys to the zero depth, heckalotta fun pool this weekend.

Ah well, maybe I'll dig up the irises instead.

The chickies are surviving the heat, but they are not entirely impressed. They've dug craters all along the coop fence like they're excavating a ruined city.


H&R - Ack! Hope they stop THAT. Haven't noticed any egg eating going on here.

Whoever-asked-about-the-buttercup (sorry, can't find the post) - Not sure if it's a he or a she, but it is actually the most forward of the chicks out there as far as noticing me (vs. the waterer or feed coming in) and comes right up each time at the head of the pack. Not sure if I'm hoping it's a roo (just to see that big head of points) or a hen. I had ordered 2 hoping for at least one hen for the layer pen, but lost one early on.

TerriO - Got your call, but couldn't understand all the story, was breaking up. That cockerel must be in heaven not having the other two boys here to lord over him. He's found his voice!

Better get to work. Have a good day, all!