Wisconsin "Cheeseheads"

[Angiebubs]

So do you think it is MPC's way to introduce you to better chicken math?

Did they just forget it or did they not have any? If it was their mistake then they should be able to send you the bird with 2 "packing peanuts" at no charge to you. THey do say you can get as little as 3 dont they?
Terri O

I was wondering the same thing...Thing is I dont want any males lol hard enough letting go of my last 3 roos and I am thinking I may have 1 or 2 LO cockerals coming up. MPC is the only place that sexes bantys though so thats what made me deicde to go with them.

MPC states min of 3 but when entering my zip code, it turns out it min of 7 LF, 9 bantys or 8 if a combo. Not sure what the family would think if I tried to add another 8 or 9 chicks....would need to re home about that many as I vowed i wanted to stick with a max of 25. OK going to go watch the newbies.....
EDIT: The label inside the box said they included the 8....so wasnt that they were out.

 

[Amyable]

Secret cherry fest that I wasn't privy to?????????

Sorry to be so vague, CC. It involved ballots.

 

[Bigfamily4me]

Ang... Did you not get what you were supposed to?

 

[Amyable]

I thought I cooked them when the incubator spiked at 105, but I continued on with fingers crossed and to my surprise there were 13 of the little devils waiting for me when I got home last night! They are the smallest littles I have ever seen in my life! Thanks TO for setting me up with the Coturnix eggs.

Oh man, too cute! Congrats!

 

[Angiebubs]

Ang... Did you not get what you were supposed to?

BF4U: I am hoping they are the right chicks LOL....Won't know till they are bigger. However, I recognize my Salmon Faverolle lil fluff ball and madly going thru pics to figure out which one this lil gray sassy fluff ball with feathered legs is...opened the box and this thing was trying to get out-most adorable thing you ever saw.

 

[Dr HaHa]

Good Morning Everybody! The last 2 mornings I was just about done reading and ready to post and lost the internet.

So as usual most of it's gone.

Lots of hatching and cool pics! CC will get pics of the temporary Norweigan Blue [Peatwo] soon along with some better ones of the roo's. Susie I vote 22 inna chair along with a beverage of choice. Doesn't sound hard to me? Twiz your right about " living with her".

MLH you have BTB I have BTD. Bob The Dink! Think Bigz must be busy with his garden. Got my first poult egg this morning!

Hoping it becomes a regular thing. CC might have to take you up on the egg offer from Moose if my plan doesn't work out. Have a banty hen [Midge] that I'm hoping will be my broody. Was putting on the second coat of stain on the crown molding yesterday before the afternoon showers came. They say not to stain if the humidity is over 85%. Well of course it just poured for about 20 minutes. Was hoping it would be dry enough to put it up in the aft. Didn't happen. Apyl have tons of concords here if your up this way stop and get as many cuttings as you want. The black raspberries are doing great so far. Can't have enough of them for my favorite pie! Better post b4 it happens again.

 

[Angiebubs]

The lil adorable fluffy sasssy gray feather ball is the LIGHT BRAHMA OMG it is the cutest thing ever!!! So I ended up with one banty-not sure if its the black frizzle cochin or the mottled cochin..I guess time will tell. Do any of you have frizzle cochins and do they do ok in the cold weather?

 

[MustLoveHens]

Morning all!
Got the chores done and the flower bed all watered. It's going to start to get hot....

so I figured best to water before I don't really want to venture outside....
Other then that everyone is great! BTB has declared open season on the betta fish and he had wrangled Ichy into assisting. BTB really is Ebil....He is rather put out that I placed the little betts bowl on those foam pad things that prevent glass ware from sliding. Now he can't toss the bowl off the counter. I also got a bowl with a lid that a taped down so he can't flip the lid off and go fishing. He is throwing a temper tantrum even as we speak. He is flinging things off the kitchen counter....

If he keeps it up he will become a porch kitty....Ebil Cat!!

Twiz-glad you found your silkie! Nice cat! Your Cleo sounds like my Bubba...

TO- I know some days you just wake up only to find what sleep you had was just not enough! Those morning I drink so much coffee that by the time the caffine kicks in I'm jittery and tired!!
Hope you can catch the Bobs....

Ang-Glad your chicks arrived!!! Maybe MPC didn't have enough frizzles hatch? Or chicks that frizzled? Not all frizzles frizzle only 50% of any given hatch. But they still carry the frizzle gene though even if they did not frizzle. Maybe MPC doesn't send them if they don't frizzle?
Regarding feed, an open formula is formulated to the guaranteed analysis but the actual ingredients of the feed can change depending on what is the least cost commodity at the time the buyers purchase them. Hence one time the feed can have more corn based protein and another time it can have soy based protein.Same with the fat types and so on. That type of thing. Open formulas can be very inconsistent that way. A closed formula is formulated to the guaranteed analysis with specific ingredients ( proteins and fats ) and those cannot change. Once they are closed by the nutritionalist who made the formula, then the buyers have to purchase items for that formula no matter the cost. There is more price fluxuation with a closed formula because if it called for a percentage if an ingredient then the feed company has to buy that commodity no matter the cost. In an open formula they have the option to change to another commodity because it is less expensive. Palletability (sp) comes into play because one birds like consistency and in an open formula the "taste" can change from batch to batch and the birds don't always like what is in the "new" batch. Hence you waste feed and your egg production can go off.
There are ways to buy bulk feed. It depends on a number of factors though. Usually feed companies will have limits to meet plus you pay for freight. Depending on the feed company you choose to use, 2 or 3 tons at a time is the most common and freight costs depend on far from the feed mill you live. Then it depends on how you want the feed. Bagged or bulk. Buying bagged feed in bulk is more expensive then "loose" bulk feed. With "loose" bulk feed, you have to have a feed bin so the feed company can auger the feed from the truck into the bin.
Some feed mills or stores will give you a discount if you purchase bagged feed by the pallet. This can be a good thing for smaller flock raisers, but if you can't go through it in a timely fashion in summer then you will get bugs. I have to think on how much weight a pallet of feed it. I think it's a ton which is 40- 50# bags or 50- 40# bags...something like that..

Ok, gotta get going, need to do laundry and clean the grill for brisket dinner tonight!!!

 

[Angiebubs]

Ang-Umm..Nutrena Nature Wise is natural-not organic. Cargill/Nutrena does not have a certified organic plant here in the Mid West. Yet. Nature Wise does have those great probiotics though. It also is a closed formula. "If" Sprout is the cousin of Agrimaster, then it is most likely an open formula. Changing to a closed formula alone you should see a better over all hen. I would imagine that you will find that you'll feed less of the Nature Wise simply because the quaility will be better. Add in that with the probiotics, this enhances the bodies ability to retain more nutrition.
I have tried both NW and Agrimaster (the F&F version down south!) and my hens like the NW better. Also in talking to people at chick shows, I have noted that those that feed Agrimaster and then switched to NW, saw an increase in over health and vigor of their birds with more stability in egg production and the quality of the eggs went up.
As far as MPC goes, I have never ordered chicks from them but have heard they are one of the best to deal with and the chicks arrive in tip top shape. When you get them, give them water laced with Vitamins and Electrolyts with a pinch or two of sugar for the first 4 hours or so. Let them fill up on water first before food-this will help prevent or drastically reduce Pasty Butt.. It also helps re-hydrate them from the stress of travel. After the 4 hours or so, give them their chick mash. If you have a chick crumble like NW, grind it up in your blender for the first 4 or days. Mash is easier for the chicks to eat and some crumble grinds are too "course" for baby chicks to eat.
Not sure when your fuzz butts will arrive, since each hatchery ships their own way, but if you have not already, call your local USPS office to let them know the babies are coming and leave your phone number. They should call you when they arrive. My local USPS office gets the chicks in at 5 am and I get a call so I can pick them up.

MLH: So I have the "Save A Chick" in and will add a pinch of sugar (Just re read that part). The water sure perked them all back up they are so cute! I use Sprouts medicated chick feed ....(Didnt see a medicated chick feed by Nutrena....since I have probably 60-70 lbs of this I would like to use it...however, if you think there is a chance this wont provide the best nutrition I could always change it? Maybe after they are a bit older? Or possibly just add the vitamins to their water to help if there is any lack of nutrition?

 

[Angiebubs]

Apyl: Any news yet?