YO GEORGIANS! :)

[brucifer]

Bruce, would you want any of us to temporarily keep any chickens for you? I hate that you would have to get rid of your beautiful chickens!

We're still trying to work out the lease agreement. It's a standard form, and there are a few things in it that need clarification/changing, and I want to make sure that we can raise our chickens without too many restrictions. For example, there's an anti-noise clause, yet we have to be able to have roosters. I mean, we're way out in the country, so who's going to hear them besides us? That kind of stuff needs to be clarified/changed. I also need to give the house a full inspection. So far the property owners have been fantastic with us, and they seem to really want us to live there. We're meeting with one of the owners at the property tomorrow morning.

As soon as we have more answers, I'll know better where we stand and what we need. I hope we're granted access to the property before the lease begins to set up the fencing, pens, and coops. I'll miss many of these birds if we have to part with them. Moving the chickens is actually going to be more of a challenge than moving us!

@brucifer what is going on with the babies

Hatch Update: 9 Jubilees, 0 Reds, 1 Mottled - One of the Jubilees is a spunky little thing, but she cannot bend one of her knees. She goes all over the place dragging that leg around, but I'm afraid we're going to have to cull her. Wouldn't you know; I broke my rule and helped that one out since after it zipped it couldn't pop the shell halves apart.

The Muscovy, Ayam Cemani, and Silkie hatching eggs are doing great. My latest dozen of ACs had only one clear in the bunch when I candled last night.

 

[eclecktic1]

@katsdar, the distance of 6200 steps depends upon the length of your stride. You need to measure your average stride over a given distance, say a 200 to 500 yard track with your pedometer. The number of steps divided by distance is your average stride. Higher end pedometers allow you to change stride length for accuracy.

For example:
A 5'5" woman having a 26" stride taking 6200 steps would've traveled 2.54 miles.
26 x 6200 = 161200"; 161200/12"= 13433.3333'; 13433.333/5280' = 2.5422mi

Someone with longer legs and steps probably would go farther with the same number.

 

[Flowerbh]

We're still trying to work out the lease agreement. It's a standard form, and there are a few things in it that need clarification/changing, and I want to make sure that we can raise our chickens without too many restrictions. For example, there's an anti-noise clause, yet we have to be able to have roosters. I mean, we're way out in the country, so who's going to hear them besides us? That kind of stuff needs to be clarified/changed. I also need to give the house a full inspection. So far the property owners have been fantastic with us, and they seem to really want us to live there. We're meeting with one of the owners at the property tomorrow morning.

As soon as we have more answers, I'll know better where we stand and what we need. I hope we're granted access to the property before the lease begins to set up the fencing, pens, and coops. I'll miss many of these birds if we have to part with them. Moving the chickens is actually going to be more of a challenge than moving us!

Hatch Update: 9 Jubilees, 0 Reds, 1 Mottled - One of the Jubilees is a spunky little thing, but she cannot bend one of her knees. She goes all over the place dragging that leg around, but I'm afraid we're going to have to cull her. Wouldn't you know; I broke my rule and helped that one out since after it zipped it couldn't pop the shell halves apart.

The Muscovy, Ayam Cemani, and Silkie hatching eggs are doing great. My latest dozen of ACs had only one clear in the bunch when I candled last night.

Bruce, I'll take your cull. I have several 'non-perfect' chicks that lay great eggs. I'm not into 'breeding' like that so I don't care if it limps. Let me know.

 

[missy1971]

I am starting to tube feed my scissor/cross beak a couple of times a day, and wondered if anyone could tell me how much I should give her at a feeding? she is a 16 weeks old speckled sussex. Also would it be ok to put a raw egg into the blender with the chick feed mixture? I have a 20 ml syringe.

 

[brucifer]

Well folks, it looks like I'm going to have to downsize our flock big time. I'll know tomorrow by noon how many hens and pullets we'll be allowed to keep and how many roosters, if any. It's a cryin' shame that bad experiences with others who have irresponsibly raised chickens are affecting what we will be allowed to keep. Looks like we'll be shifting to raising quail, and our GQF may be turning into an empty white elephant.

We definitely will have to sell the Muscovy ducklings once they hatch next week, possibly even these Jubilee Orps we just hatched. Maybe even the AC chicks! I'm sick about this! All the Chocolate Orps may have to go. They are so beautiful! Probably will have to get rid of the CCLs, our Chocolate Cuckoo Roo (Smoky), the Partridge and Red Partridge Orps, the FBCM males! Many more will probably have to go!

I'm sure I can still incubate hatching eggs, but if we can't keep the chicks, and if the eggs are not our own, it's just not the same.

Bruce, I'll take your cull. I have several 'non-perfect' chicks that lay great eggs. I'm not into 'breeding' like that so I don't care if it limps. Let me know.

If she makes it, you're welcome to have her. I also have two others if you're interested. One is a Welsummer girl the same age as your Speckled Sussex. She has a lame leg, but she gets around and is a sweet girl. The other is a blind Buff-Orp/Australorp cross. We keep her in a separate pen, and she has no trouble finding her food and water. She's a plump one. The bite from the rat snake a few months back caused her to go blind, but she's otherwise in fine health now. You can have them all for free. Let me know.

 

[Flowerbh]

Ummm, we just got bumped to either the 18th or the following week for our episode on Coop Dreams. When DH talked to the producers, they laughingly said the tv station threatened to take them off air if they kept DHs 'parts' in the show! LOL! Anyone knowing my DH will understand that! But, I think it is because they wanted to keep the show 'flowing' and last weeks episode was really in two parts, so they switched the episodes. We are now listed as episode 9. Sorry for any inconvenience!

 

[Flowerbh]

Bruce, that's terrible! Can you get out of the deal? I don't think I would move there! Wasn't the whole point was to be able to have room for your critters?! I think I would look for another place.,,,,,just saying. I mean, your chickens! Your plans!

 

[sue25]

This sounds li

Well folks, it looks like I'm going to have to downsize our flock big time. I'll know tomorrow by noon how many hens and pullets we'll be allowed to keep and how many roosters, if any. It's a cryin' shame that bad experiences with others who have irresponsibly raised chickens are affecting what we will be allowed to keep. Looks like we'll be shifting to raising quail, and our GQF may be turning into an empty white elephant.

We definitely will have to sell the Muscovy ducklings once they hatch next week, possibly even these Jubilee Orps we just hatched. Maybe even the AC chicks! I'm sick about this! All the Chocolate Orps may have to go. They are so beautiful! Probably will have to get rid of the CCLs, our Chocolate Cuckoo Roo (Smoky), the Partridge and Red Partridge Orps, the FBCM males! Many more will probably have to go!

I'm sure I can still incubate hatching eggs, but if we can't keep the chicks, and if the eggs are not our own, it's just not the same.


If she makes it, you're welcome to have her. I also have two others if you're interested. One is a Welsummer girl the same age as your Speckled Sussex. She has a lame leg, but she gets around and is a sweet girl. The other is a blind Buff-Orp/Australorp cross. We keep her in a separate pen, and she has no trouble finding her food and water. She's a plump one. The bite from the rat snake a few months back caused her to go blind, but she's otherwise in fine health now. You can have them all for free. Let me know.

Sounds like a bad deal what we're your plans for all your chickens? What are.you able to keep? If you can't rase.amd.improve your flock what will you do with the rest of them? It doesn't sound like you will be very happy there. Do you think it's worth it after all the work you and Lisa have done. Guess you can still work on your feed project. As long as the two of you are happy it would be worth it but if both are.not happy you might.need to rethink this move. God bless you. I pray the two of you have made the right choice.

 

[brucifer]

Hi everyone. Thanks for the well wishes and such. Today was somewhat bittersweet. Got all the details of the lease straightened out in our favor except for one: The owners did not want us cooping our chickens in our place of choice due to noise, and they wanted a cap on how many we can raise. Not counting the hatchlings, we currently have 48, but I intended to enlarge that number when I put a breeding program back online. We talked about keeping just 40, and the owner balked at that number. At that point I decided to just forgo having any chickens. There are several reasons why I made the decision, but it's now done. We can raise as many quail and rabbits as we want, so that is the direction we will go. First quail, and then maybe rabbit sometime next year.

I felt sick on the way home because I love our birds. If I were a crying kind of man, I would have then and there, but that's not me. I'm just going to move forward. Lisa's upset about losing her Silkies, which is understandable.

We didn't have to move since we own our home (well, technically, the mortgage company does...lol), but with new neighbors to the left and to the right, it's time to move. Aside from the chicken issue, this is a great property at a great price. We have land that we can plow and farm, and we can put in a large organic garden as well.

Anyway, we have about a month or so to sell off everything. If you're interested in anything, please PM me. For the most part, adult Silkies are $25 each, male or female. Adult LF hens and pullets are $25 each. Some birds will only be sold in packages of 2, 3, 4 or more. Multiple lines will be banded. Here are the packages:

Chocolate Orpington (show quality) - 2 pullets, 5 cockerels (two lines) - $50
Crested Cream Legbar (blue egg layers) - 3 pullets, 1 cockerel - $75
French Black Copper Marans (show quality) - 4 pullets, 5 cockerels (two lines) - $100
Jubilee Orpington - 1 pullet, 1 cockerel - $25
Mottled Orpington hens (Mabel and Matilda) + Chocolate Cuckoo Orpington cockerel - girls are outstanding layers - $50
Partridge and Red Partridge Orpingtons - 1 pullet, 3 cockerels - $25
Showgirl Silkies (Phoebe and Petunia) straight run - $50
Buff Orpington/Australorp (Little Bea) - $250

The Jubilee chicks and the lone Mottled chick will be sold straight run for $5 each. That is a bargain for these breeds. I have Ayam Cemani and Silkies in lockdown right now, and I have a ton of Muscovy in the bator ready to go into lockdown in a few days. The Muscovy include the rare Lavenders. The ACs will be $25 per chick; the Silkie chicks will be $5 apiece; as will the Muscovy ducklings. All will be all straight run.

Again, please PM me if you're interested. We also have nice-quality, relatively new 44" dog crates for $40 each

 

[sue25]

I am starting to tube feed my scissor/cross beak a couple of times a day, and wondered if anyone could tell me how much I should give her at a feeding? she is a 16 weeks old speckled sussex. Also would it be ok to put a raw egg into the blender with the chick feed mixture? I have a 20 ml syringe.

I used to rase parrots and cockatiels when I had to tube/hand feed the chicks I would fill the crop up at time of feeding. Birds of all kinds including chickens when tube feeding fill the crop as full as you can that way you can do a couple times a day without a problem. Start with full crop in am and check periodically every few hours to make sure crop is emptying. Raw egg not good better to scramble and mix with the mush. That way she won't get sick of her crop empties slowly.