Our introduction to keeping chickens, the high's, the lows and pics of our journey.

[Wrightsx4]

You just can't go wrong with any of those breeds! Definitely get yourself some favs sometime though - they are so sweet. Ben, the hatch along in April - the eggs I hatched from my flock were with young roosters. Around 24 weeks I think. 100% hatch from them. Of course that was with four young roos in the flock though too.
Mutt chickens...most of mine have beards too Good chance with my mixed group that if daddy doesn't have a beard then mommy does. Lol.

 

[CB and CG]

Nice selection of birds ben.
Your rooster has a good chance of being fertile. Especially as it is an Araucana as they mature fast and are often very fertile. It is more the pullets I would be worrying about. Often pullet eggs from birds that have only recently started laying are infertile for no reason at all. Just make sure the pullet eggs you set are a reasonable size. Fingers crossed on your hatch

 

[houseofknauss]

Wow! This is the first time I have logged in from my computer, rather than reading on my phone. Everyone has signatures? Who knew? LOL.

I am sooooo looking forward to this weekend. The last of the loud chirpers should be able to go out into the grow-out pen, leaving us with just the newly hatched babes, who are currently going on 5 days old. I will be able to clean the brooder (really, really clean it, because those bigger chickies have made it stink horribly, since I have been working 12+ hour days) and get those little ones set up in the brooder, rather than the plastic tote they are currently homed in.

Plus, I will be candling the eggs currently in the incubator, culling those that appear to be quitters, etc. I am just too blasted tired to keep up with so many babies. LOL. Looking forward to the 3-day weekend, even if only for the opportunity to take one of my muscle relaxers, and get a break from my spasms.

Rambling. Going to shut up now.

E

how are your winters? where do your temperatures drop to? I have to run 2 heat lamps when it gets really cold out just to keep it 30 degrees in the coop.--d.

 

[Bens-Hens]

Thanks team!

Yeah I had read that pullet eggs can lack in fertility too. Smudge certainly seems to be trying, he loves his piggy back rides lol. I can't do much about the young layers though.

CB, have you ever had anything to do with Chookloop http://www.freewebs.com/chookloop/ in the past? These are the folk I am thinking of getting the other breeds from. Going to drop them a line in the next week, once I get my breeds sorted that is. Feel free to PM if you would rather answer that way.

That link I posted is to the home page, they have a gallery of images of the parent birds for anyone that is interested in looking over the stock.

 

[CB and CG]

I will send a PM Ben.

 

[EverMystique1]

how are your winters?  where do your temperatures drop to?  I have to run 2 heat lamps when it gets really cold out just to keep it 30 degrees in the coop.--d.

I've seen it as low as -25 F here, although not in the last few years. Those days see the whole family stuck at home, as fuel lines are frozen and cars won't start.

Just as summer climbs up to or over the 100 F mark. The last 2-3 weeks are normally our hottest,, but this year, we have needed blankets.

I have a single lamp in the coop, and a heater for the water to keep it from freezing. They seem to handle the weather fairly well.

 

[Wrightsx4]

Yup - love that Michigan weather
I don't heat the coop - just keep it dry and ventilated to avoid frostbite. A little vaseline on the larger combs and 2x4 wide roosts so they can cover their toes. I do use a homemade water warmer (small 25-40 watt bulb inside a cinder block - real high tech, lol). The chickens seem fine with the cold, but I have cold hardy breeds too.

 

[EmSteele]

Still. No. Eggs. I'm out of town for the weekend so of course they will probably start this weekend!! Also, I stole the brown eggs (and cookies from the cookie jar). It was jealousy, pure and simple. Problem solved. Your welcome.

 

[NovaAman]

Well... Ever... The only REAL reason ya'll stay inside when it gets that cold, because in Burr Oak... There ain't a darn thing to do in the middle of winter. Unless you're a kid and you're running about in the middle of the night with your cousins having improper snow ball fights that are aimed in bad directions, taking out windows, then running like all get out to hide. You know how some of them Burr Oak people are. And it wasn't my fault. It was Harvey's and Jaybirds. Beaner (Cabrina) was to cold to go out. LOL. OH, and lets not forget hood riding... ya know... hook an old car hood up to a chain, chain to a truck, and go for a sled ride... Or maybe that was just when I was stupid enough to think it was a good idea with the cousins... Hmmm...

Speaking of heat lamps, I am right of Lake Mich. I used heat last year because I ended up with some sick birds. My first winter I had NO frost bite, used no heat lamps either. Last winter, heat lamps... Lost toes, comb points... If you don't need to, don't. If the temps are getting down in the negatives in double digits at night, what you really want to do is just before bed, hot oatmeal, and corn. Corn burns hot in the birds. Just like in summer you want to have LESS corn in their feed, but higher protien. Check that your birds have a full crop, yes, even if that means you are feeling up 60+ birds. The way my roosts are, I can duck in between the rows to get to every bird.

A birds used to heat sources are dead birds when those heat sources are suddenly gone because of power outages and the birds haven't developed a heavy down for winter..

 

[Wrightsx4]

Haha...hood rides...aka skitching. We did that too!