Surviving Minnesota!

[Bogtown Chick]

I love all you kids....

But you all need to leave the wild life be....

 

[Violetsfeathers]

I put it back...

 

[Bogtown Chick]

Glad to hear it. You saw it off and it regrouped with it's Mother...etc?

 

[Dandelioness]

I had an interesting chat with Dr. Shauna Voss yesterday. She is the Vet in charge of the NPIP testing and flocks in MN. I was under the impression prior to this you had to be an active hatchery to get NPIP status. That is not the case, completely.

She said you can apply to be an NPIP flock without even owning an incubator. By applying and having the inspection your eggs can be sold to someone that is a hatchery, or if you have a broody hatch them you could legally sell them at swaps or interstate.

It does require the birds be tested every year, but you do not have to be the tester, one of us that are testers could do it. If You have a broody hatch a egg you could sell or give it to a 4h member and it could be exhibited.

The inspection is not as hard or daunting as you might think. They give you suggestions and point out the risks factors you have. One of mine is raising Guineas. turkeys and chickens together. They point out the risks and just let me know they are there. I told them I am willing to live with the risk to have a free range flock. The other thing is it gives you a place to have your birds tested for free when or if they die. They will at least give you peace of mind that you do not have a terrible disease.

I am willing to the testing for you that are semi-close enough for me to do, as need be.

This conversation came about because my getting Mr T from Holm. She said it would even allow you to sell your eggs to a hatchery or with an import permit to others in different states.

For those of you underage they will put the flock in a parents name and transfer it to you when your 18. It was an very informative chat.

Just something for you all to think about.

Interesting info, thanks -

She disappeared without a trace on Friday.

Sometime between 4:30 and 7:30. Found Dixie in the big Girl coop without her and would not come out. Zero little feathers...just nothing.

Rooster arrival in about 2 weeks. But he'll be only 7-8 weeks old.

Another lesson I learned is I think more chicks per hen is a good thing. This one chick business may not have been the optimal set up. Safety in Numbers. Chaos is a good.

I've been following this somewhat and hoping she had turned up by now. Sorry, Bogtown - I lost a couple little chicks last year, too. What kind of monster eats chicks, anyway?!?!?!?! I know, circle of life, but I think that was the most emotional chicken loss I have ever had (hen-raised chicks to a neighbor's dog). Better luck next time.

 

[Dandelioness]

I have waited until well past 8am to post. I cannot wait any longer for you all to get out of bed...


Busy day yesterday, I build pens/runs.

I moved Ethel and her keets.





I found a guinea nest with a turkey egg topper. I am glad of this, I wanted a few more keets to hatch..





I am going to pick them tonight so I get another 8-9 eggs on the pile.



Oh and I forgot Blackie is having a rough molt, an early molt I know, but he has been living with 7 women so I assume it was either molt or suicide for him,,,,,

Dandelioness really made fun of hi when she saw him the other day. He was so hurt...





Oh and I forgot I grafted 2 BA chicks onto a turkey hen to break her broodiness.

I love the shots of the turkey hen with the keets!! My keets raised with chickens are a liiiittle smarter than the keets I have raised just with other keets... I wonder if being raised by a turkey hen will make them smarter or...??

I did laugh kind of hard at Blackie - I feel bad he heard me LOL Roosters are so vain, it is hard to sympathize with them during the molt.

 

[duluthralphie]

Yes...well see...I call the smaller ones May Flies...which maybe the Cattis flies. or whatever. And then the big prehistoric things that cover the streets of Walker Fish flies.

I just lump them all into may flies,.... Lazy like I am...

 

[duluthralphie]

I love all you kids....

But you all need to leave the wild life be....

I put it back...

My feeling is your better off looking and snapping pictures but never touching..

 

[Dandelioness]

Hi, Folks -

I've been following as much as I can, but it's such a busy season! About half the garden got weeded this morning. One of my rabbits got out and I think she's about to kindle, so I'm trying to catch her so she kindles in the colony. I may just let her do it out under the feed shed where she made a little burrow. She's pretty wiley and the dogs don't go after her, so I might just leave her some water out there and let her do her thing. How will I catch all the little bunnies, though?? It is really cool to see her from the house window just hanging out in the shade, eating some clover, right next to my sleepy dog.

We had to put down our Black Copper Marans rooster on Sunday. Sadly, he got into it with a younger rooster and was completely blinded. I feel so horrible about it. (It wasn't Dusty BTW) He was such a gorgeous rooster and a real gentlemen toward the hens and our kids. I have 10-15 BCM eggs sired by him in the incubator. At last candling, 10 were for sure developing and 5 I couldn't tell with the darkness of the shell. I am hoping I get a good throw from him, he was such a sweetie.

My chicken and guinea eggs are going into lockdown this Friday!! I hope to have some new arrivals over the beginning of the next week. BCMs, black silkies, and guinea fowl. Fourteen guinea, 5 silkie, and 15 BCMs. I am still holding some olive eggs in the hopes I get a real good broodie.... this just has not been the season for broodies over here. There is a black sexlink here that is suspected to be brooding...I will have to check her spot tonight and see if she's still there.

I did the hip-bone check on my Rhode Island Whites and Cinnamon Queens - surprisingly, they are still laying but not as frequently.

Dusty seems to be settling in just fine, he can see the flock but not really socialize. I think he's lonely. I am going to stew that other rooster once Dusty's quarantine is up and before he joins the flock.

I did lose one of Minnie's Buckeye chicks in the heat recently, but thankfully it was a pullet and I still have two of those and a cockerel left.

The meatballs are coming along nicely, almost meatloaf sized. Second batch is coming in mid-July.

I hope all your summer things are going well, friends -

 

[I Love Layers]

Any of you sell any Cream Legabrs?

 

[duluthralphie]

Any of you sell any Cream Legabrs?

I sell lots of them.. TONs... Millions maybe..

Ok maybe not quite that many.

I will be hatching them for a couple more months, but they are a by product of my white sports.