Consolidated Kansas

[lizzyGSR]

Sharol are you talking about the yellow one in the pictures? It looks pure Breda to me. I have white breda and some with some spots. I thought you mentioned some brown on it?? I don't see it.
That last campine chick looks nothing like the campines I had. They all had leopard spots and a patterned head. I would be concerned if it was purebred or not. But I only raised one group I hatched from eggs so I'm definitely not an expert on campines.
It is quiet and I wonder where everyone went. I feel like I've been talking to myself. I'm so busy I have to look for time to post and read and there sure hasn't been much to read.

"talking to myself" - yep! I agree there! It sure has been quiet on here!

I've decided to go ahead and sell a few birds from my surprise box that don't fit exactly what I wanted/needed. I've decided to sell all of my polish and my Houdans. SO far, the polish have all been claimed, and I haven't had any interest on the Houdans yet. I guess I'll give it a few more days and see what happens. I have only advertised in one spot on FB so far so i guess I'll see how it goes. I don't know how Danz does so many birds at once. I'm overwhelmed with 40 of them! I'm simultaneously looking forward to them feathering out AND dreading them getting bigger. They're so cute right now!

Sharol, your chicks are adorable!

 

[Dani4Hedgies]

I have a newbie question when hatching your own chicks how do you vaccine them against Makrs/Newcastles?

Also have to show off my new chicks from Danz

1.) Sapphire saying Hi

2.) Onxy saying Hi as well

3.)back shots of Lit Blue ( light blue gold feathers) and Blue Diamond (Navy blue and Gold as well as Onxy Back and Wookie's back my white one

4.) Group face Shots

you can see my "Wildchild" Partridge in these shots as well

5.) Back group shot

 

[sharol]

Sharol are you talking about the yellow one in the pictures? It looks pure Breda to me. I have white breda and some with some spots. I thought you mentioned some brown on it?? I don't see it.
That last campine chick looks nothing like the campines I had. They all had leopard spots and a patterned head. I would be concerned if it was purebred or not. But I only raised one group I hatched from eggs so I'm definitely not an expert on campines.
It is quiet and I wonder where everyone went. I feel like I've been talking to myself. I'm so busy I have to look for time to post and read and there sure hasn't been much to read.

Yeah, the brown referred to the little Campine "outlier" with the brown head. The breeder said there was a remote chance that some of the eggs could have been fertilized by an Americana(sp) rooster who was in the run about 2 weeks before for a little while, so maybe that is what is up. I sent her pictures, too, so I'll bet she will have an answer for me.

I posted a question to the thread on Breda Fowl, and got a lesson in Breda genetics. https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/561974/breda-fowl-thread/970#post_16701194 is the thread. He says the chick is a splash. It is developing some dark spots on its head already. I hope it is, and that it is female. I really like variety (as you well know).

 

[Trish44]

Congrats on the chicks. More green eggs for you!!!
I took one of the dogs to get spayed today. I was sure reluctant to do that cause she is the last full product of my first set of Pyrs. I have Yeti though who is a remarkable pup and I think he will be just as big and sweet as his grandfather.
Precious is penned due to being in heat so that leaves one dog to work for me.
HeChicken I plan to leave one end open on the new garden so I can get the tractor in. The problem of course is once I get it in there being able to turn it around. It uses a lot of space to turn. But I also need to put in a man gate so I can easily go in and out. The other garden I got fenced is going to be my fruit garden for the most part. Maybe I'll set some early spring crops in there but I'm not entirely sure.
I do all this planning but find myself wondering where I'll ever find the time. I am so overwhelmed with projects right now that my blood pressure is peaking. I would really like a day to do nothing. Not going to happen.

danz you better watch that blood pressure! Congrats on getting all of the work done on your garden. I unfortunately still don't have my raised bed together.

sharol, congrats on your chicks, cute babies!

I have to get my eggs into the hatcher here in a bit, they're due soon. I hate it when they start hatching in the incubator, it makes a real mess & I'm always afraid they'll get crushed in the turner. I have had them fall all the way from the top tray to the bottom of the incubator. They seem to be fine, but it makes me feel bad when I get forgetful & don't get them moved in time. I had to scramble last night to get my hatcher ready, I had put it off & then I realized I couldn't put it off any more at 11:00 last night, ugh. I wanted to get it raised up off the floor so it wasn't so much bending over for my back & new knee too & that became quite a rodeo getting that done.

I now have two broody hens in my breeder coop, a Silver Penciled Rock & a Mottled Orp, not what I wanted right now during hatching season, but maybe they'll hatch some nice chicks, we'll see. I also have my Buff Sebastabol goose sitting on eggs so I hope she does hatch me some goslings because my incubator is full & I have nowhere for goose eggs right now. I'm really excited about the goose because I have not hatched or had a goose hatch goslings before because they weren't old enough.

 

[sharol]

I have a newbie question when hatching your own chicks how do you vaccine them against Makrs/Newcastles?

Also have to show off my new chicks from Danz

1.) Sapphire saying Hi



2.) Onxy saying Hi as well

3.)back shots of Lit Blue ( light blue gold feathers) and Blue Diamond (Navy blue and Gold as well as Onxy Back and Wookie's back my white one

4.) Group face Shots

you can see my "Wildchild" Partridge in these shots as well

5.) Back group shot

I don't. You have to buy enormous quantities of the vaccine and it has a short fuse. I don't think most small time hatchers do.

 

[chicken danz]

I have a newbie question when hatching your own chicks how do you vaccine them against Makrs/Newcastles?

Mereks vaccine comes in a 1000 dose bottle that is mixed all at one time. You can if you are savvy, divide it into two 500 doses. It is only good for about 2 hours after mixing. The vaccine is usually only good for about a year or so. It is given to day old chicks by injecting in the back of the head. You can potentially give it to older chicks but it's not as effective. The key to avoid them getting Mereks is to keep them in good health. They will only get Mereks if their immune system is compromised or they are in bad health.

have to show off my new chicks from Danz

1.) Sapphire saying Hi Splash Brahma



2.) Onxy saying Hi as well
Blue Orpington
3.)back shots of Lit Blue ( light blue gold feathers) and Blue Diamond (Navy blue and Gold as well as Onxy Back and Wookie's back my white one
Gold laced Orpington, Blue gold double laced Brahma ( my project color), Blue Orpington, and white Araucana.)

LOL that is the basic BBS lesson However I do have white Breda, which changes the outcome on that as well. I have several combinations that will make a splash chick since I use two splash roosters.
I got my first peafowl egg for the year from my purple/pied pen. I'm really thrilled. However I'm still trying to figure out where on earth to hatch all these eggs I have.

 

[HEChicken]

HeChicken I plan to leave one end open on the new garden so I can get the tractor in. The problem of course is once I get it in there being able to turn it around. It uses a lot of space to turn.

Can you maybe leave both ends open? That is what we did (well, a livestock panel zip-tied in at each end anyway). That way the tractor can basically make a pass through, exit the other end and turn around outside the garden before making another pass through. We also weren't sure if the tractor would be able to turn inside the garden while pulling the big rototiller so we were planning for that.

I now have two broody hens in my breeder coop, a Silver Penciled Rock & a Mottled Orp,

It is that time of year. I - fortunately - do not have any broodies yet. I had a bantam cochin act very broody a couple of weeks ago. I was cleaning out the coop that day and had to move her in order to clean so I just moved her, along with the other cochins, into my hoop coop. I figured they can brood all they want there and I don't care - I'll even give them eggs to sit on. Well, moving her broke her broody. She spent several days pacing looking for a way out but has now accepted that she's in the hoop coop and even resumed laying. I'm sure it won't be long before she goes broody again. She's VERY broody, even for a cochin, and typically hatches 3-4 clutches for me throughout the year.

I'm hoping that by moving the broodiest birds to the hoop coop, the LF won't be as likely to go broody in the main coop and my egg production will remain good. The past few years, the bantams would go broody and set off a chain reaction and before I'd know it, I'd have 20-30 broody hens fighting over every egg that got laid and making egg collecting difficult.

Yesterday was hatch day for me and it went - is going thanks to a few stragglers - really well. Half of the incubator contained NH eggs and the other half are project eggs. The NH side, 12 out of 13 eggs hatched and no signs of life from the last one so I guess that will be snake food. The project side was slower to get started but several chicks have now hatched and there are several more pipped. I don't like when they hatch a day late as those chicks always seem to have more problems hatching and be initially weaker, though they do eventually catch up. I don't know why those eggs are hatching a day late since the NH and project eggs were laid at the same time and started incubating at the exact same time as well. The project eggs are noticeably bigger than the NH eggs, which is the only factor that differs, so I'm guessing that is the reason for the delay.

Its been another busy, busy, run-all-day kind of week and today will be no different. Sigh. I did get the onions, shallots, chives, kale, collards and chinese cabbage planted in the garden a day or two ago (seeds). I have two more rows of onions to start and probably need to be thinking about starting some more seeds indoors as well. I have trays of tomatoes, peppers and eggplants that are looking VERY happy thanks to my grow light.

We didn't get any of that rain that the rest of the state got a few days ago. I guess we are in a dry pocket. The official rainfall for our county varied from 1/10-¼". I am guessing we were in the 1/10th as we really only got enough to wet the ground. I'm getting really concerned about our grass. We need a good hay harvest to feed the sheep and goats over the winter but it isn't going to be a good harvest if we don't get some rain soon.

 

[chicken danz]

@HEChicken , because of where it is located out close to some pens there isn't room to turn around on one end even if I did leave the other end open. I chose that area because I did have chicken pens there for a long time and figured it would be a good spot with no grass and some added fertility. It will actually receive some late afternoon shade which I don't think will hurt the garden at all. I still haven't gotten the fence up. This has been the craziest of weeks so far. The Gardner auction is taking any spare time I might have imagined having.
I always have staggered hatches. I notice certain breeds and even select colors take more or less time. In general the bigger the egg the longer it takes, but not in all cases. I have some Black brahma that take a full 22 days each time.
I had an incubator with problems and ordered a new part only to find out that the part isn't used in the digital model. So much for on line information. Come to find out and many hours of testing that the problem was two wires I had accidentally reversed when converting it to digital. I am so happy to have things function right now. I got it back in service night before last and it is full again already. It wasn't a cheap part and I don't know if I can send it back. I may just keep it for my older incubators in case one of theirs fails.
I had to order a couple more hatching trays for geese and peafowl eggs. Another major expense. But at least I'll have them. Those big eggs take so much room. I had made two trays from regular trays but then that leaves me short a tray in the incubator.
I have a big hatch due today. Hope they all hatch. I could possibly fill a couple orders if they do.
I'm in that mode that I feel I have too much to handle again right now and should down size some more. It's all good until I try to decide what I could give up. There just doesn't seem to be anything right now I'm willing to part with. I can feel my blood pressure peaking cause I know I have too much to do.

 

[Trish44]

"Yesterday was hatch day for me and it went - is going thanks to a few stragglers - really well. Half of the incubator contained NH eggs and the other half are project eggs. The NH side, 12 out of 13 eggs hatched and no signs of life from the last one so I guess that will be snake food. The project side was slower to get started but several chicks have now hatched and there are several more pipped. I don't like when they hatch a day late as those chicks always seem to have more problems hatching and be initially weaker, though they do eventually catch up. I don't know why those eggs are hatching a day late since the NH and project eggs were laid at the same time and started incubating at the exact same time as well. The project eggs are noticeably bigger than the NH eggs, which is the only factor that differs, so I'm guessing that is the reason for the delay."

I agree on the late hatchers, it seems like the early ones & the on time ones do the very best. I think the longer they stay in the shell the more problems they have in my experience. That's a great hatch on your NHs! Yeah I'm wondering about these huge BO eggs my birds are laying, I've read the bigger eggs have more problems. Those are just huge hens though so I guess that goes along with the territory. I weighed one with my egg scale & it came out as an extra large sized egg, no surprise. I just checked my hatch due tomorrow & there are a few pips but so far none hatching. I usually have a few that hatch early so I wouldn't be surprised to have some hatch today.

 

[ladyj02]

Hello everyone!

@sharol
 congrats on the hatch!

Does anybody who lives in Topeka know when Orschelns or Tractor Supply are getting chicks in next? 

Orschelns gets their chick in on Tuesday mornings. Not sure about TSC on south topeka Blvd, but the TSC up north off 24 highway always has some chicks in stock.