A new chicken project

[LizStreithorst]

One chick hatched out from the 18 supposedly fertile Bielefelder eggs I had shipped to me. She's a little girl. I had no choice but to name a single chick out of what should have been 18. Since she hatched Thanksgiving morning her name is Thanksgiving.

Now I have tried raising a single chick once before with terrible results. I had no choice than go on like and order a group of 15 Bielefelder day olds. They won't arrive until Dec. 3rd when Thanksgiving will be 9 days old. I know how to introduce them and it's similar to what you have to do to divide a tank with egg crate with Discus sometimes. When the new kids come Thanksgiving Thanksgiving will be able to see them and touch beaks with them but not attack them as invaders. After a few days I should be able to remove the egg crate. Right now Thanksgiving has a heat lamp, food, water and a mirror in his part of the brooder. The mirror is important because it lets him know that he's a chick. Poor little Thanksgiving spends all her time trying to find the chick in the mirror. Poor little thing wants to be part of a flock.

I'll post again when the new chicks arrive. Nothing is more fun to me than a new animal project.

[brady]

Liz
I have a question. I have chickens,30 of them, 6 different breeds, but I always wanted some bies.
I was considering either day olds or eggs. I thought eggs would be an interesting in it being a new project for me.
But now I'm hesitant. Did the co. you ordered them from guarantee them to hatch or replace them and who did you order them from
Mc murray, ect.?
Thanks you
Jay Walsh

[LizStreithorst]

I got mine on Ebay from a seller with beautiful pictures and lots of auctions. I'm not crazy about how this person packs their eggs for shipping. They are individually bubble wrapped rather than in a soft foam container made for shipping eggs. If you buy eggs on line ask the seller what his packing methods but even if you approve of how the seller packs remember that shipping eggs is hard on the eggs themselves. Boxes get tossed around during shipping regardless of what the shipper wrote on the box. To the workers it's just another box. If you want to try eggs just do it for fun and have a back up plan. No seller guarantees anything as far as making up for failures. I have gotten day old Bielefelders from Cackle and Meyer hatcheries in the past. These big hatcheries really know what they're doing when it comes to shipping. All the chicks are healthy and do well if you give them what they need. This time my new kids are coming from Hoover's. They get no bad reviews in my chicken forum which is the Simply of chickens. You will love Bielefelders.

[Second Hand Pat]

Bummer on the eggs Liz but hopeful the new kids arrive well and gives Thanksgiving some company.
Pat

[LizStreithorst]

I have purchased eggs from the same seller several times with poor results each time. I hope I never have to incubate shipped eggs again. But since I have no rooster I had no choice.

The new babies will be shipped tomorrow. The minimum order for males was 5 so it looks like I'll be eating a lot of fresh shipping when the boys get big enough. I don't like that job but I've done it and know I can do it. BTW, t here is no better chicken stock than stock made with a home grown chicken including the feet. 10 girls are coming along with the 10 boys. Little Thanksgiving is doing well but she really needs friends.

[famtsberg]

we had a broody hen and got 2 babies. of course the adult chickens think they look delicious. Now I have 2 chicks in my bathroom at night and in a cage in the front yard during the day. I swear one told me I need to lose weight after a shower. They are really used to being handled and follow my 9 year old son around the yard. :) Our chicken adventures continue aye Liz. lol

[famtsberg]

The chickens evening digs for alittle while longer. lol

132271

[LizStreithorst]

Here's my new family. They arrived Friday. I have ordered from 2 other well known hatcheries but these from Hoover Hatchery are easily the most vigorous day old's I've ever received. The one looking at her pretty reflection in mirror is Thanksgiving. She couldn't wait to get in and play with her new little friends.

[famtsberg]

cute little buggers if my wife see them she will be ordering 15 more.

[LizStreithorst]

They look even more adorable in person. In person your eye adjusts to the red light I think.

I did have one with pasty butt this morning. I cleaned her off and put her back. She still looked uncomfortable. She was having a hard time pooping cause everything was backed up. She managed it herself twice but cheeped in pain. The next time she started looking miserable I picked her up put her rear end expressed the last hard poop. She started feeling better shortly after. She had been picking at food but then little by little she is eating more and more and more importantly drinking more. She pooped again 3 times in a row while I was watching the flock after WC. She did cheep with pain but it was over quickly each time and when she was empty she went back to being a normal baby chick. I have no idea how I figured out what would work. I thought of two other options but this was what seemed most likely to work. She is a wee bit smaller than her friends.

[famtsberg]

your a great chicken mom. :) You and my wife could make a chicken farm. <3

[LizStreithorst]

I'll take her if she has a strong back, Fritz.

[jeep]

This is really cool. I wish I had some chickens. I know someone in my area has them because they always get loose and roam the neighborhood after a bad storm, lol... They're black and pretty quiet. I rarely hear them at all...

[LizStreithorst]

Why not get some, Brian. If you have hens only they don't make a lot of noise except when they show off to the world that they have laid an egg. Fresh eggs from hens that have access to a big yard where they can find bug, worms, and grass and other growing things are good for them.. My nephew Tom said that my eggs tasted like sunshine. That's a lovely thing to hear but I know the truth. They taste so good because the chickens eat everything including stuff they find outside that seems gross to us.

[famtsberg]

I'll take her if she has a strong back, Fritz.

Oh ya she has a strong back. To bad we are not closer together. eggs are pretty easy to sell when they are fresh, organic.

[LizStreithorst]

Fritz, if my back could still handle it I would own a few dairy goats. I used to have a big herd. Back then I bred show goats. The milk was just a nice biproduct. But Nubian goats give the sweetest most delicious milk. I used it in place of 1/2 and half it was so creamy. It made the creamiest yogurt I have ever had. Except for farmer's cheese I never had the time to make cheese back then 'cause I had a real job so I could support them all.

I'm the same when it comes to chickens. It's the joy I get from having them and raising them and the eggs are a nice biproduct. I enjoy giving my eggs away. Some people really appreciate the quality of eggs from healthy happy free range hens.

[famtsberg]

We are lucky enough to get our milk from 4th generation dairy farmers. They only have about 20 milkers (They had 200 a few years ago)now but the family still loves their work. They sell only to local people and you have to call and order it. My favorite old fashioned breakfast diner is about 5 miles past it so we get our milk on Sundays after breakfast. :) We give away most of our eggsalso but, most of the neighbors give the boys money now after a year. Its amazing how often the suggest we give away eggs now. lol

We have been talking about goats but I just don't think they would get milked enough. I have been watching goats milk cheese making videos. Looks straight forward and delicious.

[LizStreithorst]

A dairy animal demand a lot of work from you. Even when they're nursing kids some still need milking daily and once they've weaned their kids some require at least milking once a day to keep them producing. They also require escape proof fencing which will require more than you initially thought. If you keep a male goat (called a buck not a billy) and let him run with the females your milk will taste like the buck smells.

If I were still able to care for a dairy animal I would look for a miniature Jersey. Jersey's and their care takers form a bond similar to what we have with dogs. If you buy the semen and have the vet store it and come in and artifically inseminate your cow.

[LizStreithorst]

Back to the day old chicks. They are sub adults now. I'll take a pic on a warmer day. I moved them to the chicken house a while ago and when they were old enough I engaged the automatic coop door so it would open when it got light out and closed when it was getting dark. They slowly started exploring the out of doors. They loved scratching around in their 10 X 16 run. Then one day they stopped playing outside. I couldn't figure out why until I counted them. 2 were missing. They were Pullets, of course. None have escaped their enclosure. No possums, fox, or coyote has broken in. It must have been a hawk. I'd seen one perching on the bare branches of the trees outside my pasture. Now my chicken pen is in a pretty well hidden place but hawks have extremely good eye sight and swoop in, grab a meal and swoop off again. Now I have 8 pullets, 5 cockerels and 12 adult hens. Once everyone reaches maturaty 5 roosters will wear all the feathers off the hens because roosters are always in the mood for love. 2 roosters are plenty for a group of 20 hens. I'll have to either sell 3 or eat them.