Chicks

[helomech]

The eggs we put in our incubator are hatching today. I think we have about 20 hatched right now, there are not 20 in that pic, but I took that pic ealier today. As soon as all these hatch and I clean the incubator I am going to fill it with duck eggs.

http://i266.photobucket.com/albums/ii247/helomech1973/animals/523930_2387586465313_2033094272_n.jpg

[4suchatimeasthis]

Awww, cute! So, what kind are they?

[helomech]

Thanks, they are Black Australorps. This is the 4th generation that we have raised. We bought the first 40 almost 2 years ago, and they have feed us for the last year and a half. I think we have about 60 of them right now, we killed some this week.

[ak474u]

Well, I'm sorta disappointed about the chicks, but I do like those baby chickens. Lol

[bacpacker]

Sounds like the birds are doin well! Great work.

[helomech]

Thanks bacpacker, the birds are doing great. The female ducks are giving us a egg a day each, haven't gotten a turkey or goose egg yet. I have to many male ducks, so I have to kill at least 2 of them real soon. We are getting about 18 eggs a day from the chickens, most of them are still to young to lay.

[bacpacker]

WOW that is a bunch of food while live. Very cool.

[4suchatimeasthis]

Ah ha, I thought they might be, we have 3 Black Australorps and 2 Rhode Island Reds...we had 3 reds but one died one day, oddly, in her nest, no mess or anything. Mom says a weasel got her, but my husband claims there are no weasels in TN. Anyway, I love them, they are beautiful, friendly birds, great layers, and seem pretty hardy. My kids are buggin' me to get more, but we sold the rooster (he attacked me one too many times, and I decided money was better than having to eat his nasty, tough self!), and I need to build a bigger pen for them.

Baby "cheep-cheeps" as my girls call them, fun stuff! That is a lot of eggs too, you eat a lot of omelets? lol

[helomech]

Ah ha, I thought they might be, we have 3 Black Australorps and 2 Rhode Island Reds...we had 3 reds but one died one day, oddly, in her nest, no mess or anything. Mom says a weasel got her, but my husband claims there are no weasels in TN. Anyway, I love them, they are beautiful, friendly birds, great layers, and seem pretty hardy. My kids are buggin' me to get more, but we sold the rooster (he attacked me one too many times, and I decided money was better than having to eat his nasty, tough self!), and I need to build a bigger pen for them.

Baby "cheep-cheeps" as my girls call them, fun stuff! That is a lot of eggs too, you eat a lot of omelets? lol

The old roosters taste just fine after 15 minutes in the pressure cooker at 10 psi. Fall off the bone, we killed the one a few days ago that attacked my wife. We also hatched two ducks today, and should have 2 more ducks hatch tomorrow. We feed a lot of eggs to our dogs, they each get 3 eggs with their meal.

[4suchatimeasthis]

Ducks, now that would be cool! We have a small pond, and I would love to have ducks and duck eggs, but I also have a Labrador x Mastiff, and I think he might bother them if they were free in the pond. I am dreaming up an enclosed chicken fence, with wire on the top (lots of hawks here), and maybe a kiddie pool for ducks. It would have to be next year, my husband is already overwhelmed with the shed we are building for the horses, and now just the other day we found a bad leak in our main bathroom, I fear that wont be a cheap or easy fix. Sigh....it never ends.

[helomech]

We have a one acre pond, and the ducks and geese go back and forth from the pond to the chicken coupe. They are laying their eggs inside the chicken coupe every day. We have 2 great dane/english mastif crosses, and one anatolian shepherd. The 2 danes are 7 months old and still at the point of killing a chicken every now and then, but we are working on that. I am confident that they will be okay with the chickens like my anatolian is. She killed a few when she was younger, but now is great with them.

If you have never messed with duck eggs, they are very tough to break open.

[izzyscout21]

Nice, dude! You always have some of the coolest projects and/or animals around your place.

[helomech]

Nice, dude! You always have some of the coolest projects and/or animals around your place.

We are working very hard at raising all our own food.

[izzyscout21]

We are working very hard at raising all our own food.

If only my kids weren't scared shitless of animals...............or their own shadows.............

[helomech]

If only my kids weren't scared shitless of animals...............or their own shadows.............



LMAO, my youngest boy used to be scared of monsters and big foot. We told him if he caught or killed one he would be rich. After that he was always trying to catch them. I sure hope no one ever walks across my property in a bear suit, because he will take them out. He wants to be rich more than he is afraid of anything.

[izzyscout21]

LMAO, my youngest boy used to be scared of monsters and big foot. We told him if he caught or killed one he would be rich. After that he was always trying to catch them. I sure hope no one ever walks across my property in a bear suit, because he will take them out. He wants to be rich more than he is afraid of anything.


LOL....my kids are scared of cats, dogs, horse, monsters, lizards, spiders, ladybugs, shadows, the dark, santa claus, easterbunny, cows, Batman, gas masks, trucks, tractors, trains, policemen, firemen, ambulances, doctors, nurses, snails, flashlights, water, and some types of food.............

I may have left some out...............

[helomech]

Dang, how old are they?

[ladyhk13]

LOL....my kids are scared of cats, dogs, horse, monsters, lizards, spiders, ladybugs, shadows, the dark, santa claus, easterbunny, cows, Batman, gas masks, trucks, tractors, trains, policemen, firemen, ambulances, doctors, nurses, snails, flashlights, water, and some types of food.............

I may have left some out...............

Bring em to our house and we'll have half of those fears gone in a couple of days!

[izzyscout21]

Dang, how old are they?

3

- - - Updated - - -


Bring em to our house and we'll have half of those fears gone in a couple of days!

it has been mentioned........

[helomech]

Yeah, they are very young.

[ladyhk13]

I can't help with the spider thing though...I'll be outrunning them on that one. They would be left in the dust...sorry man.

[helomech]

We ended up with 24 chicks, and 3 ducklings. Cleaned up the incubator and put 33 duck eggs in it, so in 28-35 days we should have some more ducks.

[helomech]

Here are a few more pics.

Got 2 ducks that look like this one.

http://i266.photobucket.com/albums/ii247/helomech1973/animals/424617_2391593765493_1423707738_n.jpg

And this duck.

http://i266.photobucket.com/albums/ii247/helomech1973/animals/393768_2391595205529_760477807_n.jpg

http://i266.photobucket.com/albums/ii247/helomech1973/animals/527636_2391594405509_619933070_n.jpg

[Sniper-T]

LMAO, my youngest boy used to be scared of monsters and big foot. We told him if he caught or killed one he would be rich. After that he was always trying to catch them. I sure hope no one ever walks across my property in a bear suit, because he will take them out. He wants to be rich more than he is afraid of anything.

Uhoh... I guess I am not visiting there in the fall!

Nice Job Helo! How much work is it raising birds? day to day chores? What happens if you completely ignore them for a few days or a week?

[helomech]

Uhoh... I guess I am not visiting there in the fall!

Nice Job Helo! How much work is it raising birds? day to day chores? What happens if you completely ignore them for a few days or a week?

LMAO

Not much work once you have everything set up. I don't have to do anything to them, except make sure their feed is topped off every few weeks, and collect eggs every day. I have their water set up it comes out of nipples when they peck them. It is kept full by a toilet float. They have an automatic door on their coup that opens just after sunrise and closes just after sunset. And their food is thrown 3 times a day by a deer feeder. If they want more food than that they can roam our property and find it. So other than collecting eggs I can go at least 2 weeks without doing anything.

[Sniper-T]

nice to know. A major obstacle in livestock for me is when we travel. It is tough enough to get someone to come out and take care of the pets, never mind farm critters

[bacpacker]

Helo, I am envious of the automatic door opener. I've set up a feeder that will get me 2-3 weeks and working on the water situation. But I really need one of those openers.

[ladyhk13]

We plan on doing everything solar. Each gate and feeder will have it's own control and panel. I keep saying that I refuse to be a slave to a farm. Things are going to be hard enough so anything that can make life easier is perfect for me!

[helomech]

Helo, I am envious of the automatic door opener. I've set up a feeder that will get me 2-3 weeks and working on the water situation. But I really need one of those openers.

It is great, just have to set the time you want it to open and close. Here is the one I have, it is solar powered.

http://www.mypetchicken.com/catalog/chickens/Automatic-Chicken-Door-Solar-Powered-p950.aspx