| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| eskimobirdlady |
Posted - Nov 09 2009 : 2:28:46 PM
hubby went out to check eggs and when leaving the henhouse heard what sounded like a flock of small birds. he couldnt figure out what the heck it was until he saw a little black ball of fluff in the snow. it turned out to be baby chicks!! after temps of 14 below night before last the hen we thought was lost came off the nest with 8 babies!!!! what the heck are we gonna do with baby chicks this time of year????? peace connie in sub zero alaska |
| 15 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| eskimobirdlady |
Posted - Nov 14 2009 : 11:06:05 AM
wow tracy, that is great! i have never heard of those kinds of chickens. are they good layers? good in severe temps? perhaps you could post a pic for julie to see some black chicks? peace connie in alaska |
| goneriding |
Posted - Nov 14 2009 : 09:03:52 AM
No, actually, I WOULD believe that one! After a lifetime of animals and kids, I'd pretty much believe anything. Nope, can't have chicksicles!! :-)
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| shepherdgirl |
Posted - Nov 13 2009 : 10:57:40 PM
Well ladies, it happened. That little hen hatched out her babies today. TWELVE of them! All like your Barred Rocks Connie, only mine are a Maran (the rooster) and Dominique/? cross (the hen), so all are black with white spots on their head. It's not too terribly cold here right now, so I'm going to let her keep her chicks for awhile, that, and the fact that I'm NOT looking forward to brooding more chicks. I still have the LAST batch in the growing cages (they're still a bit too small to let out yet). Geez, I got goats comin' out my ears, chicks comin' out my ears.... sigh.... I need a nap. A very LOOOONG nap ... he..he..he..he.....!
Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away. ~~ George Carlin |
| eskimobirdlady |
Posted - Nov 13 2009 : 10:10:44 PM
thankfully i found a home for the chicks yesterday!! yippee! turns out she wants a barred rock roo so am selling one to her for $10! just want some of my feed cost back.
tracy and lorraine, seems like everyones hens are confused this year!! lol. thankfully there is no way my hens can set a nest now that they are inside without us catching her right away. julie, i didnt get a pic of them. they are soch cute little fluff balls of dark gray/light black with white dots one their heads. somehow we didnt lose even one tho they were awfully cold after momma leading them into the snow. momma is doing fine and out in the coop with the rest of them. i feared for her legs because that night her feet and legs were frozen solid when we finally found her! i kept her in the cabin for about 18 hours and there seems to be no residual damage!
peace connie in alaska |
| kmc |
Posted - Nov 13 2009 : 8:42:03 PM
I think that is incredible!!!!!! Good Luck!!!! Dont know bout alaska but I had Barred Rocks, americanas, and black ostrolaups in our basement in an enclosed cage for 3 months. Oh yeah there were 18 all together.(it was really a large cage took up half the basement) So I feel your pain!!!!If they would weather the trip to Iowa I would take them. |
| happydaze |
Posted - Nov 13 2009 : 3:48:39 PM
Yep,my hens are brooding still, and I have 20 chicks in my chick/cat room as we speak...theres about 6 more eggs outside under mom. I will bring them in as soon as they hatch..dont like chickcicles either! I have Serama coming out my ears. The buff orpingtons are still laying and try to sit too, but they dont have a roo, so i give them a serama egg or two now and then. Wish they had been so prolific during spring and summer when they were more sellable!! |
| shepherdgirl |
Posted - Nov 11 2009 : 11:13:19 AM
You should still be able to put them under a heat lamp outside, Connie, if you have a draft free place to put their box. A big plastic tote works pretty well. It seems to hold the heat in well. I put a thick bed of shavings at the bottom and hang a 100 watt bulb above them (THIS time of year anyway, I use a lower watt if it's warmer). They stay pretty cozy, tough we don't get temps as low as yours. Might not work where you are.
Hens can be such a pain sometimes huh? I found a hen in the barn a few days ago sitting on a nest. I don't know how long she's been there, so I'm going to just let things happen. I will probably take the chicks and brood them myself if she has more than a few, since they tend to disappear quickly in the colder months.
Good luck with the chicks! ~~~ Tracy
Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away. ~~ George Carlin |
| ClaireSky |
Posted - Nov 11 2009 : 06:22:26 AM
I would love to see a picture of the chicks...I've never seen black chicks before.
Julie
Farmgirl Sister #399
West-Central WI Farmgirls
Folks will know how large your soul is by the way you treat a dog...Charles F. Doran |
| eskimobirdlady |
Posted - Nov 11 2009 : 02:31:46 AM
hi beverly, i have rhode island reds and barred rock that started laying last winter at about 6 months old. i also have cross breeds of these that are 4 1/2 months old and some have begun to lay. i am not totally surprised that they are laying but astonished that one decided to sit a nest this late in the season with temps so low! i am originally from south-western michigan and the hens i had back then layed all winter but always set their nests early spring to mid summer.
peace connie in alaska |
| Beverley |
Posted - Nov 10 2009 : 6:35:26 PM
What kind are they.? Just wondering. I have a friend that her one hen lays all winter..We are in michigan and it gets cold but not that cold....
Folks will know how large your soul is by the way you treat a dog....Charles F. Doran
beverley baggett Beverley with an extra E...
http://bevsdoggies.googlepages.com/ |
| eskimobirdlady |
Posted - Nov 09 2009 : 6:53:27 PM
i am sorry i didnt tell you that of course hubby brought them in. cant have chickcicles! there was one i was worried about but they all seem to be just fine. making noise, eating, drinking and pooping lol. i am searhing for a home for them but this time of year its not likely to happen. geesh just what i need, 8 stinky little chicks in the cabin until they are big enough to put under a light out in the henhouse! why didnt these hens decide to sit a nest in the spring??? we sure dont need more chickens lol. peace connie in alaska |
| Annab |
Posted - Nov 09 2009 : 5:37:57 PM
Hopefully their momma will keep them warm
BOY what a happy and fun surprize.
Those broody heans sure are slippery sometimes! |
| StarMeadow |
Posted - Nov 09 2009 : 5:34:24 PM
Geez....14 below...zero? Yikes. I'm with Annika...I know it's crowded at your place....and it's a LONG time till spring..... |
| Bear5 |
Posted - Nov 09 2009 : 4:38:24 PM
I hope the little chicks live. Good luck.
Marly
"It's only when we truly know and understand that we have a limited time on earth- and that we have no way of knowing when our time is up- that we will begin to live each day to the fullest, as if it was the only one we had." Elisabeth Kurler-Ross |
| Annika |
Posted - Nov 09 2009 : 2:40:52 PM
Oh dear! Can you put them all in a box inside somewhere? I hate to think of little fluffy chickcicles =(
Annika
Farmgirl & sister #13
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