Have 6 or 7 Birchen Marans chicks hatched. Now, hopefully keep them alive to adulthood....
I also hatched out my own developed Lavendar Wyandotte. So far, 1 is actually Lavendar & 2 are split to lavender. So exciting...
Marans, Coronation Sussex, Lavendar Orpingtons, Brabanters & Silkies, Oh my....
Sterling Center
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
Monday, January 28, 2013
Tuesday, January 1, 2013
First white Silkie chick!
I had to buy a new white rooster for my white silkie girls. He came from Catdance Silkies. It took a while, but finally the eggs were fertile and this weekend hatched out 2 chicks...
These chicks were a long time coming. I'll be so excited to have some cute little white silkie chicks running around, instead of all blue!
These chicks were a long time coming. I'll be so excited to have some cute little white silkie chicks running around, instead of all blue!
Saturday, December 29, 2012
New Breed-Brabanters
I've acquired a flock of rare Brabanter chickens.
Brabanters are a Dutch breed. They come in several colors, but in the US there are just 2, cream & gold.
Mine are of the gold variety. They have spangled feathers, a "mohawk" type top knot, and an "Ameraucana type" Beard. They also have a "V" comb, but covered by their feathers on the top of their heads, makes them cold hardy. They are more of a production breed, similar to leghorns. They lay large white eggs.
I've only had them for a week, so they are not yet acclimated to my barn. I will post more on them as I get to know them better.
Brabanters are a Dutch breed. They come in several colors, but in the US there are just 2, cream & gold.
Mine are of the gold variety. They have spangled feathers, a "mohawk" type top knot, and an "Ameraucana type" Beard. They also have a "V" comb, but covered by their feathers on the top of their heads, makes them cold hardy. They are more of a production breed, similar to leghorns. They lay large white eggs.
I've only had them for a week, so they are not yet acclimated to my barn. I will post more on them as I get to know them better.
Do you cook for your chickens?
I'm on a plan to increase egg production, yes, even during the winter months.
I am adding to the normal pelleted feed, cooked soy, along with oats, sunflower seeds & fat.
My local grocery store is saving up some fat each week for me. I cook it down until its melted. I cook about 2 quarts of soybeans at the same time until they are soft, about 1/2 hour. I then mix the soybeans & melted fat together & carry the bucket out to the barn.I also put some Red Cell liquid vitamins in at this point because the soybeans & oil are pretty wet and it mixes well & coats the beans better. I normally put the Red Cell in their water, but now that their water is freezing, I put it in the feed mix instead so its not wasted.
Right now I'm eyeballing the amounts, but I mix into the bucket, some whole oats, sunflower seeds, just a little, a little corn, some alfalfa meal, and about half the amount of pellets I use to feed when it was all I was feeding.
Because I bring it out right away from being cooked, the whole mix stays warm, and the birds flock, pun intended, right over to eat. Even if it doesn't make them feel better, it makes me feel better that I'm giving them something warm to eat on cold winter days.
Why am I going through this fuss? When I use to feed whole grains, I almost never had sick chickens. And I got compliments from judges on how well conditioned my chickens were at shows.
I've been frustrated lately with my birds, just didn't seem quite right, and everything pointed to their feed. It was an "aha!" moment for me.
So, back to whole grains for my chickens...We'll see how it goes for the next few months.
I am adding to the normal pelleted feed, cooked soy, along with oats, sunflower seeds & fat.
My local grocery store is saving up some fat each week for me. I cook it down until its melted. I cook about 2 quarts of soybeans at the same time until they are soft, about 1/2 hour. I then mix the soybeans & melted fat together & carry the bucket out to the barn.I also put some Red Cell liquid vitamins in at this point because the soybeans & oil are pretty wet and it mixes well & coats the beans better. I normally put the Red Cell in their water, but now that their water is freezing, I put it in the feed mix instead so its not wasted.
Right now I'm eyeballing the amounts, but I mix into the bucket, some whole oats, sunflower seeds, just a little, a little corn, some alfalfa meal, and about half the amount of pellets I use to feed when it was all I was feeding.
Because I bring it out right away from being cooked, the whole mix stays warm, and the birds flock, pun intended, right over to eat. Even if it doesn't make them feel better, it makes me feel better that I'm giving them something warm to eat on cold winter days.
Why am I going through this fuss? When I use to feed whole grains, I almost never had sick chickens. And I got compliments from judges on how well conditioned my chickens were at shows.
I've been frustrated lately with my birds, just didn't seem quite right, and everything pointed to their feed. It was an "aha!" moment for me.
So, back to whole grains for my chickens...We'll see how it goes for the next few months.
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