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Brent S

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I took my tax return and saved some, but got several preps this year as well. One thing I got was an incubator at tractor supply. So far I've hatched 14 chickens in the first batch, then 9, and I just put in three more eggs. I think I have too many birds to feed allready. Oh, I also hatched two ducklings. There really cute little swimmers, but I'm not sure how practical they are. I'll set up a seperate little enclosure by the front creek for them, mostly as there interesting, but who knows, maybey I'll like duck. The first birds I hatched are pretty good size now and I'm thinking of starting to eat a few. I would like to keep the laying hens, and only eat the young roosters for now. The problem is, how do you tell the difference? When there fully matured it's fairly obvious, but right now I'm not too sure. Any tricks or tips for telling the difference?
 
I took my tax return and saved some, but got several preps this year as well. One thing I got was an incubator at tractor supply. So far I've hatched 14 chickens in the first batch, then 9, and I just put in three more eggs. I think I have too many birds to feed allready. Oh, I also hatched two ducklings. There really cute little swimmers, but I'm not sure how practical they are. I'll set up a seperate little enclosure by the front creek for them, mostly as there interesting, but who knows, maybey I'll like duck. The first birds I hatched are pretty good size now and I'm thinking of starting to eat a few. I would like to keep the laying hens, and only eat the young roosters for now. The problem is, how do you tell the difference? When there fully matured it's fairly obvious, but right now I'm not too sure. Any tricks or tips for telling the difference?


Ok that was a risky search "Chick sexing" Hope this helps tho.
Are you gona post more chick pics before you kill them? and then maybe one of you skining them:eek:. I think you should eat the ducks then get some geese at least they work as guard's dogs, The farm geese chase my car every day.
 
At " frying size " you should be able to tell them apart the little roosters should start looking and acting like roosters .
 
not a bad idee,guardian geese I mean,read a story a long time ago in school,a roman town was saved from maruuders thanks to those geese,they were alert when townguards to a little nap
 

Ok that was a risky search "Chick sexing" Hope this helps tho.
Are you gona post more chick pics before you kill them? and then maybe one of you skining them:eek:. I think you should eat the ducks then get some geese at least they work as guard's dogs, The farm geese chase my car every day.

I'll try to post some today when it gets light. I'll post a few when cleaning them and some rabbits as well. If these were a specific chicken breed there are more ways to sex them, but these are 'mutts', which are a little harder. I would go ahead and clean some now as they are big enough, but I will wait a little longer to increase the odds of telling the difference. I'm suprised the rooster hasn't shown me which are males. I figured he wouldn't want competition.
 
free range eggs,the best :D
still remember in the 70's when some of the eggs here in finland had the taste and smell of fish (they fed the chickens with fish-powder,now it's forbidden)
 
We eat our goose eggs and use the geese as guard dogs.
The chickens here have a good life. Free range, no drugs, all the bugs they can catch, and scratch.
I barter eggs for other stuff.
Gotta love small town Texas living.
I still remember years ago a goose terrorized me constantly, and to this day I really don't like geese! I'm not sure about roasted though!
 
Goose eggs are awesome to eat! They are very rich but I wouldn't recommend trying them over easy, the white tend to get too rubbery. I have four geese now and mine are not mean at all, infact they tend to shy away from you when you enter in their area.
 
Goose eggs are awesome to eat! They are very rich but I wouldn't recommend trying them over easy, the white tend to get too rubbery. I have four geese now and mine are not mean at all, infact they tend to shy away from you when you enter in their area.
My friend had two, a male and female. She was fine, but that male really, I mean really took his job of protecting her seriously! I still hate that goose after all these years!!!
 
I took the latest 9 chicks and put them in with the rest of the mature chickens this weekend. I didn't realize the unforseen consequences of raising them seperate. I was worried about the older hens being harmful to them, but they didn't seem to care one way or the other. The chicks on the other hand were terrified! I also didn't realize that the could squeeze thru the 2x4 welded wire I have on the chicken coup. They all escaped and scattered. I caught 3 right off, and kind of figured the rest to be toast, but finally found and secured them as well. Its back to the box for them! I think I will make a wire pen in the chicken coop and seperate them in there for a little while before mixing them again. Ill also wait until they are too big to escape this time. As Ive said before, I'm glad I'm learning all this now, instead of having to when I have to depend on these skills for food. I kind of wish I had started some of this stuff earlier in life. I'm fifty now, I figure by the time I have all the bugs worked out I will be dead! lol.
 
I've had Game Chickens most of my life . They free range and take care of their self well . My Wife wanted farm chickens so I got her some Domineckers and Batams . They go in their Chicken house at night and we close the door and let them out in the morning . Roost time in the eavening and when first let out each day is pure chicken drama LOL .
 
What do you do to protect them from predators? Or is it you just don't have them in the area?
 
Having dogs help . Shutting the door of the chicken house at dark takes care of Owls , Racoons and others . Hawks get one once in a while . The games roost in trees if I don't pen them up I just rase a few of these to keep old bloodlines going that have been around 200 years . The laying chickens are always back in their house at dusk . I'm in the foot hills of the Cumberland Mnts we have plenty of predators but the dogs help .
 
Hawks would be my problem too. Mostly for that reason, we're planning on building a chicken house.
 
I took the latest 9 chicks and put them in with the rest of the mature chickens this weekend. I didn't realize the unforseen consequences of raising them seperate. I was worried about the older hens being harmful to them, but they didn't seem to care one way or the other. The chicks on the other hand were terrified! I also didn't realize that the could squeeze thru the 2x4 welded wire I have on the chicken coup. They all escaped and scattered. I caught 3 right off, and kind of figured the rest to be toast, but finally found and secured them as well. Its back to the box for them! I think I will make a wire pen in the chicken coop and seperate them in there for a little while before mixing them again. Ill also wait until they are too big to escape this time. As Ive said before, I'm glad I'm learning all this now, instead of having to when I have to depend on these skills for food. I kind of wish I had started some of this stuff earlier in life. I'm fifty now, I figure by the time I have all the bugs worked out I will be dead! lol.
We used the 2x4 welded wire fence for our chicken coop too, but at the bottom we lined it about 2 ft up with chicken wire and also used it for the top of the coup. Our main problems around here have been snake, raccoons and possums that like to steal the eggs and also hawks and owls that like to catch the little ones, which is the reason we put the top on. Glad you didn't have problems with the bigger chicken picking on your little ones.
 

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