New Bird Pictures!

Sorry I have been remiss in catching up my blog this week, I have been plagued with several migraines.  This week I have sold off several birds that don't work with my breeding plans and extra roosters.  It will be nice to have a drop in the feed bill!

SEBBIES
Here are some pics of my sebbies!  The two original boys are not looking to me for as much attention as before.  Now they have their own girls. That is okay though. 

These are some busybirdies!  They are nibbling on the garden hose, extension cords, pulled the label off the BBQ propane tank, chewed stems to stick-like shrubs down to nubs, etc.  I don't mind they are worth it. =}
They are also very curious.  Whenever we are working outside they are right there seeing what is going on in their domain.  If we have guests over they honk at them until they think they have been intimidated sufficiently.

They are great eye candy for the yard and they eat less than a chicken in feed!  The hen that was given to me to set on the 2 sebbie eggs lost interest and so they are both in the incubator now.  They are on day 6 and when candled don't show anything yet.  Since these eggs take about 30 days to hatch, they grow slower and may not show growth until later.

MARANS CHICKS
I found some blue and splash marans in Kingston with Wade Jean bloodlines.  I bought 13 splash and 6 blue chicks last week. 

Doesn't that last one have a cute face??   These should make a nice breeding flock.   I chose to incorporate solid blue birds into my splash flock to keep the splash from washing out too much over time.  These birds will lay medium dark brown eggs. 

NEW CHICKS
On Friday I had 3 polish chicks hatch.  It looks like there is 1 black, 1 blue and 1 splash.

I also ordered 5 blue polish from a hatchery that will come in March.  I hope to make a blue, black, splash polish pen with these. 

WHITE POLISH CHICK UPDATE
My 2 white polish project chicks are getting a little older.  They are getting buff colors on their wing feathers. 

The one on the right is bigger and very noisy when I pick him up.  I think it is a boy.  I think the one on the left is a girl...we shall see.

CUCKOO SILKIE CHICK UPDATE
The cuckoo silkie chick is as cute as a button and tiny compared to all the long-legged polish he is in with. =}

I was trying to show what I think is barring showing on his wings.  I am really excited to add this color to my silkie plans.

SHOW QUALITY SILKIE CHICKS UPDATE
My show quality silkies are looking really nice.  They are getting really puffy cheek feathers and crests. 

They kept panicking when the flash went off.  The last pic caught it on film.

NEW HENS LAYING!
Today I got my first egg from my buttercup hen.  I am so excited to hatch it!  Also one of my silver laced polish pullets laid her first egg today as well.  Spring is on it's way!

IN THE INCUBATOR
I have about 50 of my own eggs in the incubator to hatch out cuckoo marans, olive eggers, white polish, bantam frizzles, giant cochins, and white silkies from a friend.  As well as the 2 sebbie eggs and 85 jumbo coturnix quail eggs.  I plan to raise these quail for meat birds. 

NEW BIRDS COMING
I have a friend who is going to sell me his 11 bobwhite quail.  These will just be pets.  I love the call the males do!  Also he has offered me 4 peacocks. (2 males and 2 females) I am still thinking about these as they could be a bit much.  I may also buy some of his meat rabbits.  I would like to have a source of year around meat for our family that is healthy to eat.  I should be getting these animals this week. 

CHICKEN ROAD TRIP NEXT SAT
My friend and I are planning a road trip next Saturday to Seattle/Tacoma area to pick up some chickens, hatching eggs and a guinea pig.  I am sure I will have more to tell you about after that.

Announcing More New Additions

I am so very ecstatic to announce that I found 3 more sebbies!  Yay!  There are 2 girls and another boy.  So I have 5 now.  They are a big honking gaggle of geese. =}  The new ones are nearing 1 year old and one of the girls is already laying eggs!  The man I bought them from in Redmond had two of the her eggs under a broody hen and gave me both! 

Then since gas is so expensive I decided to make the trip worth wile and make one more stop in Kingston.  I found a man with quality birds that is starting a hatchery.  So cool!  I bought 12 splash and 6 blue marans from him!  Most are only days old but a few are a few weeks old.  They are adorable!  What a steal!

I will take pics of all of them soon!

I have had 3 olive eggers and 1 more white polish chick hatch yesterday and today.  I also have 5 blue/splash polish pipping today!  So eggsciting!

New Arrivals!

Yay!  My new polish mix chick is finally here!  He is very big, very fluffy and very cute!  He is white or yellow colored and has one black spot on his head.  Maybe he will be splash colored?  Here is a picture of him next to my newly hatched petite cuckoo silkie.  They are both adorable!

I am very excited to add these two interesting colors to my flocks!

Sicilian Buttercups

I have a nice little flock of a rare breed called Sicilian Buttercups.  They are a standard breed, but run on the small size.  They are a little flighty but have interesting personalities.

Aren't they a handsome pair?  They are hatchery birds, but this breed is pretty unusual.  I just love their crown or flower shaped combs!   I recently added 3 more hens, so now I have 4 hens and the one roo.

Here is the flock together.  I will be selling hatching eggs and chicks from these guys.  Please contact me for availability.  I have some eggs in the incubator as we speak.

Productive Few Days at the Farm

Yesterday my daughter and I were able to extend the duck coop so they have a little more room.  We also enlarged the run for the golden polish and Maestro.  So we were able to move some birds around.  Then we moved the boy tractor to new grass and put the divider back up in the silkie pen so that I could get some teens out of the garage.  It feels good to get so many projects done like this. 

Last night the wind blew the gate to Louie's pen open and Louie beat up Raptor (my cuckoo marans roo) pretty badly.  I stopped all the bleeding and put iodine on his cuts.  But he kept swallowing funny.  I finally looked in his mouth and it was bleeding profusely!  Louie must have grabbed the membrane under Raptors toungue and tore it.  I put flour in his mouth and the bleeding stopped.  Raptor was in shock, so I gave him vitamin water and put him in the garage bathroom for the night.  He was fine this morning, with a few more scars to show off to his ladies.  And I fixed the gate latch to Louie's pen!

I also had some people come and buy some birds in the last few days.  I sold one of our drakes to a nice person who will give him his own mate.  I sold my frizzled giant cochin roo to a nice couple who are really excited to give him his own harem.  And I sold all 5 of my cuckoo marans chicks to someone who is really excited about marans!  All in all a great weekend so far!

White Polish Projects

One of my projects is to mix my silver laced polish hens with a buff laced polish rooster.  Here are some pics;

This is Elvis.  Isn't he cute?

Here are the girls.  There is currently a golden laced hen in here.  I was growing her out in here because she was close to the same age as the silver girls.  I need to enlarge the golden laced pen then she can go in there with Maestro.  Then I will put Friendly, my older silver laced hen in here with Elvis.  I am always playing musical birds to make sure everybirdy gets along and has enough space. =}  Anyway I have been told that this mixture of colors should come out primarily white.  I had the first fertile egg from this mixture go into lockdown today.  It is due to hatch on 1-22. I am so excited to see what it will look like!

Golden Laced Polish X Mottled Houdan Project

I am trying to breed a golden laced polish hen and a mottled houdan rooster to see if I can get a calico-colored, crested chicken.   It should come out with black, brown and white on it.  Since Mottled houdans have 5 toes, it might have that too.  We shall see.

Introducing.....Maestro!  He is one pretty boy!  I got him from a friend that lives in Port Townsend. =}  He is very gentlemanly with my girls.

I have 2 Golden Laced hens with Maestro.  The girls are from Welp hatchery.  I am collecting there eggs and trying to hatch them now.  I will post when I see what they look like.