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donna1064
07-07-2010, 10:02 PM
Its been a busy year here on the ranch.

Baby and Kiwi welcomed their first clutch of 5 babies in the early spring. Of the 5, 4 are Dutch Blue and one Australian Cinnamon. Then lo, and behold, we barely get the first clutch fledged and they start on another one (that Kiwi is an amorous little booger). The second clutch began hatching out about 7 weeks ago. From this clutch we got 3 normal green, 3 Dutch blues, and another Cinnamon. The last of the second clutch had their flying and eating lessons last week so we were able to safely remove the nestbox. Mama bird is comfortably sequestered in a cage by herself, but right next to the 2 larger cages, where she can still be in the center of things. Everybirdie is doing well. But that's not our whole flock, not by a longshot!

This spring we also acquired ..............


34 silver laced wyandotte chickens
10 guinea fowl
9 pheasants
5 turkeys (3 bronze and 2 white)
6 geese (5 toulouse and 1 chinese white)
6 ducks (4 blue swedish and 2 rouen)

with more 6 more ducks and 3 more chinese white geese arriving tommorrow!

So its been pretty busy here, to say the least. We've been keeping the babies in growing pens as we get the poultry house completed which, has been a major undertaking, but I'm happy to say it looks as though it will be completed this week! Of all the poultry birds my favorites are the geese. They are so adorable and friendly! The turkeys, on the other hand, are the meanest S.O.B.'s......good thing they will be in a pen all to themselves....being that they won't be living past the holiday season....:rofl:

michael
07-07-2010, 10:39 PM
.......Of all the poultry birds my favorites are the geese. They are so adorable and friendly! The turkeys, on the other hand, are the meanest S.O.B.'s......good thing they will be in a pen all to themselves....being that they won't be living past the holiday season....:rofl:

Thats cold.......:(....... Have you met those Canadian geese yet? .....:).....I heard they don't taste to well.........:x

donna1064
07-07-2010, 10:48 PM
Thats cold.......:(....... Have you met those Canadian geese yet? .....:).....I heard they don't taste to well.........:x

can't get the canadian geese here...at least not for livestock. I've had goose before but not a real big goose eater, but looking forward to the eggs....heard they are fabulous for baking, as are duck eggs....

linda040899
07-07-2010, 11:26 PM
but looking forward to the eggs....heard they are fabulous for baking, as are duck eggs....
Eggs that are not store bought are always wonderful!! I've got 4 Rhode Island Red hens, 2 Golden Sex Linked hens and 1 Americana hen that give me eggs almost every day and the taste is great! Range free eggs are also good for eye health, which is the original reason I got mine.

You've got quite a collection of poultry there!

michael
07-08-2010, 10:28 AM
No store bought eggs here! ....We get all our eggs and poultry from Middlefield Amish au-natural. ..... BIG difference. ... Yet to try those goose eggs though. ......:)

Chickobee
07-08-2010, 12:47 PM
So, I'm curious. Do ducks, pheasants, etc. lay eggs more than once a year as chickens do? I'd never thought of that possibility before.

You definitely have a wide variety of birds! BTW - I agree about the turkeys! :rofl:

Chickobee
07-08-2010, 12:58 PM
Oh wow! Chinese geese lay lots of eggs!

http://www.albc-usa.org/cpl/waterfowl/chinese.html

http://albc-usa.org/cpl/waterfowl/toulouse.html

turkeys:
http://albc-usa.org/cpl/bronze.html

chickens: Pretty Chickens!!
http://www.ansi.okstate.edu/breeds/poultry/chickens/wyandotte/silvlace.htm

CompassionAk
07-08-2010, 01:55 PM
This spring we also acquired ..............


34 silver laced wyandotte chickens
10 guinea fowl
9 pheasants
5 turkeys (3 bronze and 2 white)
6 geese (5 toulouse and 1 chinese white)
6 ducks (4 blue swedish and 2 rouen)

with more 6 more ducks and 3 more chinese white geese arriving tommorrow!


What,no Partridge in a pear tree? :happy:

bird-brain
07-09-2010, 10:04 AM
I would give anything to be able to keep chickens here! Even though everyone in this neighborhood has at least 2 acres there is a NO livestock or poultry rule. (there is also a no more than two dogs rule....:whistle:.....ahem) But I have friends just up the road that share their eggs with me or I can go to the farmers market.

Glad to here the clutches are doing well! Keep us posted!