Post by Lannie on Mar 5, 2012 18:17:20 GMT -5
I don't know why, but it seems like I'm looking forward to spring more this year than any other, and the winter has been positively MILD. Go figure. But I got my chick order in, so in two months, I'll be getting some new little peeps to fuss over. One more thing to worry about with Jasper... He finally seems to be OK with the big chickens, now we'll see how he does with the little ones.
I gave it a lot of thought, and although I really wanted to go back to all Brahmas, I didn't. I found out that Brahmas don't lay eggs in the winter (Oh yeah? Tell that to my Brahmas! LOL!), and we're always so short on eggs in the winter, so I looked for some that DO lay through the winter. Not that I expect they'll continue as prolifically as in summer, but at least some that SHOULD lay in the winter. A few eggs a day would keep us in eggs, without having to go to the store. YUK. This winter, with no pullets in the coop, I was only getting several eggs a week, and my stockpile of eggs is sorely depleted.
So I got 6 Rhode Island Reds and 6 Speckled Sussex, both of which are SUPPOSED to be good winter layers, and relatively cold hardy. I might have a comb/frostbite problem with the RIRs, but that's not a big deal. Then I got 6 Welsummers for their dark brown eggs, and 7 light Brahmas, to liven up my group of elderly Brahma ladies.
Some of them will be roosters, but hopefully, not too many. I actually wouldn't mind it if we ended up with another Brahma rooster. I was going to get the chicks from the feed store, but when I called I found out they were getting all these different breeds at different times, which would have meant three separate trips to Sturgis (160 miles round trip!) and it wasn't worth it, so I just ordered from the hatchery directly.
I do have a dozen guinea keets on order through the feed store, though. They won't be in until June, which is going to cause a possible problem with brooder space. The chicks will only be a month old by the time the guineas show up, and I only have one area to brood chicks in. I hope I can kick the chicks out at a month old. I might be able to stretch it to six weeks, if I wait until the middle of June for the keets, but I'm not sure how long the feed store will hold them.
Or maybe I'll have to put the keets somewhere else, in a box in the house or something, until they drive me crazy enough to go kick the chicks out of the brooder anyway.
Things are going to be picking up around here real soon! Winter "rest" time is OVER!
~Lannie
I gave it a lot of thought, and although I really wanted to go back to all Brahmas, I didn't. I found out that Brahmas don't lay eggs in the winter (Oh yeah? Tell that to my Brahmas! LOL!), and we're always so short on eggs in the winter, so I looked for some that DO lay through the winter. Not that I expect they'll continue as prolifically as in summer, but at least some that SHOULD lay in the winter. A few eggs a day would keep us in eggs, without having to go to the store. YUK. This winter, with no pullets in the coop, I was only getting several eggs a week, and my stockpile of eggs is sorely depleted.
So I got 6 Rhode Island Reds and 6 Speckled Sussex, both of which are SUPPOSED to be good winter layers, and relatively cold hardy. I might have a comb/frostbite problem with the RIRs, but that's not a big deal. Then I got 6 Welsummers for their dark brown eggs, and 7 light Brahmas, to liven up my group of elderly Brahma ladies.
Some of them will be roosters, but hopefully, not too many. I actually wouldn't mind it if we ended up with another Brahma rooster. I was going to get the chicks from the feed store, but when I called I found out they were getting all these different breeds at different times, which would have meant three separate trips to Sturgis (160 miles round trip!) and it wasn't worth it, so I just ordered from the hatchery directly.
I do have a dozen guinea keets on order through the feed store, though. They won't be in until June, which is going to cause a possible problem with brooder space. The chicks will only be a month old by the time the guineas show up, and I only have one area to brood chicks in. I hope I can kick the chicks out at a month old. I might be able to stretch it to six weeks, if I wait until the middle of June for the keets, but I'm not sure how long the feed store will hold them.
Or maybe I'll have to put the keets somewhere else, in a box in the house or something, until they drive me crazy enough to go kick the chicks out of the brooder anyway.
Things are going to be picking up around here real soon! Winter "rest" time is OVER!
~Lannie