I'm so excited! We are going to get some eggs for hatching! Woo hoo!
We have decided (well, ok, it was mostly me) that it would be a great idea to try hatching some chicks. We can add to our chooky flock, try a different breed and it should provide a bit of fun for us and the children too.
When we started off keeping chooks last year we played safe and bought some mixed point-of-lays (POL's) from a local produce store. That was fine, but now its time to step up a little!
I have always loved Wyandottes (well, since last year anyway!) they are such beautiful birds and their temperament makes them an ideal backyard pet and a good layer.
For the non-chooky readers out there (!) there are a lot of different colours and patterns, check out THIS LINK from Backyard Poultry for heaps of info and pics.
We will be buying a dozen eggs from a breeder who is fairly local, and although he does breed some amazing and rare colours I think I will go for Silver Laced and Gold Laced. (well, for now- ssshhh.... !!!) They are amazing looking chooks!
BTW- a dozen eggs doesn't mean we will get a dozen hens - some may not hatch and some that do will be roosters. (Don't ask what happens to roosters, we will cross that bridge later......)
We also need to buy an incubator to hatch them.
*Unless any of you local chooky gals have an incubator gathering dust you could loan out?*
The alternative is to use a broody chook (none of ours broody at the moment) but also we don't have the space to keep a broody and eggs separate before they hatch and while they are small. Besides, the idea of keeping them inside and watching them hatch is half the fun!
I am blaming Chris at Bushland Project for this latest interest! Click on the link to check out those cutie chicks and her progress of hatching them. How could I resist :-) And many thanks to her for doing loads of research on incubators!
Hopefully we will have our incubator next week and wyandotte eggs soon after- and of course I will keep you up to date with progress ......
:-)
13 comments:
Unreal! Where are you getting the SLWs from?
Hi Lucy, I'm getting them from Mick in Penrith (you might know him from BYP?) Seems like a good breeder from what I've heard/read and has been very helpful so far. Other option was an unknown breeder posting them, too risky.
Are you able to get any more yet?
Guess where I went today - Penrith! I came home with 3 Blue Columbian Wyandotte chicks - one about 16 weeks and the others about 8.
If Mick doesn't have eggs there's a bloke called Tony Kennedy in Katoomba, that's where I got my SL from.
I'm not going to use my incubator for a while (having bought it because I envied Chris) if you wanted to come and get it you could borrow it. Deb
No more for me yet. Will have to wait for hubby to get a job.
Cool, my son would like us to hatch some chicks from eggs as well. Not so sure I'd like to go to the expense of buying an incubator though.
I can't wait to see your own fluffy chicks after they arrive. :)
And it sounds like you've found yourself a respectable supplier of fertile eggs. Mick seems to have some gorgeous Wyandottes.
How exciting...more chicken adventures!!!
Greenfumb- I'll be checking your blog for pics of the new chooks!And thanks for the offer, I decided to buy one anyway. I couldn't find a breeder in the mts! Takes a 'sydney-sider' to find the locals! LOL
Lucy-sorry to hear you are still waiting, hope things better soon x
Toria- Maybe your son can hatch vicariously through watching others?!! I'm buying mine from Planet Poultry, same as Chris. Best value by far.
Chris- yep, you have really started something! we are all v excited!
To be honest they're at that hideous teenager stage, I might wait until they look a bit more attractive. They're very cute though, they've spent the whole day free ranging around peeping away.
Forgot to mention that Tony Kennedy does bantams not large Wyandottes.
If only I'd read this earlier!! We have two ridiculous broodies in your neck of the woods - would happily lend them out for a spot of sitting but if you haven't got room to separate them, then that won't do. Could sit on them here but that's the fun bit. How exciting!!! I'm trying to be good and not get any new girls this spring - it's hard enough keeping the seven we have. I do have a brooder box and light for your chicks once they hatch that you are welcome to borrow - and all the little water things etc for them to use for the first six weeks or so. So much fun! I won't scare you with the stats on our hen:rooster ratio from the one time we did this - like you say, cross that bridge when you come to it and claws crossed, it'll all be girls. Fun!!
Jacqui- I did think of you and knew you would have a broody! But we just have the ark so not enough room (sorry fluffy & marje!)
I would love to take you up on the offer of brooder & light though, that would be great. We've been wondering how to set up a box.
Could you email me at mountainwildlife(at)yahoo-dot-com-dot-au and we can exhange contact details?
No hurry, I know you have a lot on. Only getting eggs this weekend so few weeks yet.
Thanks :)
I am sooo looking forward to watching your little chickies hatch (via the interwebs) and become big chickens.
Wyandottes are so pretty. I can completely understand why you have fallen in love with them. I hope it works out for you, and your eggs are all female!
Thanks Daharja- incubator is set up and getting eggs tomorrow, oooh eggs-citing!
Will post more later
:)
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