Larsen Poultry Ranch - homesteading journey

[Larsen Poultry Ranch]

I somehow gathered FOUR leghorn eggs today! Plus more silky eggs and quail eggs. Time to get the incubator going again. I have a turner tray for the quail eggs but not for the chicken eggs. Unless I get one I'll have to hand turn again. I can do it but it's a pain.

I also sold the 7 silkie chicks I hatched on 3/27-28, so I just have the Easter egger mixes left. I'm hoping those will sell as well and then I will only need to worry about the damaged leg chick (DLC) plus the quail chick. The leg was injured by the other chicks and I couldn't see how I could fix it so the chick will stay until I determine it's suffering too much or is too handicapped to live a good life. I don't remember having toe attackers this bad in previous hatches. Possibly because I'm using a non-red light bulb? The quail chick and DLC seem to get along ok, and are snuggling now that the other chicks got moved to the outdoor brooder.

 

[SA Farm]

The non-red light bulb can cause cannibalism since they can’t get proper sleep - messes with their cycles…
Or so I understand from research. I’ve never experienced it myself since I’ve always used the red bulbs.

 

[Larsen Poultry Ranch]

The non-red light bulb can cause cannibalism since they can’t get proper sleep - messes with their cycles…
Or so I understand from research. I’ve never experienced it myself since I’ve always used the red bulbs.

I haven't been able to find the red bulbs in a lower wattage, only 250 watt. The white bulb I'm using now is 125 watt. It's plenty of heat and I'm assuming less expensive to run than the 250 watt bulb. Everything is trying to go to LED now, I don't think they understand the need for lightbulbs that emit heat.

 

[Bruce]

Mama Heating Pad brooder!!!!!!!! NO light, no problems.

 

[Larsen Poultry Ranch]

Mama Heating Pad brooder!!!!!!!! NO light, no problems.

The heating pad caves don't work for quail. They don't figure it out in time and end up dying.

The birds are doing fine now, and are very quiet. I'm hoping regular handling of the quail will make it friendly, probably just as it shows that it's a boy.

 

[Bruce]

Broody hen maybe?

 

[Larsen Poultry Ranch]

Incubator is locked down, I'm hoping I counted the days right. Hatching should be Monday, I think. There are 13 quail eggs, and I definitely saw one wiggle when I did the pre lockdown candling. Took 2 chicken eggs out that were late quitters, no veins visible and less darkness inside the egg than the other eggs. Remaining are 30 chicken eggs with good veins. 13 are silky eggs and 16 are leghorn project eggs, with one egg that I can't tell, it's bigger than the rest of the silky eggs but not as white as the leghorn eggs. Time will tell.

The current plan is to sell the current chicken chicks at auction tomorrow since I've had no luck on Craigslist. Then sell the silky chicks once they hatch either through Craigslist or raise them to about a month and sell at auction. Really trying to at least break even with my birds this year.

 

[Larsen Poultry Ranch]

Munchkin is growing and developing his personality. He still isn't rolling other than one direction but his core is getting stronger. He can stay sitting for a very long time now just playing with toys. I need to practice with him how to roll the other direction and how to sit up by himself.

He is mostly sleeping through the whole night, and starting to eat purees. He likes turkey and sweet potato, does not like peas or green beans. I don't blame him, they tasted gross. He loves banana. I tried giving him steamed broccoli last night, and he maybe put a tiny amount in his mouth, the rest was shredded and decorated him, his chair, and the tray. He had fun though.

 

[Margali]

I used a $10 ceramic bulb for my chickens. It worked great for heat without light.

 

[Larsen Poultry Ranch]

He is cutting his first tooth!! At 7 months!!

His lower jaw has looked a little different the past week but I wasn't sure if it was tooth bumps and had planned to ask sister in law if it looked like he was teething when we were at the in-laws today. I pried his mouth open to show her and there's a tiny sliver of white sticking out! Now it makes more sense why he's been chewing everything he can grab and put in his mouth.