"Hi, my name's John and I'm a Chickaholic"

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I've been hovering over the incubator all day. My chicks are starting to hatch! 1st one popped out this morning about 11. Several more are in various stages now. Lots of very quiet ones that I hope make it. I've really wanted a good hatch from this bunch.

The wife and I went into town and stopped by the feed store this afternoon. Couldn't help myself - I bought 2 baby ducks! Just too cute. What the heck, I already have the brooder set up in the garage for the chicks.

Expecting another batch of chicks in the mail next week and I broke down and ordered some Guinea eggs from Vickie. What can I say? "Hi, my names John and I'm a chickaholic". Oops, wrong meeting!

-- John in S. IN (jdoofus@hotmail.com), March 23, 2002

Answers

Hooray for you. Admission is the first step to recovery...LOL I am envious , I wish I could get somwhere to live so I could brag on my new chicks... BOOOHOOOOO.......

Really I'm happy for you. Bet you were excited to see the first one....

-- Kristean Thompson (pigalena_babe@yahoo.com), March 23, 2002.


Yeah! I hope you get a good rate like last time. Another of my hens has decided to take a stab at hattching some chicks for me. I'm not brimming wih confidence, but I am hoping she does it! I could use some new girls as mine are getting a bit long in the beak.

BTW, I saw my nemesis today. Yep. Grasshoppers! Full grown, too! We were just down below freezing the other night and these buggers have the audacity to live through it. Time to completely forget about ever having a flower bed and stop feeding my birds. They must eat these "evil ones"...

-- Doreen (bisquit@here.com), March 23, 2002.


Things don't look so good for the hatch here. So far it's 4 chicks is all. Don't see any more eggs w/ activity.

I think I may have figured out 1 reason why. The eggs were real cold when they arrived & I don't think I let them warm up properly before getting them into the incubator. Sometimes ignorance hurts as these were expensive little items.

-- John in S. IN (jdoofus@hotmail.com), March 24, 2002.


Most types of fully grown birds don't eat many bugs. They catch them and feed them to their babies. Growing birds need lots of protien.

-- Terri (hooperterri@prodigy.net), March 24, 2002.

Doreen, what's w/ the grasshoppers at your place? It sounds like a Biblical type plague or something. This is what, the 3rd year for these little boogers? Is it always like that?

Sounds like you'd need a whole HERD of Texas sized hens to make a dent in #'s like you describe. Hope they don't eat everything down to the nubs.

-- John in S. IN (jdoofus@hotmail.com), March 24, 2002.



Hello John-----this is Sonda & I'm a roosteraholic!!!!!

We have had great fun setting hens & the incubator for the past year & we have about 25 or more toooooooooo many fancy bantam roosters!!!!!

They are fancy bantams----this morning I sold two-more so from the posters I have out & the ad in the local paper we are slowly getting them weeded down-----two bantam hens or setting on fawn runner duck eggs----& the grandsons just set the incubator again!!!!!!!! So more babies on the way-----& I hope not sooooo many roosters this time!!! ha!

Glad to meet you John /chickaholic----

-- Sonda in Ks. (sgbruce@birch.net), March 24, 2002.


25 banty roosters?????...oh boy.

My chickens do eat the hoppers, but my guineas do better at catching them. It IS like a biblical plague here with these things. I think that it is because the entire area was all cotton farmed and the soil was seriously depleted from that and then it was also pesticided to death, then left fallow. I have quite a bit of acreage around me that is never tilled, it is all just pasture so the eggs never get disturbed and the buggers just keep breeding. Honestly I think I could have about three hundred guineas here in the summer and still see some hoppers. I hate them. Fireants are evil and nasty as well, but the hoppers are much more destructive......sigh.

Sorry about your hatch not turning out too well. hope the next one is better, John!

-- Doreen (bisquit@here.com), March 24, 2002.


I understand about being a chickaholic. I'm trying to go through recovery right now, due to the lack of funding for my habit. LOL

As for the grasshoppers, we have them here too and it was just down to 12 degrees here in NE Texas a couple of weeks ago. Actually, I"ve forgotten what the true definition of "infestation" is, but I remember reading it and thinking that we are ALWAYS over that amount here by the first week of May. I think the infestation number is something like 3 hoppers per square yard. We run about 15 to 20 per square yard here by August. Just think about how many tons of stuff they actually eat each year......

-- Green (ratdogs10@yahoo.com), March 25, 2002.


Green--- I could help support you habbit---with roosters!!!!!!!! Do roosters travel well???????? ha!

-- Sonda in Ks. (sgbruce@birch.net), March 25, 2002.

Hello John, I too am a chickaholic. Only, I haven't been going to the meetings!! I think I have a magnet of sorts hooked to my car...as I can't pass any of the feed stores without going in and 'just seeing" what they have! and then, yes, then I end up bringing just a few home! there are those days, when I wonder around the farm telling myself "no, you don't need to into town, there is nothing there for you"....then I find myself in the car and pointed towards the feed store and the chick bins!! ARG! Sissy

-- Sissy Barth (iblong2Him@ilovejesus.net), March 25, 2002.


Well, if this is the chickaholic meeting, better count me in.lol. I, too, have a terrible time not buying chicks, never mind that the coop is full and the hens are starting to set! Through shere will power, I have not stopped at the feed store(yet) even though they have a sign out front announcing the arrival of chicks!

As to the grasshoppers, we kept them down pretty good on our Texas place with chickens, guineas and ducks everywhere!;) Our first spring (last year) out here, I just couldn't believe how many hoppers there were! I'm hoping the chickens will help out some this year.

-- mary (mlg@mlg.com), March 26, 2002.


Well, got the Guinea eggs from Wendy today and this time I let 'em sit out and warm up for 5 hours before puttin' them in the incubator. 28 days of anticipation to go.

Took all the eggs from the last batch of chicks out and broke most of 'em open for a look see. About 1/2 had nicely formed chicks. The other 1/2 was mostly egg yolk lookin, streaked w/ blood. Sad as these were expensive eggs. But as I said before, it was my own fault. So I can't really be too mad at anybody.

I need to tell you I'm not the only chickaholic in this house. The wife and I went to town for some things today and quess who wanted to stop by the feed store "to see if they got any more of the Rhode Island Reds in yet". Yep. It was her. Now, the professionals would call me an "enabler" because I said, "Let's go see"! BTW, they said tomorrow. I'll bet she's gonna go too.

-- John in S. IN (jdoofus@hotmail.com), March 27, 2002.


John, glad to know they got to you intact!!! Was the packing similar to those that you have recieved in the past?

Okay ~~ I have marked my calendar - April 25th, hatch date - geesh, you'd think I laid those eggs,,,hee! I really need help as well, I think!! The good thing is that around here, they really don't sell chicks at the Feed Stores, so that helps!! The bad news is, I am about 4.5 miles from a Hatchery, Marti Poultry Farm. I try and avoid that area!!

-- Wendy@GraceAcres (wjl7@hotmail.com), March 28, 2002.


Wendy, The packing was great. I wasn't home when the mail came yesterday. The mailman put the box on the seat of my truck and left a note in the mailbox to alert me. Is that cool or what?

Living that close to a hatchery would tax my impulse control severely. I'm gonna have to build another chicken house pretty soon as it is!

-- John in S. IN (jdoofus@hotmail.com), March 28, 2002.


Doreen, I have read that Muscovy ducks are the best for bug control. I'm planing to get some once we get moved. And don't even mention getting chickens to me yet, I'm positively drooling over the prospect. They won't let me keep chickens here in town :o(

-- kim in CO (kimk61252@hotmail.com), March 29, 2002.


I want you to know I have found homes for all my extra bantam roosters!!!!!

I'm no longier a roosteraholic-------until next time!!!!

-- Sonda Bruce (sgbruce@birch.net), March 30, 2002.


Wow, John, you have a GREAT postman!! Neat! Better get building on that coop!

Kim, I love our Muscovies! Such quiet and gentle birds! The meat is wonderful!

Good for YOU Sonda!! Yea and yippee!! Now, be careful that you do not "fall off" the rooster wagon again! LOL!

-- Wendy@GraceAcres (wjl7@hotmail.com), March 30, 2002.


John..

Is your last name Clore?

Friends, Jack

-- Jack Williams (OleFarmerJack@aol.com), June 27, 2004.


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