Beemaster's International Beekeeping Forum

ALMOST BEEKEEPING - RELATED TOPICS => FARMING & COUNTRY LIFE => Topic started by: poka-bee on January 01, 2009, 06:11:51 pm

Title: Love is in the air.....?
Post by: poka-bee on January 01, 2009, 06:11:51 pm
The hen I got from Brian & Earl are making a nest.  She will sit in it flipping her wings, cooing & making the "come hither" faces to Earl.  Then Earl will get in with the "hey baby, see my pad" attitude.  They are so funny to watch.  Soon there will be eggs, then babys.  I'll post when that happens! I love seeing the color/conformation combos the genetics come up with!  J
Title: Re: Love is in the air.....?
Post by: annette on January 01, 2009, 07:41:06 pm
You know Jody I was reading the chicken forum the other day and never knew so many people were as fascinated by chickens as they are about bees.  I read that post about the double layers. It was wonderful to read. Almost made me feel like going and getting some chickens.

I am understanding more now how you all feel. It sounds like lots of fun. Good luck with the new lovers

Annette
Title: Re: Love is in the air.....?
Post by: poka-bee on January 01, 2009, 08:10:23 pm
Annette  I do love my chix, they are so funny to watch, each has it's personality though there are some that stand out more.  The birds I'm talking about are pigeons.  Earl is a feral rescue who's wing didn't heal right so I couldn't let him go like I had planned. I think that whole story is in another post. At the BBQ Brian gave me 2  youngsters cause Earl's girl died this summer (broken neck..don't know how)  You should have seen the look on DH's face about 20 miles from Brian's when he heard em scrabbling in the box...snicker..heh heh! :evil: :roll:  Earl hates me, bites & holds on like a pit bull, shaking back & forth.  He also wing slaps my hand. If he catches it just right it will leave bruises!  When I catch & hold the girl..oh my, :shock: he looks like he is having an epileptic fit his wings are twitching so bad! He is a very good father, finished raising the last clutch on his own after the hen died, they were just starting to feather out.  Get some chix, you will love them & almost nothing will go to waste from any food you eat or cook or whatever!  J
Title: Re: Love is in the air.....?
Post by: Jerrymac on January 01, 2009, 08:11:33 pm
You don't have chickens? They are fun sometimes. Today as I was gathering eggs one was trying to take an egg out of my arm where I had six eggs cradled. It seemed that way anyhow. They won't let me hardly touch them outside but in the coop I can pet them and pick them up.
Title: Re: Love is in the air.....?
Post by: annette on January 01, 2009, 08:18:12 pm
Well

I will just enjoy them for now from afar!!!  I have enough things to keep me busy right now in my life.

But I do enjoy reading about them.

Annette
Title: Re: Love is in the air.....?
Post by: Cindi on January 02, 2009, 12:54:12 pm
Jody, you subject title caught may attention immediately.  Love is in the air....I know that too, it won't be long before my Muscovys and turkeys really get on that band wagon of wanting to raise families.  Richard really began to get in the mood around the beginning of March.  Have a wonderful and awesome life, day, great health.  Cindi

This is Richard fanned out, Abigail all fanned out, after Richard mated with her, and Madeline, the light grey one. 

(http://img168.imageshack.us/img168/6104/turkeymating4op9.jpg) (http://imageshack.us)
Title: Re: Love is in the air.....?
Post by: JP on January 02, 2009, 06:07:13 pm
The hen I got from Brian & Earl are making a nest.  She will sit in it flipping her wings, cooing & making the "come hither" faces to Earl.  Then Earl will get in with the "hey baby, see my pad" attitude.  They are so funny to watch.  Soon there will be eggs, then babys.  I'll post when that happens! I love seeing the color/conformation combos the genetics come up with!  J

"come hither" Yeah that's what she said!


...JP ;)
Title: Re: Love is in the air.....?
Post by: poka-bee on January 21, 2009, 09:40:03 pm
Well, I'm sure they are sitting on eggs.  Earl does the day shift & the Bree (cause she is from Brian) the night with Earl fiercly guarding.  When he is on the nest & I come close he gets all poufty & his wings twitch as he stares me down with killing on his mind! I don't know how she will do as a 1st time mom but Earl Has raised 5 clutches here & I don't know how many when he was a wild bird.  Last summer he finished up the clutch on his own after the girl broke her neck.  J
Title: Re: Love is in the air.....?
Post by: Cindi on January 21, 2009, 10:26:21 pm
Wow, the pigeons are ferociously protective of the babies eh?  I picture Ernie and Bree just a'doin' their thing, sweeeeeet!!! 

The turkey tom is a little bit, but nothing like that, he does keep a pretty good eye on the place when the babies are born.  I love to hear your stories of your farm life, it is a beautiful thing, smiling.  Nothing getting in any way broody around here, the chickens are just beginning to start to lay heavy again, they have shut down to just over a whisper the past 2 months.  The ducks are all laying, I am getting 5 Muscovy eggs a day now, I have an acquaintance that has some people from the Phillipines working for him, they want the Muscovy eggs, big time.  So I am selling them, $5.00 a dozen.  Too many for us to all use, eggs of all sorts, shapes and sizes, just a'comin' out our ears!!!  Beautiful day in our great lives, attract and keep great health.  Cindi
Title: Re: Love is in the air.....?
Post by: Brian D. Bray on January 21, 2009, 11:03:46 pm
Well, I'm sure they are sitting on eggs.  Earl does the day shift & the Bree (cause she is from Brian) the night with Earl fiercly guarding.  When he is on the nest & I come close he gets all poufty & his wings twitch as he stares me down with killing on his mind! I don't know how she will do as a 1st time mom but Earl Has raised 5 clutches here & I don't know how many when he was a wild bird.  Last summer he finished up the clutch on his own after the girl broke her neck.  J

Pegeons can be fickle when it comes to raising their young when the mate is lost.  If the birds are over 2 weeks old they are usually kicked out of the nest to fend for themselves, reduced to begging from the entire flock.  If younger the remaining parent will usually sellect one of the 2 to feed and let the other die,  Sometimes they will just abandon the nest regardless the age of the young.  And if they were on eggs, abandonment is almost guarenteed.
I have one now that I'm hand feeding due to being kicked out of the nest.
The maile pigeon is usually on the nest from about 9-10 am until about 3-4 pm.  Any other time you'll find the hen on the nest.
Title: Re: Love is in the air.....? YES! It's in the nest!
Post by: poka-bee on February 14, 2009, 03:35:23 pm
Well, yesterday I finally got a look @ the nest!  Earl was wing slapping & snapping @ my hands the whole time. They have 1 ginormous little baby, eyes just opened, it is so ugly it's cute.! The other egg wasn't fertile so I tossed it.  I'll get pics during "changing of the guard" if I catch it!  Brian is a Grandpappy!!  J
Title: Re: Love is in the air.....? YES! It's in the nest!
Post by: Brian D. Bray on February 14, 2009, 09:31:00 pm
Well, yesterday I finally got a look @ the nest!  Earl was wing slapping & snapping @ my hands the whole time. They have 1 ginormous little baby, eyes just opened, it is so ugly it's cute.! The other egg wasn't fertile so I tossed it.  I'll get pics during "changing of the guard" if I catch it!  Brian is a Grandpappy!!  J

changing of the Guard is at 2 pm.  At that time the male gets off the nest and the hen gets back on.  The male usually sits on the nest from about sun rise to 2 pm, the 2 pm bit you can almost sit your watch by.  The eggs will often hatch as much as 2 days apart, but if that happens it's almost the same thing as a single hatch as the younger squad will be ignored and eventually die do to neglect by the parents.  Nature can be a hard task master.
Title: Re: Love is in the air.....?
Post by: Cindi on February 15, 2009, 12:48:23 pm
Jody, oh beauty!!!  Wow, I am surprised, does the pigeons only lay a two egg clutch?  Curiosity never got this cat.  Have that beautiful, most wonderful day, health.  Cindi
Title: Re: Love is in the air.....?
Post by: Brian D. Bray on February 16, 2009, 12:21:31 am
Jody, oh beauty!!!  Wow, I am surprised, does the pigeons only lay a two egg clutch?  Curiosity never got this cat.  Have that beautiful, most wonderful day, health.  Cindi

Pigeons will usually lay only 2 eggs per clutch.  Often only one is selected by the parents to be raised.  I've found that "rescuing" the one chosen to starve results in an inferior bird so the parents know what they are doing via the selection process. 
If you want the lightest, fluffiest marange for you pies use pigeon eggs.  You have to use 4 times as many but the results are something to behold.
Or mix some into the other egg whites but a mix still isn't as good as using all pigeon eggs.  BTW, duck eggs make better marange than chickens do too.
Title: Re: Love is in the air.....?
Post by: Cindi on February 16, 2009, 04:17:57 pm
Brian, yum, yum.  Those pigeon eggs sound good.  I love merange!!!  I only use the Muscovy duck eggs when I make my mayonnaise.  I think that it is because that type of egg is mostly yolk.  We have Muscovy duck eggs coming out our ears.  I have advertised on Craig's list to get customers, you can only eat so many eggs.   Beautiful day in this great life, health.  Cindi
Title: Re: Love is in the air.....?
Post by: poka-bee on February 16, 2009, 10:46:05 pm
Here are some pics of the baby, it's getting cuter!  J
<table style="width:194px;"><tr><td align="center" style="height:194px;background:url(http://picasaweb.google.com/f/img/transparent_album_background.gif) no-repeat left"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_zd1ApHT7l0g/SZoeA5Lvx1E/AAAAAAAAA38/0oG49NPF1gk/s160-c/Stuff.jpg" width="160" height="160" style="margin:1px 0 0 4px;"> (http://picasaweb.google.com/darbyfarms/Stuff?feat=embedwebsite)</td></tr><tr><td style="text-align:center;font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/darbyfarms/Stuff?feat=embedwebsite" style="color:#4D4D4D;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:none;">Stuff[/url]</td></tr></table>
Title: Re: Love is in the air.....?
Post by: poka-bee on February 16, 2009, 10:51:54 pm
Hmm, don't know what I did wrong.. :?  Let me poke around a bit..
Title: Re: Love is in the air.....?
Post by: poka-bee on February 16, 2009, 10:58:27 pm
<table style="width:194px;"><tr><td align="center" style="height:194px;background:url(http://picasaweb.google.com/f/img/transparent_album_background.gif) no-repeat left"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_zd1ApHT7l0g/SZoeA5Lvx1E/AAAAAAAAA38/0oG49NPF1gk/s160-c/Stuff.jpg" width="160" height="160" style="margin:1px 0 0 4px;"> (http://picasaweb.google.com/darbyfarms/Stuff?feat=embedwebsite)</td></tr><tr><td style="text-align:center;font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/darbyfarms/Stuff?feat=embedwebsite" style="color:#4D4D4D;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:none;">Stuff[/url]</td></tr></table>
Title: Re: Love is in the air.....?
Post by: poka-bee on February 16, 2009, 11:01:32 pm
Dagnabbit!!  Can't remember how to make it work...http://picasaweb.google.com/darbyfarms/Stuff?feat=directlink
Title: Re: Love is in the air.....?
Post by: Cindi on February 16, 2009, 11:03:26 pm
Jody, it worked, the picture is there.  Were you concerned that it didn't "take"?  It did.  Jody, you sent that picture in the thread three times!!!  You really wanted me to notice it, right, smiling.

You have gotta be kidding me.  That bird sitting in that bowl is the baby?  How fast do they grow anyways?  They must feather out really fast, how old is it now?  Beautiful day in this great life, Cindi
Title: Re: Love is in the air.....?
Post by: poka-bee on February 16, 2009, 11:10:11 pm
Cindi, it must be like your sentence thing today, on my computer the picture wasn't there, then it said it was a bad link..it finally worked on the last one for me here....weird!!  OOOeeeeeeOOOO! I'd say it was a little over a week old, was making those cute begging sounds at me & not trying to get away like they do when older.  Earl was NOT amused at me putting human cooties all over his offspring!  He is such a good Daddy! J
Title: Re: Love is in the air.....?
Post by: Cindi on February 16, 2009, 11:16:11 pm
Jody, I'm missing something here.  Look at the picture on your post.  That picture of the big bird sitting in that bowl.  That is the baby?  Or is the baby below that big bird?  I can't believe that a week old baby could look so big  :? :? :?  Beautiful day in this great life.  Cindi
Title: Re: Love is in the air.....?
Post by: Brian D. Bray on February 17, 2009, 02:43:10 am
Jody, I'm missing something here.  Look at the picture on your post.  That picture of the big bird sitting in that bowl.  That is the baby?  Or is the baby below that big bird?  I can't believe that a week old baby could look so big  :? :? :?  Beautiful day in this great life.  Cindi

The Blue bar hen in the nest is one of the one's I gave her.  The Dark check Male with the droopy wing is Earl.  The baby is the one she's holding in her hand just above the nest, looks to be about 5 days old in the picture.
Title: Re: Love is in the air.....?
Post by: Cindi on February 17, 2009, 12:39:22 pm
OK, mystery solved.  I didn't look at Jody's picassa album, just the single picture that she put in the first couple of posts.  That is one ugileeeee little baby, sorry, just had to say that, it is like the ugly duckling, so ugly when young, but oh such a beautiful bird when it matures.  The mother is absolutely drop dead gorgeous (and yes, I can describe a bird like that, cause it's true).  Great pictures, Jody, have that wonderful and beautiful day, Cindi
Title: Re: Love is in the air.....?
Post by: poka-bee on February 17, 2009, 02:09:55 pm
That was just weird last night with the pics..it kept telling me something about transparent & wouldn't show on the post on this end.  Another mystery of the computer. The pic of  Bree the hen is her sitting on the eggs, Earl is protecting them & the baby is in my hand there.  It is cuter now that the eyes are open & growing into the beak..when closed they are uglier if that's possible!  I can't wait to see how the color pattern turns out.  With the other hen, they always had very dark bodies, white heads, flight feathers & rumps. J
Title: Re: Love is in the air.....?
Post by: Brian D. Bray on February 17, 2009, 08:33:40 pm
That was just weird last night with the pics..it kept telling me something about transparent & wouldn't show on the post on this end.  Another mystery of the computer. The pic of  Bree the hen is her sitting on the eggs, Earl is protecting them & the baby is in my hand there.  It is cuter now that the eyes are open & growing into the beak..when closed they are uglier if that's possible!  I can't wait to see how the color pattern turns out.  With the other hen, they always had very dark bodies, white heads, flight feathers & rumps. J

Sounds as if you should get a dark check with white flights and tail feathers.  The hens side of the family runs strong to white flights and tail feathers and if Earl's offspring has too, the it's almost a surity.  If you get one with a white head along with the white flights and tail feathers it is called an Eagle.  If just patches of white on the head and neck (with or without wing and tail feathers) it is called a Splash.  The hens family also runs to throwing silvers a lot so don't be surprised if you find an occassional silverish bird with red bars.  A Blue bar, like the hen, with a lot of white on head and neck is called a Pied.
Title: Re: Love is in the air.....?
Post by: poka-bee on February 21, 2009, 12:54:17 am
I just added a couple of new pics to the album link in an earlier post.  Bree wingslaps too when I grab her baby!  Doesn't bruise like Earl tho..He waits on top of the nest box to peck @ my hair....J
Title: Re: Love is in the air.....?
Post by: Cindi on February 23, 2009, 11:11:08 pm
Jody, looked at the new pics in the album, nice.  Have a great, most awesome day, Cindi