Gold Lace Wyandotte Photos 12 Weeks

They are hardly chicks any more.  12 weeks old and they look like mini versions of the real thing.  Gold Lace Wyandotte Bantam chickens.

I'm hoping that in 4-5 weeks I will find out if they are hens or cockerels.



At the moment one of each would fall nicely into my plans going forwards.








I have 6 Silver lace Wyandotte eggs in my incubator, due to hatch on the 30th January, the day Rhys turns 4!  Could be a nice birthday surprise.....well for me anyway.  He gets a little stressed about animals.

The plan going forward is to breed Wyandottes and I will be selling hatching eggs.

A local school has asked if I will help set them up with a hen house and chickens so that the children can look after them during term time.  They could be the first recipients of the offspring. :-)

I know a lot of schools have been taking on hens, but there is always the little problem of holiday's to sort out.  I guess that's where I would come in and happily take them in for 6 weeks during the summer holidays.  Free eggs - can't complain at that!

Anyway, next on the list after that will be chocolate Wyandottes.
I am very tempted by the Frizzle Pekins, but more recently have been investigating the Silver Appleyard ducks and Buff Orpington Ducks.  They would definitely be an allotment project so lots of work to do before then!

 

I best get my feet under the table with the Wyandottes first of all and the quail that are arriving via the West Midlands on 19th Jan!!  Still work to do on the coop as you can see.  The top level is way to dark.  I have all the materials, just need an hour to knock it together!
I have taken the hardwood panel from the back of the run on the bottom level and replaced with a frame and mesh.
Fingers crossed they will like their new homes.
Next stage is to do the same with the panel at the top level and install mesh on the solid door!  

Hope you enjoyed the photos. Thanks for reading!

Quails, chickens, smallholdings

Photo of Wyandotte chicks at 11 weeks

It's been quiet on the blog front over Christmas and New Year!  So much to do and so little time!  It's been really hard working our way through all the cake, chocolate, biscuits.......
Back to it now though.

Years gone by I have had very little interest in New Year resolutions.  Like most people you tend to cop out and plump for "healthier lifestyle" option.  Not really measurable and no real targets and you've forgotten all about it by the end of January. 

I remember 5 years ago I decided to have a dry January.  It lasted until the 21st January when a friend of mine turned 30.  Very bad planning that, but if your going to break the resolution, why not do it in style!

I have been up to this and that over the break.  I decided to start the new year in the right way with some plans for new additions!
The chicks are doing well.  Pinky and Perky are now 11 weeks.  I started to think one was a cockerel.  It strays from Treacle and is more independent than the other.  That said apart from the darker markings around the neck there is no difference between the two. Let me know what you think from the video.

I have just ordered a 4 foot wide rabbit house and run.  Double level, to accommodate some Quail.
I have liked the idea of keeping them for egg for a while.  My mom has a friend that has a few too many.  So hopefully I may have a few soon.

Photo from Wikipedia

I have also bought a cheap hen house.  Something I said I would never do again.  But being as tight as a ducks backside I could not resist the offer.  It was a 280cm long run, enough I think for a breeding trio. 
We recently viewed a smallholding with 1.3 acres, but have to hold fire for now due to circumstances.  So it is now full steam ahead to get some chickens down the allotment.  

I already have fencing down there and have plenty of paving slabs to dig in to prevent Mr Fox getting in.

So now I'm looking for breeding trios.  I like Frizzles, chocolate and other colours.  Plus I like the idea of  Wyandottes and Lincolnshire buff or Orpington to start with anyway!  :-)
Hopefully I can get to some shows this year as well.

Lots of work to do, so I best crack on!

Thanks for reading and Happy New Year.

Wind, Rain and Frizzle Chickens!



Pekin Frizzle Chicken
Photo from wikipedia

 Well that was a bit of a gale last night in South Wales.  Weathermen are reporting gales up to 76mph!  I'm sure other areas have had it worse, but it woke me up, and I don't wake unless there is a major emergency next door and the fire crews and police are on site with blues and two's screaming.

I was glad to see that the roof on my chicken run was still in one piece, actually I was grateful to see that I had a house left at all.  I was half expecting to see the hens looking like frizzles this morning!  Cute look, but not what a light Sussex should look like!

We have passed the shortest day of the year already, so my mind has turned to spring preparation already.  Back in October I planned my vegetables for the allotment, but having given it some further thought, I will be re-designing and trying to concentrate on some key vegetables.  I may even try celeriac.

At the same time, I'm thinking about chickens.  Now there is a surprise!

I have been thinking about keeping some quail for a while now, the new year may result in the purchase of a rabbit hutch to move this on a little.  Then of course there are the chickens.  

My Wyandotte chicks are likely to be laying in March/April time.  Great news, as the shortage of eggs at the moment is very frustrating. However they could be running with a cockerel and producing fertile eggs for hatching as well.  :-)

My Wyandotte chicks at 8 weeks

There are a few things I need to put in place before I even contemplate purchasing a cockerel.  The main issue being where to keep them.  My neighbours will not be overly happy at a cockerel in the middle of a 1970's housing estate.  So I either need land, not going to happen anytime in the near future if at all so the next option in the allotment.




It needs a lot of clearing before I go down that route, and I also have to consider the impact of the cockerel on any houses in the area.

We will have to see how the next few months go, worst case I guess I could be buying fertile eggs and hatching them again!  Maybe Frizzle's.

Thanks for reading and Merry Christmas!