The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Poultry & Waterfowl => Topic started by: langdon on April 21, 2010, 07:04:35 pm
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right at this mo one of the eggs is starting to open!!!!
the shell is coming off, beth my wife is playing mom by saying cheep cheep cheep
and the chicken is responding!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
will keep ye informed
langdon :D :chook: :chook: :chook: :chook: :chook: :chook:
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Very exciting times. :)
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Awww that's lovely!!! cant' wait to hear more!
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Ooh, you must be so excited. I get a buzz when its near the time for hatching, and I can hear them in the egg under the broody hen, and she can hear them too, and clucks loudly to them, and they cheep back!!
So, have they hatched fully yet??
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two so far out of deff four,
four out of six aint bad :D
can you give them crushed up egg shells, would it do them any good?
will keep you up dated.
by the way we think molly may be have a phanthom pregancy.
if so when can we milk her and will this stop her from having any kids in the future?
we really want kids!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
langdon ;) :chook: :goat:
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the chick crumb has all the calcium they need. congrats by the way.
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thanks mate ;)
the kids love them!!!!!!!!!!
they have ;)things attached to their bottoms we dont know what it is as this is our first time
to have chicks, is this anything to be concerened about?
langdon ;) :chook:
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we really want kids!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
langdon ;) :chook: :goat:
I've got 4 you can have Langdon - but they ain't goats!!
congrats on your new additions!!!
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lol we got two and thats enough!!!!!!!!!!!
how is your goats getting on?
hope all is well, we think molly may have a phanthonm pregancy
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Hey, if you get 4 thats good going .......and three will be cockerels of course (ha ha only joking .....not!!)
I think I told you one of my young nannies had a phantom pregnancy. She had no problems afterwards, so don't worry she will never have kids. Do you want to milk her now? No problem doing so, but her teats may be a bit small if she has not had kids sucking on her. Give it a go if you want......she should come into more milk now, if there is grass about. I am not saying you will get gallons. But I know you are itching to start milking and using that milking stand aren't you????!!!!
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YA!
by the way why are you sitting in front of your laptop when you should be out there on this
glourious day doing some graft!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
only joking NOT!
LANGDON ;D
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what cream is it that you need to put on the udder before milking or am i amagining this?
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I could ask you the same question .......I have just come in for a quick cuppa, and then I am off to my veg plot to pot up some peas, etc. Then the potatoes are going in. I am very cautious, though, its been a white frost for the past few night.
Oil of Olay is the cream you need .....lather plenty of it on.
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Ooops.....hope you are not raiding your wifes make up and stuff looking for the cream ......
Do you mean udder cream?? Udder wipes are handier. You can get them from Ascott poultry supplies. They do a smaller pack I think. Good to stop mastitis and infections. Just wipe the udder and teats before each milking. May help stop flies too - they are a problem round udders in summer, must smell the milk. Goats can do some damage kicking their udders to move the flies on.
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just finished mu cuppa!
im out now meself,
i was on about the udder, but thanks for letting me know bou hand cream, anything else?
apart from a good pair of hands!
ok silly question ere can you milk both teats at one time sitting only at one side of goat?
langdon ;D :goat: wife giving out to me now gotta go talk later
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:D Yes, thats the usual way to milk a goat. I suppose you could milk one side and then run round the goat and do the other ......be warned, its not easy when you first learn to milk, some goats do not let their milk down, and then its twice as hard.
You need to visit another goat keeper nearby who has a very quiet, patient goat, and its better then - the goat owner can show you how its done, and let you have a go. It needs to be done properly, as otherwise, it can cause the goat pain, and she will not stand still for you, and also if not fully milked out, mastitis and other horrible things.
Keep those questions coming - I love them. I love your enthusiasm too ....you deserve to succeed with your eagerness to learn everything about smallholding!!!
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if you are ever in the worcestershire area you can borrow my goat to practise on!! she's been brilliant, so patient. I've never milked a goat (apart from a GG at follys farm, wales who is so obviously brought out and the kids do it every day!)
this lovely girl has stood there since monday letting me get to grips (so to speak!)
I can't do two hands at once, mainly because she'll kick the bucket the minute i do ::) oops, just re-read that (I mean literally not metaphorically, I hope!!)
I do a mixture of this teat then that teat and have found it easier with my left hand for some reason?
the let down seems to take about 10 seconds. today I got a full milk pan (just as well, my children are requesting more than we had earlier!)
its great fun, really glad we have the girls and boys now