Peaches, a Silkie Bantam, takes her hatch-a-long babies out for the first time. They stay very close to her while she shows them where the goodies are.
Mamma Takes Chicks to Explore the World
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Lakenvelders, Where to Get Chicks
While breed researching for my fall chicks, I ran across an interesting breed to consider. This rare breed is often available for purchase from Murray McMurray Hatchery.
These are one of the most beautiful in the appearance of any of our rare varieties with their striking black and white markings and slate-colored legs. We are told that the word “Lakenvelder” when translated from the Dutch means “a shadow on a sheet”, a particularly descriptive name. They were bred extensively in Germany and Holland as long ago as the early 1800s but were not recognized here until the 1930s.
They are quite small when mature, 3 to 4 Ibs., and very quick and active, foraging widely if allowed to run. The skin is white and the breast unusually plump and round, almost like wild game birds. Hens lay white eggs and are non-setters. Baby chicks are mostly creamy white with a half collar of black on the neck and a sprinkling of black on the head and back.
On average, a Lankenvelder hen can lay between 180 and 220 eggs per year.
Little Giant Poultry Drinker, Solving the Overflow Problem
Many people are complaining this drinker overflows and leaves their birds without water, but there’s a simple fix to this problem. This drinker is a good product, but there’s a trick to keeping it from leaking everywhere. I sent my first one back, the second ended up in the shed on a shelf. But now I use it every day and love it.
First of all, I’m sure you already know it’s important to place the drinker on level ground, and up on a cinder block is good practice too. But here’s the real trick to stop it from overflowing. After you fill the drinker full, loosely tighten the cover on top. Remove the black cap on the side allowing the fountain to fill. While it’s filling, loosen the black cover on top (kind of a lot) then tighten it again. This will create the vacuum needed to stop it from overflowing. That’s it!
TBN Ranch Chicken Keeping Resources 