Easter Parade - Bumper Crop 24 Cages With Babies!

 First Columbus Fancy Chick. See its birth pictures posted March 6, 2013!

Columbus Fancy Chick with Papa

Young Stafford Chick

 Young nest of newly hatched German Rollers.

 Nest of four Border Chicks

Same nest of Border Chicks now leaving the nest.

Border siblings

 

 Content nest of German Roller chicks nearly ready to leave the nest.

 Stafford Nest When I banded the fourth chick I found a surprise small 5th one! Note the whitish chick in the foreground. It is a mosaic. Also notice how much baby fuzz it has on his forehead, that is a early clue that it was going to be a mosaic.

Lucca with his new crowing rooster Easter toy. Getting this toy for Easter during breakfast this morning, it already has lost it cute red comb.

Big Bird is very proud of the Wichita State Shockers who won the West Regional last night and are heading for the Final Four NCAA Basketball Tournament! Would love to go but alas too many baby birds! Go Shox's!!

Re-cycle Egg Shells

We save all egg shells. I microwave them about a minute and a half and then grind fine in the food processor. I add to egg food or when plentiful I feed in a separate dish.

Stafford Momma On A Mission - Plucking Chicks

With four chicks in the nest and two already out of the nest, momma has decided to pluck a few feathers to line the nest for her next clutch.

When this happens, I put another nest in the cage and lots of nesting material to distract her from looking for nesting material. I try different places in the cage and try to get her interested in a lower position nest as it is natural for birds to want to go to the highest place in the cage and that way the chicks might congregate above while mom lays her eggs without interference in a slightly lower new nest.

Mountain Really Mole Hill - Big Bird Stands Firmly On The Twig

After the cardiologist nearly frightening me to death, I reach out and you were there for me. A Grateful Thank You to all of you for the outpouring of support and prayer. I firmly believe that your prayers are the very best medicine!

Immediately, my spirit calmed and I went to the heart cath with a sense of peace and trust that if it was my time to fall off the twig, I would accept it. Instead the heart cath showed absolutely no blockage, as he predicted, but rather the stress EKG severe abnormalities were due to a congenital mitral value prolapse and very treatable with very small amounts of medication and although they want my cholesterol below 150 starting at 173 is very doable.

Praise God!

Oops..Big Bird Hit A Bump In Life's Road

Big Bird has a problem and I would like you all to be with me on Friday in your thoughts and prayers as I learned yesterday that I have a block in my heart in the left ventricle region and will be in surgery at 8 am central time on Friday. Also please remember my birds and family who care for them as I have been blessed with birds hatching everywhere and my family are going to need to care for them for a few days.....

I am Lucky in a way as I have no symptoms just failed the EKG stress test miserably. When I got off the treadmill my heart quickly returned to normal.. Dr said, I was one of those who with no symptoms who could drop dead while exercising. Hoping for a stent rather than a full open heart.

Will keep you posted.

Colmbus Fancy Chick - Membrane Stuck to Head

How excited I was yesterday to see my very first ever Columbus Fancy chick hatching! (I have only been able to get one hen for my five males.) Click on each photo in the series for a good look.

Gently I gave him a helping hand but note that a piece of membrane is stuck to the side of his head.

The best thing to do is to moisten the stuck membrane first with a drop of warm water before gently removing it.

Mission accomplished, I returned the nest to the parents. Around 2 pm as I was leaving for work, I checked and sure enough the parents are feeding it. Looks like it might be crested as there are no feathers on the top of the head!

Stafford Chicks Hatching In Too Wide Nest

Somehow the hen has nestled around until when her chicks starting hatching they are in a very wide hole. Without protection, they are high risk for getting smashed by an overprotective mom.

I like to add extra plastic eggs as they hatch for protection and it offer support for the chicks to lean on when they raise their heads to beg.

Note the dark blue egg on the left. Sure to hatch but look a half of shell has attached to it. Luckily it was the bottom end opposite the air sack end and I quickly removed the extra shell cap. The chick in the foreground looks like it will be crested.