Today is hatching day. Below is a picture of some of the chicks that are just a few hours old.
Sorry for the fuzzy picture I was trying to hurry and get them into the brooder to keep them warm.
There are several breeds of chickens in the basket. Barthuhner, Isbar, Bielefelder, and Chocolate Wyandotte.
They can currently be see live on our brooder cam.
Isbar Chickens come in three colors. Blue, Black, and Splash. Since Isbar chickens do not breed true to their color, you will get different colors based upon the parents. Here are the percentages.
Blue x Blue = 50% Blue, 25% Black, 25% Splash
Blue x Splash = 50% Blue, 50% Splash
Blue x Black = 50% Blue, 50% Black
Black x Splash = 100% Blue
Black x Black = 100% Black
Splash x Splash = 100% Splash
As you can see from the table above, there are ways to predetermine the offspring’s color by knowing who the parents are. The most sought after color is blue. However, to get 100% blue you do not want a blue. You would want a splash and a black. So for breeding purposes you truly want a mix of all 3 colors in your flock. That is what we have here at Omega Hills Farm. Our isbar chicks come in all three colors but they are weighted toward producing more blue than anything else. Our Isbar eggs are like a box of chocolates. You never know what you are going to get.
In the picture below you can see our black rooster with a few splash hens and one blue hen.
Sparky and his girls
We are happy to announce that we now have limited quantities of hatching eggs available for Appenzeller Barthuhner and Chocolate Wyandotte. We have been testing fertility and have been very pleased with the tests results of 95% fertility.
Sales are limited to 6 eggs per order. Hop on over to our shop and check out the eggs now available.
That is right. We are giving away a dozen hatching eggs for free for simply liking our Facebook page.
For more info about Bielefelder chickens check out our Bielefelder page. Or check out our brooder cam as there are 12 Bielefelder chicks on cam 24/7 for you to watch.
bielefelder eggs
1) Visit the Omega Hills Farm Facebook Fan Page and press the “like” button. You must be logged into Facebook in order to “like” the page.
2) One winner will be randomly selected from the total list of all Facebook users who have “liked” the Omega Hills Farm Facebook Fan Page between Monday, November 11, 2013, 09:00 a.m. CST and Monday, November 18th, 2013, 06:00 p.m. CST. The lucky winner will receive a dozen Bielefelder hatching eggs including shipping for free.
Please read these Official Rules before entering this Promotion (the “Promotion”). By participating in the Promotion, you agree to be bound by these Official Rules and represent that you satisfy all of the eligibility requirements below.
NO PURCHASE OR PAYMENT OF ANY KIND IS NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN THIS PROMOTION.
1. Eligibility. The promotion is open only to legal residents of the 50 United States or District of Columbia, age 18 or older (or the age of majority in entrant’s state of residence), who have a user account on Facebook. You must be a fan of Omega Hills Farm on Facebook upon entering the Promotion, and at the time of the drawing, and if asked, you are to provide an affidavit of eligibility following the drawing. If you do not meet any of these requirements or any other eligibility requirements in these Official Rules, you are not eligible to win a prize, and Omega Hills Farm (“Sponsor”) reserves the right not to award prizes to you. The Promotion is subject to all applicable federal, state and local laws and regulations and is void where prohibited.
2. Promotion Period. The Promotion starts at 09:00 a.m. (all times Central Time) on November 11, 2013, 09:00 a.m. CST and Monday, November 18th, 2013, 06:00 p.m. CST. (the “Promotion Period”). All entries must be received during the Promotion Period to be eligible to win a prize.
3. This contest is in no way endorsed or supported by Facebook.com
4. The prize is awarded “AS IS” and WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, express or implied (including, without limitation, any implied warranty of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose), except that the prize will be subject to its manufacturer’s standard warranty (if any). No substitutions or exchanges (including for cash) of any prize will be permitted, except that Sponsor reserves the right to substitute a prize of equal or greater value. Winner is responsible for all federal, state, local, sales and income taxes associated with receipt and/or use of any prize. Entry and acceptance of any prize constitutes permission to use winner’s name, prize won, office affiliation, hometown and likeness for online posting and promotional purposes without further compensation, except where prohibited by law. Unless prohibited by law, winner will be required to sign and return an affidavit of eligibility, liability release, publicity release, tax forms, and other reasonable documentation provided by Sponsor before being awarded a prize. If winner does not execute such documentation upon request, their prize will be forfeited and the prize will be awarded to an alternate winner. The prize is guaranteed to be awarded.
After months of being offline the brooder cam is now back online. We finally have the equipment in place to expand our wifi network to the part of the barn the brooder is in. Now you can watch the baby chicks 24 hours a day!
Yesterday morning we had a visit from the Mississippi Board of Health to test our flocks. The testing was done so our farm could be NPIP certified. The test involved drawing a blood sample from the wing of each bird and placing the sample on a test strip. Within three seconds the test shows the result of a positive or negative for pullorum typhoid or PT. They also swab the vent to check for Avian Influenza or AI. The swabs then get sent to a lab to be examined. While we know that the PT tests were all negative, we are awaiting the results of the AI test from the lab. There has not ever been a case of AI in our state so it is very unlikely that we will have any issues with it. If that is the case we should have our shinny new NPIP number sometime next week.
Yesterday was a big day on the farm. Our very first home grown bielefelder chicks popped out of their shell! These little ones are already spoken for and along with their brothers and sisters and will have a new home shortly. We have an incubator full of eggs so they are just the first of many hatchlings to come.
Notice how you can tell the difference between the male and female chicks in the picture below.
It’s easy to tell between the male and female chicks
We are now shipping Bielefelder hatching eggs. Here is a picture of some boxed up ready to go. You will notice that each egg fits perfectly into the foam packaging to ensure safe delivery. Even so, we always include extras just in case the postman didn’t get his coffee the morning of delivery.
Bielefelder hatching eggs
It’s been a while since our batch of bielefelder chickens were on our brooder cam for you to see. So we thought you might like to see some pictures of them now. Here are a pair that were out for an evening stroll.
Bielefelder pair out for a stroll
Bielefelder hen posing for a picture
Found a bug!
We have a new breed of chicks on the farm this week. The Augsburger. Due to their imposing image we have affectionately nicknamed them “pollo diablo”.
Augsburger Rooster
This extremely rare breed from Bavaria had a population of under 150 total birds on the planet just a few years ago. Our variety is black with a greenish sheen throughout. This is an older breed that originated near the city of Augsburg in around 1880. The two main ingredients are the French La Fleche and Italian Lamotte breeds.
The most striking feature of this breed has to be the almost buttercup comb. A proper augsburger comb should split into two “single” combs after the first couple of points. This results in what appears to be a cup comb. To be proper there must be two separate blades that come together in the rear. While our chicks do not have their combs yet, it will be fun to watch them grow into the “pollo diablo”!
This current batch is now being housed in “Big Momma”. You can view the live feed of the brooder cam here.
Augsburger Chicks
Augsburger Chicks
Augsburger Chicks
Augsburger Chick
Augsburger Chick
