Recent content by sweetdreaming

Hi y'all! I haven't been on this site for awhile but need to get y'alls opinions. I've had CLB's x 4 years now and have a nice hybridized combo of original Greenfire and Jill Rees birds. I have tried to keep cream hackles (but some approach silver), with a bit more chestnut on my males than...

Hi, a couple of weeks ago I had a hen who started clucking constantly w/ every breath. Like she had an expiration-only airway obstruction. It improved when roosting at night. She ate and drank and layed eggs normally. Since she was the only one out of 5 different pens, I just watched her...

Wow, I just hung out w/ them a bit... I can't tell if he responds to me or just gets que's from the rest of the group. I'm not going to keep him, I don't like his chestnut saddle and he's a bit "washed out". There are already too many flaws to deal with, without addressing his lobe-less-ness...

A pic of my still-favorite roo from my first hatch of Jill Rees roo x my hens. 13 weeks. A little spotty on his earlobes. Comb actually getting more straight. He's not real big, tho, and I'm hoping his tail doesn't get any higher..... What do ya'll think? Now here's something weird...

. A quick pic I took tonight of some of my other 10 week old JR babies (JR roo from previous post X my home-bred girls). This is another of the 3 roos I have: he's very similar to #1 above, more color, a little higher tail angle, maybe gonna hv a wonky comb. These girls aren't as...

. Here's my only JR roo. Not the best pic, I just ran out as the sun was setting and he was headed for the coop. Pros: he's a sweetheart. Not real big, but not little like I've heard from others. His comb would be nice if it didn't hv to compete w/ his big crest (Are straight combs and big...

I bought 1 JR roo and 2 JR girls from GFF. I'M PRETTY SURE I had chicks from their first offering of JR birds, cuz I paid for them several months before they were available. When my favorite-of-the-two girls started laying, she laid green eggs!! The other girl lays pretty blue eggs. Needless to...

. I finally ordered a scale. One is a digital platform scale that goes to 2.2# (1 kilo in 1 gram increments) and the other is like a hanging fish scale that goes to 10#. My first JR hatch is 5 weeks old now (I sure wish I could get them out of the foyer, but it's still too cold and...

My Marans aren't even doing that well on the egg color right now, either. Mostly 4-5's w/ lots of speckles. (I hv noticed that their yolks are consistently darker orange compared to the CCL's, tho). Maybe I'm doing something wrong? These are otherwise big gorgeous birds from April's line.

I forgot to add, regarding CCL egg production: I have 8 CCL's and 8 Black/Blue Copper Marans all within the same age range. Throughout this cold, dark winter the CCL's have out-layed the Marans 2:1, and sometimes up to 4:1!! Talk about good feed conversion! Love them big blue eggs!

Hey, just to jump in on the CCL fertility thing: my JR roo @ 7 mo, covered 8 girls (plus 1 errant Marans!) and I got 100% hatch from the first batch I incubated. And those chick's (now 3 weeks old) are as healthy and fruendly as any I've had. Plus, my roo is still a complete gentleman! So...

My first Jill Rees hatch was today! 100% hatch, 19 out of 19, 8 roos, 11 girls. All the girls are traditional chipmunks except one: she's LIGHT. The roos: a couple light, a couple darker, one "grey-ish". These are crosses: the JR Roo and my original good hens + 4 Line D's, and a Line D roo...

I bought a couple of 1 Qt paint buckets w/ lids at Home Depot. 3 nipples on the bottom. Cut a small hole in the top to vent. Hang from a cord or pole. It stays clean and you can easily adjust height as they grow. This is the perfect size for 2-3 chix, I use 5 Gal ones in my big coops for...

OMG! I hatched out a pen of Blue Copper Marans 6 weeks ago and was surprised to see a dark chick w/ a cream head spot. Then "he" started barring. What the heck? So I contacted my breeder source and she said that cuckoo hadn't been present in that color for years and years, so she was...

I know we're not supposed to "count our chickens before they hatch", but I just had to share! I candled my first batch of Jill Rees eggs tonight at 7 days (JR Roo on 4 of my originals and 4 Line D hens, plus Line D Roo on JR hen). 19 out of 20 are fertile and active! WooHoo! I really didn't...