Meyer Hatchery Chicken pics anyone??

[trsturself]

We warmed up into the low 40's today. But the clouds and wind have moved in and it's gotten pretty chilly out there. Still no eggs from either flock and I'm still seeing yellow poops so I bought some ivermectin pour on. Says it will get rid of worms and bonus of external parasites as well. Will put that on them next weekend probably. Hoping that cures whatever the problem is!

A friend of mine's cat started acting like that and her research led her to black widow bite. Not sure if you have those in your area, if not, maybe another poisonous insect. It takes effect pretty quick and they can recover from them but it does act like a paralysis.

While we are on the dog theme. The puppies are doing well. One of them kept sneaking out of their enclosure while the rest slept so I brought her in and put her on my lap. She finally pooped out and is sleeping on the edge of my laptop now. They are getting more adventurous, chewing on everything, and starting to eat solid food. A lot of fun and super cute.

 

[NanaLynn]

We warmed up into the low 40's today. But the clouds and wind have moved in and it's gotten pretty chilly out there. Still no eggs from either flock and I'm still seeing yellow poops so I bought some ivermectin pour on. Says it will get rid of worms and bonus of external parasites as well. Will put that on them next weekend probably. Hoping that cures whatever the problem is!

A friend of mine's cat started acting like that and her research led her to black widow bite. Not sure if you have those in your area, if not, maybe another poisonous insect. It takes effect pretty quick and they can recover from them but it does act like a paralysis. 

While we are on the dog theme. The puppies are doing well. One of them kept sneaking out of their enclosure while the rest slept so I brought her in and put her on my lap. She finally pooped out and is sleeping on the edge of my laptop now. They are getting more adventurous, chewing on everything, and starting to eat solid food. A lot of fun and super cute.

I bet they are so adorable. It'll be hard to give them to their new owners I bet.

 

[NotableNancy]

Adorable little ones. They are growing fast! Love those names too!

Full disclosure here: My son married into the family of the owners of the Unleashed Stores in NC. They have I think 4 big stores now and one mall kiosk. My son is a district manager and she's a manager. It is her brother and his wife that own the stores. They've developed quite a following and help with dog and cat issues by helping people switch foods, etc. It seems a lot of people are getting into the idea of healthy stuff for their pets now too. I've tried getting them into the organic chicken feed industry too, but they've not had any luck with that, sadly.

Our dog, Maxie is kind of odd too. She is not too much of a jumper which is good. Being a Chow, she loves the cold weather and starts acting like a puppy again when it is cold outside. Must be that double fur coat that she has on. She is now fenced in and if given the chance would break free and run the neighborhood, she always goes in the road when she does that, so we do our best to keep her in. We can not take her to the park anymore since she thinks that people on bikes or running should be nipped on the ankles. She also seems to think that any truck especially UPS trucks need to be attacked too. She's a sweet dog otherwise and is even good with kids. Although, she scares everyone else. She is a very good protector.

She is not much of a digger either and also does not eat much at all. She won't play with toys either. She will take them from you the first time and then never touch them again. She'd rather chase squirrels and other small creatures.

That's great that you were prepared. Good job!

Makes me want to buy from them even more!! What a great story and I would love to buy from people I 'know'!! Thanks for the story of Unleashed Stores.
I love your Maxie. So pretty. Marrock has the double coat as well so great in the fall winter but I think he suffers a bit in the summer. He really comes alive in this cold weather.

Quote: Just FYI... they are also called California Whites and Ideal Hatchery has them and I'm sure others do as well. I have wanted one for a while now too. They are so pretty.

Cute! Scary, glad he's okay! Is that an EE second from the left, gold, black and white? I don't recognize that color combo from your flock.

LOL... not an EE... that was my Buff Brahma that wasn't a Buff Brahma. We also called her a 'Nancy Brahma' The main reason I ordered from Meyer was for their pretty BB's. So I ordered 2. One ended up being a cockerel with a cross beak so I couldn't re-home and ended up giving him to some people to grow out and then eat. Stella was the other one and she had a strange genetic feather thing and came out like a calico cat. She was very pretty, never had any friends in the flock and was a terrible layer. One or 2 eggs/week and then they turned soft shelled and then she stopped for months so I had to sell her to make room for my new little ones.

We're supposed to be down to 16 tonight and stay around 30 or below until Friday. We finally warm up again on Saturday. How's everyone else's weather?
I need to get some heavy plastic for our dog door and the coop door. Guess I'll have to unhook the hose to the Chicken fountain before tonight too so it doesn't freeze. I am so not ready for winter yet.

Brrrr.... it's going to be 19 here tonight and low 30's through Sat. So Sunday I'll add a bit more coverage to the little coop. We may put up some plywood to help block the wind and snow. I have the stuff to make a cookie tin heater for the little coop, I have a heated dog bowl in the big coop and a big water heater with the galvanized waterer in the big run. There's a stock tank heater in the trash can that collects rain off the roof so I do get water out there all winter too! So lucky for that.

A friend of mine's cat started acting like that and her research led her to black widow bite. Not sure if you have those in your area, if not, maybe another poisonous insect. It takes effect pretty quick and they can recover from them but it does act like a paralysis.

While we are on the dog theme. The puppies are doing well. One of them kept sneaking out of their enclosure while the rest slept so I brought her in and put her on my lap. She finally pooped out and is sleeping on the edge of my laptop now. They are getting more adventurous, chewing on everything, and starting to eat solid food. A lot of fun and super cute.

Black widows and brown recluse are in all states as far as I know. I have never seen one but that certainly doesn't mean they're not around. Spider bites can sure be nasty and it could have been that. Marrock had Lyme a few times and it was almost like an instant case of sever lyme that went away in 24 hours. That was the only thing we could compare it to. But, he is absolutely back to himself today... 100%. So odd but I'm glad.
Awww, puppies. Are them a ton less work because the mama takes care of them? They sure are a handful!!

 

[trsturself]

Makes me want to buy from them even more!! What a great story and I would love to buy from people I 'know'!! Thanks for the story of Unleashed Stores.
I love your Maxie. So pretty. Marrock has the double coat as well so great in the fall winter but I think he suffers a bit in the summer. He really comes alive in this cold weather.

Just FYI... they are also called California Whites and Ideal Hatchery has them and I'm sure others do as well. I have wanted one for a while now too. They are so pretty.

LOL... not an EE... that was my Buff Brahma that wasn't a Buff Brahma. We also called her a 'Nancy Brahma' The main reason I ordered from Meyer was for their pretty BB's. So I ordered 2. One ended up being a cockerel with a cross beak so I couldn't re-home and ended up giving him to some people to grow out and then eat. Stella was the other one and she had a strange genetic feather thing and came out like a calico cat. She was very pretty, never had any friends in the flock and was a terrible layer. One or 2 eggs/week and then they turned soft shelled and then she stopped for months so I had to sell her to make room for my new little ones.

Brrrr.... it's going to be 19 here tonight and low 30's through Sat. So Sunday I'll add a bit more coverage to the little coop. We may put up some plywood to help block the wind and snow. I have the stuff to make a cookie tin heater for the little coop, I have a heated dog bowl in the big coop and a big water heater with the galvanized waterer in the big run. There's a stock tank heater in the trash can that collects rain off the roof so I do get water out there all winter too! So lucky for that.

Black widows and brown recluse are in all states as far as I know. I have never seen one but that certainly doesn't mean they're not around. Spider bites can sure be nasty and it could have been that. Marrock had Lyme a few times and it was almost like an instant case of sever lyme that went away in 24 hours. That was the only thing we could compare it to. But, he is absolutely back to himself today... 100%. So odd but I'm glad.
Awww, puppies. Are them a ton less work because the mama takes care of them? They sure are a handful!!

They were less work for the first 5 weeks, she took great care of them and they didn't venture out of their crate. But now she avoids them most of the time because they attack her if she goes near them and they are scratching up her stomach so they'll probably be fully weaned pretty soon. They are more work now. I have to change out their pee pads multiple times a day and make sure they always have soaked food available. But other than that they aren't as much work as they will be when they get a little older.
I know black widows are supposed to be everywhere but there is a huge difference in numbers between CA and CO so I didn't know if they were prevalent there. In CA you couldn't reach into any space outside. I used to pick up dog poop in the backyard and put it in a 5 gallon bucket until it got full enough to make a trip to the garbage. One day I opened the lid to put some poop in and was met with a black widow sitting right in the middle of the bucket of poop. I threw the lid back on and got DH. He got the paint/lighter ready and I opened the lid... he fired the flame and a huge ball of fire shot out and singed all the hair off his arms. Too much methane from the poop! LOL! Once I knew he was ok I couldn't stop laughing.
Another time he was coming home late one night and as he's pulling in the driveway he sees something dropping from his visor toward his hand. He yanked his hand back, parked the car then jumped out. Once the interior light was on he could see it was a black widow. Had it dropped earlier he wouldn't have seen it in the dark. He was only able to see it because it was silhouetted by the house lights. We saw probably 30 black widows just that summer. Here in CO we've seen one black widow in 3 years! Big difference.

 

[NotableNancy]

They were less work for the first 5 weeks, she took great care of them and they didn't venture out of their crate. But now she avoids them most of the time because they attack her if she goes near them and they are scratching up her stomach so they'll probably be fully weaned pretty soon. They are more work now. I have to change out their pee pads multiple times a day and make sure they always have soaked food available. But other than that they aren't as much work as they will be when they get a little older.
I know black widows are supposed to be everywhere but there is a huge difference in numbers between CA and CO so I didn't know if they were prevalent there. In CA you couldn't reach into any space outside. I used to pick up dog poop in the backyard and put it in a 5 gallon bucket until it got full enough to make a trip to the garbage. One day I opened the lid to put some poop in and was met with a black widow sitting right in the middle of the bucket of poop. I threw the lid back on and got DH. He got the paint/lighter ready and I opened the lid... he fired the flame and a huge ball of fire shot out and singed all the hair off his arms. Too much methane from the poop! LOL! Once I knew he was ok I couldn't stop laughing.
Another time he was coming home late one night and as he's pulling in the driveway he sees something dropping from his visor toward his hand. He yanked his hand back, parked the car then jumped out. Once the interior light was on he could see it was a black widow. Had it dropped earlier he wouldn't have seen it in the dark. He was only able to see it because it was silhouetted by the house lights. We saw probably 30 black widows just that summer. Here in CO we've seen one black widow in 3 years! Big difference.

OMG.... I shouldn't have read that before bed. I am absolutely terrified of spiders!!!! give me a mouse or snake any day of the week ... NOT a spider! I hate mice bec. they carry disease but I just hate any of those critters with lots of legs. My roommate wanted to get a tarantula in college as a pet and I told her I would buy a can of Raid and spray it till dead. She had a cat and 2 rats in a little dorm room ... I think I was a good roommate for agreeing to that.

 

[autumnhearth]

LOL... not an EE... that was my Buff Brahma that wasn't a Buff Brahma. We also called her a 'Nancy Brahma' The main reason I ordered from Meyer was for their pretty BB's. So I ordered 2. One ended up being a cockerel with a cross beak so I couldn't re-home and ended up giving him to some people to grow out and then eat. Stella was the other one and she had a strange genetic feather thing and came out like a calico cat. She was very pretty, never had any friends in the flock and was a terrible layer. One or 2 eggs/week and then they turned soft shelled and then she stopped for months so I had to sell her to make room for my new little ones.

Gotcha! Aww poor dear. I actually ended up coming across a better pic of her when I was showing my husband people's Meyer chickens in the gallery view.

We got the Meyer catalog in the mail today so he is finally willing to look at breeds. He really has no idea what he wants, maybe a Blue or Lavender Orpington, he even said he liked the Blue Copper and Splash Marans and the BLRW even though he usually doesn't like lacing... but nothing is really standing out to him. He is fine with my Welsummer and whatever Rowan picks, a white chicken probably, maybe Delaware, maybe Marans, maybe Light Brahma or try for a light EE...

For those of you that have Brahmas from Meyer, how well do they lay? The catalog says "good" which is 3-4 a week. I know they are supposed to be gentle, but are they "snuggly"? Oi, I need to get to bed.

 

[COChix]

OMG.... I shouldn't have read that before bed. I am absolutely terrified of spiders!!!!  give me a mouse or snake any day of the week ... NOT a spider!   I hate mice bec. they carry disease but I just hate any of those critters with lots of legs. My roommate wanted to get a tarantula in college as a pet and I told her I would buy a can of Raid and spray it till dead. She had a cat and 2 rats in a little dorm room ... I think I was a good roommate for agreeing to that. 

Ditto, I have bad arachnophobia and often have nightmares about widows. Also glad that your Corgi is doing ok and how scary!

@kona - your girls are cute and I always forget at how fast they grow.

@trst - the 40 degree day felt great, minus the wind. Oh well, just glad we are out of that cold spell.

On the flock front - the gang has quickly adapted to the snow and have been out in the free range area, scratching way on this beautiful day. Nutmeg, seems to be recovered from her frost bite. Will be checking her out closely tomorrow to see how her comb is doing, not sure if it will be permanent damage or not. The gang had their first treat of dried mealworms today, boy did they go bonkers. Figured they could use the protein boost as some still have some molting going on. They did pretty good laying through the cold snap, the lowest we got was 15 out of 23 hens and today we got 20/23. Oh and it was bound to happen, today I crushed an egg in my coat pocket, was rather gross and slimy. I keep forgetting I have eggs in my pockets, the other day I was I the grocery store and had an egg in my pocket.

How is everyone doing in the east with the cold? Did our cold snap move your way?

@chickmom and Mermaid909 - are you guys out there? Hope you found your way...

 

[RoostersCrow HensDeliver!]

I'm so excited about the fist dozen of eggs my Black Copper Marans have laid, I just had to share with you all. They arent Meyer girls, though. I hope my Blue Marans start laying soon, but im not expecting eggs nearly as dark.
This is a natural light photo so they are a little bit darker than pictured. Ohh they are so pretty!

 

[christine9]

I'm so excited about the fist dozen of eggs my Black Copper Marans have laid, I just had to share with you all. They arent Meyer girls, though. I hope my Blue Marans start laying soon, but im not expecting eggs nearly as dark.
This is a natural light photo so they are a little bit darker than pictured. Ohh they are so pretty!

Wow! They are amazing!! Do you have one of those color charts? I'd like to get one for chocolate and one for blue eggs. Not for any real reason...

 

[trsturself]

Those are beautiful eggs! I wish my BCM would start laying. She's 25 weeks already and shows no signs of being close.