Pennsylvania!! Unite!!

[stake]

I don't know if you saw my edit, but she did come back! She is in confinement though, I really want to keep her. I'm annoyed at myself for not taking better care of them. Oh well, at least I have one Rhodebar pullet!

Now just waiting for peeps in a few days hopefully! Candled last night and had to toss four eggs. But hopefully the girls will have enough between them. I'm curious to see whether mine tag team like I have seen others do (were those your broodies, Fisherlady?). The eggs should be hatching around the same time, so my two broodies will hopefully cooperate.

Ann:

My two cents, but nobody has broodies like Fisher.....I've had assistant moms help out but nothing like what Fisher has reported....its genetic and training over generations...good luck on your hatch!!!

 

[fisherlady]

I don't know if you saw my edit, but she did come back! She is in confinement though, I really want to keep her. I'm annoyed at myself for not taking better care of them. Oh well, at least I have one Rhodebar pullet!

Now just waiting for peeps in a few days hopefully! Candled last night and had to toss four eggs. But hopefully the girls will have enough between them. I'm curious to see whether mine tag team like I have seen others do (were those your broodies, Fisherlady?). The eggs should be hatching around the same time, so my two broodies will hopefully cooperate.

I do have a group which is pretty amazing about co-brooding, the pencils are just a crazy genetic line and my group of 'sisters' are a blast. I have many other broodies which readily share chicks and chick rearing duties but aren't as cuddly about it. I think the general flock attitude has adjusted to a 'it takes a village' attitude to chicks and we almost always have at least 2 which hatch at the same time. There are infrequent squabbles between some of them the first day or two but they resolve very quickly and the hens then settle into the important business of being mamas. We do have a couple who don't participate much with the other hens when raising their chicks but they do take care of any other chicks which are hanging around.

 

[Chaos18]

Why do my friends feel they need to enable my addiction? I have a buddy who's a general contractor. Sometimes this is a good thing and sometimes this is what enables the crazies. My chicken coop was built (by myself) with about 90% recycled materials (from him). Now I'm in the process of making myself a turkey coop (because the wife said I can have big birds now to, but they will be eaten annually for the two major holidays). I'm about half-way finished with the coop and run and I get a text message.....from my buddy (the general contractor). He says "I'm tearing out a shed in decent condition up in your neck of the woods next week, do you want it?" Now what kind of a silly question is that? Do I want a decent shape, albeit used, 10x10 shed FOR FREE? Of course I do now stop bothering me I have to go figure out how many more birds I can get with a bigger coop.

 

[AnneInTheBurbs]

I do have a group which is pretty amazing about co-brooding, the pencils are just a crazy genetic line and my group of 'sisters' are a blast. I have many other broodies which readily share chicks and chick rearing duties but aren't as cuddly about it. I think the general flock attitude has adjusted to a 'it takes a village' attitude to chicks and we almost always have at least 2 which hatch at the same time. There are infrequent squabbles between some of them the first day or two but they resolve very quickly and the hens then settle into the important business of being mamas. We do have a couple who don't participate much with the other hens when raising their chicks but they do take care of any other chicks which are hanging around.

That's awesome! I may not have quite as much cooperation, but I think it should be okay. My girls have all been exposed to chicks before, I've only ever kept them separate from the flock on the first couple days. I'll just have to see how it goes. . 5-6 days til hatch day! Now if only I had more room to keep the chicks....

Why do my friends feel they need to enable my addiction? I have a buddy who's a general contractor. Sometimes this is a good thing and sometimes this is what enables the crazies. My chicken coop was built (by myself) with about 90% recycled materials (from him). Now I'm in the process of making myself a turkey coop (because the wife said I can have big birds now to, but they will be eaten annually for the two major holidays). I'm about half-way finished with the coop and run and I get a text message.....from my buddy (the general contractor). He says "I'm tearing out a shed in decent condition up in your neck of the woods next week, do you want it?" Now what kind of a silly question is that? Do I want a decent shape, albeit used, 10x10 shed FOR FREE? Of course I do now stop bothering me I have to go figure out how many more birds I can get with a bigger coop.

Oh no! We never complain about enablers here. Especially because we are enablers. Haha! I only wish my husband would say, sure lets get some turkeys! Or that a friend would haul a free shed on my property...

 

[OneMountainAcres]

Why do my friends feel they need to enable my addiction? I have a buddy who's a general contractor. Sometimes this is a good thing and sometimes this is what enables the crazies. My chicken coop was built (by myself) with about 90% recycled materials (from him). Now I'm in the process of making myself a turkey coop (because the wife said I can have big birds now to, but they will be eaten annually for the two major holidays). I'm about half-way finished with the coop and run and I get a text message.....from my buddy (the general contractor). He says "I'm tearing out a shed in decent condition up in your neck of the woods next week, do you want it?" Now what kind of a silly question is that? Do I want a decent shape, albeit used, 10x10 shed FOR FREE? Of course I do now stop bothering me I have to go figure out how many more birds I can get with a bigger coop.

lol! That's how I got my husband to let me get turkeys. I need a breeding flock of them to provide us with holiday meat annually that's why I have 8 poults outside haha! Great score of the shed! We're trying to get ours built still. Meanwhile, the birds are getting bigger and boffer lol. This is Adam (formerly Eve) last night with me. He is officially safe from the dinner table lol.

My shoulder is his favorite place to hang out in the evenings. I realize I'm going to have some trouble here in a few months when he gets huge. Thankfully, he enjoys my lap too

 

[Chaos18]

Oh no! We never complain about enablers here. Especially because we are enablers. Haha! I only wish my husband would say, sure lets get some turkeys! Or that a friend would haul a free shed on my property...

It wasn't complaining, it was more of stating the fact that I can get into enough trouble of my own without outside help.

Currently the only downside to the free shed is that I have to reassemble it, but if :some assembly required" get's me a free shed.....than I'll take the free shed every time.

lol! That's how I got my husband to let me get turkeys. I need a breeding flock of them to provide us with holiday meat annually

that's why I have 8 poults outside haha! Great score of the shed! We're trying to get ours built still. Meanwhile, the birds are getting bigger and boffer lol. This is Adam (formerly Eve) last night with me. He is officially safe from the dinner table lol.



My shoulder is his favorite place to hang out in the evenings. I realize I'm going to have some trouble here in a few months when he gets huge. Thankfully, he enjoys my lap too

The plan is to start out with either juveniles or young adults. Will be buying a couple more than I want to winter and the extra's will be named Thanksgiving and Christmas.

That way I will winter a breeding flock who can hatch me babies in the spring, and than mommy and daddy (or uncle or whoever looks the tastiest) will be the guest of honor the next year.....and so on and so forth. At least that's the master plan, hopefully it works, but it probably won't.

 

[dheltzel]

That's good to know. I do want a good layer. I'm new to chickens. I have only had mine for 1 year. Well a little over a year. But I'm so in love with them. I want to have several different colors of eggs. Mine will only be for "Pets" and eggs. Well what kind do you suggest for me to get to get the dark reddish brown eggs? I really don't want mean chickens either.

I don't keep great record of individual hen's output, so this is more a "feeling". I do have some stats buried in a spreadsheet I can refer to if I want to validate my impressions. I'm planning next year's flock now and I have noticed that our average hen lays about 3 eggs a week. Some breeds are better, I think the Rhodebars lay closer to 6 eggs a week (at least 5). I have 5 younger hens now (hatched last October at the end of the season) and I often get 5 eggs from them. Our "mixed breed" hens really shine, they are the backbone of our egg production and so I want to get more hybrids and more high producing strains to make further hybrids with.

My main concern is egg color (and number) more than egg size, but bigger is better of course. I want 3 main egg colors, light brown, dark brown, and blue. Some of my chick customers want white or green (olive or light green), but that is a much smaller market. So, for next year I hope to be producing mostly these breeds (all of which are sexable at hatch or a few days of age):
1. light brown - Rhodebars and Bielefelders, with most chicks being a hybrid of the 2 breeds, assuming they are still autosexing.
2. dark brown - Welsummers and Welbars, focus on Welbars because they are more sexable, but Welsummers are hugely popular, so I'll still have pure Welsummers.
3. blue - Legbars and Black Sexlinks, planning to switch from Barred Hollands to California Greys for the female side of the sexlinks, the BH are only average layers for me. I don't have a lot of experience with the Legbars, but hoping they produce as well as the Rhodebars.

A rather long-winded answer, I know. For dark eggs, I recommend Welsummers over Marans, but I have very high hopes for the hybrids I plan to be producing next year (Welbars and Silver Duckwing Welsummers). The parent hens I'm using now seem to be better layers than the pure Welsummers (prob from the small amount of Barred Rock in their parentage), but I only have 2 of those hens to compare with.

I will know a lot more this time next year (won't we all).

 

[Zanlm]

I don't keep great record of individual hen's output, so this is more a "feeling". I do have some stats buried in a spreadsheet I can refer to if I want to validate my impressions. I'm planning next year's flock now and I have noticed that our average hen lays about 3 eggs a week. Some breeds are better, I think the Rhodebars lay closer to 6 eggs a week (at least 5). I have 5 younger hens now (hatched last October at the end of the season) and I often get 5 eggs from them. Our "mixed breed" hens really shine, they are the backbone of our egg production and so I want to get more hybrids and more high producing strains to make further hybrids with.

My main concern is egg color (and number) more than egg size, but bigger is better of course. I want 3 main egg colors, light brown, dark brown, and blue. Some of my chick customers want white or green (olive or light green), but that is a much smaller market. So, for next year I hope to be producing mostly these breeds (all of which are sexable at hatch or a few days of age):
1. light brown - Rhodebars and Bielefelders, with most chicks being a hybrid of the 2 breeds, assuming they are still autosexing.
2. dark brown - Welsummers and Welbars, focus on Welbars because they are more sexable, but Welsummers are hugely popular, so I'll still have pure Welsummers.
3. blue - Legbars and Black Sexlinks, planning to switch from Barred Hollands to California Greys for the female side of the sexlinks, the BH are only average layers for me. I don't have a lot of experience with the Legbars, but hoping they produce as well as the Rhodebars.

A rather long-winded answer, I know. For dark eggs, I recommend Welsummers over Marans, but I have very high hopes for the hybrids I plan to be producing next year (Welbars and Silver Duckwing Welsummers). The parent hens I'm using now seem to be better layers than the pure Welsummers (prob from the small amount of Barred Rock in their parentage), but I only have 2 of those hens to compare with.

I will know a lot more this time next year (won't we all).

Wow!! You are very good! I don't really know a lot about chickens. But..... I do love them!! I guess mine are more like pets! ( my husband won't let me have dogs or cats but chickens are good!) I have like 30 right now. But more are hatching as I text this! We will have to keep in touch!

 

[Zanlm]

I'm a new chicken grandmother!! Eeek 5 more to go with Patch! (My hen)

[/IMG][/IMG]

 

[AnneInTheBurbs]

I'm a new chicken grandmother!! Eeek 5 more to go with Patch! (My hen)

[/IMG][/IMG]

Congratulations! It's so hard to leave them alone when you know there are peeps under there!

It wasn't complaining, it was more of stating the fact that I can get into enough trouble of my own without outside help.  Currently the only downside to the free shed is that I have to reassemble it, but if :some assembly required" get's me a free shed.....than I'll take the free shed every time.

The plan is to start out with either juveniles or young adults. Will be buying a couple more than I want to winter and the extra's will be named Thanksgiving and Christmas.  That way I will winter a breeding flock who can hatch me babies in the spring, and than mommy and daddy (or uncle or whoever looks the tastiest) will be the guest of honor the next year.....and so on and so forth. At least that's the master plan, hopefully it works, but it probably won't.

I know you weren't complaining, I was just messin with ya! We want pics of the shed when you get it together.