people with house chickens

[kukupecpec]

That is good to know.  GFF didn't care for bantams like Seramas and I always saw Seramas as being so delicate -- they are the smallest chicken breed?  They are so cute but I don't know how much their behavior parallels LF.  Our bantam Silkies and the roo while we had him was every bit as active as LF which is why we rehomed him.  I hope you can find your hen - I know what it's like to search for a breeder that has the bird you want.  I have to order my bird in the Fall in order to get a pullet by the following Spring!

Oh that whole event was a few years ago, now I have a whole flock of my own =D I'm actually downsizing my serama flock right now to work more on type. I have an incredible little rooster but I need some better quality hens. I was keeping my mediocre hens because they have such beautiful and unique coloring. My one really amazing hen who had beautiful type was also SUPER tiny and consequently she was infertile and never had any offspring of her own (though she hatched and raised other girls eggs). Seramas are supposed to be the smallest chicken breed in the world, but they don't breed true to size and many of them are large. The smaller ones are less healthy and are often infertile, but two "C class" (refers only to their weight a D size, not their type) seramas are just as likely to hatch A class and micro birds as any other size pair. They also don't breed true to color. This crazy random mix of colors and sizes is what I love best about serama! You can better the breed by working for a good type but I could never get bored like I would working on just one specific color.
My seramas are definitely active, and my rooster mounts ALL the hens including my LFs, he's very protective of his flock and is even a really great daddy chicken to all the babies. They fit right in with my LF flock. The tiny hens can even hold their own against big mean LF broodies when they have to LOL

 

[Sylvester017]

Oh that whole event was a few years ago, now I have a whole flock of my own =D I'm actually downsizing my serama flock right now to work more on type. I have an incredible little rooster but I need some better quality hens. I was keeping my mediocre hens because they have such beautiful and unique coloring. My one really amazing hen who had beautiful type was also SUPER tiny and consequently she was infertile and never had any offspring of her own (though she hatched and raised other girls eggs). Seramas are supposed to be the smallest chicken breed in the world, but they don't breed true to size and many of them are large. The smaller ones are less healthy and are often infertile, but two "C class" (refers only to their weight a D size, not their type) seramas are just as likely to hatch A class and micro birds as any other size pair. They also don't breed true to color. This crazy random mix of colors and sizes is what I love best about serama! You can better the breed by working for a good type but I could never get bored like I would working on just one specific color.
My seramas are definitely active, and my rooster mounts ALL the hens including my LFs, he's very protective of his flock and is even a really great daddy chicken to all the babies. They fit right in with my LF flock. The tiny hens can even hold their own against big mean LF broodies when they have to LOL

Kinda glad I don't have the facilities for breeding, hatching, brooding, or raising chicks. I'd want to keep all of them! We are zoned for 5 hens but have 4 at the moment and I think I'm going to keep it at 4 for awhile! I get a new pullet about once every couple years but our bantam Silkies lay so well I might wait an extra year or two before adding another bird. The 2 y/o Ameraucana is a very sweet flockmate but she became a dud at laying in her 2nd year. We'll see how well the new Breda girl does this coming year.

 

[kukupecpec]

Kinda glad I don't have the facilities for breeding, hatching, brooding, or raising chicks.  I'd want to keep all of them!  We are zoned for 5 hens but have 4 at the moment and I think I'm going to keep it at 4 for awhile!  I get a new pullet about once every couple years but our bantam Silkies lay so well I might wait an extra year or two before adding another bird.  The 2 y/o Ameraucana is a very sweet flockmate but she became a dud at laying in her 2nd year.  We'll see how well the new Breda girl does this coming year.

It's really hard to sell the babies! I always want to keep them all! But hatching is too addicting so I have to sell them or my husband wouldn't let me keep hatching haha
I'm hoping to go down and then work my way back up to a flock of 5 serama, and a separate flock if 6 LF egg girls - all pretty ornamental breeds with fancy egg colors =D I'm picking out my breeders now so I can start planning my hatching in the fall.
My BLRW hen is over 5yrs old and she JUST slowed down her laying this summer. It may even pick back up once this unbearable desert heat dies down. But even if she never lays again she has a lifetime home here because she was my very first chicken =) I haven't really had to deal with any chickens who outlive their laying period... usually they die or get sold long before then, but my few very favorites that I've held onto are starting to get up there in age so I'll have to stay addressing that =(

 

[Sylvester017]

It's really hard to sell the babies! I always want to keep them all! But hatching is too addicting so I have to sell them or my husband wouldn't let me keep hatching haha
I'm hoping to go down and then work my way back up to a flock of 5 serama, and a separate flock if 6 LF egg girls - all pretty ornamental breeds with fancy egg colors =D I'm picking out my breeders now so I can start planning my hatching in the fall.
My BLRW hen is over 5yrs old and she JUST slowed down her laying this summer. It may even pick back up once this unbearable desert heat dies down. But even if she never lays again she has a lifetime home here because she was my very first chicken =) I haven't really had to deal with any chickens who outlive their laying period... usually they die or get sold long before then, but my few very favorites that I've held onto are starting to get up there in age so I'll have to stay addressing that =(

Yep, our favorites have forever homes too. Wish I could find the perfect bird - if it lays great it has a nasty temperament, if it is a great flockmate it's a poor layer, if it's a great pet it goes broody too much. Our Blue Wheaten Ameraucana (my avatar) is a super kind flockmate but she turned out a dud about laying after her 2nd year but she is so-o-o good around the Silkies I absolutely MUST keep her - our friend's EE stopped laying her 2nd year too but kept her because she was so sweet. I may pass up adding any more Amers or EEs even though they have great temperaments - the poor dears do much better in milder climates. We have a new Breda pullet and hope she turns out ok in temperament around the Silkies. I really liked the Dominique we had but lost her as a juvenile. I may try a Dom again in 2 or 3 years - they are very curious, unafraid, and sociable with humans - and they are a lighterweight breed under 5 lb like the rest of our flock.

Our temps are in the 100's and our Amer has no interest in laying while the summer heat fries the yard. Amers and most pea-comb, fluffy, muffed, or heavily-downed breeds are not particularly fond of scorching weather. However, the Silkies have been laying bless their little hearts! They are my oldest hens too. Our White Leghorn was a dynamo egg-layer but at 3 y/o she became too assertive with the gentle timid breeds and it forced us to rehome her into a friend's flock.

I guess Silkies must be at the top of my favorite list for best all-around chicken breed - many color varieties, sweet disposition, unusual physical features, cute, non-flighty, smaller size are easier on the feed bill, health hardiness with surprisingly minimal maintenance, good size egg for a bantam breed, great broodies and mommas (Silkies were born to nurture, even the roos help with the chicks) - their only drawback is that they want to go broody often - guess that's what makes them great parents.

 

[kukupecpec]

Yep, our favorites have forever homes too.  Wish I could find the perfect bird - if it lays great it has a nasty temperament, if it is a great flockmate it's a poor layer, if it's a great pet it goes broody too much.  Our Blue Wheaten Ameraucana (my avatar) is a super kind flockmate but she turned out a dud about laying after her 2nd year but she is so-o-o good around the Silkies I absolutely MUST keep her - our friend's EE stopped laying her 2nd year too but kept her because she was so sweet.  I may pass up adding any more Amers or EEs even though they have great temperaments - the poor dears do much better in milder climates.  We have a new Breda pullet and hope she turns out ok in temperament around the Silkies.  I really liked the Dominique we had but lost her as a juvenile.  I may try a Dom again in 2 or 3 years - they are very curious, unafraid, and sociable with humans - and they are a lighterweight breed under 5 lb like the rest of our flock. 

Our temps are in the 100's and our Amer has no interest in laying while the summer heat fries the yard.  Amers and most pea-comb, fluffy, muffed, or heavily-downed breeds are not particularly fond of scorching weather.  However, the Silkies have been laying bless their little hearts!  They are my oldest hens too.  Our White Leghorn was a dynamo egg-layer but at 3 y/o she became too assertive with the gentle timid breeds and it forced us to rehome her into a friend's flock. 

I guess Silkies must be at the top of my favorite list for best all-around chicken breed - many color varieties, sweet disposition, unusual physical features, cute, non-flighty, smaller size are easier on the feed bill, health hardiness with surprisingly minimal maintenance, good size egg for a bantam breed, great broodies and mommas (Silkies were born to nurture, even the roos help with the chicks) - their only drawback is that they want to go broody often - guess that's what makes them great parents.

Mutts! They are the best of both worlds! I Have an AMAZING mutt hen, lays a very large egg almost every single day, SUPER people friendly, curious so great in the yard eating the bugs, friendly with the other chickens, AND she's big and beautiful to boot! Never gone broody on me, which is fine because I have Kentucky to brood my big eggs.

 

[napdognewfie]

My poor little silkie has been setting for a week. We put 4 eggs under her but I don't know if they'll hatch or cook.

 

[Sylvester017]

My poor little silkie has been setting for a week. We put 4 eggs under her but I don't know if they'll hatch or cook.

Chickens get lethargic when they're broody, or molting, or sick and will hide out in a nestbox - maybe your Silkie doesn't need eggs to hatch but just wants a nice quiet place to recover from a health issue (like scorching heat). Giving her eggs to set might confuse her into thinking she HAS to hatch them??? In our 100 degree heatwave we have to quickly gather the eggs before they fry in the coop! We keep the nestbox lid open for ventilation during the day and sometimes well into the evening before closing it up. It's been so hot our girls have all been hanging around the Orbit Mister under the yard canopy and don't enter the coop again until dusk!

 

[Sylvester017]

Mutts! They are the best of both worlds! I Have an AMAZING mutt hen, lays a very large egg almost every single day, SUPER people friendly, curious so great in the yard eating the bugs, friendly with the other chickens, AND she's big and beautiful to boot! Never gone broody on me, which is fine because I have Kentucky to brood my big eggs.

Your very sweet girl looks like an Austra White or California White. Hybrids take the best of a couple breeds and seem to turn out calmer than the parents.
However I've received feedback from owners that Sexlinks like the Reds and Blacks have a tendency toward dominance.
Mutts would be an interesting way to go. Growing up my father believed in nothing but purebred livestock, poultry, dogs, or cats, and somehow it stuck with me and I can't get unstuck from wanting my pure breeds LOL!

 

[kukupecpec]

Your very sweet girl looks like an Austra White or California White.  Hybrids take the best of a couple breeds and seem to turn out calmer than the parents. 
However I've received feedback from owners that Sexlinks like the Reds and Blacks have a tendency toward dominance.
Mutts would be an interesting way to go.  Growing up my father believed in nothing but purebred livestock, poultry, dogs, or cats, and somehow it stuck with me and I can't get unstuck from wanting my pure breeds LOL!

She could be anything. I hatched her from a dz eggs I got for $1. The lady lets all her flocksfree range together over the summer, and one of her flocks is made up of pretty chickens from previous summers mingling lol I don't even know what breeds she had, she's got a revolving door of chicken project.s Kind of my chicken dream! Just hatch chickens. Forever! Lol I love crossing them to see what comes out.
Anywho, All I know for sure about her is that she's AWESOME haha
pure breeds tend to bore me because you KNOW what's coming out. I like surprises and finding that mutt Diamond in the rough. It's like treasure hunting! I'm also a little biased from the veterinary world where pure breeds = inbreeding = health defects. Although I couldn't care less if people prefer them. No point in having a pet if it's not something you're going to absolutely adore! So get whatever you want haha

 

[napdognewfie]

Little silkie is setting for sure. Not sick. She pecks when I reach in & she comes out a couple times a day to eat and drink. Checked her and she looks fine. I'll put a fan on her if she needs it. Had another silkie set at this time last year and only got 1 chick. It's been 100 or nearly that & with a hen's temp and that I don't know how they do it. I was thinking about bringing the whole nest box from the porch to the kitchen.