My Birds
Always had birds as a kid and when I finally got my own place in the country the first thing I did was get birds.
Live just outside the burbs in MN. Have a garden shed I converted into a coop along with a 16x20x8 fly pen.
In the spring.2007 I ordered about 50 chickens from Murray McMurray. Half were cornish x and the other half were a mixed bag of chickens I ordered.
The summer was fun raising the birds, seeing the growth of the birds. But come late summer the neighbors dog did a number on my birds, lost about a dozen meat birds, 2 sumatras, and 1 mille fluer. That was a bad day, but everything went fine as I kept a cool head. Reading the forum things can get pretty messy when you let your emotions run over when dealing with one of these attacks.
Anyways after I dressed out the remaining x rocks and a fewo ther roosters, and gave a few other roosters away
Other than that lost 1 polish hen to roosting outside, would try to find her each night, but one night I couldn't and she disapeared. Also lost another polish hen, just dropped dead 1 day. And lost a buff cochin and a silkie to the raccoons 1 night when I forgot to close them up.
Here is my flock.
Roosters:
Golden Polish Rooster (Bob)- He is the Alpha, not that smart, but is a bowling ball with funky hair when he gets the other roosters in his cross hairs. I actually perfer him being the head guy, if it was another roo, he would probably be too hard on his competitors and I would have less roosters. Plus he is very gentle with the ladies.
White Rock (Soup) - was orignally gonna be soup, but he was a big bird and white and wanted him to be the sire of the offspring that I would have to eventually eat. He's a pretty docile bird, nice to the roosters below him, although he is a little tough on the hens. And of the offspring have got this summer, most of them have soups characteristics.
Golden Lace Cochin Batam (Devito) - Was originally given away to my Dad who just keeps rooster, but he ended up being the B*tch kinda like you see in prison movies. So he has come back to the coup and sure is happy about it.
Mille Fluer Batam (Rudy) - bottom guy on the totem poll, but has a lot of spunk. He'll spur you if you turn your back but it doesn't hurt.
All the rooster get along pretty well, like I stated above, Bob will pick on Soup once in a while, but can't see him half the time. And both the big guys pretty much ignore the banty roosters.
HENS
Barred Rocks (2) - Martha & Sheryl. Martha is the Queen B. and Sheryl is not that far below. Martha is always the first to get treats and will give you a peck on the knee if you are slow with the giving. Both are good layers, although Martha does get the bare back as she is the roosters favorite, well at least the big guys, The little bantys no better than to mess with her.
Buff Orpingtons (2) - Boss & Goldy. Both High in the pecking order. Both got broody in 08 with only Boss hatching out a few chicks. She was not the most motherly, got out of being broody pretty quick, leaving a silkie to raise them. Both good layers.
Light Brama (2) Patti & Selma - Still High on the pecking order, tend to lay their eggs on the ground, Both got broody but could not hatch out chicks. I suspect they are egg breakers.
Maran (1)- Cadbury - She is high like the rocks on the pecking order. Lays smaller brown eggs. She will got a week were she seems to out produce the rest of the flock, than seems to shut down completly.
Blue lace red Wyndotte (1) Blue - very personable hen, high on the pecking order, very pretty and hatch out the largest clutch of chicks. I would reccomend these birds, but they are a little smaller than the orps, rocks etc.
EE (1) - Cleo - had two but one got egg bound and after months of treatment died. Cleo is right in the middle of the pecking order, can't compete with big ladies, but won't let the banty's push her around. Lays eggs well, but likes to hid them.
White Faced Black Spanish (1) Margarita - very personable, while also the wildest. Would like to fly on my head as a youngster, but had to stop her of that after she got too heavy. Does not lay that well, and seem to get sick once in a while, where she does not come off her roost. But then she bounces back.
White Silkies (2) - General Tao and Pearl - great little chickens, always broody would hatch out little clutches and then take chicks from other hens. Actually get more eggs than I though from these two.
Mille Fluer (1) - Nils Helgersen - quiet, gets broody but had never hatch. Weak on egg production. But probably the prettiest hen I have.
Silver Sebrights (3)- The Three Stooges - actually lay ok for a banty. Two of the three of got broody but only 1 chick hatch. Nice birds, but low on the pecking order because of their size
Golden Laced Cochin - Littly lady probably lowest on the pecking order, not too bright or personable
I also have some pigeons. Most of them are mixed mutts from my Dad, but I do have two Modenas. Very pretty Birds and hope to breed them.
Lastly I inherited a few pheasants. 1 Swinhoe Rooster and a Pair of Grey Peack Pheasants. Need to build them a pen this spring. Very cool, but not for beginners.
APRIL 2011 ENTRY
Lots has changed since my last post. Added to my flock some more Silkies, Frizzles, Marans and Welsummers but then had two Mink attacks that decimated my flock. Those little buggers don't need much to get through. Second time it happend was able to catch the darn mink in the act and a movie type fight scene happend that involved dogs, a mink, a ladder, multiple flashlights and a 20 gauge all in my coop. Ended up getting the mink but I filled up 3 garabage bags full of my poor dead chickens, rare pheasants and rare pigeons. Those mink just keep killing.
Anyways come end of winter I was down to
6 hens
"Blue" - My old Alpha hen who is a Blue Laced Wyndotte
"Cadbury" - another orginal Hen that is a Maran
1 of my trio of Sebright hens that went unamed
"Goldie" A gold laced wyndotte I grabbed a bird swap
A young Maran hen for 2010
and My breeding experiment hen which is a Corish Rock X with an Americana. She isn't that big but matures fast, all white and lays a very pale blue egg. Was trying for a Blue laying Dual purpose bird. She's dumb as a rock though (a rock rock, not a chicken rock)
Anways had a few of my Original Roosters that I gave to my Parents to have a few lap chickens that I could not put under the ax. Anyways have a Brama Rooster named Homer that when from a life of living with other rooster to living with these hens and he is happy as a clam.
Bought some Cochin and Polish chicks from Famed Breeder Duane Urch to replenish my flock and they are already a month old.
Also have some great colored homing pigeons along with some Modenas, Lahores and Figuritas. Will try to post some pics.
Always had birds as a kid and when I finally got my own place in the country the first thing I did was get birds.
Live just outside the burbs in MN. Have a garden shed I converted into a coop along with a 16x20x8 fly pen.
In the spring.2007 I ordered about 50 chickens from Murray McMurray. Half were cornish x and the other half were a mixed bag of chickens I ordered.
The summer was fun raising the birds, seeing the growth of the birds. But come late summer the neighbors dog did a number on my birds, lost about a dozen meat birds, 2 sumatras, and 1 mille fluer. That was a bad day, but everything went fine as I kept a cool head. Reading the forum things can get pretty messy when you let your emotions run over when dealing with one of these attacks.
Anyways after I dressed out the remaining x rocks and a fewo ther roosters, and gave a few other roosters away
Other than that lost 1 polish hen to roosting outside, would try to find her each night, but one night I couldn't and she disapeared. Also lost another polish hen, just dropped dead 1 day. And lost a buff cochin and a silkie to the raccoons 1 night when I forgot to close them up.
Here is my flock.
Roosters:
Golden Polish Rooster (Bob)- He is the Alpha, not that smart, but is a bowling ball with funky hair when he gets the other roosters in his cross hairs. I actually perfer him being the head guy, if it was another roo, he would probably be too hard on his competitors and I would have less roosters. Plus he is very gentle with the ladies.
White Rock (Soup) - was orignally gonna be soup, but he was a big bird and white and wanted him to be the sire of the offspring that I would have to eventually eat. He's a pretty docile bird, nice to the roosters below him, although he is a little tough on the hens. And of the offspring have got this summer, most of them have soups characteristics.
Golden Lace Cochin Batam (Devito) - Was originally given away to my Dad who just keeps rooster, but he ended up being the B*tch kinda like you see in prison movies. So he has come back to the coup and sure is happy about it.
Mille Fluer Batam (Rudy) - bottom guy on the totem poll, but has a lot of spunk. He'll spur you if you turn your back but it doesn't hurt.
All the rooster get along pretty well, like I stated above, Bob will pick on Soup once in a while, but can't see him half the time. And both the big guys pretty much ignore the banty roosters.
HENS
Barred Rocks (2) - Martha & Sheryl. Martha is the Queen B. and Sheryl is not that far below. Martha is always the first to get treats and will give you a peck on the knee if you are slow with the giving. Both are good layers, although Martha does get the bare back as she is the roosters favorite, well at least the big guys, The little bantys no better than to mess with her.
Buff Orpingtons (2) - Boss & Goldy. Both High in the pecking order. Both got broody in 08 with only Boss hatching out a few chicks. She was not the most motherly, got out of being broody pretty quick, leaving a silkie to raise them. Both good layers.
Light Brama (2) Patti & Selma - Still High on the pecking order, tend to lay their eggs on the ground, Both got broody but could not hatch out chicks. I suspect they are egg breakers.
Maran (1)- Cadbury - She is high like the rocks on the pecking order. Lays smaller brown eggs. She will got a week were she seems to out produce the rest of the flock, than seems to shut down completly.
Blue lace red Wyndotte (1) Blue - very personable hen, high on the pecking order, very pretty and hatch out the largest clutch of chicks. I would reccomend these birds, but they are a little smaller than the orps, rocks etc.
EE (1) - Cleo - had two but one got egg bound and after months of treatment died. Cleo is right in the middle of the pecking order, can't compete with big ladies, but won't let the banty's push her around. Lays eggs well, but likes to hid them.
White Faced Black Spanish (1) Margarita - very personable, while also the wildest. Would like to fly on my head as a youngster, but had to stop her of that after she got too heavy. Does not lay that well, and seem to get sick once in a while, where she does not come off her roost. But then she bounces back.
White Silkies (2) - General Tao and Pearl - great little chickens, always broody would hatch out little clutches and then take chicks from other hens. Actually get more eggs than I though from these two.
Mille Fluer (1) - Nils Helgersen - quiet, gets broody but had never hatch. Weak on egg production. But probably the prettiest hen I have.
Silver Sebrights (3)- The Three Stooges - actually lay ok for a banty. Two of the three of got broody but only 1 chick hatch. Nice birds, but low on the pecking order because of their size
Golden Laced Cochin - Littly lady probably lowest on the pecking order, not too bright or personable
I also have some pigeons. Most of them are mixed mutts from my Dad, but I do have two Modenas. Very pretty Birds and hope to breed them.
Lastly I inherited a few pheasants. 1 Swinhoe Rooster and a Pair of Grey Peack Pheasants. Need to build them a pen this spring. Very cool, but not for beginners.
APRIL 2011 ENTRY
Lots has changed since my last post. Added to my flock some more Silkies, Frizzles, Marans and Welsummers but then had two Mink attacks that decimated my flock. Those little buggers don't need much to get through. Second time it happend was able to catch the darn mink in the act and a movie type fight scene happend that involved dogs, a mink, a ladder, multiple flashlights and a 20 gauge all in my coop. Ended up getting the mink but I filled up 3 garabage bags full of my poor dead chickens, rare pheasants and rare pigeons. Those mink just keep killing.
Anyways come end of winter I was down to
6 hens
"Blue" - My old Alpha hen who is a Blue Laced Wyndotte
"Cadbury" - another orginal Hen that is a Maran
1 of my trio of Sebright hens that went unamed
"Goldie" A gold laced wyndotte I grabbed a bird swap
A young Maran hen for 2010
and My breeding experiment hen which is a Corish Rock X with an Americana. She isn't that big but matures fast, all white and lays a very pale blue egg. Was trying for a Blue laying Dual purpose bird. She's dumb as a rock though (a rock rock, not a chicken rock)
Anways had a few of my Original Roosters that I gave to my Parents to have a few lap chickens that I could not put under the ax. Anyways have a Brama Rooster named Homer that when from a life of living with other rooster to living with these hens and he is happy as a clam.
Bought some Cochin and Polish chicks from Famed Breeder Duane Urch to replenish my flock and they are already a month old.
Also have some great colored homing pigeons along with some Modenas, Lahores and Figuritas. Will try to post some pics.