Recent content by sarafrog

  1. sarafrog

    Marek's Vaccination

    The hatchery my local feed store gets chicks from only vaccinates the parent birds, not the chicks. I was told that this gives the chicks a few weeks of immunity but not complete immunity. I bought chicks from them last February and lost one of them in December (possibly Marek's) and have one...
  2. sarafrog

    Rooster can no longer walk

    I lost a hen in early December whose only symptoms were depression and emaciation and now I have a second hen who has been sick for nearly 2 weeks. Her symptoms are generally consistent with what you described in your rooster. She is slowly recovering but still doesn't have good use of her...
  3. sarafrog

    Mille Fleur Bantam Rooster needs a home

    I'm in Sacramento and have a friend here who may be interested. She isn't on BYC, though. Can you PM me with an e-mail address or phone number where she can reach you? Thanks!
  4. sarafrog

    9-week-old pullet started crowing...

    Well, it ended up being a cockerel (99% sure) and I re-homed him with someone who has about 40 hens and only 1 rooster so he will be happy to help service all of those hens. I wonder eggs from white-egg-layers bred with a Maran will look like? At any rate, out of 4 straight run chicks, I ended...
  5. sarafrog

    SF Bay Area, California wanted: silkie chicks

    If Sacramento isn't too far you should look on craigslist...I've seen lots of silkies listed over the past week or two.
  6. sarafrog

    Roo, really? post 1 pics = 9 weeks, post 4 pics = 11 weeks

    I know...the Maran is a puzzle to me. The hackle feathers seem blunt and the saddle feathers, too. The tail feathers worry me, though. I probably could take the BO anyway and wait awhile longer to be sure on the Maran...what's one more chicken, right? Thanks for confirmation on the blue...
  7. sarafrog

    Roo, really? post 1 pics = 9 weeks, post 4 pics = 11 weeks

    I don't have any other Marans to compare it with anymore. I got 2 as day-olds and the first was definitely a roo and re-homed at 8 weeks. This one looked very pullet-ish until I re-homed the roo and then it began changing in looks and behavior. Now it looks the way it does and crows...
  8. sarafrog

    Roo, really? post 1 pics = 9 weeks, post 4 pics = 11 weeks

    Do I need to post different pics? If so, please let me know what areas to highlight. I tried to show heads, tail shape, hackle, and saddle areas. Both have little spur buds but it sounds like that is not a reliable indicator of anything. Thanks!
  9. sarafrog

    Roo, really? post 1 pics = 9 weeks, post 4 pics = 11 weeks

    Please help if you can. I don't mean to be impatient but the sex of this Maran will dictate whether or not I can adopt a BO hen in need of a home. I have a friend who will be happy to take this Maran if it is indeed a roo... Thanks!
  10. sarafrog

    Roo, really? post 1 pics = 9 weeks, post 4 pics = 11 weeks

    Here are some new pics of my Cuckoo Maran (I'm afraid is a cockerel) and my blue Jersey Giant. Both were hatched 3/12 and are just over 11 weeks old. I'd like confirmation of sex from some more experienced chicken keepers. I can't keep roosters so I need to re-home the Maran if it is indeed a...
  11. sarafrog

    Vent Sexing. WHAT IS IT???!!?!

    Look it up on You Tube and you'll find a clip from Dirty Jobs (TV show with Mike Rowe) demonstrating this being done at the McMurray Hatchery. I don't think it's something that is easily learned...the "experts" at the hatcheries are only about 85-90% accurate.
  12. sarafrog

    youngsters kicking straw out of nest boxes

    Yes, my nest boxes do have lips of at least 3 inches...you know how effective chickens are at moving material around, though.
  13. sarafrog

    youngsters kicking straw out of nest boxes

    I have two Australorps, about 21 months old and laying well, and added two 11-week-old pullets to the coop about a week ago. The youngsters seem to be kicking all of the straw out of the nest boxes every day so the hens have to lay on bare wood. Any suggestions on this? The pullets also seem...
  14. sarafrog

    this is camellia, my black giant pullet...is she a she?

    Aren't eggs are out of the question for a 6-weeker of any breed? Jersey Giants are slow to mature so it will be quite awhile before egg-laying will help determine sex. I have an 11-week Jersey Giant (blue) and have read that Jersey's often don't lay until 6 months.
  15. sarafrog

    What is the best food for my hens..?

    I'm only 10 weeks into chicken keeping and so far I agree with the 2 prior posts. I feed commercial layer pellets to my layers and a commercial start/grow crumble to the youngsters (10 weeks). They also get some scratch every day, just a few small handfuls...I just read that a good rule of...
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