Reviews by hippiestink

I got one with my original four birds (a d'uccle mix, a d'Anvers roo, a Barred Rock and the Holland) and through many flock additions and flock shakeups she's been a pretty and kind bird. She lays a cream-colored, almost white egg regularly and has only stopped because of molt and snow. My only complaint is that she is a food hog during feeding time and can peck at flock mates if she thinks they are too close to her share of the food. Otherwise she's a lovely bird to own and earns her keep.

My coop had red mites all over it, and in Belgium our feeds stores mostly just stock feed, waterers, feeders, and some small bits and bobs. The internet was my only resort if I wanted to find a treatment for my chickens. I found Back To The Land UK through their Ebay store, and since they had a quality seller stamp and a high shop and product rating I decided to give it a go and bought the mite treatment.

It took FOREVER to get here, a full ten days past the estimated delivery date. Shipped quickly, but took a while to show up. But it did show up; the product comes in a 100 mL bottle and is a concentrated dark green (almost black) goo that you dilute in warm water, 10-15 mL per liter of water. Instructions are included with the shipment, and also are printed on the bottle. The product is a proprietary formula so no complete ingredient list is included, but the seller was happy to address my concerns and told me the main ingredient is citronella and plant extracts. It smells VERY strongly of citronella, and the dark green of it makes me inclined to believe them. It must be used on a warm day, and it takes 20 minutes to kill the mites and lice.

Since the day it arrived was the warmest day with nice weather we'll be getting in autumn, I completely cleaned out the coop again, mixed up three liters of the stuff, and sprayed it on.

WOW. The red mites stopped moving, turned black, and shriveled up right before my eyes! I am NOT joking, it only took one application and the mites were dead. The product says to spray every other day until the mites are totally gone, but this stuff killed them in one go! They've made this Belgian homesteader a believer, I'm not buying any other product for my birds ever. It's even safe for use as a louse dip on the birds, so I'll order more before next spring and use it for our annual louse dip and mite check. I highly endorse this product if you want a mostly organic and effective product. Still applying and I'm still wowed by how the mites are nearly all gone.

EDIT: If you're interested in buying, the listing is here: http://www.backtotheland.co.uk/poultry-health-products-anti-red-mite-paint.htm

I have this love-hate relationship with my Ancona mix Duchess.

On one hand, she's a decent layer, giving large white eggs every other day. She's brave and quick to charge animals that come near the fence (not people though). She's got beautiful plumage and loves to cluck your ears off.

On the other hand, she likes to fight the other hens and was VERY flighty. We had to not only cover the entire 400 sq ft run but also had to clip her wings just to get her to stop flying over the fence to roost on the neighbor's hedge.

So my recommendation? As soon as you get one, clip the wings. Keep her quarantined for longer than usual to get her used to the other flock members and prevent her from attacking them. I don't regret ol' Duchess, but if I had done these things first then I think I would have enjoyed her being around more.

I have a hen named Lady and she's simply lovely. She's motherly to my Red Sex Link and is always first to call everyone to eat in the morning. Her plumage is beautiful to look at and she'll walk right up to me. Not as chatty as my Sex Link hens, but she does look up at me and cluck when I come in with food or the egg basket.

All in all if you're going to get a Rock hen, get Columbians. You'll get a gorgeous flock, pretty large eggs, and docile birds that are good with other breeds.

Got me a pullet BSL I named Ethel and she's been a dream. Curious gal, she always comes up to me as soon as I come in the run and tries to follow me out when I leave. Very tame, loves being petted and stroked. Haven't gotten eggs just yet but it may be because she's new. Overall a sweet breed, I think I'll be buying more Sex Link hens when I look to replace hens or expand.

Edit: Looking back now I think I actually have gotten eggs from this gal. I just recently integrated her and I have a couple smaller creamy-brownish eggs I've picked up. Dunno if it's hers or the red sex link I got!

Got a quail Rooster who is sweet as can be and very attentive to my girls. He's a huge pretty boy but the only downside I can think of is that he is LOUD!

Obnoxiously so.

That being said, I plan on keeping him around for a long time because he is just that great with the flock. Our Barred Rocks give him no respect though and will peck at him since he's just a young cockerel. I'm sure once he becomes a full-grown bird they'll change their tune though!

Got a single d'Uccle in my flock and I LOVE her! Coreen is the sweetest little pullet, and I do mean little! By far the smallest of my four chickens. Super gentle, even when she's pecking you, and she loves to be pet and talked to. Very quiet breed, my grandfather-in-law gifted her to us from his flock and mentioned that the sweetness and quiet comes with a downside of low egg production. They're also very quick and can avoid more aggressive breeds in the flock.

One big issue I have with this breed is that no matter how secure your run is, no matter how much you try, they will ALWAYS find a way to escape! I can't tell you how many times Coreen has gotten out. We have to lock the gate of the run because one time she flew up and opened the gate! It's a seven foot fence! Luckily they don't go far and are easily caught.

That being said, I highly recommend this breed if you want a good pet chicken. Not great meat or laying birds but I do so love this breed and plan on getting another.

I grew up with the breed and got a Barred Rock and a barnyard mix that's mainly Rock in my flock. They KNOW they rule the roost. Can get to be a problem sometimes because they'll attack the smaller Bantam breeds I have over food, scratch, or just no reason. They even pick on my rooster!

That being said, they're fiercely protective of their flock mates and they lay an average of two eggs a day for me each. They aren't very broody either which is great for me as I keep taking their eggs! They're pretty talkative biddies, but they're not the kind of bird that'll jump in your lap and let you pet them like my d'Uccle.

Mixed bag breed indeed, I'm probably going to get some more of my d'Uccles or d'Anvers if I ever process those hens.