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  1. SourRoses

    Thürigian Bearded Bantam (Critically Endangered Breed)

    I was going to suggest... When you have really rare birds, and the possibility of something dreadful happening, it's a good idea to breed as soon as you can, even if they would be mixes. A lot of breeds have some outcrossing back there, sometimes for genetic vigor, sometimes to introduce /...
  2. SourRoses

    how do yall pronounce these breeds am i correctly saying it?

    Brahh Maa (I hear a donkey) Beef Elder Duck EL Why Anne Dote Leg Horn Fav Er Roll On Oh Go Dory
  3. SourRoses

    Free Range Hens reaching egg laying age

    How's the light pollution where you are? Small things can add up. Proximity to a house, or street lights, etc. Pullets are more sensitive than hens. Although it's termed pollution (due to the effect on wild birds, bees and other insects), if it works for your benefit re: eggs then it's a...
  4. SourRoses

    Free Range Hens reaching egg laying age

    How much less than 13? The "or so" I wrote is due to it being biological, rather than mechanical, if that makes sense. They don't have actual clocks, but it's easier for us humans to understand that way. Here in Florida, by October (twelve and a half hours) if a pullet isn't already in lay...
  5. SourRoses

    Free Range Hens reaching egg laying age

    Genetics! (and/or light leakage from human activity. Why does daylight length matter in the first place? Because the pituitary gland, responsible for releasing hormones that trigger laying, is reactive to light levels. How reactive? It depends on the genes. And pullets are more sensitive the...
  6. SourRoses

    Time change is affecting my chickens

    I just changed the time on my pop doors the other day, and at least here in Florida, Sunset is an hour earlier. Do you have time to sit out one evening while the sun starts to set so you can watch what your pop door does and how your chickens behave? If all is well with the pop door schedule...
  7. SourRoses

    Free Range Hens reaching egg laying age

    They may have just not made the cutoff point when the hours of light each day allow for the onset of lay. Pullets who are already in lay during months of sufficient sunlight will keep laying through fall and winter. Those whose bodies were not ready until the days shortened won't activate the...
  8. SourRoses

    What's y'all's secret to keeping cats away?

    A couple assertive chickens can do wonders. When we first moved somewhere our chickens and pets shared the backyard, the cats and Jack Russell terriers were very interested. But we had a hen named Happy who stalked them back. One time Happy wanted to come up on the porch (we were more permissive...
  9. SourRoses

    Mites in new store bought pine shavings?

    I believe you! I had chicks get lice from shavings a couple years ago. The brooder was inside, a clean new tote. I noticed the tiny white bugs, and chicks scratching, for the first time after adding shavings from the brand new bag. So my theory at the time was the shavings became contaminated...
  10. SourRoses

    Electric Fence details

    Thanks a bunch everyone! We ended up getting separate plastic posts for the wire to make an additional outer fence. The posts are not as high as I'd like but it will be nice to have a buffer zone in the middle. The links and suggestions here were very helpful 😊
  11. SourRoses

    Electric Fence details

    Sorry that this is so basic but I feel a little confused looking at all the different parts for an electric fence. I've never set one up before. Feel pretty silly. I'm going today to T.S.C to get a solar charger + wire + insulators that can attach to wire fence + plastic handle things for the...
  12. SourRoses

    Every Breed and mix List

    Thank you!
  13. SourRoses

    Every Breed and mix List

    Hi guys, I'm trying to help with a project... I need to make a list of every chicken breed and every named mix (*). I started with BYC's list from "Chicken Breed Focus Project". Added a few I could think of, now I need help! Could you look at this list and see if you can think of any that are...
  14. SourRoses

    Too much protein?

    I feed that 24% Nutrena Silkie crumble to my large breed chicks, it's rather awesome how much shinier their feathers come in. They grow quicker too. Down to 20% All Flock when they get to the messiest age (just did that with 3 week olds). I like knowing they had everything they could need when...
  15. SourRoses

    Existential chicken questions

    Your post reads to me like an early sign of burnout coming your way. Warning, Danger, Will Robinson. Those numbers are quite high for a personal flock with no employees or farm kids, and without an extensive automation setup or a single big barn. Here's my suggestion... Band those in your...
  16. SourRoses

    No Eggs!

    If they aren't laying, they shouldn't be eating layer. If they're molting (highly likely, everyone is), they should have a higher protein, around 20%. I dunno how the feed companies convinced people that layer stands for "adult" rather than "laying", but they do the chicken hobby a disservice.
  17. SourRoses

    2025: What worked and what didn't?

    Yeah I wouldn't be happy about random substitutions either... They could at least ask first. These Spanish I got from a breeders hatching eggs. They are supposed to be the best in the US as they are recently imported from Spain. And they are Large fowl (technically, but about Leghorn size)...
  18. SourRoses

    Things you wish you could say

    I know how to build the prototype for my awesome incubator idea because I'm all mechanical and stuff. How to program the computer. How to get the gizmos to work. Argh! Becoming an inventor is hard. And most of my ideas have been stolen, some before I was even born. Which means someone first...
  19. SourRoses

    2025: What worked and what didn't?

    Interesting! The only sort-of new breed I tried this year is White Faced Black Spanish. Ok, I had them a couple years ago but those were unhealthy (genetics), so I couldn't keep them alive long. These are healthy. But I only ended up with a cockerel and pullet. The pullet is taking her sweet...
  20. SourRoses

    Artificial Lights v/s None During Winter for Egg Production Poll

    I used to keep things natural, but we have shorter days in the south. One year we had broody hens all summer, spread out molting in the fall, pullets who hadn't started laying by fall... Well pretty much the only consistent eggs we got that year were in the spring. I got some mellow lights -...
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