Hi,
I'm very new to all this, but saw your title as "Flockmaster" and presumed you could help.
I have a one year old black silkie rooster who runs the barnyard. He keeps the full sized roosters in line, and dances constantly for the ladies. However, I have not witnessed him mating with any...
I ordered 25 "hatchery choice" chicks last February, and a few days later the electricity went off while I was at work. The only chick to survive the hours of freezing temps. was what turned out to be a Buff Chantecler. Since then, she has earned her way into my heart. She's the friendliest of...
I've just acquired a Speckled Sussex rooster and some Delaware hens. I know it is 3 years after you did this cross and I greatly appreciate the pictures, but how did they turn out in terms of egg laying, meat production, etc. Any thoughts or suggestions will be appreciated.
I'm new to Delewares - have 8 hens and 2 roos just a month old. Could you (or someone) coach me as to what to look for? Those pictures look great to me. Is there something about tails that tends to be a problem that needs to be addressed in breeding/preserving the Dellies? Any words of...
I bought a variety of chicks on Feb. 25 from the local feedstore, figuring I'd observe behaviors and see which ones I wanted to keep. My New Hampshires reached full size faster than any of the other breeds (but the SL Wyandotte), and one of them has laid eggs two days in a row at just a couple...
Those Delewares are beautiful! I wish you were a 1000 miles closer, as I'd love to buy some of their offspring. I just bought my first Deleware chicks three weeks ago, and hope to learn more about crossing in the parent strains to improve as time goes by. Question - is it solely hybrid vigor...
Thank you for this report of their egg laying prowess. I saw on Cackle Hatchery's website that NHR lay only 120 eggs/year, and I was facing getting rid of my young ladies as a result. You've given me reassurance when I really needed it.
I have two gorgeous New Hampshire hens I bought from a feed store as chicks. I'm debating whether or not to keep them - I see Cackle Hatchery says they only lay approx. 120 eggs per year, which is only 2/week. Is that your experience with them? I really like how rapidly they've grown, their...
Interesting idea - one I'd never thought of. I especially like the drawings which someone with some technical know how could replicate. Just a thought - I wonder how long it takes before the hens figure it out and lay elsewhere! :-) Thanks.
Thank you. I will have three or four different egg colors when everyone starts laying, but I'll need to choose between half a dozen hens of each variety which ones will be allowed to remain as part of my future breeding flock. I envy your self-discipline in record keeping, but it is a great idea...
Thanks, I will. One of my goals for my hobby is to develop a largely self-sustaining flock, good layers yet hatching their own and getting a lot from their foraging. I don't want to maintain excess baggage or drag down the breeding stock.
I'm a newbie, so I may be asking something that is common knowledge. How do you keep track of how many eggs an individual hen is laying? I want to breed and raise offspring from the best layers, but short of putting them in separate cages (mine are pastured and the thought of caging them breaks...
I've just received Delaware and Speckled Sussex chicks to start my flock. Would you mind sharing why the Speckled Sussex are no longer in favor? This may affect my decision of which ones to keep and how many? Thanks.
I've been a fan of Glenn Drowns at Sandhill Preservation for some years. He is in the "business" for the purpose of preserving, and improving, a large number of rare (and not so rare) breeds and varieties. You can be sure you are getting genetically pure birds. I've always had great luck with...
I'm a newbie, so I may be asking something that is common knowledge. How do you keep track of which hen is laying which egg? I want to breed and raise offspring from the best layers, but short of putting them in separate cages (mine are pastured and that thought breaks my heart) I don't have a...