I got 15 standards and a 3 bantams. They're all in a pretty good sized brooder together but the bantams seem really sleepy and sluggish. One barely moves around but another is in the fray getting after it! Is this normal for bantams to be more lethargic at first? Or should I move the little one...
I've searched everywhere for a good picture of a blue laced red wy too over a barred rock hen and never did find one. So I just made one and took my own picture! Here are a few shots of my rooster one of the BR and then a few of my new baby who turned out to be sort of a black-laced blue...
One my RSLs lays a very nice sized egg, but it's covered in white spots. The eggs taste fine but they're not exactly beautiful. If you wash them the eggs turns pure brow but once it dries the spots come back. Anyone else have a similar issue or know what to think about it?
I personally think it's fun to mix and see what nature does. I've got a few Ameraucana over White leghorn hens and they are really spectacular looking. Pure white but with Ameraucana muffs and comb. Really hoping for some green eggs from them.
Very cool. I'm loving breeding my own. It's a very cool genetics experiment. Out of the brood of 5 only one was a cockerel, which worked out perfectly since I needed to get rid of jerky rooster. I'm planning on breeding the new boy to my barred rocks, bantam brahma, and maybe even a red sex link...
@farmerChef what do yours look like. My roo was beautiful (gave him away last week for being a punk). All 5 chicks are pure white with no markings at all. One has grayish feet. Their shape is more like an EE though. Not so skinny and they don't have those sailboat tails!
I would say my leghorns, especially one, are really sociable. More so than my barred rocks really. We can pick one of our leghorns up and she's so calm about. I crossed an Ameraucana rooster with my white leghorns and they all ended up stark white but with pea combs. It will be fun to watch them...
My broody hen has just hatched out 4 leghorn/AM crosses. Sire is AM and hen is WL. I am so excited to watch them develop and see how they turn out! I'm most hopefully that the broody's own egg will hatch. She's a bantam Buff Brahma crossed with the AM roo. I bet that bird would look awesome. And...
I had an egg tonight and my oldest girl is probably only 16-20 weeks old. My youngest is probably only 7 weeks and I've got the other 8 are all 12 weeks old. Problem is my new layer is the least friendly and least tame since we got her already grown so I'm not sure she would eat out of my hand...
So we've got 10 birds. 6 of them (3 white leghorns and 3 red Sexlinks) are right at 12 weeks old. 2 barred rocks are 11 weeks old. 1 Ameraucana/EE is maybe 7 weeks old and a bantam buff brahma who is may 16-20 weeks old (got her from a farmer at a big flea market in Arkansas so not certain on...
I seem to have more issues in the run than in the coop. My girls stay away from the new ones but still roost with them no problems. In the run they start their dominance assertion.
I like to tear off a bunch of collard greens in the morning. The birds love them and the plants keep replacing themselves. I also planted some cover crop in the fall and it turned out to be peas and what I think is wheat so now I have more green food to throw out or them.
New topic? I've got a six week old Ameraucana that I just added to my flock of 8 2 month old girls. She won't join the rest which I'm guessing is just her getting comfortable with her new surroundings. Until tonight she wouldn't come near me but earlier she jumped out of the coop and when the...
I just got an Ameraucana from an outdoor market today. I added her to my flock to round out an even ten. She is sort of gray lavender on the head and reddish on her wings. My question is not so much about her breeding since I'm not showing and I want the hobby/eggs. I had an Am that died while a...
My birds roost every night but on top of one another. Literally 7 birds cram into a space about 14 inches long. They are now 7-8 weeks old so not tiny either. The funny thing is I have a 7 ft long roost that is not being used. I had wondered if its because the roost is right in front of the coop...
Thanks rookiefarmers! We ended up getting another Ameraucana (because I'm crazy apparently) and a bantam Buff Brahmin. She is gorgeous as is the Am. So far the two have not mingled with our main flock and our old girls actually act more intimidated than I expected. Hopefully things get cheery...
I have two white leghorns that are dirty all over on their feathers. When their baby feathers fell out they cleaned all the time. Now-no dice. I'm afraid one got dive bombed from above by another girl's arial poo attack. Anything to be concerned of there? Seems like intense sibling rivalry to...