So, we have had chickens for a number of years and now our family would like to get some ducks. But, I have some questions before we get started. Thank you for your responses in advance.
1.) I plan to convert an old 12'x12' chicken coop into my duck coop. The coop has a dirt floor. I'm...
Keep going back to their website between now and May 15. Sometimes people cancel their orders, or the birds lay more eggs than expected, and a few more become available. If any Dorkings pop up for May 15, just put in a minimum order of 3 birds for May 15 as soon as you see them online. You can...
Stopped at the FFH in Holland last night to pick up some feed and noticed they had chicks in. Resisted the temptation to add to my flock when I noticed about half of their chicks had pasty butt. The only worker I could find there was a teenage girl who knew nothing about chicks, let alone...
A fun egg from one of my Meyer Black Copper Marans:
Another Meyer BCM egg surrounded by some others (EE, Orps, Campine, Ex. Leghorn, etc.)
Getting an interesting egg with a pinkish bloom from (possibly) my Meyer Buff Orpington (top right of next pic). Plus, one of my Meyer Olive Eggers...
Less than a month and your new chicks will be here... How fun! Hopefully they will be relatively easy to tell apart once they arrive. Meyer has some really good chick pics on their site that make identifying chick breeds pretty easy. Here is the link where you can find all their chicks listed...
There is a guy in Zeeland, MI that sells ring neck pheasant chicks for $1 each (if I remember correctly) but he might be willing to let some eggs go too. PM me if you want his contact info. He's often on Holland/Grand Rapids Craigslist. Guessing that may be a bit far for you and I don't know...
Merry Christmas to me! As of Christmas morning one of my Meyer EEs started laying too. Here is her first egg along with the Marans eggs I've collected this week. Hoping for some blue eggs from my Meyer Ameraucanas and olive eggs from my Meyer Olive Eggers soon too!
Success!!! 21 weeks today and I got my first egg from my Meyer chicks! One of my Black Copper Marans (BCM) was the first to lay. I noticed that she was in a nest last night at bed check and I observed her rolling some fake eggs underneath her at that time. Then, come today, there was an egg...
My chickens don't seem to have any interest in going out into the snow this year either. They did last year, so I'm not sure what's changed. With them not going outside, I sure am having a lot more to clean out from the poop boards. And, now that the cold weather has hit, and they are choosing...
If you page back a few pages to posts number 10541-10543, you can see pics of my girls. Although I can't believe those pics were taken 3 months ago. Maybe I do need to update them again. Maybe if it gets above freezing one of these afternoon I can do that. :thumbsup
Meanwhile, I'm anxiously awaiting my first eggs from my July order. My pullets are now 20 weeks old and I keep hoping I will find at least one egg in a nest any time soon.
And, when you think about it, they have been doing this awhile so they probably have it figured out pretty well (barring any act of God). Obviously things can happen, but I'm sure they fill orders for those who specify their breeds first, knowing that they will have some to spare. Then...
Any luck figuring out which of your birds have started laying? Do any of the brown egg laying breeds have noticeably redder combs?
Is your golden buff from Meyer pretty big? Mine is the biggest of the bunch now so I am thinking she may be one of my first to lay.
You are correct! My birds are now 16 weeks old and I recently noticed that my splash is getting many more spots, both on her body, as well as her head.
I'm loving my Ex Leghorn too. She's smaller than some of the others, but she is a real sweetheart and I love her coloring and spotted legs...
If someone hasn't already asked this question, has anyone thought ahead to what they plan to name their little Halloween hatchlings? Any good Halloween-type names?