I raised a batch of Light Brahmas from eBay hatching eggs a couple years ago and still have one. Mostly I have Buff Brahmas. Both colors seem to lay largish brown eggs. They are a very nice, friendly breed.
I have a rooster and a hen that are sort-of gold laced Brahmas. Sire was Buff Brahma and the mama could have been any one of my non-Brahma hens which included some Welsummers, a couple of alleged Ameraucanas, and a couple that may have been part Swedish Flower hen.
Both the rooster and hen are...
I just discovered the existence of the Bielefelder breed this Saturday when looking at eBay egg auctions. I got very excited since my family came from towns near Bielefeld in Germany. In fact, my cousin is on the Bielefeld police force!
And then everything I've read about the breed sounds so...
Well, for the Welsh Harlequin you could always name it Myfanwy--- that's a Welsh girls name.Or Rhys (also spelled Reese) which is a Welsh boys' name. Don't know about the Cayuga. Cayuga is the name of an Indian tribe and means 'People of the Great Swamp'. So you could give it an Indian name of...
Do you have an incubator? If so, read the instructions and be sure to turn the eggs at least 3 times daily. It helps with duck eggs to get a spray bottle to fill with warm water to spritz on the eggs to keep the humidity up. I have a small temperature/humidity thing, very small, that I bought at...
I have four guineas and five chickens in the same coop right now. Plus a turkey. They get along OK and the females all go in the shelter to lay their eggs. And then the turkey gets all maternal and tries to hatch them out.
Do you have any chicken swaps or such in your area? Also, any feed mills that have bulletin boards, you could post a notice that guineas are wanted. Or just ask the folks in the feed mill if they know anyone who raises guineas.
These are my first Aylesbury ducks. I bought them as hatching eggs on Ebay. I bought two sets of Aylesbury eggs from the same buyer but the second set had zero hatches. The first had these two hatch. This picture was taken when they were just short of 8 weeks old. They are about the size of my...
Here is my mini-flock of Ancona ducks. My original stock was from Cackle Hatchery. I hatched out a lot of their eggs and sold ducklings. But I let my ducks free range. I thought they had the sense to stay in my yard. But one day I found nearly the whole flock--- and all my females--- dead about...
For about 100 dollars I've bought second-hand calf hutches of heavy plastic to use for chicken coops (and sheep/goat housing). I put in an old sawhorse for a roost (when I want to bother with roosts) and old covered cat litter boxes for nests. Right now I've got 14 hens sharing one calf hutch...
I have portable chicken pens with an old calf hutches for shelter. During winter, I place them in a convenient location and stop moving them, and they work well. But I'd like to start lighting the pen with the laying hens at night in order to keep them laying through the winter.
Does anyone...
I've been feeding mine some redbugs--- which is what I call boxelder bugs which are swarming all over the place. I scoop up handfuls and put them in a pail with a little water at the bottom so they don't escape, and pour it out in the pens.
I've been doing some reading on alternate chicken feeds and read about using earthworms (http://www.avianaquamiser.com/posts/Earthworms_as_chicken_feed/)
Has anyone been trying this? I've started a tiny worm bin in an old plastic cat litter pail, using moistened old newspaper for bedding and...
Hate? I don't understand why you would say such a thing. I am trying to be as respectful to you as I can. If I have offended you, I am sorry.
As for birds from the hatchery, that is good advice. Since there is no official breed standard for Saipans, what would you say are some things one...
I have noticed that Stromberg's, which carried Saipan Jungle Fowl in its 2011 catalog, does not have them in the 2012. I've started a list of hatcheries offering Saipans on my blog. So far I have: Cackle hatchery, Ideal, Purely Poultry and Double R Country Store. (The list is at...
Forkman45, if you have high-quality Saipans, please share pictures of them! It would be a great help for those starting out with the breed. Don't take it personally, but in the Internet age, anyone can claim to have the experience you have with the breed, but if there is some way you can...
I would imagine the people who hate Saipans mostly stay off the Saipan thread. There must be some people that like them or hatcheries would not bother to offer the breed.
I have a small flock of young Saipan Jungle Fowl a few months old, one roo and the rest hens I think. The one confirmed rooster seems to be the victim of feather picking. I'm not sure who is doing it. He's bigger than the hens and is not being bullied by them or anything.
I read that Saipans...