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Sounds like a plan! And it can be a fluid list. Mine isn’t what it was a few years ago. You live a little more and learn more of what’s important to you.

I have Marek’s in my flock, too, by the way. All our birds and their eggs are for us anyway, but it helps make the decision to process versus sell a no brainer. I’ll be honest, deciding which birds to cull, knowing it means an end to their lives, is just about as hard as actually culling them...

I would definitely cull the hen if she were mine, for a couple reasons. While she's now righted her production, my experience with that sort of problem is that it will recur. On top of that, there's some chance her issue is genetic. An issue with laying quality eggs isn't something I'd want...

Allowing birds to encounter the virus, survive or not, and letting the survivors reproduce is the route I've gone. None of my birds are vaccinated. I don't want birds reproducing who aren't passing on a genuine resistance, to whatever extent resistance is genetic. I hatch eggs from mostly my...

I'm sorry you're dealing with Marek's. I'm not an expert, though I have it in my flock as well. Our chickens are for food, though most also have names and watching one after another decline is frustrating. Even now, as I prepare to go outside to refresh water buckets, I'm not sure if I will...

I like that idea. When you say they can't get into it, is it some kind of special set up, or just a bucket too small for them to shove themselves into? I was thinking of tethering a tall-ish bucket to a tree or post so it can't be tipped.

Awesome, I had no idea angel wing could be treated along with molting, but that makes a lot of sense, thank you!

This wasn't exactly an impulse acquisition, but I had the opportunity to snag a small group of Muscovy ducks yesterday, so I went ahead and got them. We're about half ready, but we have enough for immediate needs and the rest will be done this week. I'd prepared and read, but I've never had...

Ghostbars . . . I like it.

I wonder if this is an attempt to capitalize on a missed niche. If they tried to sell Easter eggers that looked like their americanas and they couldn't tell customers what made them different, they'd probably split the colored egg purchasers between EEs and americanas. To get buyers to...

I'd give my friend #1 and #3. If your only roo is ameraucana and you have only barred hens, we can say for certain the last chick is a boy. A purebred barred rock hen will produce only barred sons when bred to a non-barred rooster.

Okay, so as I'm sure you know, this is pretty young to be making guesses, but that doesn't mean it's not worth trying. I like this age, 3-6 weeks, to pick out the early developing boys. At three weeks, I guess wrong on about half the boys. By six weeks, I usually have a good idea of who's...

Ours was not attractive at all, lol. It was 7 feet long, 3 feet deep and 4 feet tall. That was too tall. It opened on top and it made reaching in to clean or grab chicks too difficult. The only other doors were small (3x4 inch) holes on either end so chicks could come in but adults couldn't...

I do like the variety that pops out each hatch. There isn't just one breed I like. Keeping purebred birds to sell or for my own sake isn't a priority, either. Chickens reproduce fast enough to pick and choose what I want and my flock can become something new in little time at all. I can...

They're a mixed bunch, OE and Marans over several things. A handful were really obvious boys early on, others are just now getting pinker. Some are obviously girls but some will leave me guessing for awhile. My flock is mixed and I like it that way, but I try to select for single combs that...

I have a set of 17 now that are 8-9 weeks old. Yesterday I swore I had 6 boys and 11 girls. This morning I looked closer and now I think I have *maybe* six girls, maybe only five, and 11-12 boys. It's a larger clutch than I usually have and I've been aching to take some out, but I'm glad I...

I generally separate at 12 weeks any cockerel I won't be keeping. They will become food in about a month's time. I can fatten them up and have them spend more time eating and less energy chasing everyone around. By that age, I can be pretty certain of which are boys, too. At six weeks, you...

I think some of the perceived difference in prevalence between the sexes may be down to breed popularity. To make barred female offspring, one needs a barred rooster. There are more breeds without barring than with. The odds that any given individual would keep a barred rooster in a mixed...

Of course. I went out to take one purposefully for this. It's time to get a nice close up anyway. I strongly suspect he's half laced Wyandotte of some color, but I even more strongly doubt that he's purebred. Knowing where I got him from, they like to mix birds and hatch for buyers who like...

I'm sorry to reply late but I was having picture sending issues and then pizza burning issues and I couldn't type up a comment when I first came across this very interesting topic. I also have come across a barred white bird in my flock. I have a large and varied flock, he was rather a...