Yeah, I've had one or two squirt, but they have to be pretty alarmed to do it. I leave them alone, as they eat more ants than any other critter I've seen. I used to watch one out in my driveway, it would sit about a foot away from an anthill, and for hours on end, it would patiently gobble every...
Depends on what you want to do with the eggs. If you are just eating them, you don't need a rooster. Adding a rooster can give you more problems, like tearing feathers off the head, neck, and back of the hens. Also, if you are in town, roosters are a no-no according to the recently passed zoning...
It sounds like the Ideal 236, and maybe the Austra Whites, are bred along the same lines as the CW, but using "production blacks" instead of California Grays for the sire. production blacks have very vague parentage, but I seem to remember crossing barred rocks to something else to get a black...
@ejcrist Stick with the wire bottom, it cools their belly and breaks the broody fever faster. Dont know about removing the cage.
Here is another CW cock pic this morning that i cropped. The pullet in the background shows her spots pretty well in this pic.
@ejcrist, here are some pics of a California White cock and some of his pullets. On the pullets, check out the sparse black spotting. At hatch, this is how you tell the difference between the boys and the girls.
LOL! I have 2 of his brothers for my own breeding line. Sure is nice to live so close to @desertmarcy! @ejcrist Most poultry breeders will strongly suggest starting with the best birds you can find, and not wasting time with inferior birds. So, along those lines, I strongly suggest you work...
OK, here is some info you need to know. If you cross a barred Rock with a Leghorn, the resulting cross is a California Gray. If you then take the California Gray and cross it back to a Leghorn, the result is a California White. These are sex linked crosses, and the CW roosters will be pure...
Yes, I'm fencing off a half acre expressly for feeding the chickens. Clover, buckwheat, BOSS, alfalfa, and whatever weeds come up with it. I already have quite a bit of what I think is wild mustard, and the chickens love it.
I buy a lot of stuff from Peaceful Valley (fruit trees, garlic, tomatoes, chili's, etc.), but every time I've ordered from them, they screw up my order, and it usually takes a week or two to get it straightened out. Too bad, because they have a lot of stuff I want, but now I tend to order from...
Mine is from the Amazon, and delivered to my door.
Seriously, you can get quantities as small as one pound, or 5, 10, 25 pound packages. I'm only doing a half acre in alfalfa, buckwheat, and clover mixed (chicken heaven) so I buy 5 pound packages.
No, just as you say, the hens are small, but they still lay pretty nice dark eggs, so they earn their feed. They are the only Marans hens I have, so I haven't done any crossing yet.
Yes he is gorgeous, and so are his six brothers. I got lucky and scored these BCM's from @desertmarcy when she was closing out this line. And sorry, but he's NOT for sale! I am keeping this line going, and he's definitely worth breeding. All of these birds tend to more of a mahogany color...