➡I accidentally bought Balut eggs: 2 live ducks! Now a Chat Thread!

[FortCluck]

Yep. Babies grow, then slow down as they add mass, then slowly finish growing. Don't worry, they will have another growth spurt in a couple of weeks. The Brahma are gonna be layers?

Maybe I shouldn't wait for introductions if yours were adopted. That is good news.

I just don't want them in the dog yard...

I wanted to keep the brahma chicks because I wanted to add new bloodlines that aren't related to my chickens so I can get more fertile eggs and hatch barnyard mixes.

I know everyone likes purebred chickens, but you'd be shocked how many people just choose chickens based on looks. I try to breed for looks instead of specific breeds.

I like lawn candy

Here's my big boy even eating with his offspring that I hatched and introduced about 4 weeks ago. He took right to them and started caring for them. He even clucks at them when he finds a good bug or scrap so they come running and he drops it to them.

 

[FortCluck]

And that golden lace polish in the background is one of the mother hens that cares for the brahmas. She watches them all day. HeiHei my silver sebright rooster watches them when she is off doing chicken things.

If you can't tell I observe my chickens at least an hour or so a day. I go sit with them and just observe them to make sure everyone is getting along.

 

[RUNuts]

And that golden lace polish in the background is one of the mother hens that cares for the brahmas. She watches them all day. HeiHei my silver sebright rooster watches them when she is off doing chicken things.

If you can't tell I observe my chickens at least an hour or so a day. I go sit with them and just observe them to make sure everyone is getting along.

The best kind of meditation is watching chickens to learn what you don't know. I find it peaceful and reminds me of grandfather sitting in the garden watching the plants and the birds. Never understood what he looked at for so long, but he was always looking. Probably me being young and impatient.

I agree with the Barnyard Mixes being great. Got 13 Barnyard Surprises running around in the backyard laying brown eggs.

 

[FortCluck]

The best kind of meditation is watching chickens to learn what you don't know. I find it peaceful and reminds me of grandfather sitting in the garden watching the plants and the birds. Never understood what he looked at for so long, but he was always looking. Probably me being young and impatient.

I agree with the Barnyard Mixes being great. Got 13 Barnyard Surprises running around in the backyard laying brown eggs.

I have a lot of purebreds, but I honestly enjoy my little mixed chicks. I have an Easter Egger mix that is so gorgeous and she has slate blue legs and feet. I hope she lays colored eggs. She is so friendly too. Her comb is different as well, it's not a single comb. I'm not even sure what comb it is, but it's not growing

This was her the day we got her

 

[RUNuts]

We have 6 Ideal Easter Eggers with chewed gum combs. Not sure what to make of these either but they aren't clean. Yellow Beard's comb is sideways. Redhead doesn't really have a comb.

Since EEs aren't recognized, they are mutts that lay colored eggs. The hatcheries are shooting them out to capitalize on the colored egg craze. I approve of the little chipmunk striped ones running around. Read somewhere that the Aracaunas are being bred with super egg layers to increase egg production. This will be interesting.

With our muddy clay ground, we are staying away from the feathered leg varieties. As it is, the ladies muddy up the eggs enough with clean legs.

 

[FortCluck]

We have 6 Ideal Easter Eggers with chewed gum combs. Not sure what to make of these either but they aren't clean. Yellow Beard's comb is sideways. Redhead doesn't really have a comb.

Since EEs aren't recognized, they are mutts that lay colored eggs. The hatcheries are shooting them out to capitalize on the colored egg craze. I approve of the little chipmunk striped ones running around. Read somewhere that the Aracaunas are being breed with super egg layers to increase egg production. This will be interesting.

With our muddy clay ground, we are staying away from the feathered leg varieties. As it is, the ladies muddy up the eggs enough with clean legs.

We have feathered leg varieties. We have Cochins. I did have some Cochin jersey giant crosses but gave them to the person who wanted 20 chicks.

I do have 45 eggs in the incubator and I'm sure some are from the Cochins.

The Brahma mixed chicks have feathered legs too. Their coloring is gorgeous too!

I may or may not have a chicken obsession my husband was just talking about breeding even more when we move

 

[RUNuts]

We have feathered leg varieties. We have Cochins. I did have some Cochin jersey giant crosses but gave them to the person who wanted 20 chicks.

I do have 45 eggs in the incubator and I'm sure some are from the Cochins.

The Brahma mixed chicks have feathered legs too. Their coloring is gorgeous too!

I may or may not have a chicken obsession my husband was just talking about breeding even more when we move

Hmmm. Either he is trying to focus your creative side on chickens or he sees profits (or a way to minimize losses). No matter, he is supporting you in this. That is good. We are arguing over the limited backyard. Dogs vs chickens. Seems "we" have a strong prey drive.

Simple solution is to get more property. Reminds me of Yosemite Sam. "This town ain't big enough for the both of us."

 

[FortCluck]

Hmmm. Either he is trying to focus your creative side on chickens or he sees profits (or a way to minimize losses). No matter, he is supporting you in this. That is good. We are arguing over the limited backyard. Dogs vs chickens. Seems "we" have a strong prey drive.

Simple solution is to get more property. Reminds me of Yosemite Sam. "This town ain't big enough for the both of us."

We are looking to get 11 acres or at least as close as we can to it.

Right now we are only on about 3 acres and we are only using about 1.5 acres of it

 

[RUNuts]

I have decided we need barrels with rain water harvesting in the chicken pen from the coop roofs. Is it better to put bug screens or add fish and plants in the barrels? If the chickens drink the muddy water, I'm sure fish flavored will be new and exciting to them.

 

[sdm111]

They are very pretty birds, and look majestic somehow, like standing at attention or something!

Thank you. They do do that as adults too. You can tell they're proud.

The hens too