2018 Newbie Chat!

[Anna Ranieri]

This morning my guys at work brought me a generator and extension cords. I got the fish hooked up first, then the electic fireplace and one heater I had. I also connected the outside waterers for the rabbits. I threw hey and pellers out for the wild ones--they are using the duck pool with straw for shelter. My own personal rabbits are fine--filled up their food and water thawed. . I brought the cats downstairs to get warm--one was sneezing. My boss and good friend that is s co-worker had lunch delivered to me and my son brought gallons of water.

The electric finally went back on at about 3pm. We still have a wire wrapped around another wite that could be a potential problem. The first thing I did when the power went back on was turn that furnace on. Then I went and filled the tub up for the ducks to swim, then I moved Prince in with the girls--first I put cardboard over the plastic because that wasn't cutting it, then I had chickens escape--they all went by Prince.

All of these animals were such troopers. Completely trusted everything I have done. Brought the cats back upstairs once the room was warm, made sure the toads were warm, the fish tanks are still not heated completely up--they were down to 50 degrees--not sure how the fish survived but God willing they did. I just got everything back to normal.

Everyone of them laid an egg today too. I got animals everywhere. I got one room empty right now..lol


Ducks
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Escape Chickens

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Prince with the girls

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The two girls fighting over a corner to lay an egg--they flipped my idea of nest boxes
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3 of the 4 cats
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And the toads
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Fantastic pictures!Fantastic news, so glad you and all yours are safe

 

[No More Empty Nest]

This morning my guys at work brought me a generator and extension cords. I got the fish hooked up first, then the electic fireplace and one heater I had. I also connected the outside waterers for the rabbits. I threw hey and pellers out for the wild ones--they are using the duck pool with straw for shelter. My own personal rabbits are fine--filled up their food and water thawed. . I brought the cats downstairs to get warm--one was sneezing. My boss and good friend that is s co-worker had lunch delivered to me and my son brought gallons of water.

The electric finally went back on at about 3pm. We still have a wire wrapped around another wite that could be a potential problem. The first thing I did when the power went back on was turn that furnace on. Then I went and filled the tub up for the ducks to swim, then I moved Prince in with the girls--first I put cardboard over the plastic because that wasn't cutting it, then I had chickens escape--they all went by Prince.

All of these animals were such troopers. Completely trusted everything I have done. Brought the cats back upstairs once the room was warm, made sure the toads were warm, the fish tanks are still not heated completely up--they were down to 50 degrees--not sure how the fish survived but God willing they did. I just got everything back to normal.

Everyone of them laid an egg today too. I got animals everywhere. I got one room empty right now..lol


Ducks
View attachment 1601479
View attachment 1601478

Escape Chickens

View attachment 1601481

Prince with the girls

View attachment 1601482
View attachment 1601483

The two girls fighting over a corner to lay an egg--they flipped my idea of nest boxes
View attachment 1601485

3 of the 4 cats
View attachment 1601486

And the toads
View attachment 1601487

So good to hear! I was worried about you and all the animals. So happy everyone pulled through. You have some good friends.

 

[CannedMonster]

@ChooksNQuilts I've decided to post several pics for you to have a look at several different angles, the egg colours are showing up a bit lighter on the photos than they really are but I think you'll get the idea, I've put a couple of pics of them with Pedro's eggs for you to see there is a difference. If you can see well enough on the pics to see there is a kind of white coating on one of Jellybean's eggs and the one she laid today has a bit of that on too but not so much, I haven't included today's lay as these pics had already been taken before they laid today. Are you able to tell me what the white coating is, why it is on there and if there is cause for concern?
Jellybean's eggs
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Jellybean's eggs along with Pedro's - I don't know why but for some reason her eggs look the same size as Pedro's on these pics but in reality they are not, they are significantly smaller than Pedro's
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The next lot of photos are of Jellybean and Pedro, maybe you could give me an idea of what breed or mix of breeds they might be?

Jellybean

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Pedro
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Meant to say, had to clip Pedro's wings but her flight feathers are black - same colour as her tail feathers.
Jellybean hasn't had her wings clipped but her flight feathers don't grow properly and the few she has on these pics is the most she gets, they are also blackish same colour as her tail feathers

Your friend is correct - Jellybean is a Legbar cross.
Cream Legbars lay blue eggs and they have a crest like she does.
If you cross them with a dark brown egg layer, such as Marans or Welsummer, you will get an Olive Egger.
Jellybean is an Olive Egger and I'm pretty sure her cross is Cream Legbar/Welsummer.
Those eggs are gorgeous!! The perfect olive color IMO.

The white coloration on the eggs is nothing to worry about. Nature isn't like a machine. There are often discrepancies.
Sometimes my birds will have the whitish coating also.
I think it's either part of the color process or the "bloom".
I've gotten eggs at the grocery store with that on them occasionally also.
Your eggs are very nice!
I'm not getting much in terms of eggs lately. My best layer right now is my bantam OEG, Itsy lol.

As far as Pedro's breed goes I would say she's a mix also.
I'm very sure she probably has French Marans in her due to the feathering on her legs but because she's a mix it's very light feathering.
The American version of Marans doesn't have leg feathering but the French does. The French (feathered) version are available here in the US also.
As far as what other breed she may be...well your guess is as good as mine lol.
Probably something red with yellow legs as I don't think Marans are supposed to have yellow legs.
She could be more than two breeds even.
They are wonderful mixes and very pretty birds.

 

[SomeChickinTN]

Jumping in to ask, how do you keep chickens in the house? How does it work? I've got chicks in the brooder, so my coop isn't done yet, but I'm looking at local chickens and wondering if I buy a few, how would I keep them in the house for a day or two until the coop is done?

 

[llombardo]

Jumping in to ask, how do you keep chickens in the house? How does it work? I've got chicks in the brooder, so my coop isn't done yet, but I'm looking at local chickens and wondering if I buy a few, how would I keep them in the house for a day or two until the coop is done?

It's a mess and very dusty. If you have a good set up and furniture is covered, it can be manageable. Whatever room they are in, clise vents and crack a window

 

[CannedMonster]

Day 23 and still no chick...

I'm not worried because there's very little I can do other than let nature take it's course.
I do know from reading incubation/hatching threads on here that it's not always 21 days.
Sometimes it can take a few days longer.
Plus, I think the cold made it develop slower but that's mainly just speculation on my part.
I candled this morning and saw movement and what looked to be the chicks beak in the air cell.
I believe this is called an internal pip?
But I'm not always sure of what I'm looking at when candling.
Also, the air cell looks pretty big and the chick doesn't take up very much room in there. It seems small compared
to other photos I've looked at of day 21+ chicks...

This is starting to worry my usual unworried personality lol.
Come on little chick!!!

I have to work from 4 - 9pm for the next four evenings.
My DH is leaving Friday morning (weather permitting) to go on his annual hunting trip in Colorado.
He will be gone until the season ends (Dec.17) unless they get an elk before then.
This means nobody will be here when the chickens go in to roost until I get home at 9:15ish.
It also means all chores will be on me
I'm not too worried about it because we really have no predator problems here.
As long as my birds stay on this side of the fence there shouldn't be any problems.
Silver and Taka are the ones always trying to go over and sometimes the bantams
I think I will put a tasty treat out for them before I leave for work so they will focus on that instead of what may or may not be on the other side of the fence.

 

[SomeChickinTN]

It's a mess and very dusty. If you have a good set up and furniture is covered, it can be manageable. Whatever room they are in, clise vents and crack a window

Thanks. I'm still trying to figure out when I can go look at them, but the coop could be done by tomorrow, so they wouldn't be in the house long, if at all, depending on when I get them. Then I have to keep them locked in the coop for a few days, right?

 

[CannedMonster]

Thanks. I'm still trying to figure out when I can go look at them, but the coop could be done by tomorrow, so they wouldn't be in the house long, if at all, depending on when I get them. Then I have to keep them locked in the coop for a few days, right?

Do you have a run attached to the coop?
I keep mine in there for at least a week.
Especially if they're older birds new to my property.
It helps them to know this is home now and where they're supposed to roost.

 

[Anna Ranieri]

Your friend is correct - Jellybean is a Legbar cross.
Cream Legbars lay blue eggs and they have a crest like she does.
If you cross them with a dark brown egg layer, such as Marans or Welsummer, you will get an Olive Egger.
Jellybean is an Olive Egger and I'm pretty sure her cross is Cream Legbar/Welsummer.
Those eggs are gorgeous!! The perfect olive color IMO.

The white coloration on the eggs is nothing to worry about. Nature isn't like a machine. There are often discrepancies.
Sometimes my birds will have the whitish coating also.
I think it's either part of the color process or the "bloom".
I've gotten eggs at the grocery store with that on them occasionally also.
Your eggs are very nice!
I'm not getting much in terms of eggs lately. My best layer right now is my bantam OEG, Itsy lol.

As far as Pedro's breed goes I would say she's a mix also.
I'm very sure she probably has French Marans in her due to the feathering on her legs but because she's a mix it's very light feathering.
The American version of Marans doesn't have leg feathering but the French does. The French (feathered) version are available here in the US also.
As far as what other breed she may be...well your guess is as good as mine lol.
Probably something red with yellow legs as I don't think Marans are supposed to have yellow legs.
She could be more than two breeds even.
They are wonderful mixes and very pretty birds.

Wow, thank you very much I was so worried there is something wrong and I am so relieved to know there isn't
I managed to find a picture online of a Cream Legbar standing next to a Welsummer hen and I can see the strong resemblance and similarities between these and Jellybean and I believe you are right about her being CL/W. I always worried she would lose her tuft of feathers on her head as she matures and I am well happy she will keep it.

As for Pedro, she doesn't have any feathers on her legs and her legs aren't as short as they seem on these pics, so I think it must be the pictures, or that she had been scratching in some mud shortly before I took them.

I think you can see her leg better on this one and can see she has no leg feathers at all

Pedro and Jellybean come from the same flock, as far as I am aware the flock consists of two cockerels and about 30 or more hens but I can't remember if the cockerels were of the same breed or not and I didn't get a very good look at them but I remember they were very light in colour and that as far as we could see all the hens were red/reddish - Pedro and Jellybean don't look the same facially nor in shape/size and are different colours, however they have very similar markings, they both have the same black tail and flight feathers(Pedro's have been clipped so can't be seen on here but when grown they are the exact colour and pattern as Jellybean's) and they both have the same black markings along their backs, and necks, so I'm wondering if they have one of their breed mix the same.
I'm re-posting this shot of Jellybean so it can be compared with the shot of Pedro I will post straight after

I'm wondering if Pedro has a bit of Legbar in her too - I think you are right about Jellybean being a Cream legbar/Welsummer but I'm wondering if Pedro is a Rhode Island Red/Legbar, by what you can see do you think that might be possible?

 

[Anna Ranieri]

Day 23 and still no chick...

I'm not worried because there's very little I can do other than let nature take it's course.
I do know from reading incubation/hatching threads on here that it's not always 21 days.
Sometimes it can take a few days longer.
Plus, I think the cold made it develop slower but that's mainly just speculation on my part.
I candled this morning and saw movement and what looked to be the chicks beak in the air cell.
I believe this is called an internal pip?
But I'm not always sure of what I'm looking at when candling.
Also, the air cell looks pretty big and the chick doesn't take up very much room in there. It seems small compared
to other photos I've looked at of day 21+ chicks...

This is starting to worry my usual unworried personality lol.
Come on little chick!!!

I have to work from 4 - 9pm for the next four evenings.
My DH is leaving Friday morning (weather permitting) to go on his annual hunting trip in Colorado.
He will be gone until the season ends (Dec.17) unless they get an elk before then.
This means nobody will be here when the chickens go in to roost until I get home at 9:15ish.
It also means all chores will be on me
I'm not too worried about it because we really have no predator problems here.
As long as my birds stay on this side of the fence there shouldn't be any problems.
Silver and Taka are the ones always trying to go over and sometimes the bantams
I think I will put a tasty treat out for them before I leave for work so they will focus on that instead of what may or may not be on the other side of the fence.

Have you thought about starting your own thread in 'Incubation & hatching' people in there will talk you through it every step of the way, might be worth taking a look?