Bay Area BYCers!

[Hangtown Farms]

Does everyone else have panting chickens today? Mine are just shy of 8 weeks, and it's about 90* here in Fremont. Lots of panting, they've been drinking water as well. They are still insisting on taking small sun baths. Is this normal?

if you kept empordanesa or penedesenca that would not be a issue. Just sayin!

HI STEFF!!!!!

x2 welcome

To follow up on an old post of mine...a few weeks ago My Barred Rock (Daisey) disappeared while we were on vacation. Just...gone! So I have been looking for a couple of juvenile BRs. After some false starts I found Dare-2-Dream farm in Lompoc that incredibly will deliver juveniles to the Bay Area. To make a long story short, I arranged for Megan to deliver 2 10-11 week old BR pullets.

They arrived last evening, but instead of 10-11 weeks, these little girls are maybe 7-8 weeks old. They are still going "peep-peep"! However, they are sweet natured and not afraid of humans, and Megan adjusted the price and threw in a dozen beautiful eggs.

The big girls (who are 12-13 weeks old) are giving the noobies dirty looks and I don't think they let them up on the roosts last night. I picked them up and set them on the far end of the roost, but this morning at daylight the babies were back down on the floor. Other than that, however, there doesn't seem to be any obvious feather-pulling going on.

So the net result of all this is that my little flock is now 5 instead of 4; 2 Buff Orps, 1 Americauna, and 2 new Barred Rocks. Chicken math!

nice little hiding spot for them

Lavender Ameraucanas and some of the Lavender Egg project chicks. I need to get more pics, but these are a few that hatched here this week. Somehow they're all way poofier in person than in these pics.

Nice I hatched some silvers last week.

Thanks! No we found the picture on the web. Being the crafty sort we wanted to make it a bit bigger so we could stand up inside (dave's 6'3"), and have window in it for the girls etc. So....we projected the image onto a large wall at the university where D works and drew up the size we wanted from their of the frame. D took to the shop and is going to work making the frame....it's a little tricky to being an arc- pieces need to be fashioned together cause we won't be bending the wood like I'm sure the company that made the pic one did. anyway ....will happily post pics when we get it finished.....goal is on the ground w/chickens next spring! We are moving ...selling house etc so lots to do.
Nice to meet you.
Steph

love the coop as well.

 

[davesteph]

Well Dave said the plywood only has to hold up the top support ridge and the wire. Trouble with even the outside grade plywood is the moisture damage so sealing it well to prevent this is our goal. Would love to see an example of your idea. Isn't this cool to have such a community on here sharing ideas etc...priceless.

Working out the logistics of a hatch in back of the coop for easy cleaning.....and food storage???....plus I'm not heavy so want to be able to get inside the coop and hang with the girls when the weather is dismal & pouring....with a grandchild or two.....it's a challenge! Of course it has to look appealing to me too as it' will be a focal point of our open property.

Figuring out whether we want to be able to move the whole thing a bit right or left as they peck things bare is a consideration as well.
Lots of predator concerns so finding a visually acceptable way to prevent digging by foxes or other animals around the chickens is a big concern. Thinking 18 in of large river rock around the edge might work...trying to stay away from plastic grating on the ground which we found for free. Ugh....my head is so full!
Thanks for listening!
Steph

 

[davesteph]

your babies are so adorable....can't wait....can I ask where you got them from?

I have a bunch of vacation time I' saving up so I can take lots off & enjoy the early days to the max! haha! Lots to learn. Dave is a veterinarian....has had chicken patients over the years but none of his own.....should be interesting!
Steph

 

[Tovah]

Hey Bay Area, i am looking for Fertilized eggs for my broody cucko maran. Ii have never done this before but i hear it is a good way to introduce new chicks to the flock and deal with the brooder. I would love some advive. I am in oakland.

 

[jeremy]

Hey Bay Area, i am looking for Fertilized eggs for my broody cucko maran. Ii have never done this before but i hear it is a good way to introduce new chicks to the flock and deal with the brooder. I would love some advive. I am in oakland.

Hey neighbor!

Where are you in Oakland?

The first year I had broodies I realized just how valuable they are, they completely take the work out of raising baby chicks. No brooder box to worry about, no heat lamps, no dust from pine shavings all over your house... just make sure they have food and water and momma does the rest! She will definitely keep other hens at bay when it comes to her babies and then when she deems them ready to be part of the flock she'll "kick them out of the nest" so to speak. From there because the young ones were raised with the other birds introduction is typically pretty smooth.

I don't have any fertilized eggs right now, I usually do have eggs available from my Orpington flock, but we lost our rooster last fall and won't be hatching a replacement until later this year. I know there are a few folks who frequent this thread who should have something for you. If not I have also read on other threads about folks hatching fertilized eggs they bought from the grocery store.

Either way, good luck with your momma hen!

 

[chiqita]

Tovah
Welcome! I have lots of eggs but I'm in San Jose a bit far. But if your desperate let me know. I have fcbm, cream legbar/easter egger mixes, breese and some silkies. I'd recommend sticking with large fowl if you are going to put them in your lf flock however.

 

[khoe]

Fertilized eggs from the grocery store?!? Say whattttttt? Lol

 

[jeremy]

Fertilized eggs from the grocery store?!? Say whattttttt? Lol

Yeah, lots of folks have had success hatching fertilized eggs from Trader Joe's, Safeway, etc. I'm pretty sure there are whole threads dedicated to hatching grocery store eggs here on BYC.

As long as the eggs aren't too old the embryos will still be viable, when you introduce them to a hen or an incubator and the incubation process starts the cells start to do their magic!

Most birds that hatch from the eggs have looked like Leghorn/production layer types.

 

[chiqita]

You are much more ambitious builder then me! That sounds like quite a project I'm excited to see it.

I'm on my phone so I can't get down to the next quote but yes. You get keghorns from white eggs and I think red star mixes from the brown? Try to get them right when they come to the store for best hatching. Trader joes are the best.

Well Dave said the plywood only has to hold up the top support ridge and the wire.  Trouble with even the outside grade plywood is the moisture damage so sealing it well to prevent this is our goal.  Would love to see an example of your idea.  Isn't this cool to have such a community on here sharing ideas etc...priceless.

Working out the logistics of a hatch in back of the coop for easy cleaning.....and food storage???....plus I'm not heavy so want to be able to get inside the coop and hang with the girls when the weather is dismal & pouring....with a grandchild or two.....it's a challenge!  Of course it has to look appealing to me too as it' will be a focal point of our open property.

Figuring out whether we want to be able to move the whole thing a bit right or left as they peck things bare is a consideration as well.
Lots of predator concerns so finding a visually acceptable way to prevent digging by foxes or other animals around the chickens is a big concern.  Thinking 18 in of large river rock around the edge might work...trying to stay away from plastic grating on the ground which we found for free.  Ugh....my head is so full!
Thanks for listening!
Steph

Fertilized eggs from the grocery store?!? Say whattttttt? Lol

 

[wolftracks]

I have fertile eggs and will be in Union City on friday. Depends on what you're looking for though. And I've hatched Safeway and Trader Joe's fertile eggs.