I've got a small flock of Buff Orpingtons and Easter Eggers that I started with. My main rooster right now is a splash Blue-Laced Red Wyandotte, possibly crossed with Silver Laced. My other rooster is Silver Laced. I've got a mess of teenage chicks, mostly wyandottes, but also a pair of Delawares from Karen (one died, unknown causes) and a Wheaten Marans. I have in the brooder some of Kim's BCM x Game crosses and four Olive Eggers.
Oh, and the meat birds. I did Freedom Rangers. I'm having to slaughter the roos now, since they're outgrowing their hearts, but I'll have plenty of pullets left to practice on this weekend. They taste marvelous, before this I'd been eating extra dual-purpose roos. This is incredible, and I'm glad I did it even with all of the work.
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Hi!
glad ppl are joining this thread! About the Freedom Rangers- Ive heard very good things about them, but what is the diff between them and CornishX?
They're supposed to be slightly slower growing, compared to the Cornish. I can attest to that - my son showed his meat pen on Friday, and they didn't do well at all against the Cornish X's a whole month younger. The breasts weren't as rounded, although they were at least a pound bigger than most of the other birds. They were supposed to grow just slowly enough that you can free range them and their hearts will keep up with the growth rate. I don't know what happened, but I've lost three in the last week or so. One definitely had heart issues- I found him alive still. The other two may have been predated or cannibalized after the fact, I don't know.
But man, are they ever delicious. I processed two last week and let them rest in the fridge for a few days. I just cooked one up last night, and it was easily the best chicken I've ever had. Dual purpose are flavorful but tough, so I use those for stock. These weren't tough at all.
OK well not really space for anything else, but the ones I'm keeping can move around now. And i made enough on 10 chicks to buy more starter, so I can hatch more chicks to take up more space. So I can sell more chicks to buy more food.
I'm so irrated. I dropped off chicks and came back home and waited for Makayla and Vanessa to get ready to go back with me and I missed all the cages and pens. Lady in front of me said they went for $3!!!
That was the reason I went back. They usually have so much STUFF and they didn't today. Someone else had BCM chicks there and they went for what mine did. Not sure how many they had though.
Jules how are the chicks doing? Can you sex them yet? What are the brown ones feathering out like?
OK
What do I have????
FBCMs
One flock is pure Bev Davis lines
One is Prestley/Valentine
I also just got some new cockerels that are Wade Jean
Ameraucanas
I have BBS, Blue, Black, Silver and Lavender.
I have pips&peeps, rockinpaints, John Blehm and ??? Shaffer maybe?? LOL
Bantam Salmon Favs
Silkies
Black and White
Mille Fluer d'Unccles but only have 2 roos
American Games
Welsummers both LF and Bantam
Pene roo
Barnevelders
Silver Penciled Plymouth Rocks
Buff Laced Polish roo
hmmmm I think that's it.
I do have other breeds in the bator though
Oh and a new Birchen Marans cockerel! I love him! So how could I have forgotten?
Kim, I haven't really tried to sex them yet. They're pretty spooky because I haven't been handling them much. The dark ones are feathering out with a lot of brown in their wings. I'll try to take a picture this week, but the garage door is broken so I can't get much natural light until Wednesday. The one with the extra toes isn't feathering out like a Silkie - it has me very confused!
Hi I'm new to the chicken world but thanks to a few new friends I have already developed a full on obsession lol. I'm having a great deal of fun incubator hatching so if anyone local has hatching eggs let me know, especially colors I love marans and americanas, have to say Easter eggers are my guilty pleasure, I know they don't have a lot of respect in the pure bred world but they're fun. My current interest is in chocolate color feathered chickens if anyone has any thoughts on genetics. I wear my boyfriend out on chicken talk so thought maybe I'd better find some more chicken people to converse with lol I'm hatching white and chocolate guineas too if anyone has royal purple I'd be interested. Oh and I'm looking for pure white peahens my boy needs a girlfriend poor thing shows off for the chickens but they're not impressed.