California - Northern

[PetRock]

Ok my husband says chickens are green light for go! So I know nothing about chickens except I want a Silkie but more as a pet and a breed of chicken that ideally has these traits: calm, docile, good layer, good mother, good table bird. I'm open to and looking for breed recommendations as well as hatchery suggestions. I'm also willing to go thru someone in my area from this site. I'm in Yuba City which is in Sutter County. Any and all help is much appreciated. Thanks a ton, I'm logging off for bed but will check in the a.m.

You will get all kinds of recommendations because we all have breeds that we have & like and lots of other ones that we want! When I started out with chickens, I only knew about hatchery birds and the first year I bought an eclectic assortment to see which ones I liked. Then I discovered BYC and the addiction really began as well as the search for bigger & better birds! Now, I like all of my birds but some of the breeds that I have I am definitely not interested in breeding.

Currently, I am in the process of building breeding pens with a friend who lives on 10 acres in Brentwood. We are starting our breeding program with 4 colors of Langshans because they are my favorite, Silver Penciled Plymouth Rocks because Cheryl graciously allowed me to practice my hatching last year with eggs from her breeding stock, and we have a trio of Am Bresse which just began laying. We are looking for 2 or 3 dual purpose breeds to concentrate on. We plan on trying a few other breeds to see how they work for us. My friend started off liking the SPPRs the best but has now swung over to join me in Langshan love! Everyone who comes to the farm comments on how beautiful they are! They are decent egg layers and a great table bird. Jenny is currently fattening up the extra roos who are close to 1 yr old. Supposedly, they are one breed that has excellent meat even when they are older. We'll find out!

 

[PetRock]

Brown

Thanks, Deb! I don't know why I was expecting white. My friend was worried that one of her mutt chickens had somehow gotten into the pen with Chauvelin and his girls. We are so excited that they are laying and that the eggs are fertile! Can't wait to put some of their eggs into the incubator!!!

 

[ronott1]

What color of eggs do Bresse lay??? I don't know why but I was expecting white eggs and our two Bresse pullets are laying light brown eggs.

Quote:
The description for Bresse eggs is that they start out a light brown color and then turn to a cream color during the laying cycle. The eggs I hatched were very light brown. The first eggs from my pullet are light brown.

 

[PetRock]

The description for Bresse eggs is that they start out a light brown color and then turn to a cream color during the laying cycle. The eggs I hatched were very light brown. The first eggs from my pullet are light brown.

That's exactly what our eggs look like. I didn't weigh them but I'll be sure to take my scale with me when I go to the farm later this week. I saw 4 of them yesterday. 3 were small but the 4th one was bigger. We are going to give them a couple weeks of laying before we set some for hatching.

Edited to say: I love your scale! Where did you get it???

 

[ronott1]

Quote:
The Bresse eggs remind me of SG Dorking eggs. They will probably get up to large fairly easily but will probably not get to Ex large. I bet the Bresse and Dorkings have some common ancestors from a thousand years ago....

I used an antique spring type scale for a lot of years and resisted getting a digital. My middle daughter bought me this one from Target several Christmases ago and now I use it all the time. They laughed at me when I was weighing the pizza dough to make sure I divided it in two evenly. For years and years I would eye ball things like that. Now I measure bagel rounds (12--need to be 2.3oz each), Bread dough and etc. And of course eggs and processed birds.....

 

[PetRock]

The Bresse eggs remind me of SG Dorking eggs. They will probably get up to large fairly easily but will probably not get to Ex large. I bet the Bresse and Dorkings have some common ancestors from a thousand years ago....

I used an antique spring type scale for a lot of years and resisted getting a digital. My middle daughter bought me this one from Target several Christmases ago and now I use it all the time. They laughed at me when I was weighing the pizza dough to make sure I divided it in two evenly. For years and years I would eye ball things like that. Now I measure bagel rounds (12--need to be 2.3oz each), Bread dough and etc. And of course eggs and processed birds.....

I have a flat digital scale that I use to weigh eBay packages and DH uses to weigh grain etc. for his beer making. The problem is if the item is too large, it covers up the read out. I like the way that yours is.

 

[lawatt]

very misty here in sonoma co. this morning (at least up here on the mtn it is!) -- happy to report that the two Amelias have transitioned into the flock without too much fuss, they definitely are low men on the totem pole, but no serious trouble has occurred. quite a relief, as i'll be out of town tues-sat next week! the whole flock has been free-ranging all day yesterday & today, i think that is helping with the transition. i've also left the "transit lounge" pen inside the coop, sitting open -- the amelias still hop back in as a refuge of sorts if someone is chasing them, and the others usually won't follow them in -- funny how that works.

and the two broody girls are hard at work -- it's day 8 for Eleanor and her 10 eggs, and Frances the SPPR is still sitting on fake eggs (plus the ones the other girls keep adding to both their nests!which i then take out), but will have a dozen araucana eggs tomorrow afternoon.

lots going on in chickenlandia! and this was mentioned a ways back, but i'd love to have a north bay meetup some time -- can similarly offer my house as a location.

 

[ronott1]

very misty here in sonoma co. this morning (at least up here on the mtn it is!) -- happy to report that the two Amelias have transitioned into the flock without too much fuss, they definitely are low men on the totem pole, but no serious trouble has occurred. quite a relief, as i'll be out of town tues-sat next week! the whole flock has been free-ranging all day yesterday & today, i think that is helping with the transition. i've also left the "transit lounge" pen inside the coop, sitting open -- the amelias still hop back in as a refuge of sorts if someone is chasing them, and the others usually won't follow them in -- funny how that works.

and the two broody girls are hard at work -- it's day 8 for Eleanor and her 10 eggs, and Frances the SPPR is still sitting on fake eggs (plus the ones the other girls keep adding to both their nests!which i then take out), but will have a dozen araucana eggs tomorrow afternoon.

lots going on in chickenlandia! and this was mentioned a ways back, but i'd love to have a north bay meetup some time -- can similarly offer my house as a location.

That is great news! Way to go Amelias!

 

[liz9910]

Hello! I'm new to backyard chickens and new to incubating eggs...does anyone out there know about Barnevelders fertile hatching eggs in the Sacramento area? I know Trisha up toward Redding, but wondered who else out there loves Barnevelders . Currently, I have 3 Amercaunas, but am hoping to hatch some Blue Copper Marans and then in early May some Barnevelders. I'm so excited to have found this site!

Welcome to the thread!

 

[zooweemama]

Hey, sorry, I've been away from my computer for most of the past couple days. Sadly it didn't make it, poor thing just couldn't lift it's body off the ground let alone walk or stand. An odd thing happened though, as I was disposing of the remains and the rest of the unhatched eggs I heard cheeping. I thought it was the chick but it turned out to be one of the unhatched eggs! The last egg hatched Wednesday! So I put that final egg in the incubator and we'll see what happens with that one.

I'm sorry But yay for the final egg hatch!