California - Northern

[ronott1]

Very Pretty! Thanks for the info re Wolftracks and OEG but she only has Bantams. I want LF. Sandhill has em but not sure I would want to do the hatchery thing again.

She is not local but Razadia has Games. I do not know if they are Bantams or not.

 

[debs_flock]

I put 9 of these in the incubator this morning! I have a zillion blue chickens hatching this month. Iowa blues BBS cochins BBS orphs these guys and.... Something else.

My rirs are due to hatch this week. I have never seen a rose comb one I hope some hatch.

I raise Iowa Blues and I like them very much...................but just so you aren't disappointed, they aren't blue. They are either birchen or silver laced.

I have a RC RIR hen......................she looks like she's missing something, LOL.

 

[chiqita]

I am more trying to make sue I don't mix anything up at hatch. I figured the detail does not show up until they have more then fluff.

I raise Iowa Blues and I like them very much...................but just so you aren't disappointed, they aren't blue.  They are either birchen or silver laced.

I have a RC RIR hen......................she looks like she's missing something, LOL.

 

[debs_flock]

I am more trying to make sue I don't mix anything up at hatch. I figured the detail does not show up until they have more then fluff.
Quote: The birchen are more common and look like little round black chicks. The SP look the same, but dark chocolate brown. I have ten running around a brooder in the spare room right now.

 

[Meg2000000]

Just found this picture of me when I was 4

. The love started young!

This picture is adorable!! I had a couple of chicks when I was young but I didn't know how to take care of them and they died.

My Oldest Daughter has a friend that has an egg business. He has three mobile coops, the big kind that sits on a truck axle. The 400 chickens in the three coops are moved to different farms and fields in the Winters area. The one I visited is on a an organic Farm while another one is in a Fig Orchard. He sells the eggs in SF Bay Area stores and cannot keep up with the orders for eggs. I am helping him get some Heritage and cool egg laying breeds and in exchange I get things like Lamb Shoulders and etc. along with a place for the Roosters to live. He was very impressed with Chema, The EO Basqeue Rooster that I hatched last year. His current roosters are little bitty hatchery birds. Wait until he sees one of those HRIR Roosters in two years.... I also get to breed a bunch of Basque, HRIR, Blue Egg Layers and at least one of the Penedesencas this year. Next year I will be able to breed from the best of this years hatchlings. The first batch of Basque hatch this weekend.

Can't wait to see how the Basques do! And so glad your friend likes Sweet Chema!

Do chickens really hate the wind, or is it just me? Yesterday was overcast and gray, no wind, and I swear, every time I put the chickens into their coop within seconds they were frantically trying to get out and race around the yard. I had them out for HOURS and I had to lure them back in with treats when I needed to do other things (being Sebrights in a cat-heavy neighborhood with hawks nesting in a pine tree on the edge of the property, they are only allowed to free-range under supervision, although they do have fresh grass and dirt in their coop). Today it is a lovely temperature, mild breeze, and the chicks are stubbornly refusing to leave their coop at all! They'll come out, take a treat, and then run straight back in! I opened the side door to the chicken house and Lux decided to lay in the little patch of sun INSIDE instead of sun-bathing in the lovely grassy yard like a normal chicken! They aren't sick or anything...I think they're just selectively lazy.

Lol I noticed the same thing. Mine don't really like wind but they'll go out in the pouring rain! Lol silly chickens!

a Question for those of you who sell eggs: What are your best logistical tips for eggs for the table? I would be selling to people who work in my school district and with my husband. I think I will have about 24 hens this time next year give or take. We eat about 2 doz a week most of the year. Also what do you charge? Also for hatching eggs is it ethical to sell Backyard Quality purebred hatching eggs as long as you are clear that it is what you are doing?? I have no plans to show though I may want to work with a heritage breed just for my own satisfaction and enjoyment at some point. I have a pair of Breeder Chocolate Rocks, a hatchery Partridge Pullet and will have a yet to be determined number of SPR which ARE high quality from Deb's flock . I also plan on having a BYQ Delaware roo in with my current flock of Dels and Australorps and Red Stars and all of my new girls. Just want to make sure I do things on the up and up and that people don't expect more than they will be getting from me when I sell eggs.

We sell eating eggs for $5 a dozen (although we could be getting $8-$10 since we sell them in SF). I would suggest tacking on a $0.50 fee for those people who don't provide their own egg cartons. As far as hatching eggs it's up to you when you want to start selling them.. Just be straight forward and let people know you aren't breeding for standards of the breeds (unless you are). Good luck!!

Hey guys, so today I need to go to Bradshaw Feed and Pet Supply to pick up some feed for my turkeys poults, they're 4 weeks old, and I was wondering what type of feed should I get them because and what brand is best. I'm fairly new to raising birds poultry. I was also wanting to raise a pet chicken nad i want to know what chicken breeds are the best pets. I want to get a bird that will love me and want to cuddle and will know its my baby.

I personally prefer Basques! They are very friendly. I don't know about cuddling and such but they'll roost on your lap and fly up onto your shoulder. Find a friendly breed and then spend a lot of time with them (get at least 2 or 3) and you should be fine! How fun for you!!

 

[gryeyes]

I woke up to a nice surprise this morning: five little ducklings following one of my Cayugas. All but one of my ducks are Cayugas; I have one Call drake in the waterfowl flock. (He has taken a big Cayuga girl as his wife.). There are too many drakes - many of the girls have bald necks. Three different ducks have been on nests in various places in the yard - one of 'em is now a momma.

She has taken them all over the yard today. They are so freaking' cute!

 

[chicksnthestiks]

I woke up to a nice surprise this morning: five little ducklings following one of my Cayugas. All but one of my ducks are Cayugas; I have one Call drake in the waterfowl flock. (He has taken a big Cayuga girl as his wife.). There are too many drakes - many of the girls have bald necks. Three different ducks have been on nests in various places in the yard - one of 'em is now a momma.

She has taken them all over the yard today. They are so freaking' cute!

Congrats! Where are the pictures?

 

[Nikon]

Ah! I missed like almost a week here and now I'm a gazillion pages behind!

Did I miss amazing photos and stories?

Our chicks are around 6 weeks old now! Can't believe how fast it went by! Gonna kick em out of the garage and their "chicken playpen" and into the Bed & Breakfast tomorrow or Friday. I'll take new pics for you guys since they've grown like weeds in the last week and half. Probably post them either Sunday or Monday.

Just back back from Yreka with a youth outreach trip playing paintball and spelunking. Got more lit up taking photos of the teens than actually playing. OUCH!

 

[redriver]

Newbie question time.

My 7.5 week old chicks (9 of them, soon to be 6) are living in their permanent coop/run as of a week and a half ago. The only time they go in the coop is at night to sleep. They all huddle together on the floor in the corner closest to the automatic door. Based on the lack of disturbance/poop in the rest of the coop, they aren't exploring the rest of the coop at all. There is a poop board with a roost too. Since it has Sweet PDZ on the poop board I can tell that they haven't gone up there either.

So, my question is... Will they figure out what/where the roost is and learn to use it on their own, or should I start sticking them up there at dusk? The only reason I haven't yet, is that it is still pretty cool at night (40's), and I figured they were huddling down there for the warmth.

 

[redriver]

Just back back from Yreka with a youth outreach trip playing paintball and spelunking. Got more lit up taking photos of the teens than actually playing. OUCH! 

Hey, you should have said something. I would have loved to meet you. Hopefully you got out of town before the lightning storm started. We are going through the second wave right now. Power went out for about a minute after one close strike, and it keep flickering after most of the others. Our poor electric distribution/transmission system is taking a beating!

What group were you up here with?