California - Northern

[Happy Chooks]

I got my order of Mix variety Brahmas as in some will be light some dark and some Buff but I cannot tell which are what. I can of course guess the brownish ones are the buff ones. Its hard to get pictures. I have posted some here before. They move about so fast.

Looks like silver, buff and dark brahmas. Cuties, congrats!

Right now I have 3 hens and 2 roosters. The hens 2 are sexlinks and one is a barred rock. The roosters one is a red cap the other who is the rwd cap's son is a barred rock/ red cap. Now you know who the parents are XD. I also have 10 Brahma chicks I got mail ordered last week.

You need some more hens or those poor girls are going to be overmated.

They're only just under 3 months, so should I say it's safe to buy another 50lb bag of chick food for my 8 chicks?

Yep.

Quote:
Some crosses don't matter, some genes are sex-linked. Such as a genetic red cock over a barred hen will give you red sex link chicks. The other way around does not. Play around with the color calculator.
http://kippenjungle.nl/kruising.html
Actually, red over barred gives you black sex links. Red over silver gives you red sex links. Here is the sex link information:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/261208/sex-linked-information/0_50

 

[lawatt]

That link has cost me sooooo many hours of sleep!!!

Hey NorCal folk. It's been ages since I've been able to follow this thread. Glad to see that so many of the mainstays are still here!! I guess getting up to an unknown number of chickens has got me to stop having time to "enjoy" them as much which always lead me to this thread. In fact, I think the last time I was really active on here was when I was trying to count my chickens. ha ha ha. never did finish that and I still don't know how many I have. someday, someday I will count them. well HI to you all! Was there a chicken-stock this summer?! Hope you are staying cool and keep those chickens alive in the heat... which has been a struggle for me with three days over 112 in the last month!! I didn't lose any this last one, so I think I got the system down finally!!! Happy sunday, at least for a few more minutes!

welcome back!!

and re: the chicken calculator link, and idea of how one would describe a SFH on it? they're so wildly multicolored, i don't know where to begin!
in case it's helpful, here's a photo of Max:

 

[Ninamm]

I am in Silicon valley.

 

[tommysgirl]

I could waste some serious time with that chicken chart!

OK so you guys might remember that Ray died and that I needed a new roo so I picked up a Deleware Cockerel and pullet ( Ozzie and Harriet) from Kim in June. He is 16 weeks old and beautiful and comes running whenever he sees me in the yard but he is a total pazoo with the ladies. No courtliness, he's afraid of the big girls because they are so constantly irritated with him. He rushes everywhere and doesn't seem to have much in the way of coordination. He is like a geeky 14 year old boy at a college sorority. He doesn't dance and I have yet to hear him crow that I know of...there is quite a bit of crowing going on around here just not from him. Soooooo can I get a ballpark re what to expect. Kim offered me a beautiful mature roo and I am sort of, but not really regretting taking this youngster instead. My girls need a ROOSTER.

Welcome new folks!

I now think that Beakface's babies are 3 girls and a boy. They are totally cute and she has been such a good mommy. Ozzie should watch how she treats her babies to learn how to treat his flock.I didn't separate them from the flock because she has so much alone time in the coop with them while the others are ranging. Last night when I went to tuck everyone in I found Ozzie, Harriet and my three other brown egg pullets on the shelf above the nesting boxes instead of on the roosts. It's because Beakface and her chicks were in the middle of the coop floor and she wouldn't let any of the younger birds pass her to get to the roosts.

She also didn't take them out of the coop yesterday. I think it was because they had to have help getting back in the day before.

 

[capayvalleychick]

OK so you guys might remember that Ray died and that I needed a new roo so I picked up a Deleware Cockerel and pullet ( Ozzie and Harriet) from Kim in June. He is 16 weeks old and beautiful and comes running whenever he sees me in the yard but he is a total pazoo with the ladies. No courtliness, he's afraid of the big girls because they are so constantly irritated with him. He rushes everywhere and doesn't seem to have much in the way of coordination. He is like a geeky 14 year old boy at a college sorority. He doesn't dance and I have yet to hear him crow that I know of...there is quite a bit of crowing going on around here just not from him. Soooooo can I get a ballpark re what to expect. Kim offered me a beautiful mature roo and I am sort of, but not really regretting taking this youngster instead. My girls need a ROOSTER.

I am sure that he will figure out what to do, soon. I used a young Del cockerel for breeding and he did fine.

I do need my mature Braden rooster (and the 2 pullets) out of here ASAP. I need their coop & run for my new Delawares. I've advertised them and not had any interest. At this point, I'm willing to give the rooster away. You could take him and see if he'd teach Junior how to be a man, then rehome him. Anybody want him/them??? I'd take $10. each for the pullets, if anyone is interested. They are not exhibition quality but would be fine for a backyard or mixed flock.

 

[ChickNmamma]

Quote: Hi Jeff, glad to hear your birds are surviving the heat too. I am really enjoying the Marans and the SFH I bought from you.

I think the SFH break the bank on the chicken calculator. Lets see.. mottled, check. colors? well.. whatever.. um.. how do you put "whatever" in the chicken calculator? That one looks like it has blacktail, lacing, maybe mahogany.. oh - I don't know. Start with something close to Mille Fleur, add a few random genetics ... well...

Its like trying to put EEs in there - their genetics are so mixed up you will never get the same answer in the chicks that you would with the calculator.

I used it for a crossing of Silkies (Partridge x Buff) and only ONE of the chicks actually came out Smutty Buff. All the rest.. well that Buff isn't pure for Buff and already carries Partridge - and my Partridge also carries Recessive white and so does a Blue hen .. so you can imagine what a bunch of mixes I have!

Still, it is VERY fun to play with! They came up with a newer one that also puts in :

H: Silky h=Silky
F: Frizzle F=Frizzle semilethal [Frizzle]
Na: Naked Neck Na=Naked neck [Naked neck SF]
Hf: Henny Feathering Hf=Henny feathered [Henny feathered SF]
Cp: Creeper Cp=Creeper LETHAL [Creeper]
Pti: Foot Feathering (simplified) Pti=Featherfooted
V: Vulture Hocks v=Vulture hocks
Mb: Muff Beard Mb=Beard [little Beard]
Cr: Crest Cr=Crest [little Crest]
Et: EarTuft Et=Eartufts lethal? [Eartufts]
Rp: Rumplessness Rp=Rumpless lethal? [Rumpless]
D: Duplex Comb Dv=V-shape Duplex
Bd: Breda Combless bd=Combless
R: Rosecomb R=Rosecomb r+=non-rosecomb
P: Peacomb

WOO HOO

http://kippenjungle.nl

I shortened it... hope the link still works.

 

[lawatt]

I think the SFH break the bank on the chicken calculator. Lets see.. mottled, check. colors? well.. whatever.. um.. how do you put "whatever" in the chicken calculator? That one looks like it has blacktail, lacing, maybe mahogany.. oh - I don't know. Start with something close to Mille Fleur, add a few random genetics ... well...

Its like trying to put EEs in there - their genetics are so mixed up you will never get the same answer in the chicks that you would with the calculator.

exactly my thought! i guess the answer is to just hatch some crossed chicks and see what they look like! i managed to give my only Max Jr. that i've hatched so far away last week, she was a SFH/CCL cross, and looked like this:



but in general, it seems harder to sell/give away mixed-breed chicks than pure (which makes perfect sense), so i'm reluctant to hatch a bunch of crosses unless i can get myself trained/mentally prepared for processing them, as i don't have space to keep lots and lots of extras!

 

[MossyoakLane]

Does anyone in Sonoma County have duck eating eggs? I will need a dozen or so by Thursday.

Thanks!

 

[chiqita]

Omg smelly morning!!!!!

Pappabear has the worlds smelliest broody poop and she decided to share a few with us this morning and then sneak out into the hallway and share again. It was eye watering and painful. Then I went to check on Vonnie my broody hatchery we who was hiding and sat on her own
Egg and she had about 5 exploded under her and 4 more with cracked shells. She was literally covered on her bottom in egg goo. I had to wash her, the remaining eggs, and her spot and carefully dispose of the cracked eggs.

She seemed very grateful. I'm going to have to give her a few chicks I doubt the remaining eggs have any hope....

 

[badmsm]

We have 9 pullets almost 3 months old: 3 Australorps, 2 Delawares, 2 Light Brahmas, and 2 Leghorns. We also keep bees.