California - Northern

[casportpony]

Quote: What does his poop look like and has he been wormed?

-Kathy

 

[OR4-hmom]

Welcome Ponyfeather,
You will have a great assortment of breeds in no time, I wish my climate was more like Sonoma. I love the temperament of Brahmas but we get up to 110° in the summer, they get miserably hot in our summers and I have misters around the run to help them deal with the heat.

You can't go wrong with Walt's birds. Not sure where and when the next CA show is but going to a show and walking the isles is a great way to learn about breeds and to see what you can't live without.

 

[PetRock]

I live in Sonoma County too and I can't think of any chicken that would not thrive here. If you want to show chickens you should look for a breed recognized by the APA. Many of the breeds mentioned on this thread are not accepted by the APA. I raise many breeds but the New Hampshires seem to fit perfectly into what you want to do. They are mellow don't eat a lot for big birds and are very pretty,

Walt

Thank you for chiming in, Walt! Do New Hampshires do well at shows? Are they a good LF breed to start with if you are wanting to show? Besides the NHs, what are some other dual purpose LF breeds that are good for showing and raising in the warmer areas of N CA? Am I correct in assuming that solid colored birds are easier for beginning breeders who want to show their birds?

I do have several breeds that aren't APA recognized. I have them because I like the breeds and I have other purposes for them besides showing. But I do see the value of raising breeds that are accepted as well as dual purpose. I have my BBS Langshans that I am working on and I have been thinking about adding another breed that is recognized. My layer flock is eclectic and full of trial breeds. I have been impressed with the Welsummer pullets that I have. They are friendly, good free rangers, and lay lots of huge terracotta colored eggs.

 

[Audio51]

Quote:
They are called "Soft Paws". They come in different sizes.but they are designed with the curve of dog/cat nails in mind. I dont know if they would fit or stay on a Roo. Maybe the largest size. You can get them online. They run about $20 I think.
www.softpaws.com

 

[ronott1]

Good Friday morning! I

Fridays!!!

Who has chicks hatching this weekend? I have 26 eggs set to hatch. Tomorrow night it will officially be 21 days. Of course, I'm looking for pips already! These Pita Pinta/PP mix chicks seem to hatch a little early.

I finished a hatch--I hatched 8 kathyinmo Delawares and two SG Dorkings. My next hatch is next Friday--It will be a big double hatch.

I hope yours goes well!

I know..........I so have trouble going out to eat breakfast. I can hardly face a store bought egg.

Wisher100 is a Cop and when she worked the late shift, she brought eggs from her place in for them to cook for her at the restaurant. She brought enough to share of course.

I need some help, my Serama rooster appears to be sick, he is very withdrawn but is still eating and drinking. His comb is blackish in places. He is closing his eyes a lot. I checked him for mites/injuries I didn't find any. None of the other chickens look like that. What can I do for him? I'm at a loss.

He might have a mold issue. We had that bad wind recently so the Valley Fever mold may have been stirred up.

The comb suggest cardio vascular stuff going on.

 

[OR4-hmom]

They are called "Soft Paws".  They come in different sizes.but they are designed with  the curve of dog/cat nails in mind.    I dont know if they would fit or stay on a Roo.  Maybe the largest size.  You can get them online.  They run about $20 I think. 
www.softpaws.com

Petco also came up in the search I did so they may be easy to find at a local pet store.
Since they may come off I personally would keep working on his nails to dull and shorten them. Ours settle down quickly once they figure out what I'm doing to them.

 

[PetRock]

I finished a hatch--I hatched 8 kathyinmo Delawares and two SG Dorkings. My next hatch is next Friday--It will be a big double hatch.

I hope yours goes well!

This is another hatch with mixed eggs (Pita Pinta, PP/CL mix, and Langshans). I just checked and one of the blue PP/CL eggs has a pip! I'm determined this time to leave the chicks in there until the Langshans have hatched. If none of the L eggs have pipped, I might remove hatched chicks. I just want to give my Langshans a chance to hatch without the shrink wrap issue. I just finished setting another group of eggs but I set the Langshan eggs a day before the PP eggs. I'm determined to get this right!

 

[ronott1]

I live in Sonoma County too and I can't think of any chicken that would not thrive here. If you want to show chickens you should look for a breed recognized by the APA. Many of the breeds mentioned on this thread are not accepted by the APA. I raise many breeds but the New Hampshires seem to fit perfectly into what you want to do. They are mellow don't eat a lot for big birds and are very pretty,

Walt

Great tips!

Australorps do very well in the heat you have and with the temperature change. Black Australorps are APA Accepted too. They are calm, quiet and mellow. They are also great foragers and working chickens.

Australorps and New Hampshire look pretty mixed together in a flock too.

 

[PetRock]

I need some help, my Serama rooster appears to be sick, he is very withdrawn but is still eating and drinking. His comb is blackish in places. He is closing his eyes a lot. I checked him for mites/injuries I didn't find any. None of the other chickens look like that. What can I do for him? I'm at a loss.

So sorry that your boy is not feeling well!

 

[Audio51]

The plastic bins work well. I use them indoors and have also moved them outside into the floor area of one of my outside aviaries. You could also set them up on something insulating (like wood or newspaper) so the cold from the concrete floor in the garage isn't a factor.

I have used peach bins. They are raised off the floor by a pallet type structure attached to the bottom & are solid wood sides all around. My neighbor sells old ones to me for $20 & they are 4' by 4" and about 2 & 1/2 ' high. I make a hardware cloth & wood framed hinged 2 piece top for them that I can drop a light down from. It has worked well for me when my regular brooders got full.



The peach bins sound perfect! I wish I was coming im May...I would definitley have you bring me one!