California - Northern

[BCollie]

Crap. My post dissapeared!
The short version is either jason for auto sexing crele penedesenca or get an older pullet.

Fbcms have funny vent sexing bumps and are very hard to vent sex.

I expect to start having this conversation more I have to put up an ad for the first marans chicks of the year!

Can chicks be sexed by the feathers on their wings? I heard this but am not sure if it's true or not.
Someone on the Redding CL is selling Blue/Black Marans Pullets. I would go get one right now if I was able to introduce them to my flock, but I have nowhere to keep one and currently no way to properly introduce them to the flock(the chicken yard won't be set up for another couple weeks)...I know you can't just get a new pullet and put it in with the flock, correct?

 

[BCollie]

Quote:
Thanks Ron - I just checked out both websites. I don't see any mention of chocolate layers on sweeth2o, and with Heaven Sent Ranch there's a minimum order of 4 chicks for local pickup.
Heaven Sent will be at the Red Bluff Show on the 29th and will have chicks for sale there...

I wonder if they'll have a minimum if getting chicks from them at the show...I plan on going to the show.

 

[chiqita]

What have you been hatching?  And any tips for hatching FBCMs??? 

I have been putting eggs that I have not sold in once a week! This was our first reg size hatch. 7 silkie/showgirl 5 fcbms a bunch of quail and a lone breese. The next hatch has more fbcms.

A fbcm is like a pregnant girl. She needs to stay on the curve or a little skinny. If you cant see the air cells weigh em to make sure they are loosing weight. If they have to much room in the liquid the second week they get too big to turn and get stuck malpositioned. This is especially bad on shipped eggs where the membranes get all streached. Its the only breed I prefer smaller eggs for setting if I can get them. My new layers have crazy amounts of bloom all clear but if it stays warm with hens sharing nests it feels coated in glue. I left a finger print on one yesterday should have gotten a picture.

The girls have switched into high gear and are laying every day right now so my eggs are lighter for great hatchablity. For you you gear your bator for big eggs so you should have good conditions just watch if they need a water diet week 2.
The challenge is getting those and duck and serema eggs to hatch together. They need completly different conditionsm

 

[Audio51]

Quote:
Thanks Ron - I just checked out both websites. I don't see any mention of chocolate layers on sweeth2o, and with Heaven Sent Ranch there's a minimum order of 4 chicks for local pickup.
Heaven Sent will be at the Red Bluff Show on the 29th and will have chicks for sale there...

I wonder if they'll have a minimum if getting chicks from them at the show...I plan on going to the show.

Me too....you could email her to see if you can get just one at the show. Her site says from 3 days to 6 weeks old. Maybe she will hold one for you

 

[ChirpChickens]

any Lopp Rabbit (any kind) breeders in Nor Cal?

 

[chiqita]

Can chicks be sexed by the feathers on their wings? I heard this but am not sure if it's true or not.
Someone on the Redding CL is selling Blue/Black Marans Pullets. I would go get one right now if I was able to introduce them to my flock, but I have nowhere to keep one and currently no way to properly introduce them to the flock(the chicken yard won't be set up for another couple weeks)...I know you can't just get a new pullet and put it in with the flock, correct?

Newp. Marans dont have that gene. Chrissy said something about hers sometimes working maybe? But not for mine lol. Sometimes they are born with an upright comb however those are boys.

Marans are fat sassy and fiesty. If any chicken could be just fit into a flock it would be them. When I got adult marans hens they just took over. But I had 4.

 

[Audio51]

Quote:
Mine have pretty consisostently had faster tail feather growth for the pullets. The 2 I just gave away as roos has stubby tails and big combs already

 

[BCollie]

Quote:
Thanks Ron - I just checked out both websites. I don't see any mention of chocolate layers on sweeth2o, and with Heaven Sent Ranch there's a minimum order of 4 chicks for local pickup.
Heaven Sent will be at the Red Bluff Show on the 29th and will have chicks for sale there...

I wonder if they'll have a minimum if getting chicks from them at the show...I plan on going to the show.

Me too....you could email her to see if you can get just one at the show. Her site says from 3 days to 6 weeks old. Maybe she will hold one for you

Good idea, thank you! I just sent her an email. You guys are so helpful, I've now got several leads for chocolate layer chicks. My mom will be thrilled.
Now, if I were to get a 3-day old chick from her, it would be about a week and a half old by the time I got my new chicks on April 7th. This age difference isn't too much for them to be in the same brooder, is it? I would assume they'd be fine together.

Quote:
Lol! I would have no problem with just sticking a pullet(the ones for sale are 6 to 11 weeks old) in with my girls if I could be sure my girls wouldn't hurt the new pullet. But I'm afraid they'd kill a new one if she was just stuck in with the flock.
By the time I get my chicks, the chickens are going to have their coop/run set up in their own chain-link protected yard, so I'll be able to introduce the chicks by letting them have play time in the yard while my current girls stay in the coop/run and just watch them. That way they can get used to seeing them, without me having to worry about them being able to hurt the chicks. However, that won't be happening for another couple weeks and I'm sure the pullets will be gone by then.

 

[PetRock]

Here is Chickengirl1304's website:

http://gracefulchickens.com/

I see that she has a minimum number of 10 for chicks. But maybe that is for shipped chicks? You are pretty close to her, aren't you?

 

[chiqita]

Mine have pretty consisostently had faster tail feather growth for the pullets.  The 2 I just gave away as roos has stubby tails and big combs already

l know 100 ways of telling boys. Base of com at birth waddles redness crazy thick legs.

But my experiance is it just leaves the slower quieter boys in the mix and takes about 30% out. That still leave a lot in there.

Ymmv of course! And I will watch this 2.