California - Northern

[ronott1]

My serama hen is dping something weird. shes twitching and shaking her head repeatedly like spmething is bothering her bit i dont see anything

Hi nikki!

I like the new avatar.

Mites can get into the ears and cause head shaking. Sometimes they just do that though.

 

[AlpineButterfly]

Been away for a bit. There is no way I can catch up but will just pick up from here. I have finished my Quail pen and am very pleased with how it turned out. I posted a little video of it here: I am getting ready to add the automatic waterers and am wondering abnout how I should set them up. I have purchased some of the cups with the PVC connectors. I am thinking of running a PVC pipe with the drinkers along the right hand interior wall of each level with 2 cups per pen. It will be pucket fed for now until I can run some PVC pipe water supply into the pen (most likely in the spring). I would like to have one connetor to the bucket, the branch off to run the 2 lines. Will the bucket need to be above the uppermost line or can I have it below the topmost and above the lower one? I am juat thinking that lifting a bucket that high will be tough. I will be mounting a bracket on the fence to hang the bucket from.

I like the quail pen! I'm causing trouble and suggesting to my sister that they should get quail, since they're small... For my watering system, I just leave the bucket mounted to the fence, and fill it with a hose.

 

[TheKeeper]

hahahaha...looking forward to hanging with this fellow. I have some lovely potential girl friends for him currently hanging out in their eggs awaiting incubation and the more mature type are looking forward to welcoming him too. He will fit right in with these two.






I am thinking January?? By then I should have thinned out my pullets and processed/rehomed my excess cockerels. Do you have a girl you want me to take at the same time?

I have an unrelated smooth male that I can partner with my sizzle girl...but she only lays about 5 eggs between broody periods so I may never be able to hatch her eggs.

January is no problem. He shouldn't be crowing by then. He is a funny character - already acting all proprietary about his clutchmates. He'll be a good flock commanders.
I have a frizzled silkie pullet or 2 (maybe). I'll be ready to sell them about the same time in January.

This one is medium dark grey.



This one is the darkest & looks almost wooly.

 

[EZFarms]

hey there Ron ^·^ and thanks and i looked in her ears earlier and didnt see anything

 

[chickee]

Took a couple of quick pictures of my favorite little mix from my last hatch. She's 13 days old and I can just see the beginning of a crest.

Cute! I like the stripes and eye liner!

 

[Hangtown Farms]

Oh- thank you, Ron!

This is the cockerel I have my eye on so far. So far, he looks a lot like dad roo.
.

Have my fingers crossed that he can take over for dad this coming season. Dad will be in with the new pullets, with also his mom, as I would still like a few more cockerels similar in looks to this son. (Amazing how much variation there can be even in 100.)

Even though we are still in F1, am even getting excited about how the pullets are coming along, too.
Some of the pullets have become large, and have just begun to lay this last week. Many are getting well-coppered hackles. Thankfully, no golden or straw haloes issues to work through. And the new egg color (although still small pullets eggs) is as dark, or darker than their mother, so we didn't lose egg color in the first cross, which often happens during F1.

Ignore wire shadows and strange, strong yellow morning light, she is not washed out, mossy or yellow, lol.

The pullet's hackles only have a bit more to go (should also be on top of the head, above eyes as well), and a few gens of working on egg color, we should hopefully be happy campers-- assuming all goes as hoped for. lol We've found these guys can have many bumps in the road during the journey...

nice birds and great eggs

Moving can be a couple of weeks. Molting can be 6 weeks. Many breeds, after the first winter will not lay eggs with less than 12 hours of day light. We are not getting enough light now for many breeds.

This chart should help. The dawn to dusk hours are close to what they need for egg laying.


A lot of breeds seem to start laying when the hours of light begins to increase--which happens two days after the winter solstice.

My younger Black Penedesenca and Brown Red Ameraucana are laying great but other runs nothing. some birds in those runs are the same age

Another Pita Pinta owner!


I keep imagining my layer flock being half Pita Pinta....

I am all Pene's except my 3 brown red 's

 

[Hangtown Farms]

if anyone is interested i have
About 14 black penedesenca eggs and 5 Bantam Brown Red Ameraucana.
I need to make another run before I start hatching anymore

 

[Minflick]

B I am juat thinking that lifting a bucket that high will be tough. I will be mounting a bracket on the fence to hang the bucket from.

Just a small word of warning on HANGING the bucket. Hanging a full bucket deforms the top of the bucket just enough that it's hard to get the lid on and off without huge effort. (At least, in MY case...) I bought a rim and screw on lid for my bucket, and the hanging did not work out for me. I ended up making a small platform for the bucket to sit on, so the bucket would stop flexing, and now I can easily unscrew the lid to check water level inside. To refill, I just bring the hose over to the bucket.

Also, I have the watering cups, vs. nipples, and I was told by the manufacturer that the top of the water supply on their gravity fed cups mustn't be more than X cm's higher than the cups, which mine was, which was why my cups were leaking a bit into the coop. My cups are a different brand than yours, so that may be not be true for you, but, I wanted to pass along that warning.

Melinda

 

[tommysgirl]

Could not find local bantam cochin eggs so gave Julie Taylor 5 eggs from Gracie Belle. If GB lays an egg today I will give that one to Julie too The will be Silkie covered by a silkie x MF D'Uccle. Wonder what they will look like??

My other broody, Norma, will be getting eggs from Pet Rock It doesn't get old!

 

[EZFarms]

my serama hens comb is dark and shes letting my roo mate with her but no eggs what can i do to help her start laying or encourage laying