California - Northern

[ronott1]

check with http://www.littleredhenranch.com they always have a great selection and it helps the kids of the 4H club too.

Thanks for the link!

It is good having you back with us again too!

How are the chickens doing?

 

[TheKeeper]

Last week, an Italian blogger contacted me and asked if he could use some of my Langshan photos for an article he was writing on Langshan.  He posted the link on FB today!  I downloaded a translator program to automatically translate pages to English.  Here is a link to the article on his blog:

http://oryctesblog.blogspot.it/2015/01/avicoltura-i-polli-langshan-croad-i.html

Thats awesome! Wonderful photography of truly drool-worthy birds.
I have a blue Langhen hen. She is a good layer & a great broody mama. She's hatchery (I got her before i found you all) but still gorgeous and statuesque. Her foot feathering has come in heavier after each molt. She look like she's wearing high heeled shoes.

 

[Sylvester017]

Mostly positive. I actually really like the Doms, alert and active without being nervous, pretty food thrifty for dual purpose, my best winter producers. As far as flock politics, I have them in a flock od Marans and Easter Eggers and they're fine. They aren't really aggressive, but definitely assertive and competitive. I would not mix them with especially gentle breeds or bantams-sized birds. They don't take any nonsense from my overly boisterous Marans cockerel. I would not trust them with another hens' chicks (I keep hen-raised chicks separate from the general population anyway, though). I've heard most people say that they are talkative, mine aren't very noisy. They don't always want you to approach them and give them attention, but they will cruise by on their own terms to interact with you. I would say they're some of the most curious chickens I have owned.

One plus is that they seem to actually try to scare off the Scrub Jays that enter their run.

I didn't buy them for myself and hadn't really considered the breed before my husband surprised me with my three, but my layer flock is going to include Dominiques from here on out.

Thanks for the input. I agree with you about the breeds you mentioned. I had a negative experience with a Marans that was a bully to bantams and had to be rehomed but our APA Ameraucana (not an EE) is excellent with the Silkies. Would you hesitate putting a Dom with a flock of Silkies, Ameraucanas, and Breda (all would be 5-lbs and under in weight) or do you feel the Dom temperament would be too bossy? Our Dom chick was an active forager, busy all the time, exceptionally unafraid and curious, but we never got the chance to see her grow into adulthood.

BTW our Dom chick was not noisy but just very talkative. We could go into her dark room in the middle of the night and say something to her and she'd very softly cheep a reply every time -- if we said something to her 5x in the dark she'd reply to us 5x. No other breed we've had has ever done that with us as chicks -- the other chicks remained quiet. During the day she would constantly chatter back to us if we talked to her. One evening at roost time she suffered a sudden violent seizure and was gone in a matter of seconds. We had lost an Ameraucana at 2 months old and were not as heartbroken as losing the personable little Dom chick.

We talked with Dom breeders and they said the adults have the same sweet unafraid curious active outgoing temperament as when they were chicks so we thought a Dom might integrate well into a gentle non-combative flock of 5-lb-under breeds. I may need to talk to more Dom owners to find out how their Doms interact with gentle non-combative breeds like Silkies, Sultans, Houdans, Ameraucanas, Aracaunas, Cochin, Faverolles, Breda, Polish, etc. We had a lovely Leghorn that was uncharacteristically gentle for 3 years and then went bonkers on the flock and had to be rehomed so I sure don't want to go through that with a Dom if the temperament is assertive -- I thought Dom hens were non-aggressive and only combative in self-defense. Mediterranean class hens (Leghorns) and Marans go out of their way to sneak up on or bully flockmates but I thought Doms were not like that.

 

[SpringPeeper]

Thanks for the input. I agree with you about the breeds you mentioned. I had a negative experience with a Marans that was a bully to bantams and had to be rehomed but our APA Ameraucana (not an EE) is excellent with the Silkies. Would you hesitate putting a Dom with a flock of Silkies, Ameraucanas, and Breda (all would be 5-lbs and under in weight) or do you feel the Dom temperament would be too bossy? Our Dom chick was an active forager, busy all the time, exceptionally unafraid and curious, but we never got the chance to see her grow into adulthood.

BTW our Dom chick was not noisy but just very talkative. We could go into her dark room in the middle of the night and say something to her and she'd very softly cheep a reply every time -- if we said something to her 5x in the dark she'd reply to us 5x. No other breed we've had has ever done that with us as chicks -- the other chicks remained quiet. During the day she would constantly chatter back to us if we talked to her. One evening at roost time she suffered a sudden violent seizure and was gone in a matter of seconds. We had lost an Ameraucana at 2 months old and were not as heartbroken as losing the personable little Dom chick.

We talked with Dom breeders and they said the adults have the same sweet unafraid curious active outgoing temperament as when they were chicks so we thought a Dom might integrate well into a gentle non-combative flock of 5-lb-under breeds. I may need to talk to more Dom owners to find out how their Doms interact with gentle non-combative breeds like Silkies, Sultans, Houdans, Ameraucanas, Aracaunas, Cochin, Faverolles, Breda, Polish, etc. We had a lovely Leghorn that was uncharacteristically gentle for 3 years and then went bonkers on the flock and had to be rehomed so I sure don't want to go through that with a Dom if the temperament is assertive -- I thought Dom hens were non-aggressive and only combative in self-defense. Mediterranean class hens (Leghorns) and Marans go out of their way to sneak up on or bully flockmates but I thought Doms were not like that.

Sorry you lost your little one. She sounds like a really cool chick.

With mine, even though they don't seem to be very proactively aggressive, I would not mix them with bantams or breeds ill-equipped to hold their own against large fowl breeds. I would be afraid of the doms getting bored and starting to pick on them, or just being too assertive when it came to sharing resources. I tend to be a worry wart and overly careful, though. I also tend to really not like mixing LF band bantams anyway, so I may be a bit prejudiced.

 

[Sylvester017]

About a year ago I asked you guys for input re your favorite blue egg layer. I got a lot of great input and what I decided to do was get a couple of each Ameraucana, CL and U of A Blues and see what I like best. I started with the AM and I am not a fan. I know some lines are mellow and my girls were broody raised and that has an impact on friendliness but they were seriously wigged out flighty. I still have one because she is so pretty...Black head blue body...but am ready to give CCL a look this broody season. I am looking for girls that tend toward the silver and cream side rather than the brown. Anyone know where I can get some hatching eggs?

I have an idea where I might be able to get some U of A Blues

I know they tend to be flighty too but I can forgive a lot for a true blue egg.

Hi tommysgirl - I agree that Amers are a kooky spooky jumpy wary alert breed that always seem like they spend the day running to-and-fro but I wouldn't trade my APA Ameraucana for the world. She is so gentle and non-combative toward the Silkies that are half her size. She avoids conflicts and chest-bumping and flock politics in general. She chases stray cats out of the yard and sometimes the Mourning Doves and Sparrows if they come too close to the treats dish. Although it may not be her favorite thing when we hold her, she will relax and coo to us. Her pastel XL blue eggs are just a bonus!

I must agree that the U of A Blues seem to have a bluer tint to their eggs alongside Amer blue eggs so that is a plus -- however I won't trade a sweet non-combative bird like an Amer for any other blue egg breed because I don't think any of the others would integrate as well in our gentle breeds flock. Amers -- and some EEs as well -- seem to have a penchant for nurturning and accept injured or orphaned chicks into the flock where other breeds usually are not so willing.

 

[TheKeeper]

Is anyone interested in a warming plate style brooder? I got from Premier1 Farm Supplies. It's just like the Brinsea EcoGlow for 50 chicks, 16" x 24" with a dome cover so the chickies don't sit on top of it.
It's brand new in the box - never been used.
It's too dang big for my brooder & the amount of chicks i'll ever have at one time.
I had dreams bigger then my realities. I'm going to get the smaller one.
I'd be happy to find a useful home for what i paid for it: $102, rather than return it.
I can meet you at the PPBA show in Modesto next Sat.
PM me for any questions or if you'd like it.
Thanks.


http://www.premier1supplies.com/detail.php?prod_id=135875&cat_id=0&

 

[sol2go]

heres a few eggs

Brown Red Bantam Ameraucana on top
Crele Olive eggers in the middle
Black Penedesenca on the bottom

is that your best egg color with the various Penedesencas? These look great!

 

[sol2go]

Last week, an Italian blogger contacted me and asked if he could use some of my Langshan photos for an article he was writing on Langshan. He posted the link on FB today! I downloaded a translator program to automatically translate pages to English. Here is a link to the article on his blog:

http://oryctesblog.blogspot.it/2015/01/avicoltura-i-polli-langshan-croad-i.html

I didn't need the translation to appreciate "superbo"!

 

[sol2go]

I love the idea of a colorful egg basket, but having CALM chickens (because of the dog) was more important to me. But when I see all those pretty blue and green eggs, I still find myself sighing over them.

I have found the Cream Legbars to be calm, and I have quite a few breeds to compare them to. I do handle them a lot when they are young.

 

[Sylvester017]

I have found the Cream Legbars to be calm, and I have quite a few breeds to compare them to. I do handle them a lot when they are young.

We got a Marans from someone who handles all their chickens from hatch and she was calm when we received her into the flock. However calm she was around humans, she was sneaky and nippy to her flockmates until one day she full-out attacked the Leghorn who had to put her in her place. A week later she decided to full attack a Silkie so we immediately rehomed her. Looking calm and actually being calm with flockmates are two different things. Many breeds are quiet as pullets and seem to get along with each other until at about 18 months to 2 y/o at maturity their true temperaments show through. Leghorns are an assertive sometimes aggressive breed but we lucked out having our White Leg as a gentle alpha for 3 years before she finally wigged out and went bonkers on her flockmates and was rehomed. Don't laugh but I now keep a list of combative breeds vs non-combative breeds and never mix the two types in one flock. If a breed was created using Leghorn, Malay, or Game bird in their history I classify them in the combative breeds because you never know when these breed temperaments will surface.