California - Northern

[WendyJeepchick]

I've got a fowl tempered BSL that has broken many eggs while I try and take them from under her. I try to shield them with my hand but some how she gets the egg. If she gets ahold of me she does the croc. death roll trying to tear the skin off my hand.

I've gotten into the habit of wearing good fitting garden gloves when I'm outside handling our animals.

 

[TheKeeper]

I


I learned a lesson that I will make sure I dont have to learn again. I purchaesd three sexed Ameraucana (not EE or Americauna) chicks from Belt Hatchery in Fresno. When they started laying, their eggs were tan colored. I spoke with the owner of Belt Hatchery and all she said was that there is always a possibility of brown eggs because they do have a brown eggs gene which expresses itself every now and then.

Now at this point, I know some of our BYC friends have started screaming at the computer screen...because that is not possible. No worries folks...I get it.

The moral of the story is this: If you must have a green or blue egg, only buy from a reputible breeder. It's a crap-shoot and you end up feeding, caring for and bonding with a chicken that may just lay Brown eggs.

Ok that explains some of the hemming & hawing I get. I am so done with hatcheries. I'd much rather people tell me they don't know than tell me what they think I want to hear.

 

[AmyPaperlady]

Are you wanting a broody hen Amy?

Well, yes and no. On the one hand, everyone's been posting chick pics and my daughters have seen them as well

but we don't really have anywhere to brood chicks (I don't really want them in the house, I know my husband doesn't, and there is no natural light or any ventilation whatsoever in the garage) unless we have a hen do it--even though Beekissed's nest experiment intrigues me. Plus it'd probably be easier to get breeds I want if I could have eggs shipped (or if an egg train could make it to Eureka--I could combine a Winco run with an egg run, easy

).

On the other hand, I'm already making arrangements with UrbanviewFarm for my husband to pick up a couple of birds when he goes down to Redding next month for ministry training, and Noncentzter is going to set some extra eggs for me so I can pick up pullets this summer--Coos Bay's not that far, especially since we're thinking of taking the girls to Wildlife Safari sometime. I'm already at 5/11 of my legal limit and, even if I tell Noncentzter never mind, I'll still be down 2 slots fairly soon. With how our house is situated on our lot, nothing in the yard is hidden from any angle--especially since we've got a corner lot. I tend to be fairly law-abiding anyway, and, with my husband being the head of a ministry, we sort of need to be extra law-abiding, assuming the law in question doesn't go against the Bible. Which zoning laws don't, darn it. And to be fair, while our coop could hold 2 dozen birds at 4 square feet per bird, the rest of the yard's too small. For that matter, with my limit and the size of the coop, I don't have to feel bad at all leaving them in the coop when I need to, though I'll be getting around to making a run here eventually (right now there's 20 square feet per hen in the coop, so I'm not in a big hurry...)

 

[sewandgrow]

Ah, so I think I understand that there is:
- Easter Eggers (no standards, i.e. mutts, aka Americaunas) - can lay green or blue or pink eggs
- Ameraucana: specific breed standards - lay blue eggs

So then there's rumpless Araucana (I have one) & they can be tufted or not & lay blue eggs

How am I doing?

Sounds like you are doing your homework well Lisa. Is your Araucana egg much lighter than the Ameraucanas ? I was surprised to see that at the Heirloom Expo. The Araucana eggs displayed there were really pale ice blue. I don't have Araucanas & somehow assumed they were darker like the Ameraucanas. My darkest blues were from my Blue Wheaten Ameraucanas but my blue & Blacks do a nice job too. I am loving the color of the OEs I create mine with my Blue Copper Marans hens covered by the blue black Ameraucana roosters. One is a khaki color like no other eggs I have.

1 hatched and 5 more pipped!

Yeah......Debi. I am so glad that Monet is actively interested. I wish Olivia had stayed interested. Maybe she should have tried a sweet breed of bantams. Her huge Australorps were intimidating to her at 9 & now at almost 13 she is not interested at all.

I've got a fowl tempered BSL that has broken many eggs while I try and take them from under her. I try to shield them with my hand but some how she gets the egg. If she gets ahold of me she does the croc. death roll trying to tear the skin off my hand.

Oh my goodness.....I would sooooooooooooooo NOT want that bird. I get angry & want to wring their neck when they do that. My worst is the lone Dominique hen I have & I want to whack her when she bites me. I usually end up just pulling her out of the nest to get the eggs.

I love that shriek & poof! But definitely can do without the peck & bite. My cuckoo marans has gone broody and will not quit. No shriek but a powerful, fast bite. Now my 2 silkies are starting to go broody. Guess I need more eggs. Ha! Oooo, maybe some Seramas for the Easter Hatchalong. Hmmm.
The BLRWyandotte is setting so tight on her 6 choc orp eggs - go henny go.

My 2 huge Buff Orpingtons seem to both be broody. They always laid in 2 different places one in the nest box ( a 5 gallon PVC bucket) & the other right outside the nest box snuggled up to it. The outside one started setting first then the one in the nest box started a few days later. We will see how they do.

I've gotten into the habit of wearing good fitting garden gloves when I'm outside handling our animals.

I noticed that when you came & caught birds. Smart girl. I have small chucky hands & most gloves don't fit me well so I am not keen on using them. Those stretchy little knit gloves fit well but wouldn't be much protection....LOL...See you tomorrow at the show Wendy.

 

[Audio51]

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Ahhhh...I see now that I look better. The first one with the curtains closed does loock much darker!. Hope it works for you!

 

[Audio51]

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They are adorable! And his feet look great. You did a wonderful job! It is hard to believe that will be solid black when they have so much yellow now. But I guess even with the Marans, they have little yellow tummies at hatch, but are pretty solid black when grown.

 

[chiqita]

This one is feather-legged, but some of the feathers on the feet look yellow.  These are the ones from the very light Marans eggs.  Is it OK for the leg feathers to look yellow at this age?
 The other 2 pips have not done anything more yet.  If they are not progressing by morning I will make a small hole in the membrane.  These are in the Farm Innov with the hinky hygrometer.  I have been trying to keep the humidity so it just  makes a very slight amount of condensation on the windows.  It looks perfect right not but I expect the humidity will drop overnight.  I am thinking about adding more moisture before bed.   Would it be better to have it slightly high when I go to bed or risk it running too low by morning.

The yellow is What worries me is the brown spots on the edge just yellow or is it brown? To me anything but black and white says mixed chick.
Also looking for condensation is good!

That sounds right....except that Americanas (EE) can also lay plain old brown eggs.  The feed store one I had last year laid those.  I was so dissappointed!

Or white! No way of telling if they have 2 blue genes so no way to tell what they pass on.

Is it bad that it hurt my feelings lol? and I aren't even buddies...

Lol why chicken why??? She is just possessive. Think of her fighting off bluejays!

Questions on washing chickens:
I'm thinking of doing the 3 tub method (wash, rinse , rinse). Next warm day was thinking of doing it.
1. Do I HAVE to towel dry them off?
2. Do I HAVE to blow dry them?

I thought i could run them all through quick, but if they're water logged  and wet i'm thinking not good. Just wanted to confirm. 

You have to blowdry silkies. That is all I have done.

 

[Audio51]

I
Quote:
Agreed! I will not buy "Amer-whatever" from hatcheries or feed stores again. I have heard more stories about them laying brown eggs than blue or green. Lots of them still call them Amaraucanas but if you see the disclaimer that they are "not for 4-H" that tells you they do not meet SOP and likely are mixed with other breeds. On the Belt site, they even say "Known as the "Easter Egg" chicken".

 

[Country Chick at Heart]

If you ever want fertile eggs from different breeds than you already have, I know someone who has dozens sitting on her eating bar!  We drive through Fairfield almost every Sat on our way to church in Vacaville!  

Lisa is right! You are a top notch chicken enabler! I just had a thought flash through my head that said "hmmm I wonder when my orp is going to go bloody, it's usually around this time....." Oh Boy! It's all the beautiful chicks you all are hatching and the different breeds! Congrats on all the successful hatching everyone!

 

[PetRock]

It is hatch day!!!

I woke up to 6 chicks and 8 pips! Of course, not a single Langshan egg shows any sign of action. Zorro's babies are beating Shang's in the race to hatch!