California - Northern

[member 142084]

Just put my first sets of Lemon Cuckoo Orpington eggs in that have been selectively bred and am tracking the parentage. I started a website but still working on it. I need to take some pics. Next up butcher the excess cocks for dinner.

 

[ronott1]

So what is the hatch rate of saddle shaped air cells? I know to hatch them in cartons, but curious on the hatch rate?

most say 25 to 50% but you never know. It is worth trying.

 

[Flowers of Abba]

I grew up in the Cambrian Park area of San Jose.   Went to Cambrian Elementary (now condos from what I understand...) Dartmouth and Blackford Jr High and Branham High School.

I grew up in Cambrian Park, behind the Plaza Shopping Center.  I lived on the corner of Wyrick and Berry.  I went to Oster Elem, then Dartmouth, then they changed the lines so I went to Union in 8th grade.  I then went to Camden High School, which has been closed since 1980.

I still have old spirit badges to beat your school during sporting events.

How odd, I've met people from SJ plenty of times, but never from the same neighborhood!  My best friend lived on New Jersey, right off Camden.

I was probably there before you though, I graduated HS in '71.

I grew up off the the east end of Story Road. Before the neighbor hood trees grew in we could see Lick observatory from our front window. I went to James Lick High. Spent many a time in Alum Rock Park. Drove up Mt Hamilton Road many many times.

Dh and I jammed outta there when Donovon was starting kindergarten . He is a papa now and seems like another lifetime. My mom is off Harris by dry creek. Dh went to Branham ( spelling) and we both were always at the prune yard or the bear in Los gatos. Can't imagine living there now- we're such different people than when we were "city folk" ;-)

@ Flowers of Abba ... does the marans with a spot on its head look like a chicken? I just found out guinea/chicken crosses do happen. I did not think that was possible.. thats a bird with a barring gene..

Well I have two ages of them and one is feathering in like a vulture . Idk about the one with a spot yet... Lol. We were just commenting on it today!

We did spring cleaning today. Lime borax white wash inside and out of three coops- turn over entire yard and lime /d.e. the run, garlic and essential oil all birds and this prego mama is tuckered out!!!!! No bugs in the coop ,nest boxes or any birds though)))) I'm happy cause it was such a wet winter and spring. So glad to have fit this in before the little one is here .

 

[Audio51]

I wonder if it would help to be aggresive back toward them....and I don't mean after each attack. Roosters establish dominance by going after the other roosters. Once that is established, it stays pretty status quo, doesn't it? I don't mean all roos...just the ones starting to show agressive tendancies. If they are put in their place early, and reminded of that place on a regular basis, would that help curb the agression or just make it worse?

COngratulations, Walt! That must have taken a lot of hard work and dedication!

I always had way too many to name. I name the dogs and cats, but I have well over 75 finches and have hat close to 200 at times. I have a hard enough time thinking of a few names for the dogs and cats.

Last night when I son got attacked by that Brown Leghorn he said he & his far lip the rooster gave him, lit into him good (I didn't see. I wasn't there) and he said after that every time he passed his pen the rooster ran to the opposite corner. So we will see. I am certainly NOT into animal cruelty but I won't put up with being attacked either.
Me neither....but I mean just push or bump...enough to let him know you are at th top of the pecking order..

I name my birds too......number 3, number 60, number 33 and so on.

w.

I usually just go with "Pink Band", "Orange Band", "Blue Band", etc

So we moved the 2 week old Orps into the garage box as they started trying to escape the house based brooder box. My wife thinks they are angry with her for the move because they now wont walk into her hand (scorning her because they feel like she abandoned them) and "Brownie" bit her finger. Seemed ok with me picking them up though. I do think they may feel a little abandoned because they were in the Living room and got lots of attention. My wife and 2 of my children left this morning on a "Spring Break" trip to Magic Mountain so I guess Ill have to "play" with them when I get home tonight.

LOL!!! Sounds like someone is naming at least some of the birds!

Rubber chicken, lol! Ko Shamo are sure beautiful though.

Been looking for a few months, but have been having a hard time locating a few decent FBCM hen or pullets...We are in wine country, Napa. We're willing to drive from Redding to Carmel. Does anyone know a quality breeder willing to part with a few hens? Many thanks for your thoughts...

I don;t know how they stack up as far as show quality goes but I got some of mine from Valley View Farms in Palermo (just south of Oroville) as started pullets.

I had 1 of my 3 bresse pullets unexpectedly die last night. they just started laying and had some soft shells coming from these.
she had been straining ALOT, but no egg. I saw earlier where she was laying a soft shell, but with the straining thought it must not be hers.
she got out to graze and would strain.
it was evening, she went to a nest (which 2 sleep there) and would stand like she's going to lay and egg.
came out later to check on her and she had passed.
I did not feel an egg when I checked her, gave her calcium tabs when i saw her struggle. Just didn't expect this.

I had 3 older hatchery birds with these guys.
1 seemed kind of OCD. I saw this hatchery bird go from nest to nest, kicking out these pullets all day on thursday. she's not laying much herself and a hybrid version of broody now. not sitting on any nest but clucking and puffed up. but i think when it came to nests, she was harassing them. I had 3 nests for 6 hens.
I'm wondering if all her kicking them off the nests caused problems with the new pullets. They couldn't' relax to lay. Just thinking here.

I put those 3 old hens in their old pen with the other hatchery birds. The young pullets have a break. And I'd like to say I think I need 2 Marans roosters. The one I have is priceless. He's breaking up any quarreling he sees with the re-introduction.
They start squabbling, but he runs over to stop the fighting. He also puts the young boys in their place and is very friendly to people. He's making this morning much easier for me.

So sorry about losing your girl....

Quote: Congrats!

Ok Im working on this coop design and its looking like a near 4'x4'x4' cube sitting on top of 3 feet of fenced in shelter with feed,water sand and dust bath. This will face the existing 5'x2' coop and a 6'x'12' enclosed run will extend away from both coops forming sort of a "T".

The idea will be to use the Small Costco Coop which I can lock off from the rest as a way to isolate/or introduce birds from/to the flock. It should be plenty of space. I will make the run large enough to walk into.
The only bad thing about this is the run takes up some prime growing space for my garden.

Any comments are welcome.

If this is the main coop you may want to go a little bigger. Mine is 4'x5' plus 3 nest boxes and I really feel it is too small. It was designed for about 5 hens, but I have 9 (darned Chicken Math!). Every one can find a place to roost, but I think it would be better if it were about 2x as big...

Quote:
Sounds perfect!

@chiqita
Ok - final hatch numbers:

Hen 1 (cuckoo marans): 12 eggs set - 2 disappeared - 2 never developed at all - 1 hatched & then died - 7 chicks doing great: 2 bresse, 2 showgirls (1 tan & 1 dark gray), 3 silkies
- I can't get any decent pictures with Psycho Ninja Chicken Mom on guard duty
Hen 2 (Partridge silkie): 12 eggs set - 1 never developed - 1 chick failed to hatch (saddle-shaped air cell) - 10 chicks doing great: 8 silkies, 2 showgirls - pics below
The 2 showgirls under the silkie - the yellow one's got a good bow-tie

Here they all are - such a variety of colors, can't wait to see how the feather out

Adorable chicks!!!

Just put my first sets of Lemon Cuckoo Orpington eggs in that have been selectively bred and am tracking the parentage. I started a website but still working on it. I need to take some pics. Next up butcher the excess cocks for dinner.

Woo Hoo on the eggs!

You will have to shart the address for your site when it's ready.

Did you get a chance to listed to the noise I was talking about on the Buff? Any ideas on what it might be?

 

[Audio51]

Saw this on FB this evening:

 

[sewandgrow]

Oh My Gosh - So Cute!! I'm going to have to get some of those at some point!!

At this point I'm 98% Sure that both of my Marans chicks are boys. They are 4 weeks old now, and they are supposed to be Cuckoo Marans, but they don't look like them from the pictures I've seen. The one on the left has mostly black wing feathers, but a couple of them are white. The one on the right has orange feathers growing in on his chest and some orange-ish speckles on the ends of his wing feathers. Any ideas?

Sure look like boys to me.......sorry, dang it anyway. As to the orange feathers I don't know never had that but maybe they will molt out.

Saw this on FB this evening:

Took 5 dozen eggs to the garden club meeting today. Put 2 dozen on the raffle table & 2 dozen on the farm market table. I gave the last dozen to a friend that lives out here by me & loves them but is afraid to try to have chickens herself because of her dogs. We exchange plants all the time though. One lady that bought from the Market table wants them to hide for Easter & asked if she could boil them like regular eggs..........they are regular eggs...LOL She was worried about the color coming off. We were leaving the meeting so didn't have time for a full egg color lesson but I told her absolutely. I boil mine all the time for deviled eggs & even put vinegar in the water to make them peel easier. I never have trouble with the color coming off the Marans eggs. I do try NOT to boil "too fresh" eggs so they will peel easier though. These eggs were fresh today. My kids have decided we need to have deviled eggs for every Sunday family dinner while I have eggs coming out my ears....LOL I candle my eggs in the tiny 1/2 bath downstairs that has no window. It is so dark in there & with my new high intensity candler it is a snap. I candled the no hatches for 2 incubators & laid them in the sink as I went & there they stayed for part of the day. My son got quite a surprise when he went in there to wash up for dinner...............LOL

 

[sewandgrow]

Rubber chicken, lol! Ko Shamo are sure beautiful though.

Been looking for a few months, but have been having a hard time locating a few decent FBCM hen or pullets...We are in wine country, Napa. We're willing to drive from Redding to Carmel. Does anyone know a quality breeder willing to part with a few hens? Many thanks for your thoughts...

I had to start with chicks several years ago @ $10 a chick & that is what I am still charging today. I drove from Turlock to Chico to get them & ended up with 4 cockerels & 2 pullets.....A hard start but I just kept at it with the necessary dreaded shipped eggs & research. I feel like I worked so hard to get them that I will never give them up. I will always have BCMs for as long as it is in my capabilities. It was worth it. I get such pleasure from them & their danged dark eggs............LOL

 

[fortyfivefarm]

I had to start with chicks several years ago @ $10 a chick & that is what I am still charging today. I  drove from Turlock to Chico to get them & ended up with 4 cockerels & 2 pullets.....A hard start but I just kept at it with the necessary dreaded shipped eggs & research. I feel like I worked so hard to get them that I will never give them up. I will always have BCMs for as long as it is in my capabilities. It was worth it. I get such pleasure from them & their danged dark eggs............LOL

And speaking of your "danged dark eggs" , out of the 4 pures I put in lockdown I have 2 huge chicks out already walking in the tube plus 1 zipped and 1 pipped! The layer pen eggs are also starting to pip along with some of my Bantam Sumatras. I'm going to have a restless night

Tomorrow is official hatch day for them as well as the D'uccles for @Coopcommander / @CackleJoy!

 

[OR4-hmom]

And speaking of your "danged dark eggs" , out of the 4 pures I put in lockdown I have 2 huge chicks out already walking in the tube plus 1 zipped and 1 pipped! The layer pen eggs are also starting to pip along with some of my Bantam Sumatras. I'm going to have a restless night

Tomorrow is official hatch day for them as well as the D'uccles for @Coopcommander / @CackleJoy!

Sounds like a fun night, I hope you get some rest. Fingers crossed for the D'uccles!

 

[CackleJoy]

There has been quite the run on your GLWs hasn't there? The EE xs sound like they will be pretty and the girls should lay some lovely eggs.

Part of the problem with keeping up on the GLW is that they don't hatch as well as the mutts. Always a few pip and die or just don't pip

The ones that hatch are healthy and zoom around. This time the EE's had 100% hatch. The GLW had 2 not pip and one pipped but no progress. I'll leave them in for another day.

Yes the EE eggs ought to be pretty! I'm happy about that. I had intended to actually breed Blue Wheaten AM's but when my pullets died and I was left with the cockerel - well this seemed a second best. He's excellent quality. I probably should sell him to a breeder who can use his genetic potential.

Just put my first sets of Lemon Cuckoo Orpington eggs in that have been selectively bred and am tracking the parentage. I started a website but still working on it. I need to take some pics. Next up butcher the excess cocks for dinner.

I love Lemon Cuckoo

So pretty! Pictures?

most say 25 to 50% but you never know. It is worth trying.

I'm hoping for 3 or 4 out of 10

really hoping. Those saddle-shaped air cells are worrisome