California - Northern

[HighStreetCoop]

I'm not brave enough to eat garden snsils. But i think it would be awesome. So im teying to psyche myself up. I even have a cast iron escargot pan....

You just have to purge them first.

http://www.chow.com/food-news/42288/how-to-forage-and-eat-garden-snails/

 

[HighStreetCoop]

Okay, ended up with a grand total of 66 pictures from today at Jeff's house. Here's a few of them:

Not sure what this beautiful guy is.

He's a Large Fowl Spangled/Mottled English Orpington weighing around 12 pounds at 7-8 months old or so. Not quite in the bantam category. he he he ;-)

These are my dream Orps right now. Want. Want! WANT!!!

 

[chiqita]

Um, I can only have 2 more... Choices, choices... Chicken Math strikes again.
I'll PM you to see if when you are available to talk/visit.  I work in Sunnyvale, so not to far for me. 

Sent pms. Not PMS.

Oh man, I could never bring myself to try them. Almost, but chickened out
and she has Bresse, Marans and wonderful French muscovies....etc,etc
And welcome to the thread

I do like snails. When cooked well. But im afraid I will turn them into a rubbery mess. Have not cooked calimari eithet. Im a wuss.

Oh, well. I'm sure you got some beautiful pictures.

But they're bantams, and everyone knows bantams only count as half a chicken  .

Tiny bantams even. I posted to say the one guy was a mottled orph. But after walt and jeff im late to the party.

One of my seremas had her babies early yesterday. were the first 10 or so eggs she layed. 2 did not start but she hatched the rest (1 abandoned egg in the incubator that just hatched)

But she was on a pile of flooring so they fell everywhere and I spent hours getting them from between it and the wall. They are all in my showing coop now with momma.

 

[chiqita]

 

[Kaylish]

Just found this thread I'm in the Santa Cruz Mountains, new to chickens, and having a great time.

My first post in the group is a request....

I'm wondering if anyone knows of a breeder who sells coop ready bantams in the area (well, within about 3 hours drive of Santa Cruz)? I have a Silkie that was scalped when I tried to integrate my younger girls with my older girls. The main culprit has been rehomed, but the Silkie is about 4 weeks from ready to re-integrate. The feathers on her head are starting to grow back, and all of her injuries have healed.
I'm thinking that because she is now soooo much smaller than everyone else, she will need an integration buddy or two so she isn't the only new girl in town for the other 10 girls. She is in a cage in the coop with everyone, and has been for a couple of weeks, but I don't trust that she won't get beat up. And of course this gives me an excuse to get another chicken or 2 The Silkie is the only one my husband has actually held and coo'ed to, so I have leverage!!!
Celeste is about 9-10 weeks old, so I'm thinking a 6-12 week old bantam(s) would be best. I'd love a cochin or Millie Fleur d'uccle or some other rare-ish breed, but beggars can't be choosers. The most important quality is docile/friendliness, then ability to be in confinement (I have plenty of room in the coop/run, but lots of predators, so only supervised free range), then pretty or different than the girls I already have. Egg laying is nice, but the humans and animals in the house can only eat 2-2.5 dozen eggs a week and I have 11 chickens so broody or light layers is perfectly fine, heavy layers is fine too, I have a lot of neighbors & friends who would gladly take eggs. I'm in a developed neighborhood, so boys are highly frowned upon (not illegal, but the closest neighbor asked us not to get a roo, and the coop is closer to their house than ours).

Thanks for any and all help, and thanks for all of the great advise I've read so far!!

Welcome! Great group of people here; you're sure to find some beautiful birds.

I had a GREAT time today shooting(with a camera, of course) some of Jeff's birds. Pictures to come soon! He has really nice birds.

Ohh, can't wait!

But they're bantams, and everyone knows bantams only count as half a chicken

.

That's what I keep saying...

Okay, ended up with a grand total of 66 pictures from today at Jeff's house. Here's a few of them:

Jubilee Orpington?

Chocolate Orp! I'm getting one of these babies!

Not sure what this beautiful guy is.

Rhodebar if I am remembering correctly



White Orp?

Golden Cuckoo Marans?




Cute little frizzle/sizzle/silkie thingies

He's a Large Fowl Spangled/Mottled English Orpington weighing around 12 pounds at 7-8 months old or so. Not quite in the bantam category. he he he ;-)

and Gorgeous!

 

[casportpony]

Just found this informative link on bird anatomy that's written by a vet for bird owners, so it's easy to understand. Learned lots reading it!
http://www.exoticpetvet.net/avian/anatomy.html

-Kathy

 

[dldolan]

He's a Large Fowl Spangled/Mottled English Orpington weighing around 12 pounds at 7-8 months old or so. Not quite in the bantam category. he he he ;-)

Wow! Very cool and TOTALLY not bantam!

I didn't know Eng Orps came in a Mottled version! I should have known by the non-cochin tail I guess.
I have cochins on the brain since my bantam girls just hatched out two mottled chicks! See below!

 

[HighStreetCoop]

I know my (Goth) sister is fully on board with my new chicken fetish as she's now posting pics of what chickens she thinks I should get on my FB page, LOL! And of course she's chosen the rare and expansive all black Indonesian Ayam Cemani. If I were made of money I'd commission a vampiric coop for her and track some of these down ...

 

[dldolan]

I know my (Goth) sister is fully on board with my new chicken fetish as she's now posting pics of what chickens she thinks I should get on my FB page, LOL! And of course she's chosen the rare and expansive all black Indonesian Ayam Cemani. If I were made of money I'd commission a vampiric coop for her and track some of these down ...

Too Funny...

 

[tommysgirl]

Congratulations to Kim (@capayvalleychick )! Walt posted on another thread that she won at the Heirloom Expo.


Congratulations on the win!!!!

Yay!!!! @capayvalleychick I am so happy for your success with those Dels! I spied your Dorkings in the pics from @lualshannon too.

I'd just like to say how awesome @chiqita is.
She is one of the most helpful people I've met. And always thinks the best of everyone.
She's like a walking Wikipedia (only tons more accurate). For instance : cats need a diet with a great source of taurine. They would die without it. Hearts and livers are a good source of this. If your cat is picky about their food, theirs a good chance it's lacking taurine.
Also, the common garden snail is not native to the US, but originated in the Mediterranean .
Just really cool tidbits
Now I don't have all her knowledge quoted perfectly, so I may have led you astray with this info.
But I always walk away telling my family this really cool information.
She teaches me how to process quail, and I've started more projects because of her vast knowledge.
She makes everything so intriguing that you have to try it once (she would make a fortune as a salesman).
But most of all she has the biggest heart. And when I'm frustrated with someone, she always has perspective with what may be the other persons intentions.
And when my rooster keels over freakishly sudden: she talks me off the ledge until uc Davis can cornfirm severe mite infestation was his demise.
So here's to you Shantih. You are appreciated by more people you know and admired so much. I am Blessed to know you.
And I can say that also goes for the rest of you on here.
This is a thread with the most helpful people with sound judgement. You are all a treasure

X3 or 4 or whatever we are on...plus she makes us laugh with things like this "Sent pms. Not PMS."

I finally have some pictures.
This is an Australorp from Mill Valley Chickens.

This is a shy Welsummer from Pollinate Farm and Garden.
This is a black headed Crested Cream Legbar (CCL) from John Brekken in Loomis.

This is a brown headed Crested Cream Legbar from John Brekken. When I got this one, she didn't bond well with the other CCL and was chased around by the Australorp and Welsummer. So, she flew away on the second day after finding a small space at the top of the run. She was gone, apparently off the property, for a few hours. Then she came back. After a couple of days she bonded with the other CCL.

This is the black headed CCL's original buddy. They both had distinct chipmunk stripes, but this one had a faint white spot on the head. John took back the male and exchanged it for a female of about the same age.

Congratulations on your chickens! It is fun to see your pics and I am sure they will bring you lots of smiles...and eggs... as time goes on

You have a very nice flock.

Tell me more about the Australorp, What line is it?

Mil Valley Chickens is in Marin they buy sexed chicks from a hatchery...I think MM but am not sure. They re-sell them as chicks and as started pullets.

Do you know of any Australorp breeders in Northern California? There used to be a gal locally who bred them but she no longer has LF the last time I talked to her about it she was getting into bantam ALs. I am not in the market to replace my AL girls. They are 2.5 and still laying reliably and one os one of my best broodies but at some point I would like to. Of course for color's sake I can always replace the with Langshans from @PetRock but it would be more fun to have both.

Just found this thread I'm in the Santa Cruz Mountains, new to chickens, and having a great time.

My first post in the group is a request....

I'm wondering if anyone knows of a breeder who sells coop ready bantams in the area (well, within about 3 hours drive of Santa Cruz)? I have a Silkie that was scalped when I tried to integrate my younger girls with my older girls. The main culprit has been rehomed, but the Silkie is about 4 weeks from ready to re-integrate. The feathers on her head are starting to grow back, and all of her injuries have healed.
I'm thinking that because she is now soooo much smaller than everyone else, she will need an integration buddy or two so she isn't the only new girl in town for the other 10 girls. She is in a cage in the coop with everyone, and has been for a couple of weeks, but I don't trust that she won't get beat up. And of course this gives me an excuse to get another chicken or 2 The Silkie is the only one my husband has actually held and coo'ed to, so I have leverage!!!
Celeste is about 9-10 weeks old, so I'm thinking a 6-12 week old bantam(s) would be best. I'd love a cochin or Millie Fleur d'uccle or some other rare-ish breed, but beggars can't be choosers. The most important quality is docile/friendliness, then ability to be in confinement (I have plenty of room in the coop/run, but lots of predators, so only supervised free range), then pretty or different than the girls I already have. Egg laying is nice, but the humans and animals in the house can only eat 2-2.5 dozen eggs a week and I have 11 chickens so broody or light layers is perfectly fine, heavy layers is fine too, I have a lot of neighbors & friends who would gladly take eggs. I'm in a developed neighborhood, so boys are highly frowned upon (not illegal, but the closest neighbor asked us not to get a roo, and the coop is closer to their house than ours).

Thanks for any and all help, and thanks for all of the great advise I've read so far!!

Welcome and I see @chiqita and you have already connected

Im not brave enough to eat garden snsils. But i think it would be awesome. So im teying to psyche myself up. I even have a cast iron escargot pan....
I have eggs! Everyone should have quail. One day I will win over ron.....
I have chooklits bantam cochins now too. They are awesome. Also seremas and showgirls by the cartload atm.

Sizzle and smooth and silkies. Everyone needs a showgirl!!

I would like bantam cochin hatching eggs for my next broody...can we make that happen?? Do you have frizzles?

Have I complained lately about how far away everyone is from me?

Whenever I start to make that same complaint I think about where you are and I feel better

JK . I will be in Fortuna in November if you can make that trip and I can be of service.

Quote:

Okay, ended up with a grand total of 66 pictures from today at Jeff's house. Here's a few of them:


Cute little frizzle/sizzle/silkie thingies

MUST HAVE!!!

Gorgeous photos! This dude is a mottled cochin, bantam I'm assuming since I don't think anyone is doing them in LF. Nice!

I see you are in Sonoma County. I am in Lakeport. What breeds to you have?

Wow! Very cool and TOTALLY not bantam!

I didn't know Eng Orps came in a Mottled version! I should have known by the non-cochin tail I guess.
I have cochins on the brain since my bantam girls just hatched out two mottled chicks! See below!

Ohhh I mean Besides these beauties which are another MUST HAVE! They are darling. Congratulations!



@ronott1 and @Happy Chooks I am still holding out hope for the chick in the broken egg. There was no blood and I did seal it as best as I could with candle wax. If it is dead in there it will start stinking pretty quickly won't it? No odor so far.

Have to do a shuffle around this weekend and integrate my 2014 juvie girls into the big pen. There are way too many of them in the grow out and they are big enough at this point.