California - Northern

[ronott1]

Quote:
They are beautiful! I love Barred Rocks.

Kim

Yes, I like them. They are kind of nostalgic for me; we had Barred Rocks and Rhode Island Red Chickens when I grew up on the Orchard up by Red Bluff. The Barred Rocks were the ones that hatched the Chicks. These have good personalities and like to Roost and such. On Sunday, Nameless(She needs a name...) flew up and landed on my back as I was working on the Nest Boxes. She also tried to fly into the BBQ and I had to push her back from falling head first into the fire

I really need to work on fencing off that section of the side yard to keep them away from things like that. I won't be barbecuing until then.

The interesting thing is that one of them is darker than the other. I remember a person on the Bay Area forum that was getting rid of her young chicken because it was darker than the others. Other than that, it did not look too much like a Rooster to me. The BPR was some where around 4 months and had not crowed yet. I think we often get too caught up in the the APA standards, Which often don't apply that well to Hatchery chickens. The dark color in the Hen would be something you try to breed out; it does not always mean that a dark chick is a rooster. Sadly, she gave the chicken away. I bet someone got a good egg layer.

 

[SunnyDawn]

I'm confused. My BR roos were always lighter than the hens. I agree these are great birds to have in a layer flock and mine were great brooders too. Almost a little too friendly though! Hard to get chores done sometimes.

Great pics! I love seeing pics of everyone's birds.

 

[ronott1]

Quote:
If you look at the pictures, one of the BR's is quite a bit lighter than the other. One might think that one was a rooster when she was younger due to the lighter color. If you were going for Show Quality chickens you would not use the lighter hen for breeding so that you would have the darker color hens, which is what the standard calls for.

Just saying that color is not the best way to determine sex. Look for the hackles and other characteristic and of course the crow or the egg

It's good to hear for you SunnyDawn. It seems like the chicken forums are slowing down right now. Probably follows the slow down of egg laying for the chickens?

 

[SunnyDawn]

Quote:
If you look at the pictures, one of the BR's is quite a bit lighter than the other. One might think that one was a rooster when she was younger due to the lighter color. If you were going for Show Quality chickens you would not use the lighter hen for breeding so that you would have the darker color hens, which is what the standard calls for.

Just saying that color is not the best way to determine sex. Look for the hackles and other characteristic and of course the crow or the egg

It's good to hear for you SunnyDawn. It seems like the chicken forums are slowing down right now. Probably follows the slow down of egg laying for the chickens?

Ha ha ha! I hadn't thought of that Ron. I'd noticed that everyone is less chatty these days but never thought that it might be the human equivalent to a molt.

 

[ronott1]

Quote:
If you look at the pictures, one of the BR's is quite a bit lighter than the other. One might think that one was a rooster when she was younger due to the lighter color. If you were going for Show Quality chickens you would not use the lighter hen for breeding so that you would have the darker color hens, which is what the standard calls for.

Just saying that color is not the best way to determine sex. Look for the hackles and other characteristic and of course the crow or the egg

It's good to hear for you SunnyDawn. It seems like the chicken forums are slowing down right now. Probably follows the slow down of egg laying for the chickens?

Ha ha ha! I hadn't thought of that Ron. I'd noticed that everyone is less chatty these days but never thought that it might be the human equivalent to a molt.

>>>>>>
Yes! It's like molting without the feathers

Ron

 

[SunnyDawn]

Quote:
Ha ha ha! I hadn't thought of that Ron. I'd noticed that everyone is less chatty these days but never thought that it might be the human equivalent to a molt.

>>>>>>
Yes! It's like molting without the feathers

Ron

 

[ronott1]

I live in Woodland but work in Davis. Since Davis is a College town, people leave each summer and come back in the Fall. Last Spring I found a Chicken coop and run in a side yard. There was a little coop and three Silkie chickens along with a narrow run between the wall of the house and the fence. At the end of the quarter they move out--probably graduated. I enjoyed walking by them on my break and was sad to see them go.

Well good news! There is another person with chickens on my walk now. I found them yesterday when I walked a different route.

They have a lager run in their side yard.

It is great living in a City that allows chickens and having them is so accepted that people feel comfortable letting them be seen from the street.

Bye,

Ron

 

[SunnyDawn]

That is so cool!

 

[capayvalleychick]

Chickens are very popular in Davis. They have an annual coop tour on bicycles.

I lived there from 1980-1999. Tried having free range chickens in our backyard but our dog, at that time, kept killing them. My husband built a coop that was like a large rabbit hutch, divided in half. I had a hen on one side and a rabbit in the other, with a compost pile underneath the coop.

When we moved, we took that coop with us. It's now inside a large coop. The chickens like to sleep on top of it. I rarely use the inside of it, but I recently used it as an isolation cage for a broody hen.

I miss the soil in Davis. I had a tiny lot, with a beautiful garden & tall fruit trees. Now, I have 20 acres and can't get much to grow.

I do like being able to have as many chickens & critters as I want, now.

Have a great day, everybody!
Kim

 

[sewandgrow]

Quote:
We had the same thing happen with our soil when we moved from a house in town on 1/2 an acre to this 6 acre place. In town we could grow anything without even trying.Out here we have composted & amended & amednded & ameded & still don't have the great success we had back then 32 years ago.
We too love it out here & I cerainly have my share of chickens & probably 10 other peoples share too.....LOL