California-Southern

[gotro17]

Thank you... It stinks. Any suggestions for replacements? Our flock now stands with 2 silkies (not friendly and going to a friend soon), GL Wyandotte, Buff Orpington, Golden sex linked (sweet but has never seemed to kick a cold she got at 4 weeks), 1 Cream Legbar. Another friend has beautiful lavender Orpingtons... I'm getting two this weekend. I'm looking at Speckled Sussex, Swedish Flower Hen, Isbar and Marans. My Orpington friend offered Marans and isbar hatching eggs when my girls go broody over summer...definitely a fun possibility! Our daughters are 4.5 and 5.5 (Irish Twins!)~

 

[UrbanFarmOC]

Thank you... It stinks. Any suggestions for replacements? Our flock now stands with 2 silkies (not friendly and going to a friend soon), GL Wyandotte, Buff Orpington, Golden sex linked (sweet but has never seemed to kick a cold she got at 4 weeks), 1 Cream Legbar. Another friend has beautiful lavender Orpingtons... I'm getting two this weekend. I'm looking at Speckled Sussex, Swedish Flower Hen, Isbar and Marans. My Orpington friend offered Marans and isbar hatching eggs when my girls go broody over summer...definitely a fun possibility! Our daughters are 4.5 and 5.5 (Irish Twins!)~

I HIGHLY recommend Swedish Flower. I love the breed's friendliness, intelligence and gentility. My Sofie is also a great mama and doesn't get involved in flock politics. She's the reason I got more SFH, until the stupid hawk.

I also really like my Golden Cuckoo Marans. She has good temperament and lays beautiful speckled chocolate brown eggs. She doesn't really like to be petted or hugged though. She gets super excited for kitchen scraps! I also have a 3-4 month old speckled Sussex. As a juvenile, she's shown herself to be really docile and smart.

I don't have experience with the other breeds you are exploring. I do also recommend Salmon Faverolles -- gentle, goofy, sweet, dorky, a really fun breed to have. My SF rooster is so gentle, that little kids (about ages 6-9) can even pick him up. Of course, I'd never recommend you let kids play with chickens, especially roosters, unsupervised. Another really gentle breed is Black Australorp. Mine likes to talk to you quietly and lays huge XL to Jumbo sized eggs. She's an excellent petting chicken and is really soft. Kids seem to love her softness and shiny black feathers.

 

[gotro17]

Thank you SO much! I love all the input- it really confirms all things I was thinking!!!

 

[perchie.girl]

My personal experience with breeds is Wellsummers probably the largest breed of chicken I have ever had. They NEVER got handled yet they would come up to you and awk awk awk checking you out for food. This inclues the roos.

I have mostly always had good roos. There was only one that got too aggressive. He was a young Barred Rock. I will never lable a breed as aggressive, just from the actions of one. He was young and wanting a flock of his own and he was one of five in a bachelor flock.

He would wait till may back was turned and would flog me. After a couple of boots with my foot and a chance to grow up his ways didnt change so I relocated him. My silky roos were a mixed bag One was sweet one was a little dominant. But he never attacked me. He did try to take on a Wellsummer Roo that was three times his size. It was pretty funny actually.

Welsummers are autosexing meaning you can tell what sex they are as chicks. Females have eye liner males don't. Plus they lay a beautiful Terracotta colored egg with darker brown speckles. When they started laying they were laying machines too. Of course with all brown egg layers the first few of the season are the darkest. Some of those eggs would have given Marans eggs a run for their money in color. But even as the eggs lighten up during the season they remained speckled.



The hens are beautiful as are the roos.



For what its worth though. I would never allow children to handle roos. A roos job is to defend the flock. they will lay their lives down to protect a hen from attack. Thats why I always have as many as three for my flocks that free range and Yep the roos always get along. Oh there would be squabbles. And foot races through the yard and a feather or two flying. But the Apha needs to have his juniors behave. Every time the hens free ranged though. they were there on sentry duty. Keeping a watchful eye to the skies or into the bushes.

NOT my eggs but an example.


The above i am sure are from a bloodline that was carefully culled to produce dark eggs.

This is more of an example of the variety I got


Whitmore Farms is where I am going to make my next purchase
http://www.whitmorefarm.com/welsummer

both for Wellsummers and Ameraucanas. Unless I can find a breeder in San Diego.

deb

 

[gotro17]

Thanks Deb! My friend with the Orpingtons is in Rancho Santa Fe... I can ask her if she has Wellsummers... I know she has Ameraucanas

 

[UrbanFarmOC]

@perchie.girl

Deb,
You are always a wealth of information! I mostly skulk in the background, but I just want to say that I always learn something from your posts. Thank you for taking time to sure your experiences.

I have a Welsummer now. She's still really young, about 3-4 months. Pretty friendly, but cautious. I got her for her ability to lay dark eggs.

I'm planning to order some more breeds for spring to add to my backyard flock. I hope my neighbors don't come see how many chickens we (will) have by Spring and Summer!

I think I'm going to place an order with Meyer. To my "collection," I want to add Spitzhauben (my one died and I've been looking a long time to get more), BCM, Buckeye (need help with the mice and rats on our and neighbors' hill), Cochin, OE, and probably more than I should! I also want to find local breeder, hopefully, of SFH. Or, at least find a local or semi-local egg source when my hens go broody.

Besides Buckeye, are you aware of any other breeds that might be good for mice? They are getting bolder. I see them scurry from neighbor's hill to ours during the day now. I knew part of the reason is because I have a n open compost kitchen scrap pile for chickens. I've seen my BA catch a lizard and the others playing chasey-chasey with lizards, but they don't seem interested in mice.

 

[perchie.girl]

Thanks Deb! My friend with the Orpingtons is in Rancho Santa Fe... I can ask her if she has Wellsummers... I know she has Ameraucanas

My Wellies came from RedWing hatchery. They do not sell to the public. They only sell to feed stores. I was impressed with the size and quality of the birds conformation. I had one hen get hung up on the hinge of the gate by a foot I had no idea how long she was there. When I freed her her legs were cold.

But i warmed her up and she wanted down. She limped for a week or two and I gave her a place to roost where she could get up off the ground. Eventually she was on the top roost with the rest of the girls. I keem my roosts as high as I can get them Plus an intermediary for those wide bodies. But eventually even my biggest could get up on that top roost.

The coop was six feet high so my roosts were four and a half feet up.

The poultry house will be higher so I can put the roosts up at around five feet.

deb

 

[perchie.girl]

@perchie.girl

Deb,
You are always a wealth of information! I mostly skulk in the background, but I just want to say that I always learn something from your posts. Thank you for taking time to sure your experiences.

I have a Welsummer now. She's still really young, about 3-4 months. Pretty friendly, but cautious. I got her for her ability to lay dark eggs.

I'm planning to order some more breeds for spring to add to my backyard flock. I hope my neighbors don't come see how many chickens we (will) have by Spring and Summer!

I think I'm going to place an order with Meyer. To my "collection," I want to add Spitzhauben (my one died and I've been looking a long time to get more), BCM, Buckeye (need help with the mice and rats on our and neighbors' hill), Cochin, OE, and probably more than I should! I also want to find local breeder, hopefully, of SFH. Or, at least find a local or semi-local egg source when my hens go broody.

Besides Buckeye, are you aware of any other breeds that might be good for mice? They are getting bolder. I see them scurry from neighbor's hill to ours during the day now. I knew part of the reason is because I have a n open compost kitchen scrap pile for chickens. I've seen my BA catch a lizard and the others playing chasey-chasey with lizards, but they don't seem interested in mice.

I have seen my mid sized mixed Americanas Play tug of war with a mouse and the winner swallowed it whole. So dont rule out all chickens for mouse duty. I had a barred rock hen that was Johnny on the spot for a scurrying critter.

If they can catch it they will eat it. LOL... that includes snakes. Chickens in general.

Just pay attention to your space for ranging. I have eighteen acres that is unfenced my yard is about a fenced quarter acre if that. My largest flock at one point was about thirty. They went all over the place out of the yard and back in.

They would spend alot of time in the horse corral sifting through the Poo. Good stuff in horse poo. There is no grass here so they grass mined in the horse corral.

YOu have a compost pile. You might consider keeping soldier flies. They live off compost and break down oil and other little nasty bits. They tend to run off other flies plus the larva are excellent food for the chickens.

Hermetia illucens

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hermetia_illucens

You can buy larva at places that produce live food for fish. They are also calle Phoenix worms. There are suppliers here in Southern California. Actually several.

Look up soldier fly bins. You put your compost in them from the kitchen add in the soldier fly larva and they turn it into compost in record time. When they are ready to pupate they climb out of the bin You keep a few to replenish your stock and let the rest be food for the chickens. WIN WIN.

deb

 

[Sylvester017]

Thank you... It stinks. Any suggestions for replacements? Our flock now stands with 2 silkies (not friendly and going to a friend soon), GL Wyandotte, Buff Orpington, Golden sex linked (sweet but has never seemed to kick a cold she got at 4 weeks), 1 Cream Legbar. Another friend has beautiful lavender Orpingtons... I'm getting two this weekend. I'm looking at Speckled Sussex, Swedish Flower Hen, Isbar and Marans. My Orpington friend offered Marans and isbar hatching eggs when my girls go broody over summer...definitely a fun possibility! Our daughters are 4.5 and 5.5 (Irish Twins!)~

Glad to see you are re-homing your 2 Silkies - Wyans, Orps, Sexlinks, Legbars, Leghorns, and Marans are too aggressive for little 2-lb Silkies in a mixed flock. Our Silkies got cuddly and less fearful after we re-homed our aggressive Marans and Leghorns. I'm not after a colorful egg basket with jumbo eggs but want non-combative breeds that won't kill each other during pecking order politics and so far that is 2 Silkies, an Ameraucana, and a Breda. Our Amer is a dud-layer giving only 3 eggs her 2nd year but we keep her because of her sweet relationship with the Silkies.

 

[gotro17]

Well, I am re homing my silkies because they aren't nearly as sweet as the others. As for the "egg basket" mention, my flock is established based in personalities and who I think are beautiful (and different) breeds. I have an order into Greenfire for Swedish Flower Hens and a light Sussex. As of now, we have a VERY docile, agreeable, sweet mix- even with the silkies. Sorry, Sylvester107, about all the issues you seem to encounter- hope things work out!!!