Chick Order Dreaming

[Mrs. K]

Isn't that the truth, there are so many choices. I like brown patterned birds, and red birds, and a couple of BO. Many times over the years, I have thought, I should pick a breed and raise up a pure bred flock, but really just like a rag tag bunch, of all different kinds.

I know a lot of people do not like the meat Cornish cross birds, but I do. I get a great deal of chicken, in a short amount of time, and they work for me and mine. I really don't care for the meat on a dual purpose breed, only for soups or casseroles. To each his/her own way of doing things.

This is a crazy hobby, and my husband thinks I am a crazy chicken lady, but he only gave me a look, last week, when I had to buy eggs in the store... hence my interest in leghorns.

Mrs K

 

[3KillerBs]

Isn't that the truth, there are so many choices. I like brown patterned birds, and red birds, and a couple of BO. Many times over the years, I have thought, I should pick a breed and raise up a pure bred flock, but really just like a rag tag bunch, of all different kinds.

I know a lot of people do not like the meat Cornish cross birds, but I do. I get a great deal of chicken, in a short amount of time, and they work for me and mine. I really don't care for the meat on a dual purpose breed, only for soups or casseroles. To each his/her own way of doing things.

This is a crazy hobby, and my husband thinks I am a crazy chicken lady, but he only gave me a look, last week, when I had to buy eggs in the store... hence my interest in leghorns.

Mrs K

We're going to try raising Cornish X for the first time this year once we have our freezer situation worked out.

I might choose a breed at some point. I might create my own strain of mixed mutts to suit my purposes. Right now I'm still trying out a bunch of them.

But I just ordered my incubator and I will certainly be raising both mutts and purebred BBS Australorps.

 

[Mrs. K]

As to the Cornish crosses. A big thing that has really helped me, is you don't have to butcher them all at once. At first, I rather made a day of it. It was a huge deal, hard on the freezer, but we got it done.

Then a farm wife told me, she just does them over 3 weeks. A few one day, a few more days later. And that is really a great thing. First, there will be some that grow faster than others. Remove them, and the competition dies down a bit, and the smaller ones, catch up.

I need to get these ordered too. I really love have two coops, but my meat coop, needs work this spring.

Mrs K

 

[deidreg]

Consider a Whiting True Blue. McMurray Hatchery has them. My girl Cricket lays big, beautiful blue eggs. And she's friendly.

 

[3KillerBs]

Consider a Whiting True Blue. McMurray Hatchery has them.

There's no guarantee on feather color though. Like the regular EE's they come in a variety so I could order 15 of them and not get even one that was black, white, black and white, or blue with no red or yellow.

 

[NatJ]

There's no guarantee on feather color though. Like the regular EE's they come in a variety so I could order 15 of them and not get even one that was black, white, black and white, or blue with no red or yellow.

True, but I think your chances might be better.

When I look at photos (and the smaller number I've seen in person), I see that EEs usually have a high rate of red or yellow, and the Whiting True Blues seem to have a much higher rate of white/black/blue without the red or yellow.

The one time I bought 4 Whiting True Blue chicks, I got a white, two blue, and one with some kind of black-and-white pattern. I can't be positive, but I think the times I've bought Easter Eggers from Ideal they all showed some amount of red or yellow shades (small sample, maybe 4-6 total.)

 

[3KillerBs]

True, but I think your chances might be better.

When I look at photos (and the smaller number I've seen in person), I see that EEs usually have a high rate of red or yellow, and the Whiting True Blues seem to have a much higher rate of white/black/blue without the red or yellow.

The one time I bought 4 Whiting True Blue chicks, I got a white, two blue, and one with some kind of black-and-white pattern. I can't be positive, but I think the times I've bought Easter Eggers from Ideal they all showed some amount of red or yellow shades (small sample, maybe 4-6 total.)

Maybe if I find someone local who is ordering them and would let me pick colors from the group.

 

[Sally PB]

But I just ordered my incubator

Which one did you get?

 

[3KillerBs]

Which one did you get?

The Nurture Right 360.

 

[Iluveggers]

The Nurture Right 360.

That’s what I got! I am hatching a batch of EE in Apr/May, and then a batch of Wheaton or Silver Ameraucaunas at the end of June…if you lived closer I’d let you pick some EE from my batch! I’ll be selling most of them…but keeping most of the Ameraucaunas.