Colorado

[maggiemo]

What does "one meal maker" mean?
2 I got from you, so I'm just curious what makes you think the 4 - 6 chicks are roos so early?

This is a meal maker; https://www.meyerhatchery.com/produ...D=MMMF&grd_prodone_filter=PRODUCT_ID = 'MMMF'
The roosters typically have really heavy/thick legs and usually walk like a velociraptor, other people can chime in here. The young roosters have more defined combs and are pink early, then red when the pullets are white or yellow, but always pale.
Some people say the roos don't feather as fast, but I haven't seen that really. I am sure all of this depends on the breed. Usually people say to wait for 6 weeks to decide on the sex. I haven't been doing this for too long, but I have always been able to tell the sex of the chicks I have by 3 or 3 1/2 weeks. I hope I am wrong and they are all pullets.

 

[trsturself]

For processing a pig I think you can go to Simla, can't you? I am led to believe they do birds as well, but they are not USDA inspected/certified so you cannot then resell the processed meat. There's another place out East that advertised a few times last year on Craigslist, can't think of the name offhand, that would process birds periodically.

Yes, Simla does chickens. And yes, only for the owners consumption, no resell. They charged us $3/bird.

This is a meal maker; https://www.meyerhatchery.com/produ...D=MMMF&grd_prodone_filter=PRODUCT_ID = 'MMMF'
The roosters typically have really heavy/thick legs and usually walk like a velociraptor, other people can chime in here. The young roosters have more defined combs and are pink early, then red when the pullets are white or yellow, but always pale.
Some people say the roos don't feather as fast, but I haven't seen that really. I am sure all of this depends on the breed. Usually people say to wait for 6 weeks to decide on the sex. I haven't been doing this for too long, but I have always been able to tell the sex of the chicks I have by 3 or 3 1/2 weeks. I hope I am wrong and they are all pullets.

I agree. I have found that for single comb breeds the roos will pop up a huge red comb around 3-4 weeks. The pea and rose combs and crested breeds take a lot longer.

Post some recent pics of your chicks and lets see what you have.

 

[kismetspawn]

Mo -- ah, well, that's a neat idea... too bad your meal maker didn't make it past a garden meal. The BA was born on about 3/20, so about 4 wks ago. It still doesn't have much of a comb and what it does have isn't pink/red at all. But it's legs, specifically the knee joints, are huge and it does sort of run around like a velociraptor, what an apt description! LOL It's about a week older than I thought it was when I posted earlier, so only about a week younger than the RIR and Americauna, but it's the same size height wise, though it looks more like an ostrich than a chicken, so not as full bodied. It's not nearly as feathered as the NH red that's the same age or the golden comet and cuckoo maran that're a full week younger. And it's got those rounded sweep feathers and it looks like the cape feathers that have lost the wax coating are going to be rounded. Some things I've read say the sweep feathers are the most reliable indicator, some say the comb, some say the legs, some say feathering... so if I take all of that and what I've read here, I still don't know! LOL **** thing's a confounding enigma! So maybe I WILL be waiting for it to lay and egg or wake the neighbors!

The OE and delaware are both doing well. The delaware is the smallest and has been the most "troublesome" if you can really call it that. She's the smallest and she was really tired, more so than the OE that came home with her or the others before her, for a week or so and she seems colder than the others. She also had a bout with pasty butt, but seems fine now. She's quite a bit smaller than the OE, but she's gaining and growing. She's got wing feathers and is starting to set sweep and cape feathers. She's really sweet and is one of the more docile chicks. The OE is kinda chill also but she'll get right in there with the "big" girls when something good comes from the sky.

 

[Mtn Margie]

Hi all you Newbies (and Oldies too!) I heard a hummingbird yesterday!

SPRING!!!!
Yeah, I know you guys are getting your leaves, but I am just getting rid of my snow. Also we had our first hail storm and the girls loved it. I guess there is nothing like fresh hail stones after a long winter.....

 

[maggiemo]

Mtn Margie Hail? Already? Ugg. I guess it's a good time for a hail storm if your leaves aren't out yet. That would mean you don't have your garden in, so phew.

Mel. My Delaware hare huge, and like I say two OE are tiny and two are huge. I guess that is due to the hatchery breeding Marans, or Legbars with the EE to get the OE.
I have one, suspect roo, not positive of course that I am pretty sure is a Legbar EE cross. He/she is starting to get what looks like a little crest.
I don't know how people get such good pictures of their birds. I can't ever get them to hold still. I'll try to get some pictures tomorrow.

 

[kismetspawn]

Hi all you Newbies (and Oldies too!) I heard a hummingbird yesterday!

SPRING!!!!
Yeah, I know you guys are getting your leaves, but I am just getting rid of my snow. Also we had our first hail storm and the girls loved it. I guess there is nothing like fresh hail stones after a long winter.....

We had a bit of hail tonight along with the rain. It was mostly a nice rain though... lasted for about 2 hrs and was mostly gentle with tiny hail. Guessing I'll be able to find some nice treats for the girlies tomorrow. Hoping that's it for the season and no more comes after I put veggies in the ground. *wishful thinking*

Mo - can you have roos where you live? Of the ones you're planning to keep, will you keep any that turn out to be roos?

 

[maggiemo]

Yes, I can have roosters. Never wanted any though. I got 5 mille fleur d'uccle bantams last fall and one was a roo. I kept him (Gary, he is the only chicken I have with a name), and he is a nice rooster.
I am scared of roosters so having Gary has been good for me.
I have to say too, this board has been really good. It makes me think I might want to try to have a rooster. I have some really beautiful hens who lay really well and I would love to have some cross breeds of some of these girls. I love the idea of 'Colorado mutts'.
I was really sad when I saw I have a few roosters, but now I'll just wait and see what happens and make a game plan later.

 

[Pozees]

I am glad to hear Gary is a nice boy, I have a dozen Mille Fleur D'Uccle chicks coming later this spring because I saw one at Mayah's and fell in love

I have a male hatched from one of Mayah's eggs that needs a home, he is a beautiful splash lavender, on the smallish side, very gentle, about 3 months old. If anyone here is interested he is free, and I also have (free) a male Cream Legbar also 3 months old with beautiful coloring but a slightly wry tail, and a 2 year old dark blue Silkie male who is a good flock rooster and very fertile, I just don't care for his comb and want to put his girls under a different male. He and his girls are the only Silkies I've ever permitted to free range, only when we are home of course, he does a good job keeping his eye on them and locating goodies and calling them over. None of these males has ever made the slightest aggressive move toward any human, they are good boys.

 

[Pozees]

suncatcher you've been very quiet this week, everything okay?

 

[maggiemo]

I love my little bantams. My mille fleurs are egg laying machines. I have 4 hens and I get 4 eggs most days. I have had one hen go broody and I broke her really easily. So, I am loving my mille fleurs.