Colorado

[MaryVic]

Welcome @MaryVic. Would love to see some pictures of your girls.

Are you absolutely set on Golden Comets or would you be okay with any Red Sex Link? I’m sure any number of feed store will be selling RSLs so they shouldn’t be too hard to find. Another option is to ask if a feed store will add chicks onto their order for you.

RSL are egg laying machines but only for the first couple of laying cycles. Then egg count drops significantly. Some folks also note that they die at an early age; supposedly due to problems in their reproductive systems. I’ve never had one but they are very popular so folks must have good experiences with them.

I'm not set on them, I just want a great layer with laying longevity. I appreciate your help Thank you

 

[lomine]

I'm not set on them, I just want a great layer with laying longevity. I appreciate your help Thank you

I just meant are you set on the Golden Comets strain or are you okay with the other strains? The Golden Comets are a Red Sex Link from a certain hatchery. Other hatcheries give them different names. They also go by Red Star, Cinnamon Queen, ISA Browns, or sometimes Golden Sex Link. Its a cross between a red rooster and a white hen. Different hatcheries use different breeds. So each cross is a little different but for all of them you get female chicks with red down (feather out red) and male chicks with yellow down (feather out mostly white). These and black sex links are often used by commercial egg businesses.

Last year my Delaware laid very well in her first laying cycle. She's currently on break during her mini molt. So far this year (out of the 5 or 6 that are laying) my best layer is the Leghorn . She has laid almost everyday since she started but she is very flighty. I wouldn't want a whole flock like her, always running from me. She was my free Meyer Meal Maker. The EEs are doing pretty well too. My goal is a rainbow egg basket and a mixed flock though, so I'm not up on the best egg laying breeds. I chose for egg color rather than quantity.

 

[MaryVic]

I just meant are you set on the Golden Comets strain or are you okay with the other strains? The Golden Comets are a Red Sex Link from a certain hatchery. Other hatcheries give them different names. They also go by Red Star, Cinnamon Queen, ISA Browns, or sometimes Golden Sex Link. Its a cross between a red rooster and a white hen. Different hatcheries use different breeds. So each cross is a little different but for all of them you get female chicks with red down (feather out red) and male chicks with yellow down (feather out mostly white). These and black sex links are often used by commercial egg businesses.

Last year my Delaware laid very well in her first laying cycle. She's currently on break during her mini molt. So far this year (out of the 5 or 6 that are laying) my best layer is the Leghorn . She has laid almost everyday since she started but she is very flighty. I wouldn't want a whole flock like her, always running from me. She was my free Meyer Meal Maker. The EEs are doing pretty well too. My goal is a rainbow egg basket and a mixed flock though, so I'm not up on the best egg laying breeds. I chose for egg color rather than quantity.

Thank you for the info, i appreciate it

 

[uzisuzuki]

Hope y'all are doing well with the snow! I hate it as much as my chickens do! Since it was nice enough for the hose to thaw out, I decided to let everyone out of their pens while I filled up the big waterers. Had to chum them back in with some bread. Sparta figured out it was easier to plant herself on my cleavage and eat out of my hand before I could tear up the bread and scatter it for everyone.

The Beckys (my white polish) started laying eggs recently. Unfortunately, they still haven't figured out what the coop is and are laying them in odd places. Except for one, I just don't know which one. She figured out what the nesting boxes were for. I do have a question for y'all. The picture above this - male or female? They don't look like any of the females (they're all bearded, no wattles) but they don't look exactly like Jareth either. No crowing or male behaviors yet, but I have 8 definite males already so maybe they're just not into the whole chest bumping thing. I'm gonna die laughing if this is also a male.

Other than that, we've had two merlins living with us this winter. They keep eating all the barn sparrows/swallows (I don't know what they are other than annoying because they're eating all my poultry feed). One did get stuck in the aviary and couldn't figure out how to get out. That freaked out all the chickens! My adult peacock, Damien, and Memnoch were very interested in helping me catch it and get it out. It was pretty amazing that it let me pick it up with my hoody and release it outside the aviary. Got me thinking about becoming a falconry apprentice until I remembered I'd have to deal with the people at CPW that harassed me out of my job. Still might look into it, though. It was really amazing how calm it was in my hands.

 

[PirateGirl]

My girls were also happy the snow melted. They dug a new dust bath in the sun and piled in together. If I didn't know better I'd think they were dying.

 

[lomine]

@uzisuzuki lovely pictures as always. That merlin looks like he’s saying “Come on already human, get me out of here!”

Your little cotton balls sure have grown. I don’t know about sexing them but I think I remember that the females have even, rounded crests (is that the term?) and males have wild crests with streamers (?). I don’t know if that’s much help. You can always try posting a thread in the “what breed/gender am I” forum.

 

[PirateGirl]

I'm now officially a crazy chicken AND duck lady!

 

[PirateGirl]

View attachment 1248406 I'm now officially a crazy chicken AND duck lady!

 

[uzisuzuki]

@uzisuzuki lovely pictures as always. That merlin looks like he’s saying “Come on already human, get me out of here!”

Your little cotton balls sure have grown. I don’t know about sexing them but I think I remember that the females have even, rounded crests (is that the term?) and males have wild crests with streamers (?). I don’t know if that’s much help. You can always try posting a thread in the “what breed/gender am I” forum.

I believe you are right about the crests. It does look more female crest than male crest. I’m not sure I could deal with another male!

 

[lomine]

View attachment 1248406 I'm now officially a crazy chicken AND duck lady!

There’s no hope for you now!