Consolidated Kansas

[HEChicken]

HEChicken, I love that first one's coloring, it's the same as my new little Swedish Flower Hen pullet. She's just beautiful, you should try to get some chicks from her & see if she has any hatch like her. Cochins are cute, but not that great for laying if you want lots of eggs. I had a few when I lived in Derby just because I liked the way they looked. Back then I knew nothing about chicken breeds & just bought what I thought were cute.

I love the coloring on her too but I am trying to move away from having so many bantams. My set up is really best for LF so I don't want to take on any more bantams than I already have. I knew Cochins aren't always good layers - I mainly wanted them for their broodiness. Between them and the Silkies, I hope I don't end up with more broodies than I know what to do with this year. Hopefully they'll stagger it a little. My plan is to order hatching eggs in a few breeds I've been wanting and put them under the broody hens. I love incubating and hatching but don't like raising chicks so much, so I'm going to let the hens do it for me

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[checoukan]

Wow! everybody has been inside and not outside to much, lots of posts.

Anyway Dr. put me back on antibiotics~~~again, ugh tired of it already!!

Went out side to take pictures of the new barn going up, and my husband, motions me over to help him. Dang it anyway, he's in the nice warm tractor,

I'm outside opening gates!.

So, I did not get pictures taken, but will try to get one in the morning before they start putting the trusses up.

I have to ask Ivy, but she may have some serma's. Don't know, but will ask. If she does she might let go of some. She has sold out of almost everything, and I don't know if she will start back or not. I may have to help her out.

Yes, I have partridge wyandottes I am working with. I also have Cream legbars, along with my rosecombs, black, silver, wheaton, lavendar ameraucana's, cooper marans, silver campine, Q-tips, salmon faverells, silver spangled hamburgs. Hmm, Yes, hawkeye, if its not a challenge not really in to breeding it.
Really would like to go to Pryor next month, but, think I will stay home and try to get the breeders into production. Last year at this time I had eggs in the incubator, and this year nothing from the breeders!

So, hopefully, the barn gets in to high gear and things will turn around here.
Everybody TRY to stay warm. Later in the week sounds better.

 

[JosieChick]

I haven't pulled or candled the eggs yet but I think I am going to have to toss them. I have a frizzled roo and a frizzled hen running in the pen together and I know she is laying and I have seen the frizzled roo cover her. I can't risk hatching a frazzled bird, that would not be responsible.

Danz-I am sorry to hear about your hen. I don't know what is going on with her other than maybe it is blood she is passing out her mouth? When it clots up it looks blackish. Poor thing.

Nope I sold about 50 of them to a guy in Missouri and kept my favorites. Then sold those to Josie some time ago other than a couple of birds I gave to friends or had traded for other birds. Maybe if she hasn't pulled those eggs from the little hen she would sell you those if you could get them somehow.

I can't wait to get this wood tomorrow & get busy building walls inside my new coop, I'm so excited I can't stand it! I have to see some progress going on & for so long it just sat there with nothing happening. Of course I will have to wait until warmer weather to paint the whole outside of it, but that's OK, that can wait, I just want to get everything else done that can be done so I can start moving birds. I want to get them all put in their places so they can acclimate to them & then I will be ready to raise pure bred chicks.

Josie, that wheaten Ameraucana hen is laying really pretty blue eggs about every day now. My blue wheaten pullet hasn't laid as of yet. Oh & Danz, my black spotted SFH hen is now laying & she' s laying pretty good sized eggs too for a new layer, that's encouraging. The other two pullets haven't laid yet, I can't wait until they all start laying.

They are very hard to find. I spent an obscene amount of money having birds shipped in. I sold some of my birds to a guy in Topeka but I don't think he is selling anything for cheap either. Even a pet quality serama can sell for $15-20 easily. It is early in the year too so not a lot of people are hatching yet, it is just too cold and serama chicks are very fragile and tiny.

Ok thanks. I am just really coming up short trying to find some

Hope you feel better soon! So exciting to be building a new barn!!

Wow! everybody has been inside and not outside to much, lots of posts.

Anyway Dr. put me back on antibiotics~~~again, ugh tired of it already!!

Went out side to take pictures of the new barn going up, and my husband, motions me over to help him. Dang it anyway, he's in the nice warm tractor,

I'm outside opening gates!. MEN!!!

So, I did not get pictures taken, but will try to get one in the morning before they start putting the trusses up.

I have to ask Ivy, but she may have some serma's. Don't know, but will ask. If she does she might let go of some. She has sold out of almost everything, and I don't know if she will start back or not. I may have to help her out.

Yes, I have partridge wyandottes I am working with. I also have Cream legbars, along with my rosecombs, black, silver, wheaton, lavendar ameraucana's, cooper marans, silver campine, Q-tips, salmon faverells, silver spangled hamburgs. Hmm, Yes, hawkeye, if its not a challenge not really in to breeding it.
Really would like to go to Pryor next month, but, think I will stay home and try to get the breeders into production. Last year at this time I had eggs in the incubator, and this year nothing from the breeders!

So, hopefully, the barn gets in to high gear and things will turn around here.
Everybody TRY to stay warm. Later in the week sounds better.

 

[Trish44]

I found this blog just now with instruction for the fermented feed if anyone is interested, it explained it pretty well I thought: http://naturalchickenkeeping.blogspot.ca/p/fermented-feed.html

 

[Trish44]

Checoukan, I don't know how much you want to get into the Cream Legbars, but there is a new Cream Legbar club if you're interested. I have joined & will be helping to set up the standards here in the US for them. Here is the link to the club if you're interested or anyone else also: https://sites.google.com/site/creamlegbarclublaunch/home. You can join just as an associate for free & get newsletters or join with a full membership for $12 a year & be a voting member.

 

[chicken danz]

Maidenwolf, I forgot I had also sold Ivy several Seramas. And KarenS has two hens from me and a roo from Josie. My biggest problem with them was location. Every one wanted me to ship them. Also I got into them way too early in the game. So many people didn't even know what they were. They were the hardest chicks ever to raise. They require ground feed and protected water dishes I used quail waterers for them when they were newly hatched.)and I also found that extra warmth helps too. They have a gene which causes many to die just before hatching or shortly after, particularly in white birds. Overall they are egg cranking fools though. I guess quantity helps make up for quality.
I had about 60 extra cockerels I sold for $1 each to be eaten as small birds like quail or something at one time. They went to a food market.
Everyone wants an A sized bird but most of the A's are infertile. C's are nothing special. B's are probably the best. I ended up choosing some of the larger birds from my stock that consistently produced more of the tiniest chicks. Those chicks sold well but I didn't keep any of them as breeders. I had one tiny silkied hen that weighed less than 6 ounces. I kept hoping she would give me some offspring. She laid regularly but never laid a fertile egg in her life. She also only lived a couple years but she was definitely my favorite.
I am just more of a large fowl bird lover. I surprised myself being so fascinated and spending so much on Olandsk. But I really love these little guys.
And the d'uccles are always being asked for and they are so stinking cute so I tried to get some show lines to raise. I do have those two hens that are hatchery quality that lay but the young ones are much better quality. I don't know how long I will raise them. It depends on how well babies sell and if any of the offspring 4H kids buy, place well. I did really well with the Q-tips as checoukan calls them. They are another breed that is a bit temperamental to raise in the bantam size.
Yep I put out a lot more food but I'd rather have a chicken as big as a dog than one as small as a rat.
Trish I don't know if I'll ever try showing any legbars but I am thinking of joining that group. I think my little legbars are pretty nice. I particularly like the crested ones. They have some growing to do but they seem to be developing well. I haven't read over the English standards but it would be nice to have a say in American standards.
I'd love to see the SFHs accepted someday too. They are just awesome birds. Mine are just total sweethearts.
Josie if you are lurking send me a message or text me on the 785 number. I have a question for you. I just don't want to wake you or bother you if you are running again.

 

[HEChicken]

Danz, I'm with you on the LF, even though I really like all my bantams. I swore I wouldn't get any when I started but made the mistake of taking DD with me to chick days a couple different times. After hearing "But Mu-um, they sooooo cuuuuute" over and over, who can resist? So now I have a sultan and a little bird I have no idea what she is. She is the size of my Seramas but doesn't have their type. Actually, her "type" is exactly that of a LF but in miniature. No feathered legs, no crest, normal feathering. She was out of the mixed bantam bin at Atwoods last spring, but doesn't match any of the potential breeds that were in that bin. Then I have a pair of Seramas, and the Cochin/Silchins I posted yesterday plus the silkies.

I have thought about putting the unknown tiny hen in with the pair of Seramas in a little breeder coop this spring but really don't think I want to go that direction - like I said, I would prefer to stick to LF along with a few cochins and silkies to have as broodies. So I dunno.....

From what you're saying, if I let the Seramas hatch, there would be a market for their offspring? They don't eat much so don't cost much to raise so maybe I should do that.

 

[chicken danz]

I figured out the cost of the average Serama once and I think it was under a dollar for a whole month of feed. Of course grain prices have gone up since then. Yes there is a market for chicks. You are close enough to Wichita you could probably sell some. I still get calls all the time from old adds I had posted, especially from coastal areas wanting Seramas. There are some places that collect old adds and repost them under key words so people are calling from adds I removed over 2 years ago. I guess I could have been patient and waited for the market to catch up but I had tons of birds and few local buyers.
In my experience they are totally hardy unlike what you read. I think that was another reason why people shied away from them locally but with time it is proven that really doesn't apply.
If you mix the unknown hen with Seramas you have nothing... just a bantam. I personally wouldn't do it.... unless you just want little bantams.
My most broody birds are my silver duck winged Pheonix. I have a buyer coming after all of them in a couple weeks. I love the cock's long tails and feathers but I have to make cuts some where and he is paying good money for them.

 

[maidenwolfx80]

Ok since seramas are a hit and miss right now. What about cochins? LF or bantam in blue, splash, mottled or any designer pretty colors. Either standard or frizzle. I like blues and splashes. I really like bantams because they are tiny and beg to be picked up, or at least mine do, but the LF are just majestic. What ya got guys? I have bday money begging to be spent lol Everyone told me it is not to go towards bills so,,, I will try and find my birds I want.

 

[HEChicken]

In my experience they are totally hardy unlike what you read. I think that was another reason why people shied away from them locally but with time it is proven that really doesn't apply.
If you mix the unknown hen with Seramas you have nothing... just a bantam. I personally wouldn't do it.... unless you just want little bantams.

I realized after I posted that how it sounded

My reasons for putting them together are not to breed but a) they are the same size so I figured the little unknown hen is less likely to be injured being mated by a Serama than a LF rooster and b) I would rather have a trio together than a pair, so the cockerel doesn't end up over-mating the one hen. However I would only incubate the Serama hen's eggs, and eat the other hen's. Two of hers equal one regular egg LOL. Do Seramas lay white eggs or brown? (I'd want to be able to easily tell the difference between the eggs). I agree about the hardiness - mine are out there with the rest of the flock and don't even look cold on these frigid morning.

Ok since seramas are a hit and miss right now. What about cochins? LF or bantam in blue, splash, mottled or any designer pretty colors. Either standard or frizzle. I like blues and splashes. I really like bantams because they are tiny and beg to be picked up, or at least mine do, but the LF are just majestic. What ya got guys? I have bday money begging to be spent lol Everyone told me it is not to go towards bills so,,, I will try and find my birds I want.

Maidenwolf, I know getting new birds is an exciting way to spend your money - and I mean no offence here at all so please don't take it that way - but it was only yesterday you posted about a severe mite problem in your flock. It might be better to consider spending the money to get your flock health up to par before adding new birds. I personally would hesitate to pass birds into a situation where they would immediately be subjected to known issues like mites. Any time I sell or give away birds it is at the risk they won't be cared for as I would prefer - and I accept that - but if it were my flock, I would want to make sure I eliminated the known issues prior to adding new birds.