Consolidated Kansas

[Trish44]

I have never heard of anyone using a blue light with chicks, either they have a heat lamp or some other source of heat. I personally don't use heat lamps or lamps of any kind any more because I use sweeter heaters & just let them have the dark at night so they get used to night & day like they would outside if they were with the hen. Of course I raise quite a few chicks each year & have two large brooders so if you only have a few chicks I can see only using a heat lamp. I just didn't want to use them for my situation. I have never had a problem with chicks picking each other, I think that is more apt to happen in really crowded situations.

Danz there are still colors of the Marans that aren't accepted as of yet by the APA. The Black Copper Marans were just accepted & the standards written in 2011, so that didn't make it into the latest APA Standards book published in 2010. I didn't realize that it was that recent that the breed was accepted until I looked it up. There are many colors of lots of breeds that aren't accepted by the APA. It takes 5 years & at least 5 breeders working on a color or breed to get them accepted & a lot of red tape & hoops to jump through to get it accomplished. The Cream Legbar Club is in the process of trying to get the Crested Cream Legbar accepted as a breed in the U.S. They will get it done eventually.

 

[chicken danz]

I'm involved in a group currently that is trying to get gold laced Orpingtons accepted into the APA. It has been proposed but like you said it takes about 5 years. This is still the first year. It's difficult for me, simply because I don't show chickens and never will. I just try to produce the best birds I can. I don't talk the talk. I just know what to look for. But being actively involved, is one way I can help sell some of my offpspring. I like to breed to SOP so my chicks can be shown. At the same time I prefer the English Standard over the American Standard for my own birds. I think they are steps ahead of the U.S. in chicken breeds. MPO
It's supposed to be cooler and rainy this weekend. Sure doesn't make me happy. I am so sick of mopping up mud on the floor!
I'm hoping once I get some more fencing up that I can actually get some grass started again out back. It's been totally destroyed from the drought years and the birds.

 

[Trish44]

I've been working on the Cream Legbars as well with the Cream Legbar Club but they're all a work in progress. I have one special hen that I really like color & type on & my rooster but I still need to work on more pullets this year. They have gone with the UK standards on the breed & the birds we all started with in the US were not even close. The newest ones imported are to the UK standards for the most part, closer at least. I will never show either, I just don't have the time or energy to do that, but I do like to have the best breeding stock I can get in what I'm raising. Even if you have the best stock in the world though not every bird produced will be show quality, that's just how it is. If you kept culling the others & keeping only the best you might get there but still could get culls now & then.

I agree with you danz, I like the English Orps way better than the American ones, they're just such fluffy, big beautiful birds. I hope to have all of my Orps next year converted to the English with the exception of the Buffs because I got a line of those that is just as close to the English as they can be. They're huge, fluffy butts & I just love them.

 

[Dani4Hedgies]

Can't wait to see your birds ladies. At what age can i start feeding sunflower kennels to my chicks? The 16 of them split 1 boiled egg today was so funny

 

[ChickenCanoe]

...

.... Red lamps have been recommended for as long as I have raised chickens (back 45 years for sure). It reduces feather picking and canabalism...not used after that has occurred. I did look up some university studies and blue light does have a calming effect. Red as stated above. So either would be good for chickens.

That is true but research changes how we do things. 45 years ago, they didn't do research on lighting.

 

[chicken danz]

Funny! I have a pamphlet from 1942 from the Ohio state research dept and it talks about why one should use infrared lights on chicks. That's a lot longer than 45 years ago.
Just because I raised chickens 45 years ago doesn't mean I stopped researching back then! LOL

Can't wait to see your birds ladies. At what age can i start feeding sunflower kennels to my chicks? The 16 of them split 1 boiled egg today was so funny

Usually when the chicks are old enough to forage and have some type of grit they can start eating about anything. They may not show interest for some time though. Start with a small amount because new foods can cause upset tummies and diarrhea. I like to start with things like Cauliflower and Broccoli heads that have small parts and gradually introduce other things from there.
Dani I would love to show you my birds some day. I don't have a good camera to take pictures. Mine is stuck on a 2 second delay. And birds don't usually sit still for 2 seconds. Besides I never feel pictures show their size and what they look like at all angles nearly as well.
I spent my entire afternoon catching chickens one by one and moving them to different pens. I emptied the brooder house, but still need to clean it out. I have some eggs due to hatch tomorrow and need to make room for those chicks.
I moved all the layer birds that stay in the old garage to the two hen houses. I had to catch them one by one and carry them out there. That was a long long job. I hate to pen them cause all those girls free range all the time. But I want to tear that old garage down and build a new one some day and it's one less place to have to feed, water and gather eggs. So all in all moving birds I emptied two more places to feed and water.
I sorted some birds for a buyer today as well and switched out some cockerels and roosters for breeding. I feel I did quite a bit for one day. I still need to get DH to move a nest box out to one of the hen houses. I took the old one down and want to put a nicer one in there.
I wonder why I work so hard for the birds when I have Christmas gifts to work on and house work to get done.

 

[Dani4Hedgies]

Danz,
Wow that's a lot of work today I hope you are able to take it easier tomorrow. I would love to come down and see your birds maybe this summer I can since if I don't have a rooster in this clutch I will be looking for one

 

[chicken danz]

Dani it seems I've always got roosters. I end up selling them for a tenth of their value for meat then within a week, someone is asking for a particular breed I just sold. Too bad I can't foresee the future.

 

[Dani4Hedgies]

Danz,
Lol well i figure with me giving you guys weekly ) updates on my 1st chicks that you will now before me if I need a rooster and no doubt you will be able to suggest a good rooster for me. I know my husband really wants a Polish so don't know if you have an Polish lines or mixed lines that produce the crazy hair top hats

 

[chicken danz]

I used to raise polish. I had several colors but had some show quality white over black bantam polish. I sold them to @checoukan a few years ago. She hasn't posted in probably a year or longer and I know she just had some major surgery as well. If you are checking in R, get well soon.
I don't have any now and don't know anyone who has. @TakenBackBre do you have any?
Polish are adorable but they tend to get picked on mercilessly by other chickens, including other polish. Those birds just can't seem to leave the top knots alone.