d'anver lovers,discuss the breed and post some pics!

[speckledhen]

So sorry for your loss. Losing any of them is hard for me, and those we take even closer to heart is rough.

I also toss whole grain treats to the girls, I do have some that would try to eat only the scratch but with my erratic schedule they fall back to the 21% crumble I feed my bantams.

Thank you for sharing your findings.

Thanks so much. It may never happen again, could be just this hen, but I'll be watching for others who may be avoiding their regular feed in the future and cut back some on what they get as far as the grain mix (Spike will hate it, he insists on his corn fix daily, lol), though the Cutting Edge is a gamecock conditioner with 16% protein and even contains grit, made to use as a sole feed. Still, may not be good for the little ones. RIP, beautiful Maura. Of course, it was my only porcelain hen. Her mother Mina is visual mille but half porcelain so if any more eggs of Mina's are hatched, could get another Maura for someone else. I'm not adding to my D'Anvers. Just loved seeing that gorgeous girl every day.

 

[OR4-hmom]

I have one of those "exceptions" here also. A 6 yo Lt brown dutch that is a failure to thrive chick.

3 years ago I lost a special dark Brahma hen, Freck was a special personality and I still have days when I expect her to come and greet me. I've played with the idea of getting another 1 or 2 but the chances of finding another "special" are remote. When the time is right the new character will find me.

 

[speckledhen]

I allowed them out to free range a short time today and took some photos. I didn't realize that there was a smudge on my lens until later, sorry. And two videos as well! For some reason, my youtubes won't allow me to have thumbnails the last few ones I've tried to upload, but there is a video there, just click on the link.

 

[SchipAlong]

I'm sorry for your loss

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Yesterday we drove 3.5 hours each way to pick up black chicks. Thankfully it was very sunny and the windshield was like a hot magnifying glass, so I was able to place their box under the window to keep them comfortable while we waited for the ferry. I had forgotten just how tiny they are as babies. I mean, I know they have to hatch out of those ickle little eggs but I just couldn't visualize an actual chick that size. While we were stuck riding the ferry they started to get a bit cold, so I took the lid off the box and cupped my hand over one side. They all jostled to snuggle up under my hand, quieted down, and took a nap.

Apparently I bought The Most Interesting Chicken in the World.

"I don't always scratch at the feeder, but when I do I fall on my face."

Fairy confident this one is female. She's noticeably smaller than the other two (but very active), and her legs are much smaller and slender for her size. She's just very dainty overall.

 

[speckledhen]

Thank you. Congrats on your new ones! I guess the thumbnails on the youtubes finally showed up. Was having a time with it all week.

 

[lisa67steve99]

So sorry to hear about your Maura. We are still hurting from losing our Georgia, doesn't seem right to go to the coop and not see her. Loss is the "not so fun side" of chicken keeping.

 

[speckledhen]

So sorry to hear about your Maura. We are still hurting from losing our Georgia, doesn't seem right to go to the coop and not see her. Loss is the "not so fun side" of chicken keeping.

Thanks, Lisa. I'm sorry about Georgia. I'm losing another younger hen, this time to an egg issue. It's been a time for losing ones you don't expect, while our super old ones keep on trucking. When those start passing on, I'll have to incubate to start over, I'm afraid.

 

[K Epp]

You know there is truth to that. My Large Fowl flock are pretty much on their own. I turn them out in the morning they roam the yard all day. Put them selves to bed each night and get locked up after dark. I do give them a minimal amount of food to get them to leave me alone when I'm out side. Two of them have chicks. I've figured i'd come home to dead chicks with all this rain. Nope they are running around like little dirty pigs, but not slowing down at all. The bantam and "Special" breed chickens I have are a whole lot more trouble and work. Some times I think I should just let them go and stop babying them and let the strong survive.

Sorry your loosing another. I have a broody I'll offer you chicks again if you want them.

 

[speckledhen]

You know there is truth to that. My Large Fowl flock are pretty much on their own. I turn them out in the morning they roam the yard all day. Put them selves to bed each night and get locked up after dark. I do give them a minimal amount of food to get them to leave me alone when I'm out side. Two of them have chicks. I've figured i'd come home to dead chicks with all this rain. Nope they are running around like little dirty pigs, but not slowing down at all. The bantam and "Special" breed chickens I have are a whole lot more trouble and work. Some times I think I should just let them go and stop babying them and let the strong survive.

Sorry your loosing another. I have a broody I'll offer you chicks again if you want them.

There is a lot of truth to what you say, Karen. At least, if you resign yourself that you will let the strong survive and will have some losses, you take some pressure off yourself. I have had weird stuff with the D'Anvers, a fractured leg, a head injury (I'm fairly sure), Maura's eye injury that semi-blinded her in the left eye, etc. Thankfully, never any egg issues unless you count the fact that Lucy and Penny just don't lay at all, lol. And early on, one of my original porcelain roosters, Angus, just developed what seemed to be a heart issue and died. I believe that some of the bantam breeds are just not as hardy, overall. That said, I have no regrets choosing this breed as my bantam breed. They are gorgeous and have tons of personality.

The hen I'm losing now always laid humongous and very elongated rough shelled eggs. I think that is her downfall now-one probably is way back in the chute, maybe positioned cockeyed. We did the vent palpation and can feel a mass back up in there, but nothing we can reach. Even if we could fix it this time, her eggs would still be the same, still give her trouble. She's not a huge hen, rather narrow bodied, so the egg size I knew would probably hurt her at some point. I gave her a massive emergency dose of calcium but I don't think that will do it.

Thank you for your offer, my friend. I had already resigned myself to holding off adding to the flocks, letting the old gals pass on (they refuse, lol) and then starting up with fresh, new stock and also breeding from my BR rooster, Atlas, and the Stukel line BR hens. I'd like to get more Brahmas in the future, preferably Buffs like my 8 yr old Caroline, and Darks, to add to the Barred Rocks I have. I had a Lt. Brahma hen, too, sweet thing she was, died at 5 1/2 of what I believe to be reproductive cancer.

 

[Chickgirl3]

Woke up this morning to 3 newly hatched babes crying their heads off! They're all black, and we still got 10 more working their way out, black, blue, and cuckoo. Thanks again Aubrey for these adorable little guys!