Faverolles Thread

[Cloverleaf Farm]

Hi, I ordered some LF Salmon Fav's from crackle hatchery. Has anyone ever got chicks from them? What is their quality like? I have tried to get in touch with cloverleaf for some hatching eggs as I have a very broody Silkie. But I have received no answer.
Thanks

How did you try to contact me? I always try to answer any communications, and I don't recall anything from you.... ??

 

[PiperOmar]

I have lf Salmon Faverolles fertile eggs available to ship. Please PM me for more information and photos.

 

[bird-brain]

Guys, I'm a little off the current topic here and I know there is a thread for this but most of the posts are so OLD and since my flock is predominantly LF SF and our thread is more active, I'm putting it here I apologize if this is bad form.

I have two questions: first, I have a broody hen. That's okay with me, I want ONE. Here's the deal with that. Hubby and I went away for a week and a half, family stuff. My daughter fed watered, turned out etc. while we were gone. She actually complained to me that we get too many eggs lol. I have two hens that waited 8 months to lay (from the breeder that sparked my "frustrated" thread and four Meyer hatchery hens (my best and worst looking hens). I also have 1 silkie roo (supposed to be a hen but crows from the same breeder) and two LF SF Roos ( supposed to be hens from same breeder.). And one polish hen.

We were away for 10 days. My 7 hens laid 47 eggs while I was away (not too shabby). That has been the norm since they started laying January 4th of this year. Buffy went broody on this past Sunday. I had one egg Sunday and none since except Buffy has laid and is sitting on ONE egg. she is hateful if the other hens get near but allows me to check with mild disapproval so my egg count is accurate.

I have an 8x8 inclosed coop with an attached 8x8 run. Both are 10 feet tall with multiple height roosts in both coop and run. I have 4 elevated nest boxes and 4 ground level nesting areas (so 8 nests for 7hens). All of my eggs have been in four nesting areas with one hen who just lays where ever, middle of coop, run, or yard during outside time. They do get a couple of hours of free range a day, (lots of predators here). Since Buffy went broody, no one is laying. I have read that this happens but have never found an explanation. My question is why? I have not done a bug check but will do in AM and report back. I doubt it is parasitic in nature.

SECOND and maybe most important question, I switched from a purina feed to southern states based on some recommendations. I fed exactly one bag of southern states. It was like powder (this has been a reported problem in some areas). Just before we left, I went back to purina layena because so much feed was wasted with the talc consistency of the southern states. Last week, my daughter fed three days of southern states mixed with the layena feed. The last three days of eggs many were nearly white with thin shells but very large compared to normal. (Not double yoked but very rippled and big.). My question, am I seeing these bad shells because of the month of southern states or the switch back to purina? Are they not laying because of the feed switch or because I have one broody hen? Their treats consist mainly of meal worms, kale, fruit and veggie tops (strawberry, carrot, turnip, and oat groats. They get two to one, feed to treat, plus free range when weather permits. It was very rainy (and snowed) while I was away but all winter has been this way and they laid great during earlier snows.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

 

[windandraine]

I sent an email to the cloverleaf farms website. I do not know how to PM through this site. I am still a beginner at this.
I really wanted some hatching eggs from your beautiful birds. I would love to hatch out a nice roo.
Thank you, Mandolin

 

[mame1616]

Thank you, such helpers!!! A hoe makes cleaning easier. I don't like the nest box sticking out so I have to try to figure an alternative.
This is the current thought I am having (forgive the hand drawing skills here)




A thick glass window I already have to put in
B currently existing door that could be used for egg collection and cleaning
C clear plastic for solar gain on the southern side, covered with net or wire in warmer months
D green tarp or FBBF... not sure. This is on the North east side so I wanted it to act as shade and wind protection a little
E Human door for those days when chasing a chicken is necessary and of course the regular feed/water schedule

I figure I will lattice the north side of the yard to offer a little wind protection come winter. I am considering putting a permanent dust bath under the house so its available all year round with a little maintainance. At present it looks to me as though I will be cutting another hole in the bottom to create a door for them to go in and out of and food will likely be hung down there. This will force them to come out and get fresh air regularly-- something even my children must be pushed to do, but the water issue eludes me. I do not wish to run electricity to this. I may have to do what I did this winter which was have two dishes and one gets brought in every night to thaw and a fresh ones goes out. I really hope the solar side of this plan works because it could help provide heat as well as grazing area even in winter, esp if I wall one or two sides with bales of hay. The more I think about this the more I see the Favs in there. I do worry about the raccoons etc but they get closed up every night. And I plan to rotate the different groups out so everyone gets a chance to free range the acreage twice in a seven day period. Its not the same as having a lovely mixed flock all running around but its easier in some ways too esp when it comes to separating cock/erels.

oh, and the alternative thought to this plan right now is to maybe arc pvc pipes instead of using the triangular shape. I like the triangle but IDK what will be easier at this point. This one I think.

And I had issues with Frostbite on combs this winter. We had bitter cold and large combs became ugly small ones despite our efforts so while I am not a proponent of heating a coop I am going into creating new ones with thoughts for passive solar gain at least to help in the winter.

I realize you're in Maine, but the birds have a lot more problems with the heat than with the cold. I would suggest making that glass window removable in the summer. Also, cutting some long thin sections of the wall - say, about 3" high along the length of the wall near the top, about 6-8" in from each end - and making them removable will help move some air in the hot weather. I have removable panels that use in the spring and fall attached with simple slide latches.

If you're going to cover the north side, go with a solid cover. It gives them another place to get out of the wet in bad weather. I have a spot like that, and that's where they hang out in the rain. Also, the benefit of the wind protection is a good idea - cold wind is as bad as too much heat.

I wouldn't put a hole in the bottom - all of your bedding will fall out, or get kicked out, and make a mess of your run.

I have managed to prevent frostbite for several years by applying bag balm liberally to the combs every Sunday. Apparently I missed a tiny spot, because he now has one little black mark from this last cold sweep - so annoyed!

 

[mame1616]

Guys, I'm a little off the current topic here and I know there is a thread for this but most of the posts are so OLD and since my flock is predominantly LF SF and our thread is more active, I'm putting it here I apologize if this is bad form.

I have two questions: first, I have a broody hen. That's okay with me, I want ONE. Here's the deal with that. Hubby and I went away for a week and a half, family stuff. My daughter fed watered, turned out etc. while we were gone. She actually complained to me that we get too many eggs lol. I have two hens that waited 8 months to lay (from the breeder that sparked my "frustrated" thread and four Meyer hatchery hens (my best and worst looking hens). I also have 1 silkie roo (supposed to be a hen but crows from the same breeder) and two LF SF Roos ( supposed to be hens from same breeder.). And one polish hen.

We were away for 10 days. My 7 hens laid 47 eggs while I was away (not too shabby). That has been the norm since they started laying January 4th of this year. Buffy went broody on this past Sunday. I had one egg Sunday and none since except Buffy has laid and is sitting on ONE egg. she is hateful if the other hens get near but allows me to check with mild disapproval so my egg count is accurate.

I have an 8x8 inclosed coop with an attached 8x8 run. Both are 10 feet tall with multiple height roosts in both coop and run. I have 4 elevated nest boxes and 4 ground level nesting areas (so 8 nests for 7hens). All of my eggs have been in four nesting areas with one hen who just lays where ever, middle of coop, run, or yard during outside time. They do get a couple of hours of free range a day, (lots of predators here). Since Buffy went broody, no one is laying. I have read that this happens but have never found an explanation. My question is why? I have not done a bug check but will do in AM and report back. I doubt it is parasitic in nature.

SECOND and maybe most important question, I switched from a purina feed to southern states based on some recommendations. I fed exactly one bag of southern states. It was like powder (this has been a reported problem in some areas). Just before we left, I went back to purina layena because so much feed was wasted with the talc consistency of the southern states. Last week, my daughter fed three days of southern states mixed with the layena feed. The last three days of eggs many were nearly white with thin shells but very large compared to normal. (Not double yoked but very rippled and big.). My question, am I seeing these bad shells because of the month of southern states or the switch back to purina? Are they not laying because of the feed switch or because I have one broody hen? Their treats consist mainly of meal worms, kale, fruit and veggie tops (strawberry, carrot, turnip, and oat groats. They get two to one, feed to treat, plus free range when weather permits. It was very rainy (and snowed) while I was away but all winter has been this way and they laid great during earlier snows.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

I have had them start their own "Who's the most broody?" club. It only takes one to get them going. Why? Because they can, and we're standing around waiting for eggs.

Anytime you change feed, there's a chance their insides will take a bit to get adjusted. I used Southern States for a long time with no major issues, but there was a bit of dust. I switched to the 20% Flock Raiser after discussions with a few people. They seem to do just fine with that. (I have a number of Brahmas, Giants, and Cochins that are all bigger than my Favs, so they do well with the slightly higher protein.) Are you seeing any soft-shelled eggs? That may be a cause for concern. Just make sure they have plenty of oyster shell available, and give them time to get back to their regular feed. See how they are then, and make adjustments from there. It's hard to make decisions if you change too many things at once.

 

[bird-brain]

I have had them start their own "Who's the most broody?" club. It only takes one to get them going. Why? Because they can, and we're standing around waiting for eggs.

Anytime you change feed, there's a chance their insides will take a bit to get adjusted. I used Southern States for a long time with no major issues, but there was a bit of dust. I switched to the 20% Flock Raiser after discussions with a few people. They seem to do just fine with that. (I have a number of Brahmas, Giants, and Cochins that are all bigger than my Favs, so they do well with the slightly higher protein.) Are you seeing any soft-shelled eggs? That may be a cause for concern. Just make sure they have plenty of oyster shell available, and give them time to get back to their regular feed. See how they are then, and make adjustments from there. It's hard to make decisions if you change too many things at once.

Thanks for that Mame. We did not do a straight switch on feed. We added the purina back slowly. I've heard southern states has always been a bit dusty but 3/4 of this bag was like sand or worse. And I am not getting soft shelled eggs, just thin, pale large one's. the pallor of the shell was more concerning to me than the thinner shells because most of my double yokes come out a little thin and I thought that's what these were until I cracked one.

I also noticed my roosters crowing at about 2:00 this morning which is really unusual. Maybe there's a critter scaring them. I went out to check and found nothing but it doesn't mean something didn't get close. I'll keep an eye on things and probably move the hen that is sitting this weekend and see if that helps.

 

[sandiklaws]

Guys, I'm a little off the current topic here and I know there is a thread for this but most of the posts are so OLD and since my flock is predominantly LF SF and our thread is more active, I'm putting it here I apologize if this is bad form.

I have two questions: first, I have a broody hen. That's okay with me, I want ONE. Here's the deal with that. Hubby and I went away for a week and a half, family stuff. My daughter fed watered, turned out etc. while we were gone. She actually complained to me that we get too many eggs lol. I have two hens that waited 8 months to lay (from the breeder that sparked my "frustrated" thread and four Meyer hatchery hens (my best and worst looking hens). I also have 1 silkie roo (supposed to be a hen but crows from the same breeder) and two LF SF Roos ( supposed to be hens from same breeder.). And one polish hen.

We were away for 10 days. My 7 hens laid 47 eggs while I was away (not too shabby). That has been the norm since they started laying January 4th of this year. Buffy went broody on this past Sunday. I had one egg Sunday and none since except Buffy has laid and is sitting on ONE egg. she is hateful if the other hens get near but allows me to check with mild disapproval so my egg count is accurate.

I have an 8x8 inclosed coop with an attached 8x8 run. Both are 10 feet tall with multiple height roosts in both coop and run. I have 4 elevated nest boxes and 4 ground level nesting areas (so 8 nests for 7hens). All of my eggs have been in four nesting areas with one hen who just lays where ever, middle of coop, run, or yard during outside time. They do get a couple of hours of free range a day, (lots of predators here). Since Buffy went broody, no one is laying. I have read that this happens but have never found an explanation. My question is why? I have not done a bug check but will do in AM and report back. I doubt it is parasitic in nature.

SECOND and maybe most important question, I switched from a purina feed to southern states based on some recommendations. I fed exactly one bag of southern states. It was like powder (this has been a reported problem in some areas). Just before we left, I went back to purina layena because so much feed was wasted with the talc consistency of the southern states. Last week, my daughter fed three days of southern states mixed with the layena feed. The last three days of eggs many were nearly white with thin shells but very large compared to normal. (Not double yoked but very rippled and big.). My question, am I seeing these bad shells because of the month of southern states or the switch back to purina? Are they not laying because of the feed switch or because I have one broody hen? Their treats consist mainly of meal worms, kale, fruit and veggie tops (strawberry, carrot, turnip, and oat groats. They get two to one, feed to treat, plus free range when weather permits. It was very rainy (and snowed) while I was away but all winter has been this way and they laid great during earlier snows.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

regarding laying- sounds to me that they might have been getting let out late, sudden change in daylight exposure will slow down laying

regarding shells- probably need some oyster shell in their pen they can free feed from.

regarding weirdness in the eggs- it is probably due to a combination of factors, with the feed switch being only partly to blame. It might not be a bad idea to rule out parasites/bugs entirely because with milder weather it certainly can go from nothing to infested in a hurry. Check for signs of skin parasites; blood sucking mites, feather eating mites, and leg mites. You can also check for internal digestive tract parasites by bringing a stool sample to be analyzed by your vet. You will probably never know what actually caused the issue, but checking and ruling out the stuff you know can be a factor is a good place to start... in all likely hood, a few weeks on their original diet will set things straight, but it never hurts to play it safe regarding parasites.

 

[dretd]

I have an 8x8 inclosed coop with an attached 8x8 run. Both are 10 feet tall with multiple height roosts in both coop and run. I have 4 elevated nest boxes and 4 ground level nesting areas (so 8 nests for 7hens). All of my eggs have been in four nesting areas with one hen who just lays where ever, middle of coop, run, or yard during outside time. They do get a couple of hours of free range a day, (lots of predators here). Since Buffy went broody, no one is laying. I have read that this happens but have never found an explanation. My question is why? I have not done a bug check but will do in AM and report back. I doubt it is parasitic in nature.

SECOND and maybe most important question, I switched from a purina feed to southern states based on some recommendations. I fed exactly one bag of southern states. It was like powder (this has been a reported problem in some areas). Just before we left, I went back to purina layena because so much feed was wasted with the talc consistency of the southern states. Last week, my daughter fed three days of southern states mixed with the layena feed. The last three days of eggs many were nearly white with thin shells but very large compared to normal. (Not double yoked but very rippled and big.). My question, am I seeing these bad shells because of the month of southern states or the switch back to purina? Are they not laying because of the feed switch or because I have one broody hen? Their treats consist mainly of meal worms, kale, fruit and veggie tops (strawberry, carrot, turnip, and oat groats. They get two to one, feed to treat, plus free range when weather permits. It was very rainy (and snowed) while I was away but all winter has been this way and they laid great during earlier snows.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

I agree with what the others have already commented on: light, calcium intake, check for parasites, the other broody setting a trend. I prefer pelleted food over mashes and crumbles for the exact reason you have brought up--there is far little waste. If they spill the food they can still pick it up.

I did want to mention that, since they free range a few hours a day and there is a broody in their favorite nest box, they may have started laying somewhere else in the yard. Hens like to lay in a nest other hens think is safe. I have had all of my hens 'stop' laying and what really happened was one hen started laying in the brush, or under a bush and then they all started laying there instead of the nest boxes. It may be the broody wouldn't let them where they wanted so they improvised. Look really hard for a concealed nest. You can also prime the pump by putting eggs in a different nest box and see if that prompts them to start laying there.

Another thing is that if the eggs are thin-shelled, they can be crushed pretty easily when another hen goes to lay or when the egg hits the nest. If its damaged revealing the innards, a hungry hen may get an idea to eat that egg and then start cracking other eggs to get the goodies inside. Watch rally carefully for egg eating behavior. If you set an egg on the ground, does a hen run over and start clucking excitedly and try to crack it open? I had a rooster that did this--really made me mad.

You may have an egg eating predator like a snake, although its unlikely it would go on for so ling, you should keep your eye out just in case.

 

[bantamgirl]

Is it possible to breed whites from salmons. I read something about burns on the hackles, so these are OK for showing right.