Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[Ponypoor]

My poor baby, you can see the resorptive lesions on his teeth :'(

He's still doing alright though. For a while I was worried he wouldn't make it to 2025. Now, I doubt he'll make it another year... But I'm enjoying the time we still have together. He's such a good cat.

Now let's see... Can I get some good pics of my girls?

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Excuse me, Sybil.

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Um... Excuse me, Esme...

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Ope. Excuse me.

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UM, EXCUSE ME...!

He looks like he is doing well. These old kitties are tough!

 

[SimpleJenn]

Coops are empty. I only cried when I got all the decoy eggs in the basket and...it could have been real eggs from my girls so I just broke down.

 

[TOMTE]

Coops are empty. I only cried when I got all the decoy eggs in the basket and...it could have been real eggs from my girls so I just broke down.

 

[ChicoryBlue]

Well barnyard mutts would t be vaccinated unless you did it yourself.

I know at Hoovers they have many different hybrids on offer - I got Midnight Majesty Marans which are BCM Roo crossed on barred rock hens. My one surviving chick turned out to be a boy

The Azur Blue I have are a Leghorn and Auracana cross hybrid. They look very much like leghorns, but are actually paint or splash in colour as they have black spots. And Topsy has a crest!

There are so many nice crosses out there these days. Have you seen the Welbar cross Hoovers has? Welsummer and Barred Rock cross.

I would actually buy the Azur again they are super friendly and funny little birds - I was very happy at how friendly they are considering they were ‘factory’ Ready to Lay pullets when I got them at 20 weeks.

Here's my two cents

I've had such a mixed bag of experiences from all kinds of sources in 14 yrs.

MPC info I got 2nd hand about where they get their birds. My understanding is MPC takes the orders & private breeders provide the birds, exact details of which I know not. They are far from me so I never ordered from them. Most info seems positive. MPC must be a decent source to be in business for so many years.

I have ordered directly from out-of-state (VT, CO, KS, MO, CA) private breeders & some were flaky shipping wrong or sick birds while other private breeders were genuinely honest.

I've had feed stores that got their chicks from Privett Hatchery (New Mexico) ~ we lost 3 out of 4 ~ one chick death, a couple heatstroke adult deaths & one is still alive at over 7 years. Just never know how an individual bird or line of birds will survive.

At least reputable hatcheries guarantee alive chick delivery & if their policy is followed accurately by the customer they will refund any losses. However w/ most private breeders ~ once the bird is shipped they rarely refund $$$.

I'm not a fan of shipped chicks/birds but for a breed I really wanted I would go w/ a bigger reputable hatchery that refunds for losses. They refund the cost of the bird but I don't think they refund S&H fees.

Just note that day-old chicks are delicate & many die from different physical causes other than just shipping stress. If chicks survive shipping their ongoing longevity is good but not guaranteed. That goes for feed store chicks too that the store orders from a hatchery.

One thing I absolutely do ~ get the Mareck's vaccinated chicks. The extra $2+ for each chick is well worth it!

Go ahead w/ a hatchery that has your desired Buckeyes cuz there's no positive way to guarantee any chick health & order at least 3 minimum to allow for a chick loss. We got a single chick from a feed store & it lived only 23 days. We got 3 chicks of the same breed years later ~ lost a one-yr-old pullet later in a heatwave & a couple years later another sister to heatstroke but still have one left at 7 yrs old.
Glad we got the extra chicks.

Dana ~ our surviving Dominique.
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Bird health issues is the nature of chicken-keeping. Try not to over-worry about a breeder source if it's reputable ~ & go for your desired Buckeyes. Big hatcheries have large breeding flocks so inbreeding is usually nothing to worry about. It's when there's only a 1/2 dozen or less birds where inbreeding would be unfavorable. Post pics for us. We love pics! Good luck!

@ChicoryBlue I have gotten many chickens from MPC including Hattie who is 6.5 years old and approaching being the oldest hen I've had. They have always been more than fair with me. Aurora is also from MPC and she will be 6 in Feb. Now Glynda and Gucci were also from MPC so 2 sides of the coin.

I'm not sure that where I have obtained my chickens has any dog l significant bearing on their longevity. Phyllis never made 5 years and Sansa was barely 2, yet Sydney is over 5. They all came from the same place.

I had more trouble getting my money back from Aster than from any issues at MPC. At least they stand behind their chicks or even 6 week old pullets.

I'm not advising one way or another. I'm not even sure I've been helpful but I tried.

Sylvie is a Welbar. As was Bernie.
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I miss my girl Bernie. She was such a character.

The Welbar was developed in the UK in the early 1940s. They are an auto-sexing breed. They are a breed not a hybrid meaning they breed true (Welbar x Welbar = Welbar), and recognized at least in the UK (not sure about the US).
They lay dark brown eggs with speckles.

Thank you all! This is reassuring and it IS helpful! Besides fanning the flames of chicken math. I'd like them all!

I had the idea that landrace chickens might qualify as barnyard mutts. But it seems many are now being bred toward an SOP! Also, the number of individuals in the breeding stocks available in the US is comparatively low.

 

[Ponypoor]

Coops are empty. I only cried when I got all the decoy eggs in the basket and...it could have been real eggs from my girls so I just broke down.

Awww so sad, but soon it will be Spring and you will have a bunch of new youngsters.

I can’t wait to see your new flock

 

[SimpleJenn]

Hubby says 9-10 weeks and we will have new pets. Whenever our family friend is able to get us eggs to hatch.
The lady I gave bantams to will be setting eggs aside for me too

 

[Sylvester017]

Except for the leg colour…

Twister
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So happy with these friendly wee ladies

Azur Blue
Hybrid from Hendrix Genetics, cross between a Leghorn x Araucana, blue eggs.

Not the best fliers, but Twister did manage to fly up onto my shoulder there while I was seated.

So-o-o cute! Chickens are cute too....

 

[Sylvester017]

No egg laying yet. She is bright red of comb and wattles right now. She has shown no interest in the nest boxes.

Look around the yard...she may be laying a private nest somewhere else teehee...

DH makes a perimeter walk once a day just in case... Not often, but once in a blue moon he'll find an egg under the coop, at the run entrance, in a garden bed, etc. We watched a chicken years ago casually walking as an egg dropped from her behind & she just kept on walking!

 

[BY Bob]

Ok…
@rural mouse and @BY Bob

So I have just noticed that the yellow legs on Twister have changed to silver with pink feet! What gives?

Astor and she look very similar.

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They do look very similar. Legs and beaks can fade as the hen pulls nutrients from them to lay eggs. They usually replace those nutrients when not laying over the winter.

 

[Ponypoor]

The flock doesn’t like snow much