Getting the flock out of here - a diary of a crazy chicken man

[NovaAman]

I had the freak Australorp who laid a green egg. LOL. Don't know how that happened, but somewhere along the lines something that laid a green egg got in the mix. LOL Was quite a shock to me.

 

[ozexpat]

I had the freak Australorp who laid a green egg. LOL. Don't know how that happened, but somewhere along the lines something that laid a green egg got in the mix. LOL Was quite a shock to me.

Some smooth olive egger charmed a poor defenseless Aussie lass while she was gossiping no doubt. Seems a bit like my olive skinned father and my mother. LOL

 

[NovaAman]

Probably! Glad you had a safe trip back state side oz..

 

[ozexpat]

I am getting hold of 12 Giant Cochin (Blue, Black and Splash) and 12 Cuckoo Marans hatching eggs this weekend. I need to keep my skills up

I will do a chick for egg swap with the off grid mama that does not have reliable power.

So this week, in between moving, I have to build a bator as mine are in the Philippines - but what the heck, I like a challenge - and who needs sleep anyway??


Mrs Oz is driving to the beach house as I type to drop off some supplies and take some pics of the chicks. I will post them once she puts them in dropbox.

 

[ozexpat]

I will be going to my first BYC meet up this weekend in San Diego County.

I cant believe just how crazy a chicken man I have become.

 

[Bulldogma]

What a wonderful flock you'll have! Cochins don't do as well in the heat as some other breeds, yet, I'm sure they'll be just fine with that beautiful coop you have going up! They do have wonderful personalities and are generally wonderful with kids about.

And the Marans... oh what beautiful eggs! You'll have a wonderful array of color in your egg baskets some day!

Keep those updates coming when you can.

 

[ozexpat]

What a wonderful flock you'll have! Cochins don't do as well in the heat as some other breeds, yet, I'm sure they'll be just fine with that beautiful coop you have going up! They do have wonderful personalities and are generally wonderful with kids about.

And the Marans... oh what beautiful eggs! You'll have a wonderful array of color in your egg baskets some day!

Keep those updates coming when you can.

I was initially concerned about the Cochins but I figure with the winds at our place, its never really that hot. I am not exactly a turken version of a homo sapien and I survive. Lots of shade and good ventilation should help.

Mrs Oz just txt me that the chicks look great. Pictures in about 8 hours.....

 

[ozexpat]

And the Marans... oh what beautiful eggs! You'll have a wonderful array of color in your egg baskets some day!

Keep those updates coming when you can.

I was very disappointed with the hatch rate of the BCMs I bought from a fellow in SD county. This will be a test hatch with cuckoo marans from a new supplier. The place seems to be keen to offer good quality eggs at very reasonable prices.

 

[ozexpat]

I found a breed table on a site: http://woodlotfarms.com/Chicken_Breeds.html

All the links come back to the breeds page here. I messed with it to develop my list a little


Breed Name Purpose Egg Production Egg Size Egg Color Broodiness
Australorp Dual Purpose High Large Brown Average
Delaware Dual Purpose High Large Brown Average
Java Dual Purpose High Large Brown Average
Naked Neck-turken Dual Purpose High Large Brown Average
New Hampshire Red Dual Purpose High Large Brown Frequent
Plymouth Rock Dual Purpose High Large Light Brown Seldom
Rhode Island Dual Purpose High Large Brown Seldom
Rhode Island White Dual Purpose High Large Brown Average
Wyandotte Dual Purpose High Large Light Brown Frequent
Brahma Dual Purpose Medium Large Light Brown Average
Cochin Ornamental Medium Large Light Brown Frequent
Jersey Giant Dual Purpose Medium Large Light Brown Seldom
Marans Dual Purpose Medium Large Dark Brown Average
Orpington Dual Purpose Medium Large Light Brown Frequent
Polish Ornamental Medium Medium White Seldom
Silkie Ornamental Medium Small Light Brown Frequent

My list of breeds is ever adapting. The limiting factor is finding eggs that are local and not outrageously priced.

I could order many of these from hatcheries and ebay but I lose up to three days viability in getting them to the Philippines so I can afford 3 days to get them to SoCal as well. Add to that the air cell damage from traveling with the postal service and I would be looking at very low hatch rates.

I am going to a meet-up of SoCal BYCers in San Diego County next Sunday. I am hopeful I can network there and get info on the eggs I want.

Australorps, Plymouth Rocks and Rhode Island Reds should be my main target due to the fact that based on my primary goal, they are the perfect breed. The big boys - Jersey Giants, Bramha, Orpingtons and Cochin are to eventually increase the size of the birds in our area - a poultry improvement program. Marans are there because of egg color while Silkies and Polish I hope to sell as ornamentals to wealthy Filipinos who want something amusing in their back yard.

http://www.odysseyranch.com/Poultry.html sells some on my list at 1.50 per egg. When I spoke to them today about my next trial hatch they wanted to know what day I would pick up so they could start collecting the morning before - a good sign. The also have a mission statement about breeding true to the standard at a reasonable price. Still the elusive RIR and barred Plymouth Rock are not on their list. The two most common birds in the USA are just not sexy I guess.

 

[loves2hatch]

Have you thought about adding coturnix quail to the mix? The ones I hatched are already laying, They started at 6 weeks and their eggs are so adorable. I read the extra males are ready for the table between 6-8 weeks. They hatch in about 17 days so they are quick all around birds. I hatched the jumbo brown variety but they come in many colors. I think they would be a great addition. You can't free range them but they don't take up much space and could have them in a covered aviary or a small cage.

I would be willing to ship you some eggs for free If mine are fertile. I've only pickled the ones they have laid so far and haven't checked for any bulleyes by cracking them open. I would need someone to walk me through packing and shipping them if they are fertile. You could possibly hatch in Ca. keep the quail until they start laying, check for fertility then bring those eggs to the Philippines. Of course, here you don't need a license for these as they are not native. I'm not sure about the laws where you are for keeping them.

Oh one more thing, I'm only going to have easy access to these eggs til Feb. 8th. Then they go to my dad's farm which is a 3 hour drive away, and I don't get there that often esp in the winter months. I'm sure someone in California has these quail too, and probably a variety of colors. I think you would have fun hatching these little multipurpose guys.

I love reading all your post on this adventure, makes the winter here seems warmer and brighter. I type this as it's freezing rain outside.