Illinois...

[BReeder!]

I was doing some thinking today as I was building a new gate for the chicken run. I cannot different my Brahmas. Awhat if a hen got loose?
Anybody use leg bands? I was thinking about banding my 5 hens. Mostly it is to differentiate my two Light Brahmas, which are near identical. The other reason is because I live in a residential area and am not certain what animal control would do with a chicken if one got out and somebody called animal control to get the bird off their property. I would want my hen back...
What leg bands do you use?
Are there bands that I can get customized with a phone number in small text?
Any other solutions?
Certainly different colored bands could differentiate the two Brahmas, but would not help somebody identify the owner of a loose hen.

 

[Molpet]

I was doing some thinking today as I was building a new gate for the chicken run. I cannot different my Brahmas. Awhat if a hen got loose?
Anybody use leg bands? I was thinking about banding my 5 hens. Mostly it is to differentiate my two Light Brahmas, which are near identical. The other reason is because I live in a residential area and am not certain what animal control would do with a chicken if one got out and somebody called animal control to get the bird off their property. I would want my hen back...
What leg bands do you use?
Are there bands that I can get customized with a phone number in small text?
Any other solutions?
Certainly different colored bands could differentiate the two Brahmas, but would not help somebody identify the owner of a loose hen.

umm I use color leg bands, but I haven't seen any with text on them, just numbers 1-999
I have seen chicken harnesses, you could put a dog tag on it, but I would be worried about her getting hung up by the harness


eta I did find some, but you have to order 100 and a tool to put them on.. so your looking at $50 or so https://www.pinnonhatch.com/Leg-Bands-Chicken-Poultry-Stamped-Numbered.php

 

[preppyrider]

We are partial to rare breeds, as we are also partial to old houses!
Black Java's are one of our Mainstays, but we have also added Swedish Flower Hens. And Auburn Java's too.

We start with chicks, as then you can be fairly certain of health. Adult birds, it's harder to know exactly what is going on.

But whichever you choose, make sure to treat train them...much easier for overall management.

Thanks for the input. Is it really that risky to buy a slightly older bird(s)? I know I missed the "chick season" and I'm pretty sure my local feed store has already placed it's last order, but I feel like I'm too impatient to wait for spring to start this adventure--once I get my coop I'd love to get a little flock together--but I don't want to make any major mistakes either.

 

[Molpet]

Thanks for the input. Is it really that risky to buy a slightly older bird(s)? I know I missed the "chick season" and I'm pretty sure my local feed store has already placed it's last order, but I feel like I'm too impatient to wait for spring to start this adventure--once I get my coop I'd love to get a little flock together--but I don't want to make any major mistakes either.

I bought Point Of Lay pullets for my first flock since a kid... worked out well.

 

[Faraday40]

I was doing some thinking today as I was building a new gate for the chicken run. I cannot different my Brahmas. Awhat if a hen got loose?
Anybody use leg bands? I was thinking about banding my 5 hens. Mostly it is to differentiate my two Light Brahmas, which are near identical. The other reason is because I live in a residential area and am not certain what animal control would do with a chicken if one got out and somebody called animal control to get the bird off their property. I would want my hen back...
What leg bands do you use?
Are there bands that I can get customized with a phone number in small text?
Any other solutions?
Certainly different colored bands could differentiate the two Brahmas, but would not help somebody identify the owner of a loose hen.

if all you want to do is differentiate the the birds for yourself, you can use something simple like colored rubber bands (like from former the Rainbow Loom fad) or dot a head with some Crayola marker.

You could try a zip tie & write on it with a thin Sharpie. (I don't know how long it would last. May rub off in time.) I also saw these for sale which seems like what you were talking about. https://www.ebay.com/itm/Leg-Bands-...814122&hash=item486b180b53:g:GokAAOSwGvhUHNEk
(Too pricey for me, but there may be other ways to make them.)

The big docile breeds tend to stay put. They don't have a desire to wander far, so even if they do get over/under the fence, they'll probably spend all their time trying to get back inside the yard. All my neighbors know our birds, so if one got out, they would just call me.

 

[chickendreams24]

Thanks for the input. Is it really that risky to buy a slightly older bird(s)? I know I missed the "chick season" and I'm pretty sure my local feed store has already placed it's last order, but I feel like I'm too impatient to wait for spring to start this adventure--once I get my coop I'd love to get a little flock together--but I don't want to make any major mistakes either.

I'm totally for heritage breeds and mixes too.

Our flock contains English Orpingtons (thanks to connections on this thread), American buff Orpingtons (hatchery hens only), EE, Buckeyes(heritage/show lines out of Missouri), OEGB(show lines and hatchery), Dominiques(heritage show lines out of Missouri), silkies, hatchery barred rocks-2 hens as a trial (which we aren't fond of them they're flightier and more domineering than our other birds and are continually eating out blueberries and bushes which the rest of the flock ignore. We will likely try some heritage rocks in the future.)

We've also had light brahma hens and really enjoyed them and we have a buff brahma hen..a Delaware hen, a sebright hen, a Cuckoo Marans hen(she's extremely dark colored almost black also hatchery- she lays a nice egg but not as often as I'd like and she's an egg eater which I think she learned when we had rats that ate eggs.) We also keep cream legbars which I love they're great foragers beautiful and good layers plus auto sexing. I've never had an aggressive cockeral. We've also had SLW both hatchery/heritage mixed lines and show lines. They're beautiful but the ones with hatchery in the mix were sort of flighty and some were hard to catch. The show stock are beautiful lazy things that don't forage well and I'm not sure if they've ever layed but they're pretty friendly and easy to handle. I may get more of them some time.

I did get some BLRW which were amazing but showed signs of illness in quarantine and so they had to be culled. They were docile and began laying a couple of days after I had them(they were adults which I only tried adding that once). Obviously those people were trying unload birds they knew were sick. Im just glad we quarantined them and were able to cull but it was extremely difficult.

I plan to get more some day.

I have also always wanted a dark Brahma hen because of their beauty.

Im sure I'm forgetting something breeds too.

We have also tried salmon favorelles which we liked but lost them. Isa browns we liked as production birds go. Cinnamon Queens seem comparable to Isa Browns but for both the sample has been small. We don't really care for the golden comet hen we have now.

Many of the breeds we try out we only get a couple to see how they do and decide if we would try more.

We like our Deleware hen. We couldn't stand our brown leghorns(they were so flighty they effected the whole flock and made them uneasy with us).

We've got a couple Welsummer pullets we are growing out now so we'll see how they go. We also have a couple white leghorn pullets growing out now so we'll see how they do so far they're quite calm.

 

[Faraday40]

I'm totally for heritage breeds and mixes too.

Our flock contains English Orpingtons (thanks to connections on this thread), American buff Orpingtons (hatchery hens only), EE, Buckeyes(heritage/show lines out of Missouri), OEGB(show lines and hatchery), Dominiques(heritage show lines out of Missouri), silkies, hatchery barred rocks-2 hens as a trial (which we aren't fond of them they're flightier and more domineering than our other birds and are continually eating out blueberries and bushes which the rest of the flock ignore. We will likely try some heritage rocks in the future.)

We've also had light brahma hens and really enjoyed them and we have a buff brahma hen..a Delaware hen, a sebright hen, a Cuckoo Marans hen(she's extremely dark colored almost black also hatchery- she lays a nice egg but not as often as I'd like and she's an egg eater which I think she learned when we had rats that ate eggs.) We also keep cream legbars which I love they're great foragers beautiful and good layers plus auto sexing. I've never had an aggressive cockeral. We've also had SLW both hatchery/heritage mixed lines and show lines. They're beautiful but the ones with hatchery in the mix were sort of flighty and some were hard to catch. The show stock are beautiful lazy things that don't forage well and I'm not sure if they've ever layed but they're pretty friendly and easy to handle. I may get more of them some time.

I did get some BLRW which were amazing but showed signs of illness in quarantine and so they had to be culled. They were docile and began laying a couple of days after I had them(they were adults which I only tried adding that once). Obviously those people were trying unload birds they knew were sick. Im just glad we quarantined them and were able to cull but it was extremely difficult.

I plan to get more some day.

I have also always wanted a dark Brahma hen because of their beauty.

Im sure I'm forgetting something breeds too.

We have also tried salmon favorelles which we liked but lost them. Isa browns we liked as production birds go. Cinnamon Queens seem comparable to Isa Browns but for both the sample has been small. We don't really care for the golden comet hen we have now.

Many of the breeds we try out we only get a couple to see how they do and decide if we would try more.

We like our Deleware hen. We couldn't stand our brown leghorns(they were so flighty they effected the whole flock and made them uneasy with us).

We've got a couple Welsummer pullets we are growing out now so we'll see how they go. We also have a couple white leghorn pullets growing out now so we'll see how they do so far they're quite calm.

I think you'll like the White Leghorn from me. Leghorns have always been pretty low on my list, but the ones hatched this year were held a lot by preschoolers. I kept one & she is not as skittish as I remembered them. Likewise, a friend who bought one from the group says that her Leghorn is their fav - very social and inquisitive. Our Leghorn's name is "Tilly" & she is DS's. She reminds me of his 1st hen: Firefighter - a Leghorn-ish mix. Also on the plus should be production.

I think you're also going to enjoy the Doms. Good foragers, winter hardy, friendly, & always running up to use to see what's going on. The eggs are only a medium, but you have the space to keep more than a couple hens, so can make up for that.

Keep me posted on your Welsummers. Our "Wendy" is only "OK" but worth keeping. Our Penciled Rock is sort of the same. I love her appearance. She was laying medium eggs regularly & then went broody on me. I can't wait util she molts & I can use some of those feathers!

 

[Faraday40]

Our Penciled Rock is sort of the same. I love her appearance. She was laying medium eggs regularly & then went broody on me. I can't wait util she molts & I can use some of those feathers!

LOL Guess who may be molting?!
I went out to the yard & found 6 penciled feathers. Not sure if it was from a broody tough girl fight, rooster encounter, or the start of a molt. Since she's not laying anyway while broody, I'm hoping for an early molt. Perhaps she'll can even start laying before winter.

 

[chickendreams24]

I think you'll like the White Leghorn from me. Leghorns have always been pretty low on my list, but the ones hatched this year were held a lot by preschoolers. I kept one & she is not as skittish as I remembered them. Likewise, a friend who bought one from the group says that her Leghorn is their fav - very social and inquisitive. Our Leghorn's name is "Tilly" & she is DS's. She reminds me of his 1st hen: Firefighter - a Leghorn-ish mix. Also on the plus should be production.

I think you're also going to enjoy the Doms. Good foragers, winter hardy, friendly, & always running up to use to see what's going on. The eggs are only a medium, but you have the space to keep more than a couple hens, so can make up for that.

Keep me posted on your Welsummers. Our "Wendy" is only "OK" but worth keeping. Our Penciled Rock is sort of the same. I love her appearance. She was laying medium eggs regularly & then went broody on me. I can't wait util she molts & I can use some of those feathers!

LOL Guess who may be molting?!
I went out to the yard & found 6 penciled feathers. Not sure if it was from a broody tough girl fight, rooster encounter, or the start of a molt. Since she's not laying anyway while broody, I'm hoping for an early molt. Perhaps she'll can even start laying before winter.

Oh yeah I love my Dom's (They're from last year although we only only have a pair of them currently- one of the pullets was killed and we found her completely consumed last summer) I really want to add more and breed them as well. The rooster is great and has never been disrespectful the hen is very sweet.

So far I really am liking the leghorns from you. The smaller one especially is super super sweet and curious her sister is a bit less so but not bad. Also I'm confused because her sister is much larger. I almost wonder if she's not a leghorn. Time will tell. I really love the name Tilly by the way, very cute. I have been holding off naming anyone so far this spring until I know their personalities and see how they fit with the flock.

We have another storm rolling in can you believe it? Supposed to get another inch unless they've changed the numbers. I can hear thunder right now.

The flock got the first round of fermented feed today. They loved it!! Time will tell how it goes and we'll of course be tweaking our new skill and adding more buckets to rotate. Fermenting feed will be easier once we start buying feed in bulk again. Ugh why'd the mill 3 blocks from our house have to close. LOL

We have silkie chicks out here. The hatch started day before yesterday or was it yesterday I forget. Quite early I might add. Just remembered we locked down day before yesterday and 10 minutes later little number one was completely out. Yep went from first external pip to out in ten minutes. Of course with my secondary fan in the incubator going out I'm not surprised the temps were a little high.

Right now we're just waiting on little number 9 to finish absorbing and pop out. Everyone else is out.


Wait until you see the colors!!!!

Thinking I might keep two-three the rest are already spoken for. Anyone want to make guesses on colors?

I can hear it raining now that came in fast.

 

[Faraday40]

PR is molting. I also happen to be crafting, so the timing is good. I grabbed some feathers this morning:

My Spitzhauben, Dominique, & Penciled feathers are my top 3 favs! (The laced is OK but their feathers don't look too great after molting.) I also dyed a few silkie feathers today.

@chickendreams24 - Your guinea feathers were of course THE BEST! hint....hint....