Illinois...

[Faraday40]

took some eggs to a customer , he needed a ride to town , bank and stores.... got back 4 hrs later and

What great customer service! Who knew buying eggs also gets all your afternoon errands done!

 

[Faraday40]

Anyone here interested in a purebred Black Java hen or two or three?
Layers between 1 and 2 yrs old... Our 9 yo layer still lays every other day!
Each hen averages 4 eggs/ week, year round.

I took a good hard look in the coop last night and realized chicken math had struck! Too many broodies, more than anticipated from the Fair = too many birds! There's not going to be room come late fall - so hard decisions have to be made.

This is the part of chicken keeping I don't like. And sorry, not building another coop! That's not in the cards...!

I'm glad the fair & broody hatchings went well, but fully understand your space issue. Wish I had room, but we also must downsize every fall.

Java sounds like a great breed. Hard to believe one is still laying at 9! My oldest are a pair of 6yo hens. One gives 4-5 eggs per week (right now, but stops for the winter). The other permanently stopped laying in May. She's not doing well but Precious is a very special hen and will stay with us as a pet for as long as she has life.

 

[Molpet]

I think these poults are boys... the oldest hatch

 

[Molpet]

What great customer service! Who knew buying eggs also gets all your afternoon errands done!

Yeah it started because he had to get a ride to pick up eggs. Said it would be 20 min and it was 40... so I said I would deliver since he is 9 min away.... one day he couldn't get a ride to get a RX and I offered to take him.... he was getting help from senior services and they are short handed... so now he calls and ask for help way too often... I don't mind once a month when I bring eggs. But going to the grocery store every week isn't happening... RX is different, but he wanted me to take him for jucie the week after I took him to 3 stores, the bank and the post office....he does his shopping on the other side of town on top of it all.

Customer service only goes so far

I go to the store once a month. Less in the summer when the garden is producing

 

[Faraday40]

View attachment 1492565
I think these poults are boys... the oldest hatch

The white poult (& maybe one of the browns) is getting a touch of red in the neck/head area - like these in your pic. Does that mean male?

All 3 are losing neck & head feathers - patchy but still fuzzy. I'll try to get a good pic in the next few days. (They're in a tractor & don't like to pose, so poult pics are more difficult for me. ) Chicken pics are much easier. Just call them & they come running. Tap the camera & they look right at it. I have more chicken pics than children pics. Again, mostly because they pose for me while my own children roll eyes, block their faces, make silly expressions, or simply run away.)

 

[BReeder!]

@Faraday40 Our Orps are doing great. Steadily growing. Here are some pics from today. I really love the Lav's color and the blue lacing is starting to show beautifully on the BLO. The spend 2 or 3 days in the yard inside the dog kennel we converted into an outdoor brooder of sorts. They had to come back inside though because the night time temps are getting down to 60. I plan on putting them back out tomorrow and Sunday though for the daytime at least.

 

[Molpet]

The white poult (& maybe one of the browns) is getting a touch of red in the neck/head area - like these in your pic. Does that mean male?

All 3 are losing neck & head feathers - patchy but still fuzzy. I'll try to get a good pic in the next few days. (They're in a tractor & don't like to pose, so poult pics are more difficult for me. ) Chicken pics are much easier. Just call them & they come running. Tap the camera & they look right at it. I have more chicken pics than children pics. Again, mostly because they pose for me while my own children roll eyes, block their faces, make silly expressions, or simply run away.)

could be, but they can fool you
they all will lose the feathers on the side of the neck, the hens will keep it up the back of the neck.
yeah last years ran from the camera, I have better luck this year with the phone, but that's because I have unlimited data this year and have been using the phone out in the poultry yard. They have gotten used to that box in my hand.

 

[Faraday40]

Turkey time!
I took a bunch of pics, but can't really see any difference - other than one is white. LOL

Group shots:

White:
... a decent sized snood, right?

good neck photo - but can't tell if it means female or too young.

I think these following browns are the same turkey

and this the other brown poult
(However, they kept moving, so I can't be sure.

 

[Faraday40]

@Faraday40 Our Orps are doing great. Steadily growing. Here are some pics from today. I really love the Lav's color and the blue lacing is starting to show beautifully on the BLO. The spend 2 or 3 days in the yard inside the dog kennel we converted into an outdoor brooder of sorts. They had to come back inside though because the night time temps are getting down to 60. I plan on putting them back out tomorrow and Sunday though for the daytime at least.

They're looking good.

Here's one of my 2 mo old laced girls this morning (hatched 5-30):

and here's her sister:
(Her lacing may not look good now, but I'm sure she'll be stunning like her uncle. He also had a lot of black at this age.)

I nicknamed them Oreo & Double stuff - but not really sure who's who.Lighter one has more white, but the darker one is bigger. Either one could be considered "double." Like cookies, they come in a package, so I'm not sure if it matters.

 

[Faraday40]

Here are the newest chicks. Today was their 1st day outside with mama. We're enjoying the little brown silkied serama. It's always in the middle of it all! The other chicks are a few spitzhaubens, orps, & EEs.