Illinois...

[webbysmeme]

What's a Songster? It says that under my name now. I liked chillin' with my peeps.

 

[Molpet]

What's a Songster? It says that under my name now. I liked chillin' with my peeps.

they changed things https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/new-trophy-point-levels.1251359/

 

[Molpet]

New turkey poults
All 3 poults are doing OK. Here are their 1st pics (of many)


Ohhh! Shiny camera lens.....
View attachment 1438580 View attachment 1438581

A tiny chick hatched late afternoon today, there's at least one pipped egg, & another egg got smashed / cracked. (I think it is the only laced orp.) It's still alive inside the shell (but was bleeding). I brought it inside to the incubator in case I need to assist. There are also more eggs but I was unable to feel any progress.

It's definitely a staggered hatch, so I hope Jewel stays on the nest. I brought soaked food into the nest, so the early ones can eat - which they eagerly did.

sad news from yesterday... the turkey hen took offense to a week old chick by itself in the coop. I walked in the coop and it was sitting in the middle of the coop near the dividing wall door, not looking good. The turkey came trotting up and lunged her head through the 2x4 wire door and yanked the chick through. Shaking it like a dog with a rat. I grabbed her by the neck and made her drop it. wing bones sticking out almost ripped off and didn't live long enough to get a heating pad warmed up. This chick has never followed it's mother and daily runs up and down the inside of the hoop coop calling for it's mother.
So I did what I should have done in the first place and fenced off a section of the coop with chicken wire so the chickens can't get near the turkey hen.
It's a shame the chick had to suffer for my neglect...Hopefully in a couple of weeks the turkey will not be as protective of her young.

 

[BReeder!]

View attachment 1438271 View attachment 1438268View attachment 1438272View attachment 1438269 View attachment 1438274 View attachment 1438273
I'll be the 1st to recommend Orpingtons. (Of course we breed LF English Orpingtons, so I'm rather biased. ) I love the gentle giants who love to be cuddled. Ours are more pets than livestock.
Pros:
docile temperament
easy to confine - never fly over the fence
will follow you everywhere throughout the yard
very pretty eye candy; come in many colors
the WOW factor (several of our birds are over 10lbs)
XL to Jumbo light brown eggs
quiet when compared to other breeds
will do anything for treats
very winter hardy

Cons:
They're big - so more feed & poop than those bantams or Mediterranean breeds
Egg production is good (but not excellent like a Leghorn or Isa Brown)
Constantly underfoot wanting your attention & begging for treats
Slow to mature.


Basically, if you want eggs - go with a high production breed. (Often more skittish &/or shorter life span -but those hatchery hybrids push out the eggs.) If your priority is a devoted pet that also gives eggs, then look toward a heritage breed. Barnyard mixes are also great. If you don't plan to breed or show, the hardiness & lower cost of a mix can be beneficial.

Want colorful eggs - Try Easter Eggers, Marans, Welsummers
Want a future broody hen - Try silkies, cochins, bantam orpingtons
Want an intelligent, playful, "talkative" bird - Try Speckled Sussex or Dominique
Don't have a lot of space - Try bantams

I prefer keeping a mixed flock to get variety. We have several breeds - but only 2 orp roos, so that's why we only breed orpingtons (or an occasional Easter Egger or sexlinked hybrid) We will have some started pullets for sale & perhaps some young hens in fall. Send me a PM if you read more about orpingtons & like them. (In DuPage Co)

I am a fan of big and loveable, too. I don't have an Orp. My favorite breed so far is the Light Brahma. I have two of them and they are my favorites. They are the biggest of my birds. At just 3 months old they are bigger than any oven roaster already. I love their feathered feet. They are calm birds and should be decent year-round layers once they start laying. My wife really likes our Sussex named "Bear". She is a much smaller hen but is friendly and likes to follow us around. She also likes to escape the chicken run and explore the yard though (until my Olde English Bulldogge goes outside ).
My least favorite bird in the coop is the cuckoo maran. She is a real jerk. She better lay awesome dark chocolate colored eggs as expected to make up for her attitude.
We have a golden Wyandotte too. My wife named her Goldie (we have Goldie and Bear... my toddle son likes the cartoon). She is a really chilled out bird. She is smaller like the Sussex. She can be hard to catch at times though. She also used to peck the others until they grew bigger and she ended up being the smallest hen in the coop - my Light Brahma's are nearly double Goldie's size.

 

[chickendreams24]

sad news from yesterday... the turkey hen took offense to a week old chick by itself in the coop. I walked in the coop and it was sitting in the middle of the coop near the dividing wall door, not looking good. The turkey came trotting up and lunged her head through the 2x4 wire door and yanked the chick through. Shaking it like a dog with a rat. I grabbed her by the neck and made her drop it. wing bones sticking out almost ripped off and didn't live long enough to get a heating pad warmed up. This chick has never followed it's mother and daily runs up and down the inside of the hoop coop calling for it's mother.
So I did what I should have done in the first place and fenced off a section of the coop with chicken wire so the chickens can't get near the turkey hen.
It's a shame the chick had to suffer for my neglect...Hopefully in a couple of weeks the turkey will not be as protective of her young.

Oh no so sorry.

Don't beat yourself up it was just one of those things. We all make mistakes and learn from them the important thing is that we learn from any mistakes we make.

 

[Molpet]

Oh no so sorry.

Don't beat yourself up it was just one of those things. We all make mistakes and learn from them the important thing is that we learn from any mistakes we make.

Thanks
Now I have a white 3 wk(5/26) old poult acting sick... its eating but trying to get under anybody to warm up...the other hens are not having it and finally a week older poult was letting it snuggle.. mom is not concerned..the others are fine
so I stuck it in my coat sleeve and fired up the heating pad... it was content in my sleeve, mind you this is the first time it ever has been picked up... happy under the heating pad in the basement brooder. Nutri Drench is the water. a drop of ND in the mouth.
poor little guy, I wonder if it tangled with the turkey yesterday too..no marks on it.
I hope its a hen if it makes it... not going to be able to process a jake I nursed

 

[Faraday40]

I am a fan of big and loveable, too. I don't have an Orp. My favorite breed so far is the Light Brahma. I have two of them and they are my favorites. They are the biggest of my birds. At just 3 months old they are bigger than any oven roaster already. I love their feathered feet. They are calm birds and should be decent year-round layers once they start laying. My wife really likes our Sussex named "Bear". She is a much smaller hen but is friendly and likes to follow us around. She also likes to escape the chicken run and explore the yard though (until my Olde English Bulldogge goes outside ).
My least favorite bird in the coop is the cuckoo maran. She is a real jerk. She better lay awesome dark chocolate colored eggs as expected to make up for her attitude.
We have a golden Wyandotte too. My wife named her Goldie (we have Goldie and Bear... my toddle son likes the cartoon). She is a really chilled out bird. She is smaller like the Sussex. She can be hard to catch at times though. She also used to peck the others until they grew bigger and she ended up being the smallest hen in the coop - my Light Brahma's are nearly double Goldie's size.

A dark Brahma is on my "wishlist." The Welsummer was on my list for many years. We finally got one last year but she's not all that I was hoping for. She's a little on the skittish side but her eggs are both pretty & plentiful. Good forager & low maintenance too, so she stays for now.

The breed that I've been most surprised with is our Old English Game. Tiny "useless chicken"! I did not expect much but am so in love with their affectionate personalities.

 

[BReeder!]

A dark Brahma is on my "wishlist." The Welsummer was on my list for many years. We finally got one last year but she's not all that I was hoping for. She's a little on the skittish side but her eggs are both pretty & plentiful. Good forager & low maintenance too, so she stays for now.

The breed that I've been most surprised with is our Old English Game. Tiny "useless chicken"! I did not expect much but am so in love with their affectionate personalities.

Why a Dark Brahma over the Light Brahma? All I know is that the Dark version is slightly smaller typically and colored differently. Anything else that sets them apart?

 

[BReeder!]

Not the best quality photo, but I had to snap a shot of all 5 of my hens on the roost. This is the first time I have seen them use the real roost - we had a small roost in the brooder that they used but it was only 2 inches off the ground. Bear, our Spotted Sussex, is facing backward. She is always the unique one. I mentioned earlier that the Cuckoo Maran is a jerk. She is living up to that title as she stood up and glared at me while I changed their water and refilled their food.

 

[Faraday40]

Why a Dark Brahma over the Light Brahma? All I know is that the Dark version is slightly smaller typically and colored differently. Anything else that sets them apart?

I like the penciled feathers of the dark brahma.....and the size, comb, & winter hardy.