INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[SallyinIndiana]

Quote: It could be anything. There was one day that 2 sumatra hens broke out of their pen and free ranged with the backup roosters and young roosters. It was so the last setting of eggs so I was not planning to set the sumatras but then I had room and thought why not.
But the dark sumatras with the gold necks can come from 2 solid sumatras a solid black and a solid blue. My first sumatra rooster looked very similar to the sumatras you are describing. I thought he was a mutt at the time until I started getting several of the black and gold splash sumatras even from the pure sumatra eggs. The black and gold coloring has always turned out to be a rooster here. The white splash sumatras are almost always roosters but I did get 7 white splash hens this year.
I'll miss breading the sumatras. They grow up into a nice sized chicken but start off smaller than my other breeds and of course smaller on day one means so much cuter.

I usually don't take interest in white layers. DH asked me why and I realized I don't have an answer! I have a few leghorn, thats it. Guess its because my Gramma (dads side) insisted brown eggs were healthier, and the birds are so much nicer, lol. I am so interested in Sumatra I guess I will have more white eggs, LOL

My sumatra don't lay a true white egg, it is a light tan. Sorry to dash your hopes. An EE that lays a pink egg might be closer to a white egg layer.

Now the sumatra that I'm asking you to send with Sue it lays the lightest of all of the sumatra eggs. But it is an entirely different line of sumatra. Its from Stonykill eggs.

 

[Indyshent]

It could be anything. There was one day that 2 sumatra hens broke out of their pen and free ranged with the backup roosters and young roosters. It was so the last setting of eggs so I was not planning to set the sumatras but then I had room and thought why not.
But the dark sumatras with the gold necks can come from 2 solid sumatras a solid black and a solid blue. My first sumatra rooster looked very similar to the sumatras you are describing. I thought he was a mutt at the time until I started getting several of the black and gold splash sumatras even from the pure sumatra eggs. The black and gold coloring has always turned out to be a rooster here. The white splash sumatras are almost always roosters but I did get 7 white splash hens this year.
I'll miss breading the sumatras. They grow up into a nice sized chicken but start off smaller than my other breeds and of course smaller on day one means so much cuter.

My sumatra don't lay a true white egg, it is a light tan. Sorry to dash your hopes. An EE that lays a pink egg might be closer to a white egg layer.

Now the sumatra that I'm asking you to send with Sue it lays the lightest of all of the sumatra eggs. But it is an entirely different line of sumatra. Its from Stonykill eggs.

Here's the older boy






And here's the gold mix. He has a really small single comb, so I don't think he'd be full-blooded

 

[SallyinIndiana]

the first is the darker splash sumatra. The 2nd came from an EE pullet order

 

[Leahs Mom]

. Anyone else have birds that just refuse to go near them. it's a real problem here cause I just went and put fresh shavings in every single house. I don't know what else to use for her this winter, she cant walk in the straw and I don't like it anyway cause it always has mites in it, hay is getting too hard to find and way to expensive now that winter is coming on.

And for treats and something to break up her boredom, I was thinking about wild bird suite cakes, or maybe one of those parrot seed sticks?

I think she'll get used to the wood chips if you give her some time.


****

Some winter boredom ideas:

You can make your own suet cakes and they'll have the items you want her to have. If you put them in a regular suet cage, they can peck away at them. Mine like them best with lard rather than suet, but I've done them both ways. Can use a muffin tin to put your dry items in (use cupcake papers) then pour in the melted fat. But them in the fridge until they harden then store in a canning jar or ziploc in the fridge till ready to feed. I make larger ones in the round pyrex storage containers lined with parchment paper so I can just pull them out with the parchment.

These, in the photo below, have a mix of rendered suet mixed with lard and coconut oil. Then added BOSS, Cayenne Flakes, Some whole organic corn and barley. Some of them got some garlic too.
I found this sunflower shaped suet feeder marked down...I just love metal items.

The "iron" fence is dividing off the place for the younger ones to go to get away from the olders if they want to. I put the suet cages along it and they can reach it from both sides.

In the winter, stuff the larger suet cake/seed cake feeders with kale and cilantro. They peck away at them and the feeder helps them rip off small enough pieces for them to eat (rather than trying to eat from a big leaf on the ground which doesn't work very well.) Keeps them busy for a good long time.

Kale & Cilantro in the large "bird cake" feeders. This way they can tear off small pieces like they do if they're eating plants outside.




You could do some "easy countertop sprouts" for some greens:

http://naturalchickenkeeping.blogspot.com/2012/12/easy-ways-to-sprout-seeds-for-your.html

Just throw them on the ground or coop floor for them to scratch for.



Or grow some in bags like @Kassaundra does:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...sprouts-to-feed-the-chickens/390#post_9918936

Video by @Kassaundra

ETA: These can be made in old cotton pillow cases that you can pick up at goodwill or resale stores.

Invert the bags on a post pounded into the ground - instant feeder and boredom aleviator

 

[Shannondunn8]

we just started this year.  in fact we haven't even gotten any eggs yet.  We are south of Indianapolis.

 

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

Quote: It could be anything. There was one day that 2 sumatra hens broke out of their pen and free ranged with the backup roosters and young roosters. It was so the last setting of eggs so I was not planning to set the sumatras but then I had room and thought why not.
But the dark sumatras with the gold necks can come from 2 solid sumatras a solid black and a solid blue. My first sumatra rooster looked very similar to the sumatras you are describing. I thought he was a mutt at the time until I started getting several of the black and gold splash sumatras even from the pure sumatra eggs. The black and gold coloring has always turned out to be a rooster here. The white splash sumatras are almost always roosters but I did get 7 white splash hens this year.
I'll miss breading the sumatras. They grow up into a nice sized chicken but start off smaller than my other breeds and of course smaller on day one means so much cuter.

I usually don't take interest in white layers. DH asked me why and I realized I don't have an answer! I have a few leghorn, thats it. Guess its because my Gramma (dads side) insisted brown eggs were healthier, and the birds are so much nicer, lol. I am so interested in Sumatra I guess I will have more white eggs, LOL

My sumatra don't lay a true white egg, it is a light tan. Sorry to dash your hopes. An EE that lays a pink egg might be closer to a white egg layer.

Now the sumatra that I'm asking you to send with Sue it lays the lightest of all of the sumatra eggs. But it is an entirely different line of sumatra. Its from Stonykill eggs.
Oh no biggie! I will make sure she gets her.

Quote:
Welcome to our thread!

 

[chick rookie]

I think she'll get used to the wood chips if you give her some time.


****

Some winter boredom ideas:

You can make your own suet cakes and they'll have the items you want her to have. If you put them in a regular suet cage, they can peck away at them. Mine like them best with lard rather than suet, but I've done them both ways. Can use a muffin tin to put your dry items in (use cupcake papers) then pour in the melted fat. But them in the fridge until they harden then store in a canning jar or ziploc in the fridge till ready to feed. I make larger ones in the round pyrex storage containers lined with parchment paper so I can just pull them out with the parchment.

These, in the photo below, have a mix of rendered suet mixed with lard and coconut oil. Then added BOSS, Cayenne Flakes, Some whole organic corn and barley. Some of them got some garlic too.
I found this sunflower shaped suet feeder marked down...I just love metal items.

The "iron" fence is dividing off the place for the younger ones to go to get away from the olders if they want to. I put the suet cages along it and they can reach it from both sides.

In the winter, stuff the larger suet cake/seed cake feeders with kale and cilantro. They peck away at them and the feeder helps them rip off small enough pieces for them to eat (rather than trying to eat from a big leaf on the ground which doesn't work very well.) Keeps them busy for a good long time.

Kale & Cilantro in the large "bird cake" feeders. This way they can tear off small pieces like they do if they're eating plants outside.




You could do some "easy countertop sprouts" for some greens:

http://naturalchickenkeeping.blogspot.com/2012/12/easy-ways-to-sprout-seeds-for-your.html

Just throw them on the ground or coop floor for them to scratch for.



Or grow some in bags like @Kassaundra does:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...sprouts-to-feed-the-chickens/390#post_9918936

Video by @Kassaundra

ETA: These can be made in old cotton pillow cases that you can pick up at goodwill or resale stores.

Invert the bags on a post pounded into the ground - instant feeder and boredom aleviator

Awesome, I was looking for that video awhile back and couldn't find it, I bookmarked it this time, thank you. and thanks for the cake ideals too I would rather make my own. And I can convert all to indoor use, cause that is where she will end up.

Welcome to " our place "

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

I like the pillow case idea for sprouts. I haven't gave in to much winter planning yet but, need to! Thanksgiving is 2 weeks away! Will also need to plan getting the turkeys ready.

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

How well do yours lay?  Were they breeder or hatchery stock?  They won't be on the spring order, but I still like them.  I've talked with my neighbor about messing with some meat birds just for fun, and we liked the idea of covering some Delaware hens with a Dorking rooster, just so we could use the name DelaDork  LOL

My Dorking gals are from Meyer Hatchery, so they aren't breeder stock. Breeder stock is usually hard to find with Dorkings, unfortunately, so if that's what you're after, it might take some digging before you find some. However, even for being from a hatchery, my girls are not super producers like a lot of hatchery bred breeds or hybrids. I'd say they average 5 eggs a week during the laying season. Both have called it quits for the winter at the moment, though it looks like Elly might pick back up again now that she's finished molting. I have heard that they are good winter layers, so it wouldn't surprise me. They also aren't quite as big as breeder birds, on the meat bird side of things, but they are pretty hefty gals and gained their size relatively fast. Hope that helps!


DelaDorks. 'Dorking' as a name just asks for jokes to be made about it. By the way, find yourself a Red Dorking rooster to go over the Delaware hens and you'd be able to tell males and females apart at hatch. Sexlinked DelaDorks!

 

[tmarsh83]

My Dorking gals are from Meyer Hatchery, so they aren't breeder stock. Breeder stock is usually hard to find with Dorkings, unfortunately, so if that's what you're after, it might take some digging before you find some. However, even for being from a hatchery, my girls are not super producers like a lot of hatchery bred breeds or hybrids. I'd say they average 5 eggs a week during the laying season. Both have called it quits for the winter at the moment, though it looks like Elly might pick back up again now that she's finished molting. I have heard that they are good winter layers, so it wouldn't surprise me. They also aren't quite as big as breeder birds, on the meat bird side of things, but they are pretty hefty gals and gained their size relatively fast. Hope that helps!

DelaDorks.

'Dorking' as a name just asks for jokes to be made about it. By the way, find yourself a Red Dorking rooster to go over the Delaware hens and you'd be able to tell males and females apart at hatch. Sexlinked DelaDorks!

For what I am doing, hatchery stock is more that suitable. I'm just dabbling. A friend of mine in Wisconsin has some Dorkings and some Icies that he likes quite well. He got them from Sandhill, and is quite happy with them. He was going to send me home with two icie hens, but when I was up there last I wasn't coming straight home and had a rental car, so it wasn't really going to work. Glad to hear they work for you. See mixed reports on them, even from hatchery stock. He gets roughly the same 3-5 a week from his dorkings and his are actually the red.

Sex-linked deladorks. I can't hardly believe that wouldn't be an exceptional table bird for those who like to dabble in the heritage breeds and do a little backyard mad ornithological scientist. No, they wouldn't be the fast-growing feed-converting machines that the cornishX is, but I can't believe it wouldn't be a quality meat bird given the reputation of each as table birds.

But I could be wrong. I'm just a neophyte.