INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

Way to reward yourself for studying so hard- by studying something optional!

Yup, that about sums it up!

Now, if only I could earn the remainder of my credits just by staying home and studying chickens... That would have to include some long hours of 'study' of my own birds, too, of course.


Hey, speaking of random chicken genetics and such, after agonizing over the decision for a long time, I decided I just had to keep one of the cockerels out of the Black Copper Marans from Sand Hill, even though I told myself I was only keeping Dorking cockerels. I'm hoping he's 'golden' (i.e. heterozygous for silver) so that if I cross him to Nadine, the only BCM pullet I got out of that group, I have a chance of getting some Birchen pullets. Only way to find out is to test cross.

His name's Murphy, by the way. This is a terrible, zoomed in cell phone pic and it doesn't do him justice, because he's quite the looker.

 

[JanetMarie]

@jchny2000 and anyone else who owns geese/ganders. Is it possible that my goose thinks I'm her mate? She's a Chinese almost 5 months old. She likes hugs from me, and when I'm outside she prefers to hang out with me over my young gander.

Yesterday when I was outside sitting on the bench, my husband came outside and sat down beside me, and she started honking loudly and got aggressive with him.

Should I not give her goose hugs? Is it possible that she think I'm her mate, or is she just being protective? It also looks like the knob on her forehead has grown a little larger.

 

[Mother2Hens]

@Faraday40 ~ I hadn't heard of a penciled rock pullet! She's beautiful. Is that breed easier to find than a Dark Brahma?

 

[Faraday40]

@Faraday40 ~ I hadn't heard of a penciled rock pullet! She's beautiful. Is that breed easier to find than a Dark Brahma?
View attachment 1146346

I love the look & size of brahmas, but I don't care for feathered legs. I also wanted to add a bird with higher egg production....like a BR or RIR - but not as common. When I saw a pic of a Penciled Rock, it went on my "wishlist." I don't think it's a rare breed, just not a very popular one.

She hatched March 30 from shipped eggs = part of DD's experiment. (I only received 5 eggs intact and had to wash them b/c they were covered in slime from the other broken eggs. 3 hatched, and 2 were male.) I haven't gotten an egg yet, so she's pretty much expensive yard art at the moment.

The speckled sussex behind her is a diff story. It's a more common breed & very, very social. I orig wanted one because the kids wanted a Jubilee Orp, but we couldn't afford one. The Spec Sussex follows my son around and has a very out-going, chatty personality. She also lays an egg almost daily. I'm so happy we have her.

 

[Faraday40]

I also have Sad News to report:
Mini Moose (aka "Mr. Nice Guy") died unexpectantly yesterday afternoon. Other than hot, he was acting normally at lunch. Yesterday morning, I did notice a touch of purple on his comb tips. I know the very large, cold-hardy breeds have trouble with the heat, so I suspect his death was related to the excessive heat of this past week. (I didn't see blood or feel a broken neck. Just a very purple comb.)

He truly was a "nice guy," never aggressive & allowed us to pick him up. He was my favorite out of all the male chicks we hatched this spring and just 4 days shy of his 6mo birthday. I was very much looking forward to watching him fill out and planned to breed him next spring. He had a great comb, good feather quality, & the body shape I prefer. Add in his sweet, gentle temperament, and he had the potential to be a great rooster.

As DH & I were digging a hole in the garden, we left his body in the yard. Mr Dummy stood guard over it & tried to wake him up. The rest of the flock went inside to bed, but Mr Dummy didn't seem to understand why his friend wasn't joining him. We had a backyard funeral & DS cried.

I suppose the silver lining in all this is that we did not retire Moose yet and still have chicks left from Sat's hatch. Chances are a couple will be roosters.

Not the best pics, but they were just taken a couple days ago.

One of my fav baby pics of the "Mini Moose"

 

[Indyshent]

@Faraday40 I'm so sorry about Mr. Nice Guy. He was a beautiful boy.

I've had an easier time getting dark Brahmas than silver penciled Rocks. If ones looking for very clear markings in females, buy only those of a good female line because the genes that make lovely ladies make for crummy roosters, and vice versa. I don't like feathered shanks either, but my Brahmas have laid fairly well--especially when other girls are taking the winter off.

 

[kanina]

@Faraday40 so sorry for your loss, he was a very handsome fellow!

I've had a heck of a time finding Brahmas, personally. I did get some lights last spring when we started, but that was completely by chance. We were going to keep them originally, but Bette and Joan won that. I've always loved the little trill noise that brahmas make which is why I wanted to keep them, and probably why I love my ducks so much.

Anyone else have really talkative hens? Blue, oh man can she talk. She just LOVES telling me all about her day when I get home. I'd love to know what she's trying to say, sounds so important. "OOOOOOOH MOM'S HOME! Kronus tried to swim but he sank and Thea is picking on Salt again. Molly's trying to devise a way to jump the fence again. Then Ethel, gosh mom, you'll never guess what she did...."

 

[kanina]

Eggciting day here at Kanina Acres! Lol!
Finally got our blue egg! I'll have to get more pictures of it so I can decide if it's blue or green. But golly gee I've been waiting since February for this egg!

 

[Faraday40]

Eggciting day here at Kanina Acres! Lol!
Finally got our blue egg! I'll have to get more pictures of it so I can decide if it's blue or green. But golly gee I've been waiting since February for this egg! View attachment 1146745

Congrats on the new layer! You'll have to let me know if she continues laying through the winter. All of my blue/green layers completely shut down Nov-Feb. In fact, my EE stopped already & my CCL is slowing down.

 

[Indyshent]

@Faraday40 cross your EE with Brahmas or another good winter layer, like Faverolles. Bigger body size tends to decrease how many eggs the girls lay per week and how large those eggs are, but it does help them versus seasonal changes. The EE/Brahmas I had laid huge blue-to-green eggs all the time