looking for fellow Alberta chicken freaks!

[uncertainty]

I read the article with interest, thank you. I am not sure I am up for incubating at this early stage. Hence my user name "uncertainty".

My thought is to look for day olds. Other newbies who have been generous enough to share their experiences on BYC seem to have reasonable success. I have a query out to Performance Poultry who appear to have some available stock. I am concerned about transit losses though - they are in rural Eastern Ontario which is a very long way away. I went to a poultry show in Red Deer, AB before Christmas and was unable to identify a breeder who could assist. Sigh. The Partridge Chantecler looks like such an awesome bird, and developed in Alberta, too.

Do you have a recommendation for a different cold hardy bird I should consider for my first foray into backyard chickens?

 

[SFogg]

I read the article with interest, thank you. I am not sure I am up for incubating at this early stage. Hence my user name "uncertainty".

My thought is to look for day olds. Other newbies who have been generous enough to share their experiences on BYC seem to have reasonable success. I have a query out to Performance Poultry who appear to have some available stock. I am concerned about transit losses though - they are in rural Eastern Ontario which is a very long way away. I went to a poultry show in Red Deer, AB before Christmas and was unable to identify a breeder who could assist. Sigh. The Partridge Chantecler looks like such an awesome bird, and developed in Alberta, too.

Do you have a recommendation for a different cold hardy bird I should consider for my first foray into backyard chickens?

I would suggest checking out the breed section on BYC and then going from there. If you plan on heating your coop, you may have a little bit more wiggle room as to breed. So check out the breed section and you can search the breed for a thread specifically for that breed and ask people who own that particular breed. There is a lot of people on BYC with a wealth of knowledge who love to answer any questions!
Good Luck

 

[Kelmeny]

Hi "waffle"

I'm live about 30 minutes from grande prairie (near Beaverlodge) and I started a flock of heritage chickens last spring. I'm turning into the crazy chicken lady in my area too! My three kids love the chickens and one day when I sent my 5 year old to gather eggs she came to the front door smiling from ear to ear and carrying Holly, the buff brahma hen. She informed me that she had brought me a surprise- and Holly was loving the attention! I currently have a buff brahma rooster & 2 hens, two silkie hens, two Danish leghorn hens, and an Amerucana rooster and 1 hen. I'm hoping to hatch eggs soon! Any ideas where I could get an incubator? I have a few chicken friends in the area and know of a few who raise heritage chicks to sell.
Contact me at [email protected] if you want another chicken friend.

 

[nataly214]

Heyaaaa everyone!! I live near spruce grove in Alberta. My chickens got eaten this summer along with my chihuahua and cat by coyotes

. I wanted to start up a new flock in May and was wondering if any of you had a couple of young (between 6 months to 2 years old) hens to sell? I'm really looking forward to getting chickens again, they are just SO. MUCH. FUN!!!

 

[northernbcgal]

Northern BC, close to the Ab border. Charlie Lake (just outside of Fort St John, BC). Close to GP : )

 

[Beanarable]

Hi Nataly,

I see you are from my area. We are 10-15 west of Stony and I have been looking for local chickens. Have you located any that are nearby? This is my first go around with chickens. Learning as we go along! Im excited to start. We have all their gear ready to go now.

Gillian

 

[CanaDawn]

I posted these in the winter coop thread, but these are Seramas, each about a pound, outside by choice in the snow this morning at about -3C, in Alberta. If there is a snow-free area, they are outside most of the day at -10C. This is winter #2, and last year it was -40C a few times. One comb point on one bird got a bit of frost last year, but it stuck up much more than the rest, and seems fine this year. They live in an uninsulated garden shed, with a coop they disdain to use most of the time, and one heat lamp. Their water freezes in the coop in a few hours. I'm not convinced "hardy breeds" are necessary, as I was told these birds are delicate and not cold-hardy.

 

[uncertainty]

I am really interested to read about your results; thanks for the post. My first flock will be this spring, if the weather ever turns. Still knee deep in snow here. Sigh.

 

[KarenQuick]

We're near GP

 

[uncertainty]

I am in the Lakeland Region near Elk Point. We have been suffering a tent caterpillar infestation, just horrible. Soon the moths will be upon us. Ugh. My information is that chicks will not eat tent caterpillars but guinea hens might. Does that sound right to you? I don't ever want to go through this again!!