"Louisiana "La-yers" Peeps"

[LemonMeringue]

Hi ya'll! I'm new to the site and someone told me about this forum so I thought I'd drop by. ^_~ I'm excited to be getting my first chickens! ^0^
I was wondering if any of ya'll know any good local hatcheries? I'm looking to buy three bantam Easter Eggers and three Bantam Barred Rocks within the next few months. Also do any of ya'll have these breeds and do they do well for you?

Be careful about where you buy your easter eggers, ideal poultry have a great stock with good temperments, but they have put out a lot of birds that carry a genetic defect of scissor beaks. I bought 15 and had to cull 9 have six left I love the temperament and the colors. But I took those six and brought in Ameraucana and Auracana from top breeders to split the genes and diversify them. As long as your willing to take a chance on the EE and scissor beak, you will be fine. Its noticeable until they are about 4 to 6 weeks old. But they are great birds I love mine. I just hated to have to cull 9 so young. I am prepared to cull any that hatch with it. I just wanted to prepare you for the possibility. I don't know of anyone local that breed them and advertise, check your local feed stores and TSC the bill boards usually in the back of the stores have a lot listed.

FB is really a great place they have Louisiana Swap pages you might be able to find what your looking for. I have many breeds but wont have any until next spring. Ill post them on the Sales thread in February March and April. I like waiting until my birds are about 6 weeks before letting them go, that way if I see a problem I cull them and other people do not have to worry about any issues. It also tell me whether I need to cull the parent stock. I can see where the chicks come from and which parents are producing the best offspring.

Good luck

Yes, do be careful on facebook for sure! I have been on a few pages that people clearly don't even know what they have/trying to sell. But if you do your research at the various poultry clubs, American poultry association, American bantam association ......etc. You yourself will know what to look for and know if they are talking nonsense or not. The American bantam association page and website would probably be a great place to find pure bred birds of good quality. On the official pages people will get called out for trying to sell birds that are not what they are saying they are.

I can't imagine trying to sell birds with the description of reds, mottled, white or black. And when asked what breed.......the answer was "Bantam"!!! I seriously read that on a public poultry sale page.

 

[LemonMeringue]

And I can recommend to anyone that Rhonda Scarlott Silva, who is the secretary of the Gulf Coast Poultry association has been SUPER friendly and helpful to me in finding the right breeders and birds. SUPER nice lady.

 

[Ron Skekel]

Good mews, I don't think its the POX at all any more. Two days of cleaning his eyes, Neosporin, sumet in his water, and Tylan 200 at 1.0 cc orally and he finally was able to open his eye about 1pm today. I almost cant believe it. Half the swelling is down, and it looks like that black spot is a bruise. The lumps in the pic from yesterday are gone. He looks 100% better.  Ill take pics this afternoon. its amazing and I am relieved.

Maybe he ate something and had an allergic reaction. Glad he's on the mend! Pam

 

[Ron Skekel]

And I can recommend to anyone that Rhonda Scarlott Silva, who is the secretary of the Gulf Coast Poultry association has been SUPER friendly and helpful to me in finding the right breeders and birds.  SUPER nice lady.

I've met her too. She is very helpful if your in my area she is at the O'kieefs swaps.She also sells meal worms. Pam

 

[TerriLaChicks]

Spent a profitable afternoon canning - had a bunch of salsa peppers I had to pick while they were still green before the hard freeze last week, so I pickled those & then peeled a bunch of satsumas & canned them in an orange juice/sugar syrup - I hope they turn out OK! if not, only lost a couple cups of sugar & the time - which I spent reading while waiting on water to boil, etc.

NO EGGS TODAY! but my RIR eggs are rocking away in the bator & the big birds deserve a rest. Still, I can't believe I may actually have to buy eggs for the first time in several years.

 

[Ron Skekel]

Spent a profitable afternoon  canning - had a bunch of salsa peppers I had to pick while they were still green before the hard freeze last week, so I pickled those & then peeled a bunch of satsumas & canned them in an orange juice/sugar syrup - I hope they turn out OK! if not, only lost a couple cups of sugar & the time - which I spent reading while waiting on water to boil, etc.

NO EGGS TODAY! but my RIR eggs are rocking away in the bator & the big birds deserve a rest. Still, I can't believe I may actually have to buy eggs for the first time in several years.:/

You get spoiled with fresh eggs. The ones in the store aren't the same. Pam

 

[JennieRD]

Do the lavender lay as good as the black ones? Pam

Right now, I would nave to say no, the lavender Orpington was used to introduce the color gene. Orps were bred more for beauty then egg, so that really hurt the true intention of the breed I still consider my flock a project flock. It will probably take another 3 years before I would call them 100% Lavender Australorp. I am doing the same with a Chocolate Australorp.

Australorps are suppose to lay from 300 to 350 a year according to Australian breeding. I have never seen one here do that, but it would be a dream come true to have one beat the record of 365 eggs.

I intend on watching them close and breeding for egg number as well as SOP.

 

[LemonMeringue]

If anyone is interested.......

This breeder/writer was recommended to me. I like to learn more about poultry all the time. He has a website and I signed up for his free newsletters that discuss breeding. I still haven't had a chance to pick up any of his books, but I will eventually. I think his articles from the newsletters are on his website as well. His name is Kenny Troiano

http://www.maximustroypublications.com/

 

[Royiah]

Thank you everyone for the help! I'm definitely going to look into all of ya'll's suggestions.

 

[justoldbobo2]

I got some quail eggs from a friend to put in the bator. I think my son is more excited than I am. Especially after he watched theirs for a few minutes