"Louisiana "La-yers" Peeps"

[Ron Skekel]

Pam that is just wonderful.  What do you feed the younger birds?  Grains?  I thought they had to have crumbles until 6 or more weeks.  What is your mix? 
I can't tell you how liberated I feel right now.  I put most of my birds on CL last night and had somebody come to buy the 6 Sapphire blue layers I had for sell.  I'm keeping two but the best thing is,  wait for it,   they took all 10 roosters so I don't have to process.  Gave them away of course.  This will free up a ton of space.   I still have the 10  6 mo old pullets to sell at $10 ea.  The Golden Comets have been laying for about 6 wks and the White Rocks are in the process.  2 of the 4 are laying.   Rock bottom price but I want the space.  I need to make room for some battery hens that I will get this month for meat purposes and eggs.   The Sapphires were good incubating experience but I don't need them.  I'm only going to raise my fine White Plymouth Rock (totally eye candy) and meat birds.   Happy dance   e

I don't mix my own any more. I joined aszure standard co-op. They have 3 brands of organic feed . The cheapest is rouges which is organic but made in pellets or crumbles looks like conventional feed my birds wouldn't eat it. They are use to whole grains so I think that is the reason they didn't like it. I bought all 3 brands to see the difference. Big sky is a good brand I buy this when the one I like is out of stock. My favorite and theirs is scratch n peck. The layer is $25.00. It smells so fresh I love it. Plus has minerals added,kelp and fermented dried aspergillosis oryzae extract among others so no need to ferment myself. If you see the feed in my chick pics that's their starter. Plus organic free ranged eggs at rouses is $6.49, at whole foods $6.99. I offered mine for 4.00 to the co-op members this month I sold 9 doz in one day. You can go to their web site they sell everything you order everything you want for a month with credit card or cod. U meet at a drop in your area on a set day and time to meet the truck. Everyone helps unload the orders people help others who can't lift feed sacks. It's alot cheaper than anywhere else I've bought feed from. Plus high turnover so super fresh. If your the first to offer eggs all the better. If you want a pic of feed let me know.
I also sold 4 bars of my organic soap and two tins of organic body butter. Did you keep one rooster so you don't have to buy hatching eggs in the future? I wouldn't let my roosters go for free. Low price fine but free when they will probably eat some of them. Kuntrygirl was getting $10 for hers. I would at least ask 3 to 5 for regular breeds and more for rare breeds I also felt liberated hatching my own and selling my products. Best of all Ron doesn't think we have to many any more.

 

[LindaB220]

I don't mix my own any more. I joined aszure standard co-op. They have 3 brands of organic feed . The cheapest is rouges which is organic but made in pellets or crumbles looks like conventional feed my birds wouldn't eat it. They are use to whole grains so I think that is the reason they didn't like it. I bought all 3 brands to see the difference. Big sky is a good brand I buy this when the one I like is out of stock. My favorite and theirs is scratch n peck. The layer is $25.00. It smells so fresh I love it. Plus has minerals added,kelp and fermented dried aspergillosis oryzae extract among others so no need to ferment myself. If you see the feed in my chick pics that's their starter. Plus organic free ranged eggs at rouses is $6.49, at whole foods $6.99. I offered mine for 4.00 to the co-op members this month I sold 9 doz in one day. You can go to their web site they sell everything you order everything you want for a month with credit card or cod. U meet at a drop in your area on a set day and time to meet the truck. Everyone helps unload the orders people help others who can't lift feed sacks. It's alot cheaper than anywhere else I've bought feed from. Plus high turnover so super fresh. If your the first to offer eggs all the better. If you want a pic of feed let me know.
I also sold 4 bars of my organic soap and two tins of organic body butter. Did you keep one rooster so you don't have to buy hatching eggs in the future? I wouldn't let my roosters go for free. Low price fine but free when they will probably eat some of them. Kuntrygirl was getting $10 for hers. I would at least ask 3 to 5 for regular breeds and more for rare breeds I also felt liberated hatching my own and selling my products. Best of all Ron doesn't think we have to many any more.

Love it. Yes I have the best White Plymouth Rocks around. Everybody that came today to buy just stopped and stared. Wanted to buy them. I paid a bundle for them but when I sell eggs next year I'm not going to put the local people through the ringer in price. $10 or so a dozen and I'm going to raise a bunch of babies also to sell. These darlings are stunning. I've got Swedish Flower Hen eggs in the incubator but I never count on them until they are running around. Maybe I can get some of both and breed them. You can start out with Sister/Brother but after that use only the best roosters and breed back to the Mom and best pullets breed back to Dad. Keep doing that and you can keep your line breeding going for 4-5 yrs before having to bring in new blood. Since I have a local supplier of the rocks I can get some more of his birds later to bump it up but still have the same blood. Pam, I sold all my layers and I'm going to have to BUY eggs for a couple of months until the rocks start laying. The others will be right in back of them.

 

[Ron Skekel]

Love it.  Yes I have the best White Plymouth Rocks around.  Everybody that came today to buy just stopped and stared.  Wanted to buy them.   I paid a bundle for them but when I sell eggs next year I'm not going to put the local people through the ringer in price.  $10 or so a dozen and I'm going to raise a bunch of babies also to  sell.  These darlings are stunning.  I've got Swedish Flower Hen eggs in the incubator but I never count on them until they are running around.   Maybe I can get some of both and breed them.  You can start out with Sister/Brother but after that use only the best roosters and breed back to the Mom and best pullets breed back to Dad.  Keep doing that and you can keep your line breeding going for 4-5 yrs before having to bring in new blood.  Since I have a local supplier of the rocks I can get some more of his birds later to bump it up but still have the same blood.    Pam, I sold all my layers and I'm going to have to BUY eggs for a couple of months until the rocks start laying.  The others will be right in back of them. 

I have two different lines for my legbars. Their is a third one which will be my next purchase or trade. But for my Bielefelders have only been in the USA for two years so I'll keep that in mind. They have quickly made it to Ron's favorite breed they are very docile. Hopefully by that many years their will be another line.

 

[Ron Skekel]

Thanks a million for the offer and yes i believe you are about an hour closer, i am waiting for my company to call me back for a room confirmation, if that falls through i may take you up on, it would be a thrill to meat you and ron.

Hope you find out something before the game starts. My thoughts exactly would be nice to meet you too. If not now one day. Pam

 

[Ron Skekel]

Here's recent pics of some of my flock.

The top is the two younger legbar roosters with two hens the lighter is one line and the darker the other.
Third pic is older legbar rooster and australorp hen.
The last is a black copper marens x with legbar. Still trying to determan if one is a rooster . They will be olive eggers. Sorry about the picture quality. There first time out of the coop could hardly get a pic.

 

[LaDoodler]

I have found each breed is different. Want eggs sooner get waynddotts my gold laced started at 4 months, Australorps at 6 months, and so on. I feed grower until the comb and wattles redden up, then I change to layer usually within a few days form changing to layer I get eggs. RIR'S are good about hiding their first eggs too. Almost immediately after laying the body changes from poulet to hen. This is how I know my Legbar has a hidden nest. The other tell is look at their vents. Pam P.S. The new update for I phone needs some work I make mistakes but not this many Apple needs to redo it.

Excellent to know! And gosh, there's plenty places for them to hide eggs in their pen. Guess I'll go egg hunting soon. And the brush under the trees in their pen is THICK + poison ivy.

I have an offer to pick up a heritage RIR rooster. Soooo...considering doing so much sooner than I had planned. I have really tried to weigh all of the pros and cons of having one, and wasn't gonna get one for a while, if at all. But given that it is heritage, ahhh, what the heck! (That devilish chicken math at work.)

Now, when I told my brother-in-law tonight (as we were watching the Saints get creamed) of my thinking of getting a rooster, he came up with another of his zingers. He informs me that a rooster will show the hens where to lay eggs, and strongly encouraged me to get one. Just like his other zingers, how in the heck do you respond to such?

So, if they start hiding their eggs in the trees, I'm gonna one up him and tell him that the hens were all ready to lay in their nice, nest boxes I recently finished. But, the danged rooster gave them bum advice, and they are now hiding them among the trees! I'll never top him though cause I just know he'll tell me something like I got the rooster on the wrong phase of the moon, or that I should have kept him in the coop for a few days for him to have time to approve of the nest boxes, or some such garbage as that.

 

[Ron Skekel]

Excellent to know!  And gosh, there's plenty places for them to hide eggs in their pen.  Guess I'll go egg hunting soon.  And the brush under the trees in their pen is THICK + poison ivy.

I have an offer to pick up a heritage RIR rooster.  Soooo...considering doing so much sooner than I had planned.  I have really tried to weigh all of the pros and cons of having one, and wasn't gonna get one for a while, if at all.  But given that it is heritage, ahhh, what the heck!  (That devilish chicken math at work.) 

Now, when I told my brother-in-law tonight (as we were watching the Saints get creamed) of my thinking of getting a rooster, he came up with another of his zingers.  He informs me that a rooster will show the hens where to lay eggs, and strongly encouraged me to get one.  Just like his other zingers, how in the heck do you respond to such?   So, if they start hiding their eggs in the trees, I'm gonna one up him and tell him that the hens were all ready to lay in their nice, nest boxes I recently finished.  But, the danged rooster gave them bum advice, and they are now hiding them among the trees!  I'll never top him though cause I just know he'll tell me something like I got the rooster on the wrong phase of the moon, or that I should have kept him in the coop for a few days for him to have time to approve of the nest boxes, or some such garbage as that.   

Funny! Except for the saints that was down right embarrsing.I might need a brown bag if this keeps up.Lol. Is the rooster full grown? have you asked if he is aggressive toward people? When I was a kid we had an aggresive rooster who chased us and other people. I learned from a super smart person on this site how to train roosters. And how you can have a few without fighting each other. How to keep them from attacking you. Its close to showing them your alpha dog. If its a young one good you will not have those problems. If its older just ask questions and observe wihle your there.Hopefully your getting it from someone experenced in keeping roosters.My roosters didn't show my hens where to lay. My first flock I got was RIR's only Hens hubby didn't want a rooster he was afraid they would wake him at the crake of dawn. A few hens used the nest boxes in the coop. But some I knew were laying and couldn't find them. I looked for weeks I have a hudge yard thats landscaped with many flower beds lots of hiding places. I looked and looked finally noticed my dog really interested in the smallest bed by the front door. So I looked low and behold their was a nest hidden right under my nose but well camoed. I couldn't belive she was laying their and i hadn't found them .Their was 21 eggs plus one fart egg the size of a tiny pecan. One thing I like about having a rooster is the relationships that form within the flock. Chickens are so much smarter than given credit for.If I was you I would get rid of the poisoin ivy they just might pick that area. Pam

 

[LaDoodler]

The rooster is 3 months old, so I guess you wouldn't consider it full grown? I didn't go as so far to ask about behavior, but I definitely will. Thanks for the reminder. And yes, one of my grandmother's roosters created a really unpleasant memory for me too. My uncle had just given me some brand new cowboy boots, which was a big deal since we didn't have much money. I proudly wore them out to my grandparents. On my usual trip to or through the chicken yard, the rooster ruffled up at me. I tried to scare him. That just made things worse and he took after me!

Now I could run faster than almost every kid in my school, and was out running the rooster - until I got to the back gate. I couldn't get the dang latch open!

I can still hear that stinking rooster running up behind me. He started spurring me, but luckily his spurs were hitting my brand new cowboy boots. I finally reached the level of desperation panic, turned around and booted the rooster as far as I could. He quickly got up, but was a ruffle of feathers and quite unsteady. I didn't waste any time making more observations of damage I had done, I got the latch open, and out I went. I'd love to say that this taught the rooster a lesson, but just don't remember. But, I do remember that my brand new cowboy boots had some ugly scratches, and didn't look so new any more.

That was more than 60 years ago.

I'll definitely let you know if I need tips on becoming an alpha rooster, cause I don't have any more cowboy boots.

 

[Ron Skekel]

The rooster is 3 months old, so I guess you wouldn't consider it full grown?  I didn't go as so far to ask about behavior, but I definitely will.  Thanks for the reminder.  And yes, one of my grandmother's roosters created a really unpleasant memory for me too.  My uncle had just given me some brand new cowboy boots, which was a big deal since we didn't have much money.  I proudly wore them out to my grandparents.  On my usual trip to or through the chicken yard, the rooster ruffled up at me.  I tried to scare him.  That just made things worse and he took after me! :yiipchick Now I could run faster than almost every kid in my school, and was out running the rooster - until I got to the back gate. I couldn't get the dang latch open!  I can still hear that stinking rooster running up behind me.  He started spurring me, but luckily his spurs were hitting my brand new cowboy boots.  I finally reached the level of desperation panic, turned around and booted the rooster as far as I could.  He quickly got up, but was a ruffle of feathers and quite unsteady.  I didn't waste any time making more observations of damage I had done, I got the latch open, and out I went.  I'd love to say that this taught the rooster a lesson, but just don't remember.  But, I do remember that my brand new cowboy boots had some ugly scratches, and didn't look so new any more.  That was more than 60 years ago.

I'll definitely let you know if I need tips on becoming an alpha rooster, cause I don't have any more cowboy boots.

Oh boy! Hahahahahaha! Thanks for the laugh and the visual picture. We all have stories like that! Unfortunately I don't have time to type mine right now but will return the laughter later. Glad it's a young one he may not be sexually mature yet. Which is good. I would handle him a little every day so he gets use to you and being touched. Pam

 

[PrimroseMom1]

Funny! Except for the saints that was down right embarrsing.I might need a brown bag if this keeps up.Lol. Is the rooster full grown? have you asked if he is aggressive toward people? When I was a kid we had an aggresive rooster who chased us and other people. I learned from a super smart person on this site how to train roosters. And how you can have a few without fighting each other. How to keep them from attacking you. Its close to showing them your alpha dog. If its a young one good you will not have those problems. If its older just ask questions and observe wihle your there.Hopefully your getting it from someone experenced in keeping roosters.My roosters didn't show my hens where to lay. My first flock I got was RIR's only Hens hubby didn't want a rooster he was afraid they would wake him at the crake of dawn. A few hens used the nest boxes in the coop. But some I knew were laying and couldn't find them. I looked for weeks I have a hudge yard thats landscaped with many flower beds lots of hiding places. I looked and looked finally noticed my dog really interested in the smallest bed by the front door. So I looked low and behold their was a nest hidden right under my nose but well camoed. I couldn't belive she was laying their and i hadn't found them .Their was 21 eggs plus one fart egg the size of a tiny pecan. One thing I like about having a rooster is the relationships that form within the flock. Chickens are so much smarter than given credit for.If I was you I would get rid of the poisoin ivy they just might pick that area. Pam

Yeah, get rid of the poison ivy. Your chicken could just brush against it then when you pick them up, you'd get it.