Maine

[MustardTiger]

On the note of turkeys: I raised three bronze broad breast turks this year. They were VERY friendly and VERY curious to the point where they were extremely irritating. They would sit outside the front door making that silly sound to the extreme frustration of the cat. They were messy and poop big poops all over the place. They lived with the Chickens without any issues though. They were physically exhausting to kill and process BUT they were so DELICIOUS! Delicious enough to make me want to deal with their silly antics next year as well. I would like to get some midget whites because our birds were just too big...they dressed out at 18lbs each and for just two of us...that is a lot of bird. They do have weird tendons in the legs but...that didnt bother me at all.


Lost my favorite EE girl from my first batch of chickens. She laid huge green eggs. Poor thing just dropped dead for no clear reason. Maybe she was egg bound...I dont know. DH found her and dealt with her before I could examine her body. Now Im back down to 6 chickens and two roos. Sheesh. Bad luck chicken year for me. I am buying many more chickens than I think I will need for next year!

 

[lazy gardener]

So sorry for your loss MT.

My molting RIR has been sleeping in the nest box for the past few nights. I haven't had it in me to kick her out, as she has been so cold. So tonight, three other girls were milling around the 2 boxes, grumbling about the sleeping arrangements. Spring can't come fast enough!

A note of humor: My son who is now having a beautiful house built, was talking with a friend of mine about... chickens! Asking how many she had, how many eggs was she getting, and how much work involved! (He could have asked me, but I'm guessing that he thought I'd do the pushy mom thing, and deliver a bunch of chickens to his doorstep the day he moves in!) Actually, wouldn't that be a great house warming gift? I'm totally amused to think that he's even having a chicken related conversation!

 

[buckabucka]

Peanut looks like a sweetie, Widget. He is lucky to be in your care.

Mustard tiger, sorry about your EE. I've had hens drop off for no apparent reason as well.

Lazy gardener, it sounds like grand-chickens may be in your future.

I cleaned up the coop today, and enticed the hens out into the run by providing them with leaves, scratch, another roost, and a new flock block. We got 4 eggs from 54 hens, but many of them are older. In the past when I used to graph egg production, this week and the next four are the bottom of the curve, and then things slowly pick up again.

 

[lazy gardener]

Bucka... your graph for egg production... was that with or without supplemental light?? As I recall from the stone age when I had BSL and Leghorns, production picked up in Feb. I only have one girl producing now. She was so cute this morning when they came out to greet me. She was tossing bits of hay over her shoulders, so I knew that there would be an egg from her today! I've started some FF again, hoping to increase their appetites. For some reason they are not eating very much. Possibly b/c they are not laying??

 

[Jazor]

Snapped a few photos of the BIQ (bird in question). I've seen no indications of spurs; however, it's much larger than the others. Shanks appear rose, comb is obviously quite red.

Ideas?!

 

[MEMama3]

Snapped a few photos of the BIQ (bird in question). I've seen no indications of spurs; however, it's much larger than the others. Shanks appear rose, comb is obviously quite red.

Ideas?!

Looking "roo"ish to me. Tail is not as blunt as it would be on a female. How old?

 

[buckabucka]

Bucka... your graph for egg production... was that with or without supplemental light??  As I recall from the stone age when I had BSL and Leghorns, production picked up in Feb.   I only have one girl producing now.  She was so cute this morning when they came out to greet me.  She was tossing bits of hay over her shoulders, so I knew that there would be an egg from her today!  I've started some FF again, hoping to increase their appetites.  For some reason they are not eating very much.  Possibly b/c they are not laying??

I've never used supplemental light. I don't remember how many birds I had at the time, but it was their second winter and weekly production went like this:
Week beginning 11/20: 10 eggs
". ". 11/28: 8
12/4: 8
12/11: 9
12/18: 8
12/25: 8
1/1: 11
1/8: 12
1/15: 20
And then up from there. Mine usually peak in early-mid April, and then the broodies cut into production some.

 

[Jazor]

They are just under three months old. This was the "rare exotic bird" that came with my hatchery order of barred rocks and red stars.

I'm in no position to guess, but on size alone I was thinking Roo. Hoping someone has ideas!

 

[lazy gardener]

Does it look like your BR? Perhaps a bit lighter in color than the pullets? If the feathering is definitely different, how bout cuckoo marans?

 

[anyasmifya]

Looking "roo"ish to me. Tail is not as blunt as it would be on a female. How old?

I agree. I just looked at photos of my Barred Rocks at about three months. They look just like your photo. I do really like my barred rock too if that helps any!