Maine

[buckabucka]

Thanks Bucka.  It isn't the color yours were [yours were so interesting and large] but its a nice dark olive.  There's no debate about it being green.  Speaking of green.... did anyone else but me admire the new Heritage Canning jars in blue and green from Ball??

Is anyone incubating right now?  The temperature flux and severity of cold temps has kept me from daring to.  I have people asking me when I'll have chicks but I am still worried about power outages and frozen water.

I have all kinds of weird colors, -some quite gray, like a stone, others green, or olive. I didn't even know about the canning jars, but they sound nice. I did buy some rather squat, wide-mouth, 1/2 pint jars to make SCG's individual pie servings for the freezer. It's been nice eating those, which kind of makes me want a bigger freezer.

Even though I go back and forth almost daily between definitely no new birds here this spring, versus maybe a small hatch, I do find myself reading hatchery catalogs and constantly checking the egg auctions. I'm hoping hoppy will report on her hatch of the blue Marans eggs I was drooling over, as I saw she purchased them. Were they as nice-looking in real life? Did they hatch, or is it too early? I'd love to hear a report, as I may order these should I decide to hatch this spring.

Today I was reading about Sandhill's variety of straight-run chicks and contemplating what I would order. I don't know about the quality, - those people have so much on their plate, but I've enjoyed getting unusual sweet potato varieties from them.

We got 51 eggs this week! The most since the last week in November. The last cold snap showed it's effects in the week following, so I'll be interested to see if the upward climb continues, or dips.

 

[ashandvine]

I can't even imagine having that many eggs right now. What do you do with them all? Grey eggs sound interesting too. What does that chicken look like that lays it? I'd like to grow sweet potatoes. I read about growing them in bags and might try it. I prefer them to most any other 'potato' and since potatoes have been linked to inflaming arthritis and I already have hand issues I don't feel like tempting fate.

 

[buckabucka]

We give 2 dozen eggs a week to DH's 93 year old father. He lives alone, and scrambled eggs is his dinner every night. One dozen is for him (he eats 2 each night, so occasionally he needs a second dozen for himself) the other dozen goes to his house cleaner. When we have a surplus, DH takes a third dozen for the hospice volunteer who visits.

We eat eggs for dinner, maybe once a week, plus I have 6 or 7 customers at school, who have been patiently waiting all winter. I did sell a dozen this week.

The gray-egg laying hen is solid black. I think she may be a cross between my OE hen (EE x Welsummer) and OE cock (Marans x Ameraucana). I don't know anything about chicken genetics, but the hen's feathering looks just like a Welsummer, and the cock is blue/gray with black hackles. Could a jet black hen result from such a cross? I think that is where she came from.

 

[lazy gardener]

I'd love to take a genetics course, especially related to raising chickens, and plant breeding.

 

[lazy gardener]

Who on the Maine thread broods their chicks outside? Success? Failures?

 

[MEMama3]

I have all kinds of weird colors, -some quite gray, like a stone, others green, or olive. I didn't even know about the canning jars, but they sound nice. I did buy some rather squat, wide-mouth, 1/2 pint jars to make SCG's individual pie servings for the freezer. It's been nice eating those, which kind of makes me want a bigger freezer.

I am getting a big chest freezer this summer. I am super excited!

I'd love to take a genetics course, especially related to raising chickens, and plant breeding.

I took one in college when I was studying zoology. I wish I could have a rooster so I could do some breeding projects. Oh well, I'll have my quail this spring...

 

[buckabucka]

I'll sign up for that class too.

 

[Cknldy]

Ooh it's been busy today...let's see...
I have an outdoor brooder but haven't used it in the dead of winter before. I built it last Spring when dh started to complain about the constant flow of chicks adter the first 30 sold so quickly All chicks brooded outdoors were healthy, feathered faster and were hardy little babes by the time they sold or went into the coops. I like the ease of simply unplugging the light when the temps are up in the afternoons to adjust them to the 'outdoors' even though they are already out there. The only con I can think of is that since the chicks are outside they don't get the 24 hour check-ins that walking by them in the house provides. At night I still worried about them until I was sure they were okay without me jumping up every few hours to check on them like brooding in the house. Kind of like a first baby that you constantly check on, then by the 2nd child and on you're okay with things! In the late fall as my last chicks were feathered out and ready for coops even a 100 watt bulb didn't keep water from freezing yet a 250watt brooder bulb would have been too much. It takes adjustments to get everything to be right but I don't trust doing it in winter. Sorry for the long post! I plan to put a brooder room in the center of the poultry barn that WILL be done for next winter

 

[Cknldy]

Congrats on the new egg layers and colors! I incubate in winter. Even if most local folks aren't buying young chicks while it's still cold by the time "buying season" rolls around then I have feathered out chicks ready for sale and more can be asked for them since the 'hard' part is already done. For example if I sell production chicks for $2 each straight run up until feathered out then when they are off the extra heat a few bucks more can be asked. IF there are chicks that still haven't sold and I still have them at point-of-lay then more can be asked again. I've never had unsold chicks past a few weeks old but if you put in all the work to get them to laying age then you can ask a decent price and respectable chicken folks don't mind paying it. While there is definitely a market for chicks in the Spring I have found that there is also an equal market for point-of-lay chickens by summer. Hopes this helps

 

[quailtrail]

First Olive Egg here!  I have been after a real green egg for two years.  A bird I really thought might be a cockerel has squatted and now laid a nice olive egg.  Its been one of the few pleasant surprises this winter.  Marans are laying now too, good sizes and acceptably dark.  Father Christmas didn't get me any good surprises this year.  Maybe Mother Nature is who I need to start writing letters to.  Green egg please?  Check.  Warmer temps please?  ...  

yay!!!! Congrats! !!!

Still waiting for our 1st eggs...but came home to my roo doing his thing. My dogs were barking as I brought in groceries and looked out to see him mating...a couple times but only with the other BO. .. my 11yo said "guess he's staying with his kind"...lol...so hopefully eggs are in the future!!!???