Meyer Hatchery 2 questions please

[biophiliac]

Cool video, sooo happy for you

 

[aart]

See my happy update here:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/1158237/meyers-tracking-and-blizzard-oh-my/50#post_18210837

That'll lighten the gloom....good for you!!
Didn't realize you were doing 2 threads.

 

[Merrymouse]

That'll lighten the gloom....good for you!!
Didn't realize you were doing 2 threads.

yes, didnt do that on purpose. I think this one started with just a question and then morphed into the saga. The other one was another just question about shipping during bad weather. Then two threads on the same basic subject emerged Couldn't leave anyone hanging so I just kept trying to update both

 

[aart]

Quote: Must have been exhausting...I'm glad you're back on the up swing!

 

[ShrekDawg]

Hi All,  

First, I want to express how thankful I am for all of your concern and help. I'm feeling better today.  I know there is always a risk when dealing with animals I just didn't expect to have to deal with it right off the bat.  

I called Meyers today and just had them refund my money.  I just am not ready to go through that again and additionally I cannot take another 3 days off potentially (I don't get paid when I don't work), and I just cannot go through the wait, wait, wait and all the unknowns.  Its still pretty cold here.  Im not saying i will never order from a hatchery again but at least this time Im going to try a breeder.  

So yesterday when I knew it probably would not be a good outcome I started asking around and searching for breeders.  I found two and maybe three that can give me chicks. While they're not exactly the same as what I ordered from Meyers I'm very happy so far   

@AmandaKyle
 Thank you for giving me the name of the breeder.  He did get back to me and I'm heading down tomorrow morning to possibly bring home some chicks he had a hatch Wednesday. He's about an hour away from me but I figure an hour in the car with me carefully watching over them is way better than a 3 day journey in the cold in an airplane, truck etc.  So if he has some I'm thinking of picking up a French Black Copper Maran, Swedish Flower Hen, Barred rock and Cream legbar.  So if all goes well I will have a very colorful egg basket.  I really wanted color in my basket and meyers was pretty much sold out of colored egg layers so there is that

There is also another breeder who breeds and shows English Orpingtons in many colors.  Depending on when they hatch (due to start hatching this weekend) she may have some English Orpingtons, Red laced Blue wyandotte, EE and Ameraucuna.  
So while not exactly what I ordered from Meyers I think these are some really cool birds and Im excited about them.  The only issue is of course aside from the Cream Legbar they are all sold straight run.  So you betcha I will be spending my entire night trying to learn as much as I can to try my best to pick hens   And I'll be sending you all pictures begging for gender ID help Im sure in the weeks to come. 

The other positive note, because Im trying to be positive here, is I won't have the conundrum of trying to pick the 8 I want and the 8 Id have to give away  

I dont know if you know but I had to order at least 15 from meyer and I ordered the meal maker so I only wanted to have 8 so I had a friend who was going to take whatever I didnt want.  I probably would have had a real hard time deciding which ones to let go.

So I didnt get my cochin, australorp, white rock, brahma, barnevelder or gold laced wyandotte but I got some others I really really like, well, I think I will like, being a newbie who knows right?

And yet another positive note, now I have an excuse to maybe add more chicks next year.....

So hopefully I will at least have a few chicks to nurture and love on tomorrow and once I get them settled let them rest up a little I will post some HAPPY pictures!  

Enjoy your welcome and for all of those offering support and hugs right back at ya 

Not sure if things have moved to the other thread or not, sorry if so but i couldnt find this one, but where in MA are you and what breeders are those? I'd love some English Orps, BLRW, and/or more EEs myself haha

 

[Merrymouse]

Not sure if things have moved to the other thread or not, sorry if so but i couldnt find this one, but where in MA are you and what breeders are those? I'd love some English Orps, BLRW, and/or more EEs myself haha

Hi sorry it took me so long to respond. I've been super busy lately. So the person with the English orps, BLRW and EE never really panned out. I think they may have too many orders or something but after initially responding to my requests I kinda never heard back from them. If still interested PM me and I'll give you the name. Don't really want to post it here

 

[Merrymouse]

UPDATE!!!
I have my chicks! Not exactly what I ordered from Meyers but I love them. I got the cream legbar, FBCM, Barred Rock and Swedish Flower 3/18 so they are about 2 weeks old. I got the light brahma, pencil laced rock, buff rock, barred rock (2nd), and welsummer last weekend 3/25. The youngest is the buff which is only about 5 or 6 days old, the oldest is the light brahma which is about guessing here 3 weeks old. The rest are somewhere around 1 to 2 weeks old. I had a mini photo shoot while I had them out to clean the brooder today. I am very very happy with my chickie babies. I just adore them

my youngest the buff rock

French Black Copper Maran who picks on the buff rock sometimes

Swedish Flower who is showing some flower development

Light Brahma who is quickly claiming the favorite status. She is so sweet and the only one I've named so far "Betsy"

pencil laced rock. Very quiet and reserved

barred rock pullet? She is the most skittish and the most fearful of me

and another picture of her because it's funny

welsummer. She is so pretty and she is the laziest she sleeps the most and last to the supper table

cream legbar she is definitely my little forager. She's always kicking all the shavings around and always searching for food everywhere and doesn't often just simply eat out of the feeder full of crumbles.

and these last two pictures are of my barred rock (1st). I would put money that this is a cockerel. He is the same age as my CL, FBCM, and Swedish flower. He still has no tail and barely any primaries. He is heritage and not production so maybe they feather slower but I doubt it. The breeder showed me the barred rock rooster she had and it was spectacular, too bad I most likely will not be keeping him. Well, that's it for now. I'm loving them!

 

[Merrymouse]

One more I forgot. They love their shoebox full of dirt. They all try to get in there at the same time

 

[Ridgerunner]

Barred Rock are usually slow feathering. There is a genetic control for how fast they feather out, some are fast feathering and some slow. If you set it up right you can even make sex links that are feather sexed at hatch.

The reason BR are usually slow feathering is that the slow feathering allows the barring to be crisp. The same barring gene with a fast feathering bird will create a cuckoo pattern, like a Dominique or Cuckoo Marans. It stands to reason a designer bird from a breeder would be slow feathering.

It’s too early to tell sex, but how big is the spot on the BR’s head. A fairly large spot usually means a male while a smaller spot is usually a female. The barring gene is a sex linked gene, which means the males have two of them but the females only have one. The double gene in the males makes the spots bigger.

 

[biophiliac]

oops! double post