Meyer Hatchery Chicken pics anyone??

[ohiojems]

We have 2 of each auracana, barred rock, silver laced Wyandotte and golden laced Wyandotte from rural king which we got May 1st. I just ordered 2 of each Easter eggers, blue laced red Wyandotte, black copper maran and welsummer. I go back and forth on whether I want a rooster or two. We have almost 2 acres, but we need to fence in a few spots to keep them safe from neighbors dogs. Last night was the first night I let them out in the run and didn't have to chase them back to the coop to lock them up!

 

[ohiojems]

 

[allpeepedout]

Meyer Cream Legbar sprouting a topknot at 2.5 weeks. Baby look in the picture is deceptive because they are very fast to feather, and at two weeks could easily fly up to a roost 10 in. high.

 

[Finnie]

My youngest group of chicks is finally living outside permanently! It's about time, because they were getting too crowed in their brooder. I had to move things around in the yard so their baby coop could be in the only small spot of shade available. I had to figure out where the shade spot would be at during the hottest part of the day.


That little attached run is their brooder. I flip it upside down and line it with cardboard and shavings to use it for a brooder, then I clean it out and flip it back to use as the run. Now they have double the space they had in the garage, plus the coop/nest box part. By the time they out grow this, they should be big enough to mingle with the older chickens.

Theoretically I should be able to get my car back into the garage now. But ooh Boy! I have been brooding chicks off and on since November, and a LOT of other things have taken up residence in my parking spot!! It will be weeks before I can figure out where to move it all to.

This week's chick photos did not come out very good:

Biscuit, Ella and Poppyseed


Elizabeth (Rhode Island Red)



A headless chicken


Gingersnap, the Buckeye


Princess Leia



Look! I have a Push-Me-Pull-You chicken!


Triscuit, EE


Little Turkey, meet Big Turkey




Weetabix, EE


Ella, Partridge Plymouth Rock


Ella is almost 8 weeks old. The EEs and Ginger almost 6.

 

[ohiojems]

So we are thinking of adding a rooster or two. We don't pick up until the 20/21 of July so I have a bit of time to add one or two. What would you recommend?

 

[ohiojems]

We have 2 of each auracana, barred rock, silver laced Wyandotte and golden laced Wyandotte from rural king which we got May 1st. I just ordered 2 of each Easter eggers, blue laced red Wyandotte, black copper maran and welsummer. I go back and forth on whether I want a rooster or two. We have almost 2 acres, but we need to fence in a few spots to keep them safe from neighbors dogs. Last night was the first night I let them out in the run and didn't have to chase them back to the coop to lock them up!

This is what we have and what is getting picked up!

 

[hyzenthlay]

Hey guys, been MIA since it's been crazy around here, but here are 2 week shots of our second set of babies this year--and I am starting to have real concerns that our Hazel the Wellie may be a Henry. The comb development is way more than either the Buff Orp or the Australorp, and I noticed in the shot below that the comb is also looking pinker, as well. On top of which, I had thought since the first week that the Wellie seemed to have a longer body and a more upright posture than the others, and s/he seems to be feathering out a little slower than the other 3 chicks--the Wellie is the only one at 2 weeks who only has a wisp of a tail. We absolutely cannot have roos here in the city, so we will be looking for home in a few weeks if young Hazel turns out to be a boy. If so, this will be our first boy out of 13 Meyer sexed pullets, so I guess that ratio would be about on track with the 90% they guarantee.





Here is Narcissa, the BO, for comb comparison.



And here is the BLRW, dark as ever. Her black wing tips appear to be just a smidge less black than the Australorp's, so that is my one source of hope that she may turn out blue in the end, albeit a very dark blue.

 

[hyzenthlay]

Finnie, great pics! It must be nice to have everyone outside finally, and get your parking spot back! We are hip deep into our coop expansion renovation, so our chicks are still in the basement at night, although I have been putting them out in the puppy pens during the day for everyone's sanity. The younger chicks are still small enough to squeeze through the bars of the puppy pen, so I put a roll of hardware cloth around the outside (it will be used on the coop once we're at that stage of construction)--not the best set-up, but it's working for now.

 

[Briggadane]

Welcome!  What breeds do you have and what breeds are you getting?

Did you get your order today, or going tomorrow? If you are there around 3:30 they put the late hatchers and over runs out for $2.

They also had a lot of BBB turkeys today.

I had to get a couple more waterers. Of course, it corresponded to today's late hatchers. Today they had enough over runs that when I asked for a box to hold 50 chicks, they had a list of availability. It was not guaranteed, but they told me to check off what I would be interested in, and how many of each. Most were substituted, some I got more than indicated, some were just short of how many I was hoping to get.

They told me they rarely offer the list. Note I said they offer it to the customer. The customer is not expected to ask for it. Their VERY STRICT rule to identify no chicks that were not ℗ repurchased is very much in effect. Even with listed chicks. They TRY to get what is listed, but don't separate or identify what is there.

They did substitute a breed I asked not to get, when I explained to a rep what happened, she removed those of the unwanted breed and let me replace them with others from the bin. I was not shown the removed chicks.

How can you not like a hatchery that's goes to these lengths to give excellent customer service?
Don't get me wrong, not all chicks will make it. They don't always all make it under a broody either. I don't expect it. Even when I have incubated and hatched my own, they did not all make it. Meyers is neck and neck with my incubated chicks for survival rate. Prolly under, considering 2 chicks died of unnatural causes...
We have banned my 8 year old from handling chicks in the brooder...

Just as an aside, I also have 10 chicks from another hatchery. All 10 are 3 weeks old and doing very well. 8 EE's, 1 RIR, 1 RSL.

 

[Finnie]

So we are thinking of adding a rooster or two. We don't pick up until the 20/21 of July so I have a bit of time to add one or two. What would you recommend?

I think I heard the legbar people saying their roosters can have good personalities. Not sure if the lines Meyer has would conform to that. But if you were just having a mixed flock and wanted to produce some nice chicks, you could get EEs and Olive Eggers by putting him over just about any brown egg hen. (I think they call those Easter Leggers.)

Another idea would be to pick one of your favorite hen breeds and get a matching rooster so you can make some purebred chicks.