Meyer Hatchery Chicken pics anyone??

[Finnie]

Welcome, KDOGG! Ha ha, I don't think we are the right people to ask if you want to NARROW down your list!

You must build more coops.

 

[nordicacres]

Re: Choosing Breeds

We have quite a mix of birds. At the top of my favorite lists are: Australorps, Orpingtons, and Easter Eggers. We also have Welsummers and they are very nice and gentle birds. We have two Wellie roosters that I quite like. In fact, a Welsummer cockerel may just end up being one of the two roosters we will keep. We also have Wyandottes (Silver, Gold, and Blue Laced Red). While they aren't aggressive with the chicks they were brooded with they are being aggressive to the new chicks we are trying to incorporate into the flock. A GLW cockerel also attacked me the other night as I went in to do chicken chores. He will be headed to freezer camp as soon as he is large enough to butcher. I do still like the breed, but when we start to concentrate on just a few breeds they won't make the cut. The Brahmas are another one that are being aggressive with the newbies. As in seeking them out to peck. I really like my Cochin pullets, but I don't think they are great layers. Just very friendly, gentle birds that are supposed to be good broodies. GL!

 

[Poultrybonkers]

Aw, that's too bad!  Stranger things have happened.  Right now I have a clutch of 9 baby parakeets, and I'm pretty sure only one of them is a boy.  Such lopsided numbers are just not what you would expect.

Weird i have a clutch of baby parakeets and i think two are males and i dont need more males i need hens. Lol

 

[Poultrybonkers]

About 4 days ago I got in a Leanns adopt me assortment from Meyer and in it were 2 polish. At the time I thought they were 2 white crested blues. Turns out, I have 1 white crested blue and a white crested white?!? Is this possible from Meyer? Total accident or what

Im not sure i ordered 8 leanns adopt me bargain and got a crevecoure chick.....how did that happen when they dont even have them.

 

[autumnhearth]

Im not sure i ordered 8 leanns adopt me bargain and got a crevecoure chick.....how did that happen when they dont even have them.

Hmmm. Are you sure it's not a polish? What are the noticeable differences?

 

[ShrekDawg]

Re: Choosing Breeds

We have quite a mix of birds. At the top of my favorite lists are: Australorps, Orpingtons, and Easter Eggers. We also have Welsummers and they are very nice and gentle birds. We have two Wellie roosters that I quite like. In fact, a Welsummer cockerel may just end up being one of the two roosters we will keep. We also have Wyandottes (Silver, Gold, and Blue Laced Red). While they aren't aggressive with the chicks they were brooded with they are being aggressive to the new chicks we are trying to incorporate into the flock. A GLW cockerel also attacked me the other night as I went in to do chicken chores. He will be headed to freezer camp as soon as he is large enough to butcher. I do still like the breed, but when we start to concentrate on just a few breeds they won't make the cut. The Brahmas are another one that are being aggressive with the newbies. As in seeking them out to peck. I really like my Cochin pullets, but I don't think they are great layers. Just very friendly, gentle birds that are supposed to be good broodies. GL!

Thanks for all the info! Maybe I will have to try the Welsummers then. And that's really interesting about the Wyandottes..maybe I should exclude them then?

 

[ShrekDawg]

Oh man you sound like me a year and a half ago, my heart goes out for your poor conflicted mind lol!

Okay first off great choice with the Orpingtons and Australorps. We have a Buff Orp and I couldn't imagine our flock without her. She's a great big snuggled monster, such a personality and a good layer. For pics and info on her personality, go to the bottom of my post and under my signature there are three links with pics the third is all about Miss Baby Buff. She's also my pofile picture but I will post two pics below. Black Australorps are at the very top of my list for next year, everyone seems to love them and they are fantastic layers. Last year when we got our first flock I had to decide between an Austra and Black Copper Marans and chose the BCM for the chocolate eggs, she wasn't the friendliest hen, loved to complain and I only got a few weeks of those eggs before she got sick (likely reproductive issues), we put her down at just over a year old. So next year I will be getting a BA.


One of my favorite pics, Baby at 10 days old and Baby earlier this week. She is 13 months old and it still hard to get a picture of her because she always wants to be in my lap.
If you want a snuggle chicken, get a Buff Orp. Then if you want more snuggle chickens try Dorkings and Brahmas lol!

You said you were worried about a couple breeds being mean and picking on the others. The two breeds that I hear that the most about are Rhode Island Reds which I see you're not considering and Barred Rocks, which you are. Now every individual chicken is different and some people love their RIRs and BRs, they are both supposed to be very friendly and curious birds. I would like a RIR one day for their coloring but have been warned by several folks on this thread that their personalities are not worth it. The nursery near us that orders chicks and started pullets from Meyer gave a backyard chicken keeping class and the owner said he didn't like the Barred Rocks because their mean. What is it about the BRs that you like? Is it their laying ability or their stripes? One of my good friends and chicken mentor's favorite hen is a Domique another barred breed with a lovely personality.

I have never heard of Welsummers being mean on here or elsewhere, but I'm sure there are reviews on almost every chicken breed with a few people that had a bad experience. The folks with the adult Wellsummers will have to weigh in here as my Wellie is only 10 weeks old but I decided on her last year after hearing all good things I have occasionally heard that Wyandottes can be a bit mean, especially to new chicks, but not from Meyer people so again, others on here will have to weigh in, they are so pretty and I want the laced in every color.


Good excuse to post a pic of Cornelia from yesterday, I lover her coloring and day one when she walked right into my hand.
There was a period of maybe 2 or 3 weeks when she didn't want to be picked up or held because she was growing in her feathers, but she's back to being sweet and friendly

I see you are debating about getting an Easter Egger, stop debating and get one! Lol seriously everyone on here loves their EEs! They are such a fun mix, it's a surprise as to what color you are going to get (which for me was a downside as I am a control freak but I was really happy with ours). They lay colorful eggs, mostly green or blue-green though you will occasionally get one that lays pink, brown or cream. They tend to lay early and they lay well. Our EE was my son's pick, she is a little on the skiddish side but that's compared to others in our flock who are very friendly, she still comes over and says hi once a day, comes for treats and will squat, though she's a bit nervous when I pick her up. I now several folks on this thread have four or more EEs in their flocks that are very friendly. She was the first of our pullets to lay, beating out our Golden Buff by almost a week and while she doesn't lay every single day like our GB, I can expect 4-6 eggs a week from.


Clara our EE chick day 1. Light brown with darker brown markings and white chipmunk stripes down the back


10 days old, she was the first to get wings and they were the biggest.


6 weeks, little hawk and this week at 13 months

I have heard wonderfully things about Speckled Sussex and would really like one. My husband doesn't love the speckled look and we have limited space, we only got three chicks this year and I chose a Welsummer. But I will definitely be getting one down the road. I think they are some of the sweetest looking chicks, they are supposed to be very friendly and I want their creamy pink eggs! I will probably get one the same year I get Wyandottes, I think they look cool together.

So here is my advice and it all hinges on chicken math which I see you have heard of. I would start out with one of each of the breeds you want the most. I know some people like to get two or three of each, birds of a feather flock together and it is awfully cute to see two of a kind, but for just starting out with such limited space I like to try out each breed and be able to easily tell everyone apart, monitor who has layed for the day and do an easy head count. But most importantly you need to and I mean NEED to leave room for more chicks next year. Because not only will the chicken math hit you hard but there is also a very good practical reason to get more chicks each spring. Your hens will molt each year at around 15 months, this is generally the following fall for spring chickens, but your might be in the winter if you get summer chicks. I wish someone had told me this before starting. Mind you I had read about molting but the book I got kept stressing to get as many as your thought you would want for a few years because introducing new flock members is stressful. It's true it is, but everyone wants to get more chicks each year and unless they have great self restraint or ordinances that say they can only have so many, they end up getting more within a year. I just looked to see where abouts you live, climate wise and just noticed you've been on BYCs for 7 years and I've been talking to you like these are for first chickens, so unless you've been lurking on here for that long, my apologies.

Anywho yes, you need to leave room for more chickens. Looks like 10 is your max, 8 is your comfortable capacity so I would get maybe 6 this year. One Buff Orp, one Black Australorp, one Easter Egger, one or two Wyandottes (if they are different colors) a Speckled Sussex and/or a Welsummer, unless you really want that barring in your flock then substitute one. Or just plan on expanding your coop! Best of luck in your decision making and welcome to the Meyer thread!

Wow, thanks for all the great info!!!

I definitely want snuggle chickens! lol they don't all have to be though

And I'm honestly not sure what I liked about the Barred Rocks.. I think it was maybe mostly that everyone seems to have and suggest them? I'm not really particularly attached to them though. Although I am curious what all the fuss is about and also, I've heard they can be really predatory savvy and/or protective like a roo? I liked that too.

That' a good idea though, and a lot smarter, about starting with only a couple of breeds and one of each like that.

You're also probably right that I should leave space for chicken math because even though we can expand the coop and do have room for a lot more, it's kind of a lot of work expanding the coop after it's already built and plus, even if we have the space, there's probably a limit set by my parents and the neighbors.. Probably smarter to start off with a few. Although, we could always just expand the coop right now.. We're planning on 4x8 but it's not so hard to just grab another 4x8 and make it 8x8, right? xD lol

Oh man, I think the chicken math has already begun.

And oh yeah, I have been lurking that long!! LOL Off and on though and I've left for a year or few months at a time but yuppp, started lurking as a freshman in high school when I first found the site!!! Still haven't gotten my chickens!! -_- lmao

Thanks for all the help though, you've been great!! And I'll go look through the Orp pictures you got any more of the EE, by chance? She's gorgeous!!

 

[autumnhearth]

You're also probably right that I should leave space for chicken math because even though we can expand the coop and do have room for a lot more, it's kind of a lot of work expanding the coop after it's already built and plus, even if we have the space, there's probably a limit set by my parents and the neighbors.. Probably smarter to start off with a few. Although, we could always just expand the coop right now.. We're planning on 4x8 but it's not so hard to just grab another 4x8 and make it 8x8, right? xD lol
Oh man, I think the chicken math has already begun.

And oh yeah, I have been lurking that long!! LOL Off and on though and I've left for a year or few months at a time but yuppp, started lurking as a freshman in high school when I first found the site!!! Still haven't gotten my chickens!! -_- lmao

Thanks for all the help though, you've been great!! And I'll go look through the Orp pictures you got any more of the EE, by chance? She's gorgeous!!

You are very welcome. I would highly recommend building the coop bigger now than expanding it later, it will actually be less work. Always build bigger than you think you need. Ours is 4x8 but I wish it was bigger so I could get more chicks. We have 4 hens and 3 young pullets and they will fit just fine but then there's next year!

Thank you! There are more of Clara in my first link under my signature but I'll attach a few more. She's a clean faced EE.


Day 7 and day 12


15 weeks


16 weeks


19 weeks


Week 21 and 22

I'm sure she'll chime in here soon but COChix has a nice album of her Meyer EEs: https://www.backyardchickens.com/g/a/6855738/easter-eggers/

NotableNancy also has some beautiful EEs: https://www.backyardchickens.com/g/...icken-pics-anyone/sort/display_order/page/80/

Hopfully that link works

 

[ShrekDawg]

That's a really good idea!! I'll see if we can make it bigger from the beginning Plus they'll probably be happier anyways, right? Always gotta think of the future too though, as I've learned from here.

Thanks for all the links too! I'll go look there

But wow, Clara got really pretty really fast

 

[Finnie]

It's Meijer Chick Birthday Monday again!!

And I have pics of my two newest chicks. Hm, I suppose I should go outside and take pics of the older girls...

Here is Ella, the Partridge Plymouth Rock, with her friend Poppyseed, the Sweetgrass Turkey:



And here is Highness, the Sicilian Buttercup:


We have had a setback with Highness.

Saturday night I noticed when I put her back into the brooder after a snuggle session, that she could not walk or stand. At first I thought I must have inadvertently hurt her while holding her on my lap. But the more I searched about leg or paralysis problems, I really only found information about diseases, or just failing to thrive, not anything about getting injured. I made a thread and asked about it, and one person said it was probably not due to the snuggling. I think she must have been developing the problem already, but I only noticed it when I put her back and expected her to walk off my hand and run around the brooder.

Since then, I have been trying to syringe feed her parakeet hand rearing formula as well as drinks of probiotic+electrolyte water. I also keep adding a pile of her feed in front of where she is laying. She does peck at that, so that must be why she hasn't starved to death yet. I really don't think I have been able to get enough sustenance down her with my syringe. Baby chickens are just not built for hand feeding. I don't know how she can survive this way. She can move her legs a little more today, but I fear that even if she lives, these past two days of low nutrition will cause her to have developmental problems. I guess I will keep trying to feed her, and wait to see what happens. On threads I have seen with similar problems, the chicks did not make it.

The store where I got her is checking with Meyer to see if they can send me another SB from their overhatch this week. Or maybe next week. It would be nice if she lives and I have two, but I really hope I can at least have one. I have gotten really attached to this breed in the 5 days that I have had Highness. (Oh- and I have gotten super attached to Ella, too. I absolutely love her soft dark velvety brown head!)