Meyer Hatchery Chicken pics anyone??

[NanaLynn]

So proud of my girls, 5 eggs today!!!! (with no rubber ones!)

I have 5 that are of laying age, so that's great! Plus a double yolker from my RIR, Ash!!!!!

All but one was in the nest boxes too, I hope I can teach my stubborn BR, Oreo to use the nest box! Working on it, I keep disturbing the area and putting things in the way of each nest she lays on the floor, but she just moves to another area on the floor. She is the queen of the coop and does as she pleases. Pretty soon the whole coop floor will be covered with wire if she keeps this up, just until she starts using the nest box that is. Of course I have 4 nest boxes, but they only use the two lower ones, so I need to put a shelf or something to encourage them to use the top two.

Don't ya think the eggs are just beautiful?

I hope the rest of the Meyer flock out there is having a good day too!

 

[MsChickenMomma]

So proud of my girls, 5 eggs today!!!! (with no rubber ones!)

I have 5 that are of laying age, so that's great! Plus a double yolker from my RIR, Ash!!!!! All but one was in the nest boxes too, I hope I can teach my stubborn BR, Oreo to use the nest box! Working on it, I keep disturbing the area and putting things in the way of each nest she lays on the floor, but she just moves to another area on the floor. She is the queen of the coop and does as she pleases. Pretty soon the whole coop floor will be covered with wire if she keeps this up, just until she starts using the nest box that is. Of course I have 4 nest boxes, but they only use the two lower ones, so I need to put a shelf or something to encourage them to use the top two. Don't ya think the eggs are just beautiful?

I hope the rest of the Meyer flock out there is having a good day too!

Those eggs are beautiful! Congrats on getting 5 today!

 

[MsChickenMomma]

What age did everyone's pullets start squatting? I'm hoping that my girls start soon. They are almost 4 months old.

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

I'm gonna have to look it up, but I think last year, the first one to squat for me was my speckled Sussex, Biddy-bird, at around 19 weeks old. ETA: She was 20 weeks and 3 days old.

 

[NanaLynn]

My white leghorn started early at around 17 weeks and the others, BR, CW, SLW, RIR started around 19 weeks. It seemed that they started squatting when the wattles and combs were larger and redder. I had a few that had pale combs and wattles that did not squat at the same age. Guess it depends on the breed and how fast their mature rate is.

 

[trsturself]

My girls didn't start squatting until they were laying. That was at 21 and 22 weeks. Our EE laid 2 eggs before she got attacked and she never squatted, still doesn't. Our little D'Uccle looked like she almost squatted for me yesterday but it was hard to tell because I was trying to catch her and she was in the middle of a couple other girls and they were all running from me. She is 22 weeks old and is practicing her egg song, but no egg yet.
Our other two that are laying age are 22 and 24 weeks old and they still have small pale combs and their pelvic width is only at 2 fingers, so we have awhile. *sigh* And one of those is the same breed as our first layer, who laid at 22 weeks. So it is very individual!

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

I've been busy, so I probably missed a lot here, but we've been working on my awesome new coop addition over the past couple weeks, which gives me enough room for all my girls!

I also added a Silkie to my flock who is not of Meyer's stock so I won't post her pictures here, but I'm in the midst of turmoil over whether she is actually a she or not. I managed to get rooster paranoia this year after all!


My young Meyer birds are about 14 weeks old now, but I haven't had the chance to take pictures of them this week. The Easter-egger bantam cockerel turned into a jerk and has reached a point of freaking every time I try to do anything. He is too difficult for me to deal with and so he has been evicted from my main flock.


The others are doing wonderfully, though. Po baby (the smooth-feathered Cochin from Meyer's frizzle Cochin bantams) has started 'maturing' and is in a separate pen so that he doesn't pull feathers out of the pullets. In spite of how that sounds, he is still quite gentle and has been even alerting the girls to things flying over.


My Light Brown Leghorn, Tiwhiri, already has a comb and set of wattles that could put some of my older hens to shame! I'm thinking she'll be the first of this set to lay an egg!


Rangi (my Ancona) is still Rangi. I was taking video of Po the other day and she flew out of nowhere to my shoulder. That's my girl.


Marama (Egyptian Fayoumi) and Ihi (Golden Campine) have grown quite shy, unfortunately, but are getting along well. Marama is the smallest of the pullets, but probably the most defiant when it comes to the pecking order. She and Ihi are almost always side by side!


The derpy little Exchequer Leghorn, Roha, has surprisingly become among the more dominant of the pullets! She talks a LOT and her comb has started to grow. Perhaps she's second in line to lay..?


And finally, Huka the silver Lakenvelder has been changing colors! Well, sort of. Her head and neck, which should be black, have been feathering in in white for some reason. She's still a beautiful, graceful little lady, though.


Hope I haven't bored y'all with my ramblings. Next time, I'll try to have pictures of the young ones to go with my post.

 

[NotableNancy]

I've been busy, so I probably missed a lot here, but we've been working on my awesome new coop addition over the past couple weeks, which gives me enough room for all my girls!



I also added a Silkie to my flock who is not of Meyer's stock so I won't post her pictures here, but I'm in the midst of turmoil over whether she is actually a she or not. I managed to get rooster paranoia this year after all!

Very nice! Love all the ventilation. And I don't mind if you post a pic of your Silkie even though not from Meyer! I love seeing pics of all our chickens

What age did everyone's pullets start squatting? I'm hoping that my girls start soon. They are almost 4 months old.

It def depends on the breed but I think I had a few around 17-18 weeks. I should have kept notes! It seemed like it was a week or 2 before laying but my BB (23 weeks) is squatting and I don't think she's close to laying.

So proud of my girls, 5 eggs today!!!! (with no rubber ones!)

I have 5 that are of laying age, so that's great! Plus a double yolker from my RIR, Ash!!!!!

All but one was in the nest boxes too, I hope I can teach my stubborn BR, Oreo to use the nest box! Working on it, I keep disturbing the area and putting things in the way of each nest she lays on the floor, but she just moves to another area on the floor. She is the queen of the coop and does as she pleases. Pretty soon the whole coop floor will be covered with wire if she keeps this up, just until she starts using the nest box that is. Of course I have 4 nest boxes, but they only use the two lower ones, so I need to put a shelf or something to encourage them to use the top two.

Don't ya think the eggs are just beautiful?

I hope the rest of the Meyer flock out there is having a good day too!

Yup!! Beautiful and perfect eggs

 

[NanaLynn]

Pip: Nice coop! You have been busy. Feel free to brag about it and share lots of pics. I love stealing other people's chicken coop ideas!

Plus, I look forward to pictures of your girls, even the non Meyer ones. Their still part of the flock family just step sisters, but good step sisters.

(not the Cinderella kind)

So I have come here to announce that chickens and chicks are so much fun until that sweet moment when they fly up on you and decide it is time to poop. Well, guess that "not so sweet moment".

I was letting the 3 week olds out in the grass for awhile and Splash, the Splash Blue Andulasion hopped on my back and climbed around. So Andi, the other Blue Andulasion hopped on my left arm, Zany one of the Cuckoo Marans hopped on my right hand. It was such a fun and sweet moment until Andi pooped, a runny poop on my arm, while I was deciding what I was going to do about the poop on my arm, Zany pooped, runny again, right in the palm of my hand. Needless to say I let out a little scream of shock and they all ran in the coop hiding. It was a very short free range time. They really ruined the sweet moment.

 

[trsturself]

That definitely ruins the mood. When we were at fair we had the chickens out on our laps a lot. My DH was sitting there and I got up to get something so I put Sky on his lap. Right as I was about to pick her up and put her away she pooped a huge runny poop right on his crotch! He handled it beautifully but I felt so bad even though I was laughing.