Meyer Hatchery Chicken pics anyone??

[RoostersCrow HensDeliver!]

But this one has to be the most adorable thing I've ever seen!!

That looks like a sultan.

 

[sonderah]

That looks like a sultan.

It is. I just got her and the EE today.

 

[RoostersCrow HensDeliver!]

Oh I must have missed that part, she's so cute!

 

[NanaLynn]

It is. I just got her and the EE today.

Wow! Nice chickens. Where'd you get them?

 

[NotableNancy]

My husband and I have been having a very interesting discussion this morning. The city has been working on a creek restoration project for the past couple of years. We live right beside the creek, it runs right behind the chicken coop. Anyway our land has a sharp slope/hill in the front and back. When the kids were younger and played ball, the ball would always end up rolling down the hill to the creek. We always wished our land was more level.

The city has offered to level up our land in the front and reseed it and make it look nice while they finish up the waterway work that they are doing. They mentioned also doing the same in the back yard but the chickens are in the way also the coop, run and my garden. That got my husband thinking and me too, of course. We are going to see if they can still raise up our back yard too if we move the chicken coop. It may not work out but if it does, that means I will have a whole new coop for the chickens. Here is the current coop and run.

This is before the chickens were inside, we've added more fencing since this picture, plus we had to add tarps since the roof to the metal shed that we refurbished leaked.


So we'll have to move all of this and I will have to delay having a garden awhile until they finished.

In the meantime, our plan is to move them into one of our sheds. This one is 8 x 10, which is the same size as the metal shed they are in now, but it also is a lot taller with a real roof and everything. They'll have more space overall and I can give them some high roosts too. I won't have to use plastic to cover the windows either. Any windows we put we'll have to saw out of the sides, then the piece left over will become a cover for the window that I can close. I hope it works! If the city agrees to fixing the yard in the back, we'll have a lot of work ahead of us.

Here is the shed that we will convert over. It is much closer to our house and at the top of the hill.
This is a picture from the summer when everything was green and blooming and there was no construction. If you look beyond those trees to the left you can see the chicken run which is way down the hill.

Our plan is to first fix the shed as a coop. Then make a alley of fencing to lead them to it. After we get them all inside their new coop, we'll start dismantling the run, hopefully we can save the run to reuse. Then we'll demolish the old coop/metal shed. Should be interesting, if the plan works!

Sorry to go on so long, I am excited and you guys understand my excitement. My family does not get it. My husband is the only one here who understands.

Wow, that's amazing!!! You have to document with pics. Get plenty of 'before' pics and keep us posted... you know we all understand! How much land do you have? It looks like a lot and it's so green and pretty in the last pic.

NotableNancy, here is a pic of my adorable sultan pullet from Meyer. I actually picked her from the bin inside meyers store, thinking she was a faverolle but I don't regret getting her. She is such a sweetheart. Although they are poor layers as I'm still waiting on her and my polish to lay.

OK, I gotta get one of these!!!

I lifted the flock block out of the pan to hang it and it fell apart, so I just set it on a tray on the floor in their coop. I tried to get some pictures of the girls for all of you, but they were too busy running around the coop to hold still for the camera. I did manage to get a few pictures though.

The girls will all be 10 months on the 5th.







Ellie - (Easter Egger)

She was getting really bored in her cage away from the other girls, so I let her out to run around the garage. She doesn't even seem to realize that anything is wrong with her.


Lilly - (Black Australorp)

Poor girl is missing almost all of her head feathers...

Oh and I can't forget Sunni! She loves it in the house. She's my little spoiled rotten girl.

I'm sure they love the flock block no matter what the shape. I think I'll make one Monday since we'll be stuck in the house with the new snow.
LOVE Sunni... she's living the life of a queen!!

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Sooo precious!!!! Yay! My 1st EE!

But this one has to be the most adorable thing I've ever seen!!

Great birds!!!! How old are they? I would love to see a swap sometime. I don't think there's any within 2 hours of my house though. I'd love to see full body pics when you get a chance.
Do you have names picked out?

 

[christine9]

The substitute flock block has been a hit. I was out running errands and when I got back, they managed to knock it down and eat almost half of it. I would definitely do it again, but maybe into the size of a suet holder or something similar. It'll be easier to hang and maybe a little more difficult to devour

 

[christine9]

Ok, question: when will these girls start a regular laying schedule? Or am I asking too much? I got one egg today Ok, so it hasn't even been two weeks since my first egg, but it's just so much fun to collect eggs!!

 

[sonderah]

Oh I must have missed that part, she's so cute!

I'm good at confusing people. Lol

Wow! Nice chickens. Where'd you get them?

At a chicken swap today.

OK, I gotta get one of these!!!  



Great birds!!!!  How old are they?  I would love to see a swap sometime. I don't think there's any within 2 hours of my house though. I'd love to see full body pics when you get a chance.
Do you have names picked out? 

The EE is 8 months and the Sultan is 5 1/2 months. I drove 2 hours to this swap too. Lol Nothing near me either, & I had nothing better to do anyway. We are thinking of calling the Sultan Angel. Not sure about the EE just yet. They are precious.

 

[trsturself]

I'm so bummed, one of the chicks we lost was a sultan. It was wobbly and uninterested in water/food from the start so it wasn't a surprise but I was really pulling for her because I wanted to watch her grow. She was one we were going to keep for awhile before selling.

I was going to order another but they're sold out for the season. Maybe I'll tell Meyer I'm really looking for one in case they have 1 extra when we get to order our replacements.
Speaking of replacements, I mentioned in front of my husband that they have a 15 chick minimum right now and instantly he said, "NO!". So I guess I'll be waiting until April to get my replacement.

I candled the 27 eggs in the bator today. All of the silkie eggs are developing and we had 4 bad ones out of the mixed 12. 2 of those had cracks in them so those weren't a surprise, 1 was clear so I think it was infertile, and the other was a blood ring.

I'm very excited about all the silkies being good and the one bantam cochin (mille fleur) egg we have.

 

[christine9]

How long will my eggs keep at room temp in my new beautiful skelter? I read a week one place and three months somewhere else. Aahhhh!