Meyer Hatchery Chicken pics anyone??

[christine9]

Serious problem these past couple weeks. I cannot keep up with our egg demands. First starting out with getting all those eggs, I had too many and had to give some away. Now everyone wants eggs and I can't keep up. What happened? Guess they tasted those eggs I gave them and wanted more.

I was literally stealing the eggs out from under my hens this morning so we could eat breakfast, they were not happy. I have an order for a dozen for a guy where my son works for Monday and 3 more dozen for 3 separate people at our office for Monday too. I just sent off the last 2 1/2 dozen with my daughter to my son in Raleigh and my other son picked up some last night. Geez, can't keep up. This was supposed to be a hobby not a business!


Maybe I need more chickens? Hmmmm:/

More chickens! That's how I justified...uh, decided I need more!

 

[NotableNancy]

Hey, everyone! Thought I'd pop in and get a post in about my littles.

On Wednesday, I picked up two more chicks from a more local source. I decided I didn't want to pay so much for Legbars, so I talked to someone on my state thread that breeds them and sells them for a much better price. Well, as is my luck, the hatch that would have contained my two pullets was an all-male hatch.

Luckily for me, he had two older Legbar pullets for sale, just a week older than my Meyer babies!

So here are my Meyer babies from this year. Elda the Silver Gray Dorking:



She's such a cuddler!

Louise the Black Copper Marans:




Georgette the BCM:




Mabel the Welsummer:




Kit-kit the SGD:







And here's Poppy and Violet the Cream Legbars. For anyone skimming, these girls are not Meyer stock:

Adorable!!!! How's Frou Frou.. any new pics?

Mine is in the run and I covered the top in case of rain. I have it up on the edge of the chicken patio we have and where it is it has airflow from the bottom too. I left the tray off the bottom too. I'll have to get pics later. It actually worked out the way my husband decided to make their porch. I can put a small cage on both sides of the porch for broodies. It was not planned that way but it worked out well. So far I have not had 2 broodies at one time yet. Thank goodness! If I do get 2 at one time, I have 2 separate places to put them. I luckily have a 3rd cage from my son and daughter-in-law if I need it too, there puppy grew a lot bigger then they thought so they had to upgrade to the larger cage. So I benefit!

Those broodies do not time things right for me either.
Good luck on getting your new coop this weekend. That is so exciting, share pics! It will be so nice to get them outside!

I'd like to see pics when you have time!
I gave my BR (soft shelled egg layer) some calcium +D and she gave me a hard shelled egg today!

AND MY COOP IS COMING TOMORROW MORNING

Can't wait. The automatic door isn't in yet so he'll come back and install later. They are going to be so happy out there!!!

Serious problem these past couple weeks. I cannot keep up with our egg demands. First starting out with getting all those eggs, I had too many and had to give some away. Now everyone wants eggs and I can't keep up. What happened? Guess they tasted those eggs I gave them and wanted more.

I was literally stealing the eggs out from under my hens this morning so we could eat breakfast, they were not happy. I have an order for a dozen for a guy where my son works for Monday and 3 more dozen for 3 separate people at our office for Monday too. I just sent off the last 2 1/2 dozen with my daughter to my son in Raleigh and my other son picked up some last night. Geez, can't keep up. This was supposed to be a hobby not a business!

Maybe I need more chickens? Hmmmm

YUP... and there's free shipping on the brown egg layers..... you may have to just go for it!!
I seriously thought about it... I'm only getting 4-5 eggs/day if I'm lucky

I only sell to one person. She buys 3 dz at a time and I charge $10 for the 3 dz and it includes delivery. The rest I give to my family! I'm down to 2 dz myself... normally I have at least 8 dz in the fridge!!

More chickens! That's how I justified...uh, decided I need more!

absolutely

 

[autumnhearth]

Hey, everyone! Thought I'd pop in and get a post in about my littles.

On Wednesday, I picked up two more chicks from a more local source. I decided I didn't want to pay so much for Legbars, so I talked to someone on my state thread that breeds them and sells them for a much better price. Well, as is my luck, the hatch that would have contained my two pullets was an all-male hatch.

Luckily for me, he had two older Legbar pullets for sale, just a week older than my Meyer babies!

So here are my Meyer babies from this year. Elda the Silver Gray Dorking:



She's such a cuddler!

Louise the Black Copper Marans:




Georgette the BCM:




Mabel the Welsummer:




Kit-kit the SGD:







And here's Poppy and Violet the Cream Legbars. For anyone skimming, these girls are not Meyer stock:

What a gorgeous little flock you have! Congrats on the Legbars! I had corresponded with a local breeder but she only sells them by the pair or trio, grr. I am also always taken with how dark your BCMs are. Morgaine had a lot of off white/pale yellow on her chest and face, basically the whole front of her body was light, she only has a bit left on her face left, her beak has turned all black, it used to be half light, she has kept the half dozen pure white wing feathers, but her legs still aren't as dark as your chicks. Are your's clean legged or lightly feathered? I think Meyer has both.

 

[NanaLynn]

I'd like to see pics when you have time!
I gave my BR (soft shelled egg layer) some calcium +D and she gave me a hard shelled egg today!

AND MY COOP IS COMING TOMORROW MORNING

Can't wait. The automatic door isn't in yet so he'll come back and install later. They are going to be so happy out there!!!

YUP... and there's free shipping on the brown egg layers..... you may have to just go for it!!
I seriously thought about it... I'm only getting 4-5 eggs/day if I'm lucky

I only sell to one person. She buys 3 dz at a time and I charge $10 for the 3 dz and it includes delivery. The rest I give to my family! I'm down to 2 dz myself... normally I have at least 8 dz in the fridge!!

I was really tempted with the free shipping offer but we'll hold off until next year still. It is getting harder and harder to hold off now. I figured next year I will either get more from Meyer's in a more variety pack, more from TSC or more from a local source. I really like the variety and I want some of those BCM's or Legbars and more EE's not just brown layers. My husband is not as picky but since I do all the chicken chores it's more my choice. He does all the building for me though and he wants a lot of eggs that's it. He does enjoy watching them though and giving them pat downs.

Yay!!! So glad you're coop is coming!!! Can't wait to see the pics!!

Speaking of pics, here is the setup in the run for the broodies.

This is the one cage I have setup and I just leave there. Please excuse the mess...but well you know...chickens are a little messy. I placed a storage tub lid on the top of the cage. There is a rock on it now since the others like to jump on the cage. When they did that last time they scared each other when the lid fell off and they all stayed in a corner of the run forever and would not go in the coop. So that's why I have a heavy rock on it. (Took me awhile to figure out what happened, I thought some sort of predator got in. Chickens are so funny sometimes.

You can see the cage cups that hook to the sides too. One is not hooked up but the other is. They work better then just bowls, less spilled water and food.


This is the other side of the chicken porch where I can add another outside broody cage, if needed. They sit very nicely on those two boards that come out on each side of the porch and the poop falls through the cage wire since I took the bottom tray out.


Here is a bigger view of the chicken porch. I'm not sure where I would put another broody cage if I have 3 at one time. Just hoping that does not happen. We did not plan to make two broody areas on both sides of the porch but it just worked out that way. The wood we worked with for the porch was a lot shorter then we thought and did not extend the full length. So a happy mistake, I guess.

So not pretty but very useful.

 

[NotableNancy]

I was really tempted with the free shipping offer but we'll hold off until next year still. It is getting harder and harder to hold off now. I figured next year I will either get more from Meyer's in a more variety pack, more from TSC or more from a local source. I really like the variety and I want some of those BCM's or Legbars and more EE's not just brown layers. My husband is not as picky but since I do all the chicken chores it's more my choice. He does all the building for me though and he wants a lot of eggs that's it. He does enjoy watching them though and giving them pat downs.

Yay!!! So glad you're coop is coming!!! Can't wait to see the pics!!

Speaking of pics, here is the setup in the run for the broodies.

This is the one cage I have setup and I just leave there. Please excuse the mess...but well you know...chickens are a little messy. I placed a storage tub lid on the top of the cage. There is a rock on it now since the others like to jump on the cage. When they did that last time they scared each other when the lid fell off and they all stayed in a corner of the run forever and would not go in the coop. So that's why I have a heavy rock on it. (Took me awhile to figure out what happened, I thought some sort of predator got in. Chickens are so funny sometimes.

You can see the cage cups that hook to the sides too. One is not hooked up but the other is. They work better then just bowls, less spilled water and food.


This is the other side of the chicken porch where I can add another outside broody cage, if needed. They sit very nicely on those two boards that come out on each side of the porch and the poop falls through the cage wire since I took the bottom tray out.


Here is a bigger view of the chicken porch. I'm not sure where I would put another broody cage if I have 3 at one time. Just hoping that does not happen. We did not plan to make two broody areas on both sides of the porch but it just worked out that way. The wood we worked with for the porch was a lot shorter then we thought and did not extend the full length. So a happy mistake, I guess.

So not pretty but very useful.

Well, if you get 3 broodies at a time then that means one has to sit on eggs

Ya got no other choice right??

Great set up. It looks like I have the same cage. Do you have smaller wire on the bottom? It seemed like the chickens feet would go through if I didn't have something there. I found a really heavy metal grate I put under mine. The only thing with mine is that it's not that high off the ground. It's high enough to get some air under there but not a breeze or anything. Not that I saw her sit all day. Every time I looked she was standing and pacing around. I feel like a monster
I did let her out after everyone was done laying their egg so then I closed the pop door and let her dust bathe, walk around etc. She wasn't doing her usual crazed pacing back and forth trying to get to the nest but the second I opened the pop door she ran in. So back to the cage... night #2.

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

Adorable!!!!  How's Frou Frou.. any new pics?

Ah, la Frou! Well, I think my newest picture of her is my avatar, actually, and that's from mid May.

Frou-frou, herself, is doing well. Still insisting on her nightly visit to the house. Laying 2 or 3 eggs most weeks--in the corner of the coop, of course, and not in the nests like the rest of the girls. She had to relearn how to dustbathe! It must have been a long winter for her! Her first dust bath of the season, she kind of laid on her side with her feet sticking out and shifted around like she wasn't sure what she was doing! She's finally getting it again now. Silly bird.

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

(Whoops, I meant to reply to this as well... )

What a gorgeous little flock you have!  Congrats on the Legbars!  I had corresponded with a local breeder but she only sells them by the pair or trio, grr.  I am also always taken with how dark your BCMs are. Morgaine had a lot of off white/pale yellow on her chest and face, basically the whole front of her body was light, she only has a bit left on her face left, her beak has turned all black, it used to be half light, she has kept the half dozen pure white wing feathers, but her legs still aren't as dark as your chicks.  Are your's clean legged or lightly feathered?  I think Meyer has both.

Yeah, I was afraid I'd have to buy a cockerel as well, and I definitely don't need any more boys! Phew!

Louise and Georgie are very dark, I agree. Georgie in particular looks so dark in her face in person, it's amazing! Louise has her white wing feathers, but Georgie's feathers are all coming in black. I wonder what the difference is? They are feather legged, but the babies went through a pecky phase and plucked a lot of the feathers and fluff that they had off of their legs. And I would feel bad for them, but then they were doing it to each other, so... Talk about silly!

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

I forgot to close Po's hutch last night and something got him. My handsome little guy... He was from Meyer's black frizzle Cochin bantams, but he didn't inherit the frizzle. He was so handsome anyway, and I was looking forward to getting him back in with the girls... My big boy... I'll miss his big-man-in-a-little-body crows...

 

[NanaLynn]

Oh no..poor Po! So sorry.
Frou Frou looks lovely as usual!

Nancy- guess you're right. A 3rd broody should sit on eggs! For the bottom of the cage I put the cage divider that came with it under the cage. Forgot I did that until you mentioned it. My understanding is that airflow at the bottom will help break broodiness if you can somehow raise your cage up?

Pip- can't get quotes to work on my phone right. Po was a beautiful boy. So sad.

 

[NotableNancy]

Ah, la Frou!

Well, I think my newest picture of her is my avatar, actually, and that's from mid May.



Frou-frou, herself, is doing well. Still insisting on her nightly visit to the house. Laying 2 or 3 eggs most weeks--in the corner of the coop, of course, and not in the nests like the rest of the girls.

She had to relearn how to dustbathe! It must have been a long winter for her!

Her first dust bath of the season, she kind of laid on her side with her feet sticking out and shifted around like she wasn't sure what she was doing! She's finally getting it again now.

Silly bird.

She's such a character and a cutie pie!!!

I forgot to close Po's hutch last night and something got him.

My handsome little guy... He was from Meyer's black frizzle Cochin bantams, but he didn't inherit the frizzle. He was so handsome anyway, and I was looking forward to getting him back in with the girls...

My big boy... I'll miss his big-man-in-a-little-body crows...

Awww, Pip, I'm so sorry. Po was adorable. So sad for you and him. Is there a chance he escaped and is hiding out somewhere?

Oh no..poor Po! So sorry.
Frou Frou looks lovely as usual!

Nancy- guess you're right. A 3rd broody should sit on eggs! For the bottom of the cage I put the cage divider that came with it under the cage. Forgot I did that until you mentioned it. My understanding is that airflow at the bottom will help break broodiness if you can somehow raise your cage up?

Pip- can't get quotes to work on my phone right. Po was a beautiful boy. So sad.

Yes, I put the divider in there too. I let her out this morning and she hasn't attempted to go in the coop and she's perched on a branch so I think she's broke. It got pretty darn chilly last night so I'm sure that did it! If it happens in the heat of the summer I'll put it up higher. Maybe the sun has something to do with it too. Her cage was in a lot of sun in the morning and I know when they're broody they want a cool dark warm place. I don't know but I think one problem is solved.
Found remnants of a soft shelled egg this morning which is so odd since I'm pretty sure it was my BR and she laid a hard egg yesterday and now she's in the nest again. She may have just developed laying issues. Who knows. But I did get 7 eggs yesterday which is a first in a long time!

LOL.... nevermind... she just went back into the nest

hopefully to lay an egg but doubtful. she's back in the cage. I'll figure out how to raise it higher today.