Meyer Hatchery Chicken pics anyone??

[rnchick74]

Your Polish are so adorable!! Just love them, like mini punk rockers!!

You'll have to share pics of the completed coop and warming party! Sounds like fun!

I love my Polish too - they are at the bottom of the pecking order, so they are a little more skittish, but I do love snuggling with them! They just crack me up with their hair!

I will definitely post pics of the finished coop as well as the party!

 

[rnchick74]

Granted my Meyer girls are only 4 weeks old...

My loudest: BO Doc McCluckins - she is at the top of the pecking order of the babies and she has the loudest, most annoying noise! She is a bossy one too!

My quietest of the Meyers - my Polish, though my BLRW is pretty quiet and very friendly as well. She is a snuggle monster! As soon as she sees me, she wants to have scritches!

Overall of all my chicks, my CCL (not Meyers) are the quietest - they make soft hums and clicks & no real loud noises.

 

[christine9]

Thoughts on Buff Orpingtons?  Too broody?

I do not have one, but I see that a lot of people rely on their buffs to go broody and hatch eggs for them. Of course, I'm convinced it's an individual situation since my RIR is back to sitting on her golfballs.

 

[NotableNancy]

Well, I waited too long anyway. They aren't available on my ship date next week now. Oh well. I need to wait until spring to even think about any more any way. I do have a lavendar orpington in this shipment, so I would assume temperament would be similar. I want something that my 2 year old grandson can handle.

It's always fun to plan the next order!!

Oh gosh I don't blame you! I wouldn't order from any hatchery half way across the country, no matter how much I liked them. I saw on FB that MyPetChicken now has wheaten Favaucana's but I know that breeding program is separate from the chicks they drop ship from Meyer. Maybe one day I'll breed my own Favaucana's or get hatching eggs. I'd love both the blue and wheaten. I also want splash blue wheaten Ameraucanas and Marans. Again way down the road for us but one can dream.

Oh and yes I changed my profile pic

I had to go and look up those MPC Favaucan's... goodness they are gorgeous!!! And blue ones too!!! I would love a Wheaten Ameraucana... those are my absolute favorite colored chickens and blue eggs to boot!!

I thought it might be interesting to share on here, since we all have Meyer girls, who is the nosiest and quietest of your flock. You can share their name (if they have one) breed and approximate age and a story or picture if you wish. I'll go first.

Our noisiest is definitely Morgaine our Black Copper Marans. She and her sisters are 18 going on 19 weeks. She is at the top of the pecking order as far as we can tell and warns the other girls away from the treat ball and will complain that I need to give her more of any hand fed treats such as berries and greens. She sounds like a bird of death and I think sometimes pretends to crow. She'll hop on my back or shoulder and let out a "baw cawk!" to let everyone know she's on top. She is one of only two in the flock that have been singing "the egg song" but Baby the Buff Orp was the first to. Baby is talkative but her conversational voice is much lower in pitch and volume.

It's actually hard to pick a quietest three of our girls are very quiet, Victoria our Dorking says almost nothing at all, a couple times she has let out a honking sneeze. Clara will only cluck when I try to pet or pick her up and does so low and deeply and Amelia has the tiniest little voice that I adore, you have to be close to her little meeps though she has been trying to let out a louder call in the past few days (figuring out the egg song perhaps) but it sounds like she has a frog in her throat or something. Pretty hilarious.

I absolutely know that bird of death sound! My top hen, Chugg a Black Australorp, is the loudest. Mostly when she's getting ready to lay an egg. She starts spinning in a circle and screeching at the top of her lungs. It can go on for a half hour! I dare not disturb her during this time because if bothered she will get quiet for a little while and then start her spinning and screaming all over again. Then of course she has to announce her egg for 10 minutes! Thankfully she only lays a few times a week! She's a little noisy when she wants more treats too but not to bad. Honestly, she would be outta here if she weren't my DH's fav. She's like a sentry on the roosts at night and the girls always get a few pecks from her as they get up to roost at night. I may have to put her in a crate for a few nights when I start putting my younger ones in their coop.

My other loud one was my White Cochin... I was going to sell her last Monday but called the buyer on Sunday and asked if we could do the deal that day... I couldn't take her screaming anymore. She did her egg song off and on for 3 hours that morning. She shouted before, during and after her egg laying and after others laid as well. And it went on for quite a while. She was also a 'moaner' I called her Moaning Myrtle most days.

Quietest was my BB. Barely heard a sound from her and she was about the middle of the pecking order. My CW is pretty quiet too.
Honestly, my 3 EE's are only loud when they are about to lay an egg, they make moaning noises for 20 min before going into the coop and then announce their egg but that's it.

Spoke too soon! As soon as an egg was available, she was back in the nest. Gave her some golfballs

One the little ones can go to the outdoor brooder, she's going in the dog crate. Silly chickens!

My broodies tried to hatch the shavings in the nest... They sat on nothing!!!

Granted my Meyer girls are only 4 weeks old...

My loudest: BO Doc McCluckins - she is at the top of the pecking order of the babies and she has the loudest, most annoying noise! She is a bossy one too!

My quietest of the Meyers - my Polish, though my BLRW is pretty quiet and very friendly as well. She is a snuggle monster! As soon as she sees me, she wants to have scritches!

Overall of all my chicks, my CCL (not Meyers) are the quietest - they make soft hums and clicks & no real loud noises.

Wow I never heard of a bossy BO!
None of my girls were loud at all until they got close to laying; so there's still time for yours LOL t!!

I do not have one, but I see that a lot of people rely on their buffs to go broody and hatch eggs for them. Of course, I'm convinced it's an individual situation since my RIR is back to sitting on her golfballs.

I absolutely agree that it's an individual situation. EE's typically don't go broody but one of mine did. And look at all our stories of loud/quiet chickens. You just never know!

 

[autumnhearth]

I absolutely know that bird of death sound! My top hen, Chugg a Black Australorp, is the loudest. Mostly when she's getting ready to lay an egg. She starts spinning in a circle and screeching at the top of her lungs. It can go on for a half hour! I dare not disturb her during this time because if bothered she will get quiet for a little while and then start her spinning and screaming all over again. Then of course she has to announce her egg for 10 minutes! Thankfully she only lays a few times a week! She's a little noisy when she wants more treats too but not to bad. Honestly, she would be outta here if she weren't my DH's fav. She's like a sentry on the roosts at night and the girls always get a few pecks from her as they get up to roost at night. I may have to put her in a crate for a few nights when I start putting my younger ones in their coop.

My other loud one was my White Cochin... I was going to sell her last Monday but called the buyer on Sunday and asked if we could do the deal that day... I couldn't take her screaming anymore. She did her egg song off and on for 3 hours that morning. She shouted before, during and after her egg laying and after others laid as well. And it went on for quite a while. She was also a 'moaner' I called her Moaning Myrtle most days.

Quietest was my BB. Barely heard a sound from her and she was about the middle of the pecking order. My CW is pretty quiet too.
Honestly, my 3 EE's are only loud when they are about to lay an egg, they make moaning noises for 20 min before going into the coop and then announce their egg but that's it.

Yikes, I hope ours don't carry on for so long when they lay. Moaning Myrtle haha! Things to look forward to... or perhaps I'll get lucky like trsturself...

Oh and I'm not sure if I'd call our BO bossy per se but she is constantly going after the other girls. She crouches and pounces at them like a ninja bunny. Hold that image in your head golden fluffy ninja bunny chicken. I think I'd be more concerned if it wasn't so funny. She doesn't peck them during this, they usually just flare their hackles at her. The only times I've seen her peck the others is during or after one has sat on my lap and I try to stop her then. She's possessive of me but getting better. But if she doesn't stop the challenging them soon I think I may try separating her. I don't know where she is in the pecking order anymore, I'm guessing still low though.

 

[NotableNancy]

Yikes, I hope ours don't carry on for so long when they lay. Moaning Myrtle haha! Things to look forward to... or perhaps I'll get lucky like trsturself...

Oh and I'm not sure if I'd call our BO bossy per se but she is constantly going after the other girls. She crouches and pounces at them like a ninja bunny. Hold that image in your head golden fluffy ninja bunny chicken. I think I'd be more concerned if it wasn't so funny. She doesn't peck them during this, they usually just flare their hackles at her. The only times I've seen her peck the others is during or after one has sat on my lap and I try to stop her then. She's possessive of me but getting better. But if she doesn't stop the challenging them soon I think I may try separating her. I don't know where she is in the pecking order anymore, I'm guessing still low though.

You need a video of that.... fluffy ninja bunny chicken... could go viral LOL

 

[NotableNancy]

One of my CCL just squatted for me

I'm sure it could still be a while till she lays but it was awesome to see!!!! She's 17 weeks today

Can't wait for blue eggs!!

 

[christine9]

One of my CCL just squatted for me   e      I'm sure it could still be a while till she lays but it was awesome to see!!!!   She's 17 weeks today 

Can't wait for blue eggs!!

How exciting! I can't wait to see those eggs!!

 

[Melabella]

Quoting Notable Nancy

"
BTW... I remember we were mentioning white egg layers... 2 that are on my list are White Faced Black Spanish and Production Blacks!! The Production Blacks look like BR's and since I sold mine this is towards the top of my list. And the WFBS are so cool looking. Wish I could have a rooster... they are great looking."

Never heard of Production Blacks.. thought you meant Black sex links... but then I looked it up and I have to say it's interesting indeed. I use my BR crossed with my black Ameraucana roo to get some sex linked EE's but read that this breeds true, so perhaps I could be doing the same with those! They do seem a bit smaller than the larger breeds I own, but am looking for a calm white egg layer which seems to be the challenge. Thanks for the info!

MB

 

[trsturself]

My friend has a leghorn that is calm and I love my Polish. She lays smaller white eggs and is very calm even though we rarely held her as a chick. She always comes up to me to see if I have any treats and I can reach right out and pick her up. Plus I love their look.