Meyer Hatchery Chicken pics anyone??

[jonsccm]

So I have 2 Silkie roosters that I am going crazy with. As far as roosters go the do the job just fine and have never dropped a wing to any person and they seem good when they are by them selfs, but get them together and they become evil little minions! They work together as a team. One does not seem to be higher then the other in the pecking order but they tag team all the other roosters! And the hens... But that's another story...
They have risen to the top except for my BR rooster, but even he is so fet up with them I think he is contemplating murdering them in there sleep!!! Once in a while he gets one by himself and politely reminds them how small they really are but when they get together and start messing with him, it's like watching something from WWE where the little guys come out and tag team the big guy and the big guy can't do anything cuz the little ones are all over the place and if you focus on one the others gonna get you....
It's pitiful to see the confused frustrated look on the BR face! Nobody is getting hurt yet but some how this constant harassment has got to stop. I need to get rid of one and I think it will be fine but it seems like no one wants a silkie roo..... I normally eat my extra roosters but I always have a hard time butchering the bantams. What to do what to do.

 

[jonsccm]

Haha! So true

 

[NanaLynn]

OK.... I'm quoting myself.... I think I asked about sex a few hours to early.... Patty Patty was singing the egg song and sitting in a nest.... so maybe an egg soon????


LOL... we'll see what the next one looks like. It was def. my EE Lola that laid the pseudo blue egg... I got 4 pullet sized eggs today. 3 green and one 'blue' so both CCL and both EE's are laying!
Now waiting on the Brabanters and Silkie!

I never wash my eggs so keeping it dirty is no problem for me!! Can't wait to see her next one. Hopefully it stays fake-blue!
Here is Lola the fake blue egg layer:

I love all your pics. Lola looks a lot like my EE, Ellie and she is the one who lays a blueish green egg. Closest to blue I've gotten so far.

Legbar--although if she doesn't deliver, it gives me an excuse to look at getting some Ameraucanas next year...

I like the Ameraucana idea for next year for me too.

ETA: Okay, this was totally not my intent when I looked up these pictures, but oh my gosh, baby Frou-Frou was so adorable!! Then and now:

So cute...then and now.

I agree your silkie is a girl. Our's have much larger crests than that and have for awhile.


So my friend's chickens are in the separate area we were going to use as a breeder pen. It has a coop about 7x7 and an attached, enclosed run. Last night was their first night. I checked on them when I put my flock away and they were all huddled on and under a tree branch in the corner of the run. I couldn't get in the run to move them all inside (20+). DH gets home around 11 and about a half hour later says, "Oh, I meant to tell you when I got home, your goats sounded weird, you might want to check on them." So I go out on the back patio and shine a flashlight out there. I see two eyes over by the chicken's run looking back at me. Far enough away to be out of the goats area and on the far back corner of the chicken run. I tell DH to come out with me. We go out there and the goat is inside the chicken run. Don't know how she got there but I figured that must've been why she was making odd cries. So I let her out and go back inside. This morning I went out to let my flock out and feed/water everyone, and saw one of her birds dead in the run. I figured it was stress. After all they just made an 8 hour trip in the back of a moving van on a warm day. It was outside of my reach so I left it until my friend could get here and her daughter could climb the fence and get it. Later in the day DH goes around the other side of the run to do something and calls me and says, "it wasn't a stress death". He went in and got her and her head had been ripped off. We found the spot where it happened. Looks like something reached through the fence and grabbed her and tried to pull her through.
Luckily it was an older hen and not a favorite so they weren't totally bummed.

We put expanded metal around the base of their run today to prevent it from happening again. We went out tonight and picked up each bird and put them through the pop door so they'll figure it out. 3 birds were already in there and 3 had made it into our side and were roosting with our birds (lol), so hopefully the rest will catch on tomorrow or the next day.
DH hung the dead bird to a post within shooting range of the house and keeps checking on it hoping to catch whatever it was. I'm guessing raccoon even though I've never seen any around here.

That is just terrible, poor chicken. What a way to go. I hope that you catch what did that.

How long are your friends chickens staying with you? That is nice of you to help out.

 

[autumnhearth]

So I was so psyched I found a blue egg in the nest today!!! I think it was from my last EE to lay. But then when I showed it to my DH his hands were wet and when he touched it it turned green.... the water took the bloom off and it's actually green. LOL I'll have to wait to see if it was from her and then of course I won't wash it and it will look blue. But I know it's green so it's not the same thing. Looks like I am still on my quest for a blue egg layer!!


These 2 CCL are just best friends and love to lay their egg together!! So cute


(Yes, I changed my avatar!!)

That is so cute that the lay together!

OK.... I'm quoting myself.... I think I asked about sex a few hours to early.... Patty Patty was singing the egg song and sitting in a nest.... so maybe an egg soon????


LOL... we'll see what the next one looks like. It was def. my EE Lola that laid the pseudo blue egg... I got 4 pullet sized eggs today. 3 green and one 'blue' so both CCL and both EE's are laying! Now waiting on the Brabanters and Silkie!

I never wash my eggs so keeping it dirty is no problem for me!! Can't wait to see her next one. Hopefully it stays fake-blue!
Here is Lola the fake blue egg layer:

Ooo Lola is gorgeous! Congrats on the egg. Feel free to hijack the thread anytime! Your little ones are cute!

Here's both of the Sussex at 7 weeks with the others in their brood. Poggy is the second to the right and Iddy Biddy is the second to the left. (And oh my gosh, baby Frou-Frou!!

She was so fluffy!)

Aww baby Frou-Frou!

So Saturday I went to the Eastern Ohio Poultry Association's Show. It was only 45 mins away and on the way to my sister's. It was much better than our local county fair and had a lot more breeds. I was there with my 5 year old son so I didn't have a chance to visit all the booths, but got to see almost all the birds except a row or two of ducks and bantams. The American Buckeye Club and Marans club were there. There were at least a dozen Buckeyes there, all very dark and all with eyes that looked tired and sad, I think it's something about the breed, their irises are set back a bit. I'll be curious to see what the Buckeyes from Meyer look like when some of yours grow up. The RIRs were super dark too, I think I actually prefer the production reds.

Loved seeing all the different Ameraucanas and Orpingtons, I've grown to like the splash and black as well as the blue, so that's good since there is always that chance of getting the other two. There was a Lavender Orpington, it was darker then I've seen in pics, I actually liked the blues better. There was a very pretty white Ameraucana right next to a Black Sumatra, what a contrast! The white looked so innocent! And only one wheaten Ameraucana, but no blue or splash wheaten (which are my favorite).

There were several different kinds of Marans and Wyandottes, the blue and splash laced red are my fave. Lot's of bantams, probably over half the birds there were bantams. Mostly Old English and game some in colors I didn't even know existed. Lot's of Salmon Faverolles bantams too but only a few LF in the Junior show, not very good color type. No Dorkings or Welsummers, well one bantam wellie. My son loved the Buff Laced Polish (which he calls funky chickens) as do I (and the white crested blues) and the runner ducks. There were even bantam ducks! Beautiful geese as well.

I got to see some of the stock of a breeder close to us in person. She had one Welsummer pullet for sale (not in the show), good color but very ruffled feathers. I wanted to see her Silver Sussex too, a project breed that I don't think she's continuing with, and I decided it wasn't a must have. Someone was also selling beautiful Partridge Brahmas which I had never seen before. One day I want Dark, Partridge and Buff Laced Brahmas. Really I want anything buff laced! My absolute favorite though was a Silver Penciled Plymouth Rock pullet, I think she was being shown by the local breeder as I know she has a good line of them.

 

[trsturself]

So I have 2 Silkie roosters that I am going crazy with. As far as roosters go the do the job just fine and have never dropped a wing to any person and they seem good when they are by them selfs, but get them together and they become evil little minions! They work together as a team. One does not seem to be higher then the other in the pecking order but they tag team all the other roosters! And the hens... But that's another story...
They have risen to the top except for my BR rooster, but even he is so fet up with them I think he is contemplating murdering them in there sleep!!! Once in a while he gets one by himself and politely reminds them how small they really are but when they get together and start messing with him, it's like watching something from WWE where the little guys come out and tag team the big guy and the big guy can't do anything cuz the little ones are all over the place and if you focus on one the others gonna get you....
It's pitiful to see the confused frustrated look on the BR face! Nobody is getting hurt yet but some how this constant harassment has got to stop. I need to get rid of one and I think it will be fine but it seems like no one wants a silkie roo..... I normally eat my extra roosters but I always have a hard time butchering the bantams. What to do what to do.

We are going to process our spare LF roosters, but I can't bring myself to do a silkie. We hatched 4 silkies and they are all boys! I don't think we'll be able to get rid of them. Trying to figure out what to do with them.

I love all your pics. Lola looks a lot like my EE, Ellie and she is the one who lays a blueish green egg. Closest to blue I've gotten so far.

I like the Ameraucana idea for next year for me too.

So cute...then and now.

That is just terrible, poor chicken. What a way to go. I hope that you catch what did that.

How long are your friends chickens staying with you? That is nice of you to help out.

That is so cute that the lay together!
Ooo Lola is gorgeous! Congrats on the egg. Feel free to hijack the thread anytime! Your little ones are cute!
Aww baby Frou-Frou!

So Saturday I went to the Eastern Ohio Poultry Association's Show. It was only 45 mins away and on the way to my sister's. It was much better than our local county fair and had a lot more breeds. I was there with my 5 year old son so I didn't have a chance to visit all the booths, but got to see almost all the birds except a row or two of ducks and bantams. The American Buckeye Club and Marans club were there. There were at least a dozen Buckeyes there, all very dark and all with eyes that looked tired and sad, I think it's something about the breed, their irises are set back a bit. I'll be curious to see what the Buckeyes from Meyer look like when some of yours grow up. The RIRs were super dark too, I think I actually prefer the production reds.

Loved seeing all the different Ameraucanas and Orpingtons, I've grown to like the splash and black as well as the blue, so that's good since there is always that chance of getting the other two. There was a Lavender Orpington, it was darker then I've seen in pics, I actually liked the blues better. There was a very pretty white Ameraucana right next to a Black Sumatra, what a contrast! The white looked so innocent! And only one wheaten Ameraucana, but no blue or splash wheaten (which are my favorite).

There were several different kinds of Marans and Wyandottes, the blue and splash laced red are my fave. Lot's of bantams, probably over half the birds there were bantams. Mostly Old English and game some in colors I didn't even know existed. Lot's of Salmon Faverolles bantams too but only a few LF in the Junior show, not very good color type. No Dorkings or Welsummers, well one bantam wellie. My son loved the Buff Laced Polish (which he calls funky chickens) as do I (and the white crested blues) and the runner ducks. There were even bantam ducks! Beautiful geese as well.

I got to see some of the stock of a breeder close to us in person. She had one Welsummer pullet for sale (not in the show), good color but very ruffled feathers. I wanted to see her Silver Sussex too, a project breed that I don't think she's continuing with, and I decided it wasn't a must have. Someone was also selling beautiful Partridge Brahmas which I had never seen before. One day I want Dark, Partridge and Buff Laced Brahmas. Really I want anything buff laced! My absolute favorite though was a Silver Penciled Plymouth Rock pullet, I think she was being shown by the local breeder as I know she has a good line of them.

My friend brought 3 lavender opringtons with her. I love them. She still owes me money for some birds so I think I'll try to make a deal with her for one of them. I'll try to get a pic of them. They are much lighter than our blue cochin.


For some reason it didn't quote the other thread I was going to reply to. My friend's chickens will be here an indeterminate amount of time. It depends on a few factors: how quickly their house in KS sells, and how quickly they find a place to live here that allows chickens. It's not too much of a deal since we have the room. Just another food and water bowl to fill. I'm just hoping they will go inside on their own tonight. That's the biggest deal for me. That's a lot of chickens to manually put away.

 

[HighStreetCoop]

We are going to process our spare LF roosters, but I can't bring myself to do a silkie.

Did anyone see the episode of Knife Fight where the main ingredient they had to use was Silkie Chicken? I'd never seen one used for food before.

 

[christine9]

Silkies are supposed to be really tasty!

 

[ChickyChickens]

Silkies are supposed to be really tasty!

Oh no, I would never ever be able to eat a silkie! They are just too cute... I would drop dead!!!!!

 

[jonsccm]

Silkies are supposed to be really tasty!

That's what I keep hearing. I should just do it. I butcher others just fine but for some reason no one wants to dispatch the cute little guys! Oh well time to google recipes

 

[HighStreetCoop]

That's what I keep hearing. I should just do it. I butcher others just fine but for some reason no one wants to dispatch the cute little guys! Oh well time to google recipes

The most successful thing they made on the show was some kind of congee or jook (rice porridge).