Meyer Hatchery Chicken pics anyone??

KurtG · Nov 13, 2014

autumnhearth said:
I think reading and dreaming about chickens is a great way to spend the colder months

we don't have cable either, love Netflix.
Excellent, you should have lots of beautiful dark eggs come fall! Will these your first chicks?

First for my 3 kids....I had hundreds (& 30+ types) as a kid growing up, but none since then. We are limted by lot size to #, or I would have gotten a more diverse bunch. My younger son really wanted a polish,but I recall them being kind of scatter brained/stupid and not laying much. His second choice was a blue splash maran he intends to name Marie Antoinette.

COChix · Nov 13, 2014

KurtG said:
I just orderd my Meyer chicks, now we have to wait until nearly the end of March- 15 Maran pullets - 5 black copper, 3 blue splash, 3 golden cuckoo, and 4 cuckoo.

Welcome to the Meyer family, how exciting your going to have some beautiful dark eggs, can't wait to see them. I am curious about the Cuckoo and their personality. Funny about your son's selection on the name, too cute. Is he going to be responsible for this flock, so to speak or is he too young yet for that?

autumnhearth said:
I think reading and dreaming about chickens is a great way to spend the colder months we don't have cable either, love Netflix.
Excellent, you should have lots of beautiful dark eggs come fall! Will these your first chicks?

thanks and we like Netflix as well, i will be reading a lot this winter, various books, a few on Permaculture as well, as those are the principles we follow along with organic and sustainable growing practices. I will also be spending time making my herbals salves, tinctures, lotions, hydrosols and new this year lip balm. Didn't have any time during the summer for these things. I am glad we will have some down time after the busy summer. I will also be planning my garden for next year. So I think I have enough to keep me busy through the winter months.

Glad to report we got down to only -6 last night, the gang looked good this am and I was glad the coop was 3 this am with the two Infared heat lamps in the coop. The lowest it got in their according to the gauge was -1 and that was around 3 pm yesterday. So glad I did the work yesterday to button it up a little better. Suppose to be warmer today and maybe into the 40's by this weekend. I am making a cold hot cereal day for the gang, it's on the stove as I type. Got a fire going and the sun is out, going to be a good day.

christine9 · Nov 13, 2014

I love everyone's before and after pics!

Melabella · Nov 13, 2014

Quote:Hi autumn... got a few pics of the Meyer 3 (28 weeks) just now. Thought I would share. I am LOVING Austra, has given me an egg every day since she started, just skipped one day. Aurora religiously every other. Of course I'm over the moon with over 35 chickens on my property... they are the only two pulling their weight! lol.... I had a talk with Emma, Ms. Speckled Sussex that she better keep up with her sisters, as she eats the most of anyone!

MB

konachicks · Nov 13, 2014

So yesterday my Daughter and I drove to the other side of the island to get two French blue copper marans chicks. And ended up coming home with a BO chick too

And now I'm convinced that the darker yellow mystery chick from Meyers IS a BO as they look EXACTLY the same and I can no longer tell who is mango, and who is the new girl

@COChix @NotableNancy

NotableNancy · Nov 13, 2014

I have a few pics of my (nearly) 15 week old Meyer girls.... does anyone think my OE is a boy??

Big comb and wattles but the Ex Leghorns' are large too so I'm confused.

Dotty and Daisy below:

And here's Shady the OE:

And a couple GB:

I think it was Melabella??? that has an OE the same age as mine.... does yours look like this?

christine9 · Nov 13, 2014

@NotableNancyBe careful before you get upset about the OE. I think I heard some have a straight comb. I'm not convinced you have a roo, but are you seeing pointed feathers?? It's hard to tell from the picture.

Melabella · Nov 13, 2014

Quote:Fear not, she is a pullet. In face all your girls are pullets IMO Your olive girl just happens to have a bit comb. I will post a picture of my olive egger that looks just like her.. but her comb isn't as big. Mine are 14 weeks and are just starting to get a bit red. Is that how old yours is? I have to do some changing around as my Swedish Flower Hen cockerel is 21 weeks and feeling his hormones... and torments her. Chases her around all day. poor thing.....lol. Both my OE look different, one has the crest.. one doesn't . Different colors too.

MB.

RoostersCrow HensDeliver! · Nov 13, 2014

trsturself said:
My thermometer read -1 this morning. Brr! DH went out to the tack room last night and rigged up two light bulbs for the cat. I didn't put him out last night but this morning I checked and his water hadn't iced over. I brought my thermometer out and it read 34 where his bed is so I put him back out there today with some heavier blankets to cuddle up in.
I left the chickens in their coops because the runs are covered in a couple inches of snow. I brought them warm grits for breakfast. The heated water bowl worked great. Unfortunately I don't have a heater yet for my friend's water so I'll need to go out there again later today and refill their water.
The horses are stupid and don't go into their stall so they were covered in snow this morning. I fed them their hay and some grain (which I don't normally feed) in the stall this morning. I'm sure as soon as they are done eating they'll be back outside. It's always an internal struggle between raising animals naturally and wanting to baby them. lol

I forgot I need to figure out some water for the goats. I think I need to buy another heated water bowl!

trsturself said:
It didn't get above 0 here today. So much for 7deg! It's supposed to be -7 tonight with a wind chill of -10 to -25 tonight! Brrr!
Thinking maybe I should find a way to lock the horses into their stall. We don't have a door on it so I'm not sure how I'd do that but one already has ice crystals on it's back from staying outside all day. We don't have trees or other wind breaks on our property so the stall is their only option for cover. I put more hay in there to entice them in but they usually just eat and leave.

Ok, I noticed it was getting dark while typing this so I put the computer down and went out to see where they were and give them more hay. I think they were already in the stall because I didn't see them and it took them awhile to notice I was getting hay out. Usually they are right there waiting for me to load the wagon so they can eat out of it. I started moving towards the stall and they ran for it. They are both in there eating now so hopefully they'll stay. One didn't have any snow on her so I think she's figured out it's nicer in there. We'll see how they are in the morning.
I did a quick search on it and it said the temp horses are most comfortable in is 20-40deg. That is the temp their body doesn't have to work to heat or cool itself. It also says the temp they need intervention with shelter and/or extra food is -15! It said it takes 10-20 days for a horse to acclimate to colder weather. Too bad we only had 1 day! We've had a few cold spells prior to this but lots of nice warm weather in between. Our Tennessee Walker is bigger and has a much thicker coat of hair so I think he doesn't mind it as much but our Arabian is much smaller and I think she gets colder faster. I think that's why she is in the stall more often.

I checked on the outdoor kitty. I opened the door and he stuck his head out of his crate. I was glad to see him in there. That's where it is the warmest and comfiest for him. It is a small crate with a moving blanket and towel shoved in there near the 2 lights keeping things above freezing.

As long as the horses have hay in their bellies, they will be fine. I only recommend blanketing old or severely thin horses, or the rare horse with non-existent winter fur. We have damp, driving west winds in my part of Michigan and none of my (or my friends) horses suffered through the winters. Actually the worst thing you can do for them is to lock them up for days on end, when you finally release them, they tend to rambunctiously celebrate their freedom and that is when they are most likely to sustain an injury or fall.
IMO, just leave the barn open for them to come and go as they please. Keeping liquid water in front of them is the most important thing.