Meyer Hatchery Chicken pics anyone??

[NotableNancy]

I have a blue orp & a buff orp. My blue orp (Flora) is a BIG girl...HUGE! She is one of the top girls...mostly because she can sit on you & crush you. She's so laid back and docile though and the only issues that have ever come about (pecks) are over food.

My buff orp (Doc McCluckins) is a busy body. She has to be all up in everyone's face & business. She gets pecked a lot because she can be annoying!!! She's in the middle of the pecking order. She got a good peck to the comb today as someone was in the nesting box - Doc sticks her head in "whatcha doin...can I see?" Yeah, she deserved it!

Funny thing is that my top chick is my Black Copper Marans, Collette. She is a bossy thing who keeps everyone in line. She started laying today too...at least I think it's her. The egg isn't that dark, but it is brown!

LOL... any new pics ... especially of Flora? One of my BA's is HUGE and she is top hen also. But pretty much only about food/treats. She complains very loudly if she can't
get to my hand with the treats in it. She thinks she should be the only one at the plate and everyone else should wait their turn.

My 5 buffs are my original girls and they are top hens out of 28 hens and 1 Roo. I definitely have a mixed flock with 5 easter eggers (3 green, 1 blue & 1 brown layer), 5 golden buffs, 5 barred rocks, 3 speckled Sussex, 3 olive eggers (1 olive layer 2 brown layers), 1 baby buff, 1 baby Australorp, 1 Australorp Roo. They are all from Meyer. They all get along great. I was very disapointed with the olive eggers too they are very pretty but I hate paying 10 dollars for a brown egg layer

I will be disappointed also if my OE lays a brown egg. If that keeps happening then it should be in the Meyer description that they 'could' lay brown. I had no idea when I ordered and wouldn't have paid 10 bucks for a brown layer either. I would have gotten a Marans instead.

 

[NanaLynn]

Had a disappointment today. Last June we bought four new breeds from Meyer. My Olive Egger (who is a gorgeous bird) started laying but unfortunately they're not olive eggs at all. More of a medium brown. The egg color was the reason we bought that breed so it's always a bummer when it doesn't work out.

Oh wow, so sorry.

Disappointment for me as well today as I now realize that one of the three Blue, Black Splash Ameraucana pullets I ordered is indeed a roo. Since they are in the big grow out stall with multiple cockerels in it.. he has been especially secretive about it. That and the fact the Ameraucana are slow to mature, here we are at 13 weeks and it's a boy! Grrrrrr... this is now the third time Meyer has done this to me, they are lucky I still like them! I have to get a good picture of him and give them a call. 4 dollars a chick is one thing.. but I think I paid $10 a day old is worth a refund!


MB

Uh oh, I hope they refund your money

Here's a photo of my non-olive laying Olive Egger!

She is a pretty hen. Too bad she doesn't lay the right color egg.


As far as BO's go. I have one from my original flock and she was never high on the pecking order but she does seem to be higher on the pecking order then the ones 6 months younger. So I am sure your BO's will be fine.

I also have a RIR that is not mean but she is higher on the pecking order.

I had a White Rock hen that was very mean and cruel to the others, so much so that she became dinner. I won't buy another White Rock because of that experience, but I bet it was just the type of personality she had and not the breed. She just made me dislike the breed. She was mean as a chick and just got meaner to the other hens. She was sweet to us though.

I have 3 EE's one lays a darker sage colored large egg when she is not molting. She has been broody once too. My other 2 EE's are in the younger group and when they lay eggs one lays a very mint to bluish colored egg and the other is a little darker light green egg. Only one of my EE's is back to laying now due to their molt.

I also have a new respect for my Salmon Faverolle, she has started laying a bigger egg now and apparently they are good winter layers.

So we had 1 egg from 22 hens on Sunday, 1 on Monday and 4 eggs today. I guess I should just switch them completely over to a feather fixer or higher protein feed, at least to get them through winter?

We need more eggs!!! My husband keeps looking at them and thinking chicken dinner!

 

[COChix]

Had a disappointment today. Last June we bought four new breeds from Meyer. My Olive Egger (who is a gorgeous bird) started laying but unfortunately they're not olive eggs at all. More of a medium brown. The egg color was the reason we bought that breed so it's always a bummer when it doesn't work out.

oh that is too bad.

The food color for a week is a good way to do it with a larger flock. Just note you'll have to reapply the food coloring about every other day. Pick dark colors (yellow and neon green don't work too well) and make sure it goes into the vent,  not just the outside. 

We used to do fodder but it kept getting moldy. Someone said 65-68 is the perfect temp to do it, which is where we keep the temp in the house in the winter, but even my sprouts have gone moldy a couple times if I don't get them rinsed well enough each day. I'd really like to setup the system again but not sure where to do it. I would do it in the basement but I rarely go down there so I'm afraid I'd forget about it. I'd definitely need it on a timer with a pump to water it. I agree, we are flying through the food much faster now that we aren't fermenting. The flock wastes a lot more of it too picking out their favorite parts and throwing the oats all over the place. If I hadn't already mixed the whole 100lbs I would've gone back and ground the oats a bit. Maybe that would help. Maybe next batch. 
Looks a lot like a blue copper maran. It's interesting how some lay the olive and some don't. I would love to see the genetics on that. I saw it once but don't remember it. Maybe I'll go look that up. She's pretty at least!


I think a fodder feeder is necessary. I saw a DIY one on here somewhere that looked great. Another thing to research. They like it better if it isn't loose so they can pull off small chunks at a time. 

Ok great thanks for info on the vent testing, I figured I would start with a breed at s time for week and then switch until I get through all. Then I will know for sure....little bit daunting but important, especially with the increase in feed. Will be looking at starting some fodder just tossed in with our grow lights and see what the gang thinks. We will move towards a self watering hydro set up down the road, we have everything needed and my bf knows how to put it together.

Nope they just said I was right she does look different and to send more pics in a few weeks
I also have one Buff Orp and she is also kind of a loner. She is very friendly and ventures the farthest when I take the babies outside. But nobody pics on her and I have 6 other chicks, all different breeds with her.
I did a test run on fodder and my girls all loved it. However on an actual fodder thread someone said she just sprouts for 4 days then feeds cause she had a bird die (choking I believe) do I was going to do my next batch for 4 days and see how they do

ok thanks for info of fodder.

Oh wow, so sorry.

Uh oh, I hope they refund your money

She is a pretty hen. Too bad she doesn't lay the right color egg.


As far as BO's go. I have one from my original flock and she was never high on the pecking order but she does seem to be higher on the pecking order then the ones 6 months younger. So I am sure your BO's will be fine.

I also have a RIR that is not mean but she is higher on the pecking order.

I had a White Rock hen that was very mean and cruel to the others, so much so that she became dinner. I won't buy another White Rock because of that experience, but I bet it was just the type of personality she had and not the breed. She just made me dislike the breed. She was mean as a chick and just got meaner to the other hens. She was sweet to us though.

I have 3 EE's one lays a darker sage colored large egg when she is not molting. She has been broody once too. My other 2 EE's are in the younger group and when they lay eggs one lays a very mint to bluish colored egg and the other is a little darker light green egg. Only one of my EE's is back to laying now due to their molt.

I also have a new respect for my Salmon Faverolle, she has started laying a bigger egg now and apparently they are good winter layers.

So we had 1 egg from 22 hens on Sunday, 1 on Monday and 4 eggs today. I guess I should just switch them completely over to a feather fixer or higher protein feed, at least to get them through winter?

We need more eggs!!! My husband keeps looking at them and thinking chicken dinner! 

That Hen is beautiful. I am definitely bumping protein right now, along with probiotics and micronutrients. All should help with molting issues, but also egg laying, I am upping their feed from 17% protein to 20% for now. Their coats definitely are missing me not fermenting as well.....

 

[rnchick74]

I haven't been able to get any good pics of my girls in a long time...but I'm getting a decent DSLR for Christmas! So that will change!!

Today's egg haul: 2 new eggs. I definitely have 1 CCL and my black copper marans laying. I'm expecting my other CCL and one of my Polish hens to start laying very soon...

The comparison of the eggs - bottom row are the 1st eggs. Top row are today's eggs - getting bigger and better colors

Today's haul!

Enough to eat!!! LOOK AT THOSE ORANGE YOLKS!!! The shells were pretty hard too - glad to know they have enough calcium in their system!!

 

[autumnhearth]

Speaking of tracking egg production, can anyone share their how to's on tracking individual egg production in a lager flock. I was thinking about how to do this and what I figured is I could do a controlled test each week with about 5-6 girls. I could use food dye on their vents and then I could track their eggs for a week. I am very curious about who all is laying. We have about 4-5 girls that are broody and are sitting on clutches of eggs, every chance they get. I continually have to remove then from the nests when I collect eggs. So I am wondering if they are laying, we are averaging 20 eggs a day from 23 layers. Yesterday we had 22/23, we have gotten 23/23 a few times but nothing consistent.

On a side note, the girls are blowing through their feed faster than I expected, we figured they are eating over 1/4 pounds of feed a day, more like 1/3 pound. I do miss how much fermenting their feed extended their food. I need to get going on fodder. I have barley and will start with that. Maybe next week, anyone doing fodder?

20/23 is excellent! I would expect many of the girls to skip a day or two a week, so it sounds like they are all regular. Only our Golden Buff lays every day. The other girls charts look more like lay two days, skip one, lay three days skip one or even lay one day, skip one, except for Morgaine who has now skipped 6 days in a row and she sure isn't broody. The only one of our girls who is inclined to be broody is Baby or Buff Orp, but as soon as I take her off the nest she doesn't go back. It helps that there are no extra eggs in the nest boxes for her to sit on but with only 2-5 eggs a day laid in different boxes there's no real temptation. But I understand being curious.

 

[christine9]

Peppy is just starting to mate with the younger girls. They are 16 weeks so it won't be too much longer....

 

[NotableNancy]

I haven't been able to get any good pics of my girls in a long time...but I'm getting a decent DSLR for Christmas! So that will change!!

Today's egg haul: 2 new eggs. I definitely have 1 CCL and my black copper marans laying. I'm expecting my other CCL and one of my Polish hens to start laying very soon...

The comparison of the eggs - bottom row are the 1st eggs. Top row are today's eggs - getting bigger and better colors

Today's haul!

Enough to eat!!! LOOK AT THOSE ORANGE YOLKS!!! The shells were pretty hard too - glad to know they have enough calcium in their system!!

Wow... amazing color yolks... do they free range all day? I'm so jealous, mine are looking pretty pale.

Peppy is just starting to mate with the younger girls. They are 16 weeks so it won't be too much longer....

WooHoo!!! How's your OE looking? I think it was you that got one the same week as me right? Mine has had a nice sized comb and red for a few weeks but no signs of laying. She's 16 weeks also. She is def. a cross of CCL and something else. Clean legged. Fingers crossed for olive eggs! I have a few other that are 17 weeks and one of my GB squatted for me today!! But her comb/wattles are still small. I'm getting impatient.

 

[rnchick74]

Wow... amazing color yolks... do they free range all day? I'm so jealous, mine are looking pretty pale.

They are out in their run all day, but it's not a real "free range" situation - like they aren't running around the yard. They have a fenced in run that they play in during light hours from 7 am - 8:30 pm every day. I ferment their feed; give sprouts; give a flock block with backstrap molasses in it once every 2 weeks; do daily probiotics; and give a handful of dried meal worms at least once a week. Yeah, they are a little spoiled. Since it has gotten cold, I've been giving some scratch grains in the evenings - about 1/4 cup for 9 hens...not enough to get them fat, but just enough to make them work for their treat.

I think well rounded, good nutrition is more of a key to good yolk color than anything.

 

[konachicks]

My mom came over today and said "do you know your two black hens are in the yard?" And I'm like yes. "You let them run around all day like that?" YES. "Doesn't the caT try to eat them?" Um no, she knows they'd kick her butt! Lol

 

[trsturself]

Lovely eggs! My friend's leghorn has laid an egg the last couple days and my BA squat for me today. No one has squatted since they stopped laying. I'm going to clean out the nest boxes tomorrow since the young ones have taken to sleeping in there when it got cold, and put in fresh straw. Hopefully they'll all start laying again!