Michigan

[Olive Hill]

Not just a delicacy, true white silkies -- those with black skin and white feathers -- are believed to have medicinal properties.

 

[Opa]

My I, with out being too rude, ask how old Granny is. My grandma is 86 and lives by herself. I don't think she should but she is stubborn. Anyway she tends to talk more about what she has lost than what she has. I love her much but after a while that is tough to be around.

Granny is 86 and while she occasionally has her down days most of the time she is very upbeat and positive. When she moved in with us she was hypertensive, could barely walk, was blind in one eye, and in constant pain from her arthritis. Just to get through a day she needed up to 12 pain pills.

What had been diagnosed as an inoperable degenerating lower back was actually a hip problem and a hip replacement solved the mobility problem. The blindness was caused by an ocular stroke. An experimental drug injected directly into the retina monthly has returned her vision to 20/30. A change in her arthritis medication has reduced joint pain to a level that seldom requires anything strong than an occasional aspirin. Her blood pressure has returned to an acceptable level with a change of medication so she no longer is hypertensive nor retaining fluids. She says being pain free, able to see, and walk are reasons to rejoice.

We turned one bedroom into a sewing room for her that has everything she could possibly want for sewing. Two sewing machines dedicated to specific tasks, two sergers, a large cutting table, lots of cabinets and counterspace. If she is working on a project and hasn't finished it she simply leaves it where it's at, walks out and closes the door. Not having to put everything away until finished is a god send.

Looking from the windows at the of the house often reveals wildlife of every description traveling through. A hen turkey with poults or a deer with her fawns hasn't lost it fascination for her. Yesterday, while sitting on the deck, she remarked to me about how amazing were the many different shades of green one could see. Each tree, bush, or blade of grass has its own unique hew, and the colors were nothing short of inspiring.

While missing my father is something that will never end for her, and she occasionally has a sad moment when she thinks about her loss of independence, no longer having her own home or many of the things she had once had, she has made a concerted effort to stay positive and thankful for what she does have.

 

[Olive Hill]

Granny sounds like a wonderful woman, Opa. I can see where you get your wonderful outlook on life.

 

[1muttsfan]

I love the Sandhill catalog for many reasons, one of which is their egg data. This is data from their own chickens, so may not exactly translate into other lines, but it is helpful when you wonder about egg production. Another good egg production resource is the Henderson chicken chart.

This is directly from their catalog -

Egg weights by breed

This is a multi-year data. We take this data at the end of July. There is nothing truly scientific about it, so please don't read too much into the numbers. A random dozen eggs is weighed from each breed. No attempt to select any size specimens is made. The more years we have had a breed, the more data is used in the average. PLEASE USE THIS INFORMATION AS A GUIDE ONLY!! We will be updating in 2012 with more years' data. Again, time got away from me. I will try to get updates posted on the website sometime during the year.

• Extra Large (27-30 oz./doz eggs): Delaware, White Faced White Spanish, Rhode Island White Rose Comb, Welsummer, New Hampshire, Light Brahma, Blue Cochin, White Ameraucana, Buff Catalana, Rhode Island Red, and Black Langshan.
• Large (24-27 oz./dozen eggs): Frizzle, Light Grey Dorking, White Jersey Giant, Cuckoo Maran, Single Comb Light Brown Leghorn, Barnevelder, Black Jersey Giant, Ancona, Black Penedescenca, White Orpington, Spangled Russian Orloff, White Houdan, Partridge Rock, White Minorca, Buckeye, Black Australorp, Blue Jersey Giant, Buff Orpington, Silver Penciled Wyandotte, Ameraucana, Silver Grey Dorking, Rose Comb Colored Dorking, Exchequer Leghorn, White Chantecler, Black Orpington, Silver Campine, Norwegian Jaerhon, Red Naked Neck, Dominique, Rose Comb Rhode Island Red, Buff Wyandotte, Black Wyandotte, Black Leghorn, Black Minorca, Barred Holland, Red Dorking, Buff Minorca, Black Cochin, White Dorking, Colored Dorking, Buff Chantecler, Lakenvelder, La Fleche, Golden Laced Wyandotte, White Dorking, Colored Dorking, Buff Chantecler, Lakenvelder, La Fleche, Golden Laced Wyandotte, White Cochin, Red Leghorn, Mottled Java, and Blue Orpington.
• Medium (21-24 oz./dozen eggs): Silver Krainekoppe, Silver Laced Wyandotte, Partridge Chantecler, Red Cap, Mahogany Faverolle, Black Sumatra, Black Ameraucana, Flame Jaerhon, Buff Leghorn, Salmon Faverolle, Spitzhauben, Blue Andalusian, Buff Laced Polish, Red Sussex, Speckled Sussex, Golden Polish, Black Crested White Polish, White Crested Black Polish, Iowa Blue, Black Breasted Red Shamo, Black Shamo, Golden Campine, Crevecoeur, Rose Comb Colored Dorking, Muffed Old English Game, Buttercup, Black Breasted Red Cubalaya, Red Pyle Cubalaya, Long Crower, Manx Rumpie, Silver Polish, Black Crested Blue Polish, Buff Cochin, Black Polish, Dark Shamo, and Silver Laced Cochin.
• Small (18-21 oz./dozen eggs): Black Breasted Red Kraienkoppe, Egyptian Fayoumi, White Crested Blue Polish, White Cubalaya, Golden Spangled Hamburg, Silver Penciled Hamburg, Light Sussex, Golden Lakenvelder, and Frizzle Black Sumatra.
  

Egg Productivity By Breed

This is a list from top to bottom of all the full-sized chicken breeds we maintain. They are ranked here from most eggs per season to least eggs per season. This data is not scientifically collected and cannot be applied to birds obtained from sources other than us. This is the result of multiple years of data from our farm with our birds. We start the data period sometime in January or February and end it in September. Some breeds lay better at other times of the year. Please keep in mind that many things affect egg laying including, but not limited to, light, feed, pen size, pen location, etc. Some breeds develop egg eating problems when confined with no outside run. This lowers the number of eggs and lowers their ranking. Please only use this information as a guide and not as a strict criteria for choosing or discrediting a breed. Remember, some breeds are known for their brooding ability and this factor lowers egg numbers. We also keep birds for several years as we are interested in determining how long productivity holds up. Some breeds do great their pullet year and sink fast in egg numbers the second and subsequent years. Other breeds aren't affected by this. We will no longer be listing single year data as in some cases that might be comparing pullets to 3 and 4 year old hens. This is why this list is a multi-year average. We were unable to update this from 2008 data. We will be adding in 2009, 2010, and 2011 data to the website sometime during the year. We have the data compiled, just not enough time to get it added to the printed catalog.


White Jersey Giants, Partridge Rock, Ameraucana, Manx Rumpie, Spangled Russian Orloff, New Hampshire, Delaware, Norwegian Jaerhon, White Faced White Spanish, Buff Leghorn, Rose Comb Rhode Island Red, Silver Polish, Black Crested Blue Polish, Red Sussex, Black Australorp, Speckled Sussex, Light Sussex, Golden Laced Wyandotte, Golden Campine, Cuckoo Maran, White Dorking, La Fleche, Buff Orpington, Buttercup, Light Grey Dorking, Exchequer Leghorn, Ancona, Welsummer, Dominique, Golden Lakenvelder, Barred Holland, White Minorca, Silver Campine, Rhode Island Red, Buff Catalana, Single Comb Light Brown Leghorn, Blue Andalusian, White Chantecler, Blue Orpington,Frizzled Black Sumatra, Silver Laced Wyandotte, Partridge Chantecler, Black Orpington, Lakenvelder, Buff Chantecler, Black Breasted Red Cubalaya, Kraienkoppe, Golden Spangled Hamburg, Black Polish, Black Wyandotte, Red Dorking, White Crested Black Polish, White Orpington, White Houdan, Rose Comb Colored Dorking, Buff Cochin, Silver Grey Dorking, Black Ameraucana, Red Leghorn, Colored Dorking, Buff Laced Polish, Red Cap, Buff Minorca, Black Shamo, Buckeye, Black Crested White Polish, Golden Polish, Rose Comb Red Dorking, White Frizzle, Red Naked Neck, Iowa Blue, Blue Jersey Giant, Egyptian Fayoumi, Muffed Old English, Black Leghorn, White Cochin, Mahogany Faverolle, Light Brahma, White Ameraucana, Black Sumatra, Buff Wyandotte, Black Cochin, Long Crower, Rose Comb Rhode Island White, Black Jersey Giant, Red Pyle Cubalaya, Blue Chochin, Dark Shamo, Black Langshan, Silver Penciled Wyandotte, Silver Penciled Hamburg, Salmon Faverolle, Crevecoeur, Spitzhauben, Black Breasted Red Shamo, Silver Kraienkoppe, Barnevelder, Black Minorca, Mottled Java, Silver Laced Cochin, and White Crested Blue Polish.

 

[Olive Hill]

I had my eye on Barnevelders from Sandhill, but then heard about their practices in filling orders with whatever is available when they don't have what you want so passed. If I order Barnevelders, I want Barnevelders, not something else -- especially at their prices. Didn't seem worth the hassle.

 

[RBahmer]

Hey Olive - Are you coming to CS ???

 

[Olive Hill]

I don't think so, we have two other parties we have to make it to next Saturday and a possible third.

 

[RBahmer]

I don't think so, we have two other parties we have to make it to next Saturday and a possible third.

Well dang it. I was going to bring you 4 chicks then. I have 2 female and 4 male Cuckoo Marans available right now. They will be 4 weeks old the day of CS. And if you are wanting Barnvelders, I have 2 Barnvelder hens and will be picking up a young roo from a friend of mine in August. So next year, providing everything goes well, I should have Barnvelders available also.

 

[EeyoreD]

I don't think so, we have two other parties we have to make it to next Saturday and a possible third.

You're just afraid someone's going to stuff your car full of Uggos.

 

[RBahmer]

You're just afraid someone's going to stuff your car full of Uggos.