Minnesota!

[lightchick]

Right now, I have light brown leghorns, cinnamon queens, Easter eggers, cuckoo Marans, RIR roos & RIW hens (for more CQs), a buff Orpington and two silkies. And some guinea hens.

I think I'll phase out the leghorns for buckeyes at some point.

I've also raised, from a hatchery surprise, blue Jersey giants, partridge rocks, Iowa blues, mottled java, black penedesenca (sp?), barred Hollands and salmon faverolles. Had some Australorps, too - sweet, good foragers, wiley about predators. And of course the Cornish X. Also borrowed some black sex-links one season.

My silkie hen is crazy broody during the warm months. I think I want to build up a working subflock of silkie broodies to do my hatching for me. What color is your silkie? I have a pretty black hen & a splash roo with the most ridiculous hair - I almost named him Rod (Stewart).

I love having a mixed flock!

My Silkie is a partridge. She's over 9 months and never has given even one egg!

 

[duluthralphie]

I understand that raising Araucanas can be a challenge due to unique genetic issues?
I have Chanteclers (White,Buff & Partridge), Wheaten Marans, Buckeyes, Welsummers, EEs and some Xbred hens left over from a project that I and a friend were working on with McGrawsXDk Brahmas. I also have some bantams Gold Sebright, Citron Hamburg and Golden Campine.
I should cut back on the breeds I have, but there are so many interesting breeds and so little time to experience them all?

All of which is why I am counting on getting a EE rooster from you. Most people breed for SOP. I have decided to breed for cuteness and egg color.

I so agree with you on so many breeds to experience and so little time for all of them.


On a side note, My wife and I completed the covered run for the Guinea Gulag yesterday, so they now have prison yard privileges. I just went out to check them they are not in the yard, they are in their prison visiting with the turkeys through 2 wire fences. The turkeys still have free range privileges. The front have of the Gulag is where Rick, Bert and the two CX pullets live and serve as prison guards. The prison has a wire screen across the front of it so the CX area is semi open air. I felt sorry for the poor CX's The turkeys on one side making their noise and the Guineas on the other side of them sounding like a imprisoned ghetto criminal gang.

 

[FoxyChicken]

I understand that raising Araucanas can be a challenge due to unique genetic issues?
I have Chanteclers (White,Buff & Partridge), Wheaten Marans, Buckeyes, Welsummers, EEs and some Xbred hens left over from a project that I and a friend were working on with McGrawsXDk Brahmas. I also have some bantams Gold Sebright, Citron Hamburg and Golden Campine.
I should cut back on the breeds I have, but there are so many interesting breeds and so little time to experience them all?

Where in Northern MN are you ejb3810? Chanteclers are a breed that has sort of caught my fancy, and I'm looking at expanding my flock a little bit this spring. And how do you pronounce Chanteclers anyway??

 

[AmericanKraut]

It's actually going to be a Fleet Farm and it's not a rumor! So exciting! 

I love Fleet Farm! When I lived in Minneapolis there was no where else I could look at jeans, iron skillets, pressure cookers, muzzleloaders, and winter boots, and ice fishing rods all at once in one store while getting toilet paper, dog food, and licorice.

 

[PoultryBird12]

What kind of chickens does everyone have?
I have a BSL, RSL, Australorp, Silkie and two mixes!

I have four Cochins, one Americauna, Rhode Island red, New Hampshire red, and a speckled Sussex.

 

[Minniechickmama]

I've wondered about putting shavings down in the run. I get the pine shaving bales at L & M for my coop but this winter I put down straw in my run. Wasn't sure what would work best in there. Up until Novemberish I just left it bare (used to be yard until the girls showed up last spring). How do the shavings handle the snow and rain?

The last two days my hens have been exhibiting some obsessive compulsive behavior. The first nesting box had 4 brown eggs, the 2nd had two white eggs and the 3rd had two green eggs. Two days in a row! Silly chickens.m

I don't use shavings out on the ground because it just soaks up moisture and is nasty. I like straw, but I have had birds eat it and get impacted crops from it, but only twice. I just put straw down in the run I cleaned this week and will put it in the rest this week as I get them mucked out. The hardest part of having straw, for me, is that if it is getting frozen, it is a real pain to clean out. Actually, even when it is not frozen, it is not fun to clean out either. Shavings are easier. But I do like the benefit of straw giving the birds something to scratch around in and fend off boredom and it gets them moving in winter to keep warmer. When I use straw, I even toss cracked corn in it for them to hunt for to get them moving and their body temp up a bit. More than anything, beddings are based on preference. The only way you will really know what you like working with best is to try it. Some folks like using ground corn cobs even.

 

[Minniechickmama]

What kind of chickens does everyone have?
I have a BSL, RSL, Australorp, Silkie and two mixes!

I have over 200 chickens, mostly the breeds in my signature line, but also some BLRW hens, 2 Orp hens (Black and a Splash), a couple of Minorcas, a Blue Cuckoo Marans, and a few mutts that will all be either in a strictly laying flock or will be put with my Black Ameraucana rooster to make some Easter Eggers.

 

[Minniechickmama]

Hey everyone! Have had some birds for about 8 months now, and decided to say hi! I live in Finlayson, mn. I travel to Duluth everyday for work, so I get around a bit! LOL! I am wondering if anyone knows anybody with pure Aruacana around here? I am haveing a hard time locating some and the egg by mail deal hasn't panned out so well yet. Thank You in advance!

First, are you sure it is Araucanas you are looking for? Not Ameraucanas? and not Easter Eggers? Yes, there is a difference. Thanks to some big hatcheries that mislead folks on these three groups/breeds, there are people who think they are all the same. The Araucana is VERY hard to find and are distinctively different from the other two. If that is really what you are looking for, then you would be best searching online for a breeder of pure ones that way, but be careful, like I said, lots of people have been mislead and will advertise their Easter Eggers (mutts) as Araucanas.

 

[Minniechickmama]

Where in Northern MN are you ejb3810? Chanteclers are a breed that has sort of caught my fancy, and I'm looking at expanding my flock a little bit this spring. And how do you pronounce Chanteclers anyway??

Shon-te-clare

 

[jailerjoe]

I don't use shavings out on the ground because it just soaks up moisture and is nasty.  I like straw, but I have had birds eat it and get impacted crops from it, but only twice.  I just put straw down in the run I cleaned this week and will put it in the rest this week as I get them mucked out.  The hardest part of having straw, for me, is that if it is getting frozen, it is a real pain to clean out.  Actually, even when it is not frozen, it is not fun to clean out either.  Shavings are easier.  But I do like the benefit of straw giving the birds something to scratch around in and fend off boredom and it gets them moving in winter to keep warmer.  When I use straw, I even toss cracked corn in it for them to hunt for to get them moving and their body temp up a bit.  More than anything, beddings are based on preference.  The only way you will really know what you like working with best is to try it.  Some folks like using ground corn cobs even.  

That's what I though might happen. Glad I didn't put down shavings. I can imagine it'd get expensive as well. I bought enough straw bales at $2 per bale to last me well into summer if I continue putting it down. I've heard it can be a haven for mites though but I figured it would be ok for winter. My girls really do enjoy hunting around for scratch and BOSS in the straw and they've been much more willing to come out of the coop since I put it down. Makes sence as who'd want to walk around on bare cold ground. I have some bales stacked in a moisture resistant corner of the run and the chickens love jumping up and generally hanging out up there.

I'll have to watch for crop issues but so far I've not noticed anything.