Minnesota!

[MinnesotaNice]

The babies were 1 week old yesterday, got their first taste of watermelon!


My two confirmed girls so far, the Buckeye and Welsummer synchronized drinking


The Buckeye is quite the character... she really "gets into" her food


Meredith pooped out an EE!

I'm just curious - how can you tell if a chick is an Easter Egger?

All of my chicks are crosses (some may be pure) and I was curious if there is a "look"....

 

[scandiafowl]

I'll post a couple of photos, can anyone tell me what breed she might be?

 

[scandiafowl]

she has the sweetest voice.

 

[Minniechickmama]

I'm just curious - how can you tell if a chick is an Easter Egger?

All of my chicks are crosses (some may be pure) and I was curious if there is a "look"....

I can answer since they came from me...
I used an Ameraucana rooster in each of my three Easter Egger pens this year. Some of the hens already lay a blue or green egg, but using a Blue egg rooster like an Ameraucana will then influence their offspring's egg color to blue or green. If you use a brown or white egg rooster over hens who already lay blue or green it will pass the genes for egg color and some, I believe most, of the offspring will lay the color of the rooster.

 

[Minniechickmama]

I'll post a couple of photos, can anyone tell me what breed she might be?

With those color legs and that color/patterning, I am guess a mix or Easter Egger type. Especially since it appears to have some poof to its cheeks.

 

[MinnesotaNice]

Thanks for the info! Makes sense. I'm over the top curious what color eggs mine will lay.

 

[nordicacres]

Cute chicks! All of my EEs have green legs. Not sure if they all do or if it is just mine! Some have tufts on their cheeks, others do not, some looked like chipmunks, and others were solids. I have a soft spot for EEs. They are such sweet birds and the color variety is so fun!

 

[Cearbhael]

I am falling in love with Swedish Flower Hens. The don't have blue eggs. Their eggs are pale creamy brown eggs. They are people friendly, colourful, some even get crests and are natural free range birds. Very smart and quick. Good at avoiding predators. It is for that reason they don't breed crested birds to each other. The chicks crests would be too big and they would be picked off by predators very quickly. They are endangered world wide. Only 500 back in 2010. I like the idea of helping them get back to good numbers. The price in the US has dropped to a reasonable amount so I can afford them.
I like the Black Swedish too but I eat culled birds and I am not sure I could eat black meat. Word is they are gamey tasting, and right now they are still way too expensive (they are exotic so people will pay exorbitant prices)

 

[nordicacres]

I think I spoke too soon about the Wyandottes. Awhile ago someone was saying they were having problems with their hatchery Wyandottes. I said that I hadn't and invited bad luck my way, I guess. The GLW cockerel was the one that attacked me. He also attacked the poor outdoor stray cat tonight (who is a teeny, tiny little thing - super friendly and smaller than the chickens!). Plus my Wyandottes seek out opportunities to peck and stomp on the smaller chicks/poults. They are being kept separate, but occasionally one of them escapes and is immediately thrashed. Ugh! Do hatcheries just breed indiscriminately? Why are hatchery Wyandottes more aggressive? I just want a backyard flock so a hatchery was fine with me. No breeding or showing plans here.

 

[Rhetts]

I think I spoke too soon about the Wyandottes. Awhile ago someone was saying they were having problems with their hatchery Wyandottes. I said that I hadn't and invited bad luck my way, I guess. The GLW cockerel was the one that attacked me. He also attacked the poor outdoor stray cat tonight (who is a teeny, tiny little thing - super friendly and smaller than the chickens!). Plus my Wyandottes seek out opportunities to peck and stomp on the smaller chicks/poults. They are being kept separate, but occasionally one of them escapes and is immediately thrashed. Ugh! Do hatcheries just breed indiscriminately? Why are hatchery Wyandottes more aggressive? I just want a backyard flock so a hatchery was fine with me. No breeding or showing plans here.

That was me with the meanie wyandottes. Yeah me too on the backyard flock idea. I really had no idea on which breed we wanted so I figured ordering different breeds from the hatchery to find what suited our needs best would work out. So far, the wyandottes are mean, the langshan and austrolorp are basically just there with no personality, the buff brahma has not lived up to the hype I have read about. One surprise breed was the dark brahma I got as the freebie. She is SUPER outgoing but she has nice personality nothing like the light & buff brahmas at all! I really like her and in fact she is the only one out of the entire flock of 43 that got a name. (besides my daughter calling her blue and black cochin 'little blue' & 'little black') Hope your wyandottes start behaving themselves!!