MJ's little flock

[Ribh]

What is the birds of a feather point? I think I missed that. Is that about having all one breed? I ask, because of course I am still chewing over whether to get more chicks to expand my flock.

Yes. I have tried to go with similar personalities as I haven't been able to stick with the one breed to rule them all option. Not all my fault as I can only buy what's available but I have tried to stick with similar colourings & personalities & of course, being me, the prettiest hens I can find.

 

[Kris5902]

Yup, seriously.
I can't remember exactly what brought the comment on.

Well we all appreciate you, your wealth of knowledge, awesome book recommendations, gorgeous tribes... so you’re stuck with us! And that well known/respected community meanie isn’t invited to the party Even if I do feel the need to poke you once in a while, or Ribh is teasing you... you know we do it out of love!

 

[RoyalChick]

Yes. I have tried to go with similar personalities as I haven't been able to stick with the one breed to rule them all option. Not all my fault as I can only buy what's available but I have tried to stick with similar colourings & personalities & of course, being me, the prettiest hens I can find.

Understood. Hmm. That might cause me some problems. The road runners are about as different from Maggie as it is possible to get! I was thinking of adding both Wyandottes and more Legbars. Now I am not so sure.

 

[Kris5902]

Two of my Boys, Dean and Cass, were on the freezer list. Between the Owl attacks and processing numbers and dates, a commitment to having the Cockerels I helped a neighbor hatch processed, and seeing Shad’s success in managing multiple Roosters in a free Range setting, they were spared! I had only two more cockerels than I had booked for at the plant, so not enough for a second booking, and I was (TBH) too lazy to turn them into soup myself...

So far, So good... there have been some hiccups, but overall I have managed to put some of his practices to use into my own keeping style, and put to shame the “can’t keep multiple Roosters and hens within sight of each other” myth. Next I need to move onto letting some girls go broody, and stop needing to rely on my incubators for flock expansion.

 

[MaryJanet]

I did try for a while to work out what sex they were at an early age then the brain kicked in and I realized it didn't really matter and I stopped bothering.
Regarding breeds, I know a decent amount about some of the breeds in this region but I'm not remotely interested in what some SOP body deems to be the correct breed attributes.
I've got a bunch of mixed breeds here now; nature it seems will do that.
When people ask me what sort of chickens there are here, my usual responsne is the sort with feathers.

I'm pretty sure some of the cjickens at your house are also Bantysweetcheeks.

 

[BY Bob]

There are good people on the three threads we spread ourselves over. Most are nutters in their own right but your back is safe here.

 

[MaryJanet]

To be fully accurate, she is a pure bred Dark-eyed Mayoral Blue Bantysweetcheecks. Often referred to as a ‘Blue DeB’. Very special. Very rare.

Yay!! I had a feeling you'd join in

 

[Ribh]

Understood. Hmm. That might cause me some problems. The road runners are about as different from Maggie as it is possible to get! I was thinking of adding both Wyandottes and more Legbars. Now I am not so sure.

Your breeds seem to be a little different to ours so I can't recommend. You can run different breeds together but you may run into problems while they sort out their differences. Our Wyandottes are wonderful. All 5 I've had have been absolute sweeties if a little prone to broodiness. WhoDat & @BY Bob have had 1 or 2 issues with theirs. They seem a little more dominant than I see here.

 

[Ribh]

ven if I do feel the need to poke you once in a while, or Ribh is teasing you... you know we do it out of love!

So true. If you were really the meanie you sometimes pretend to be I wouldn't be game to poke you. It would be like poking a blue~ringed octopus & wouldn't end well.

 

[Kris5902]

Understood. Hmm. That might cause me some problems. The road runners are about as different from Maggie as it is possible to get! I was thinking of adding both Wyandottes and more Legbars. Now I am not so sure.

Although I agree, Chickens can be very prejudiced, and single breed flocks may go more smoothly; Many of us have also had fair Success with mixed flocks as well. Take Tailless and her Curvy Sisters. So physically different, from different flocks as well (though there was one
meat bird in Tailless’ first mixed flock) she inserted herself into Roostie’s Flock, and is accepted and somewhere in the middle of the pecking order. Yesterday one of the “other” meat birds wandered around my fence into “their” yard and both Tailless and another of Roostie’s girls drove her off mercilessly. A two and a half, maybe three pound girl the size of a bantam, with no tail and a derpy look to her face (think hei-hei) defending her space from a 10+ lb meat chicken (that looks just like Tailless’ adoptive sisters! I didn’t realize she was an interloper at first glance, until she was set upon by the tiny grey demon chicken)