Montana

[karlamaria]

I took a few random chick photos, I've still got alot hatching, and I would like to get some out of the bator, but every time I look in there are a few more half zipped, so I don't want to open the bater and make the humitidy drop. The 1st photo is the mottled lavender, the next is the little one from the pullet egg, the black one is from a very dark red Marans egg, next is a Wheaten Ameraucana, and last is a lavender with feathered shanks. Karla, you can see the difference in blue and lavender in Cindys chicks, in her 2nd to the last photo there is a lavender and blue side by side. The lavender is much lighter,more silver, blues will have a darker overall color, and a dark head but still to light to be black. Montanachicks, I have never heard of the Lohman Browns, but if they are a red/brown sexlink they should be great layers, and the Hutts wouldn't get them if they weren't. I wouldn't mind getting some of them,I love my sexlinks but hate having chicks sent in.

oh they are so pretty! Will the last one stay grey? Is beautiful. I do not understand, the second to the last two in her post are white chicks righ? I will leave it to you to pick my girls, I really want light blue eggs soy ou know about what ones will lay them (ameracauna ? ) thank you so much do the pictures, there adorable !

 

[cbnovick]

I LOVE seed and rose catalogs!!!! Dreaming on wintry days is the best!!! We've had a unusual record stint of well below freezing days here (20 degrees)....i lost my broccoli and several other flowering plants )-; My hens have done just fine of course...extra layer of grass hay in their hen house...So excited that my Suzy Greenberg (BLRW) laid her first egg on Saturday...long time coming as she is almost 8 months old. Nice sized for a pullet too! She laid another yesterday despite this extreme weather change for us. My chicks are growing and hanging in there with the cold...my garage is 40 degrees....i have the 2 brooder lamps going...their brooder at 6am this morn showed 81 degrees...but they are moving around the pen and eating/drinking...They are strong and a delight to me each morning--great way to start the day (-: Our weather will return to normal this week around Weds...highs of 70 and lows in the upper 40's...Hope everyone is staying warm and remembering that part of the appreciation of Spring's hope is enduring the blustery winter!
Warmly, Cindy in AZ

 

[Chick N Haus]

We have a heat bulb coming on at midnight to help keep tail feathers warm for the coldest part of the night and help with egg production too. Egg production is fine and the girls appreciate just having the chill gone. I know some people don't think heat is necessary, but our set-up really works for us. Hope everybody is staying warm.

 

[karlamaria]

I LOVE seed and rose catalogs!!!! Dreaming on wintry days is the best!!! We've had a unusual record stint of well below freezing days here (20 degrees)....i lost my broccoli and several other flowering plants )-;  My hens have done just fine of course...extra layer of grass hay in their hen house...So excited that my Suzy Greenberg (BLRW) laid her first egg on Saturday...long time coming as she is almost 8 months old. Nice sized for a pullet too! She laid another yesterday despite this extreme weather change for us. My chicks are growing and hanging in there with the cold...my garage is 40 degrees....i have the 2 brooder lamps going...their brooder at 6am this morn showed 81 degrees...but they are moving around the pen and eating/drinking...They are strong and a delight to me each morning--great way to start the day (-: Our weather will return to normal this week around Weds...highs of 70 and lows in the upper 40's...Hope everyone is staying warm and remembering that part of the appreciation of Spring's hope is enduring the blustery winter!
Warmly, Cindy in AZ

awww I'm so happy for you, I love fresh young pullets laying there first eggs. I can not wait! I would love to raise chicks right now, but my girls are poops and I have no room other then my front porch and it's to cold here. I do not want chicks I'm my house, and the smell, and I just have no time to clean non stop or deal. But I may take a hand at a few come March so I can hand tame a few. What's a BLRW ?

 

[karlamaria]

We have a heat bulb coming on at midnight to help keep tail feathers warm for the coldest part of the night and help with egg production too. Egg production is fine and the girls appreciate just having the chill gone.  I know some people don't think heat is necessary, but our set-up really works for us.  Hope everybody is staying warm.

you do what you have to hon and what's best for your girls., I would love to add some heat to, but we have decided to lock the girls in for half a day, it's warm in there coop as its double insulated, so even the eggs do not freeze. I got home at 2:00 to let them out and not a frozen egg in the batch. They were happy to get out, I'm glad it's warming up this week.

 

[karlamaria]

Most of them are  EE or Olive eggers, some are pure Ameraucana.we'll have to wait to see how many of each hatch, but there should be several of the pretty colors to pick from. All my Ameraucana lay very pretty blue eggs. I don't know for sure that any of my Marans eggs will be pure as they are in with the laying flock and I have the Ameraucana and EE roos in there as well as the Marans roos. The Wheaten/Blue Wheaten Ameraucana are the only ones in their own breeding pen. The blue birds are very pretty, kind of a grey blue with very pretty lacing and a little darker on the head, and the lavender are a lighter silvery blue all over-no lacing. Both are very pretty eye candy in a backyard flock.

. please, can you save 4 birds from this weeks set of hatchlings so I can be sure there old enough . It does not necessarily have to be these birds, though I really want a pretty blue lavender bird and light egg layer, Looking for 4 possibly 5 birds total . I can pay as soon as you like to insure my birds, and I will be driving to get them at 16 weeks. I will go buy a new crate for the trip . I'm looking for the light blue eggs this time around. And good egg layers. I'm not sure how or what bird throws the blue egg, not sure what a wheaten even is but if you have some real pretty americauna then please set aside these for me ok. Is the blue birds you describe here americauna ? What color egg do they throw? There to pretty not to have at least one of those! Let me know what I owe you ok. I use PayPal to send money. I have cackleberry saving me RIR girls also. Mom wants chickens so I am giving her one of yours and 2 of the RIR . Now I have to find someone to build me a coop for her. .

 

[DillonChix]

wow Belgrade, I believe I saw that on Craig's list. I would get some in a heart beat, but I'm to worried about adding any bird until there quarantined as I have seen folks loose whole coops full of chickens from disease brought in from stressed birds. I'm so happy you took them, they did look ragged. I'm at a loss right now as to where to put them. Come spring I put the new birds in there own pen, so that's why I have to either brood my self or buy pullets that can be put in a nice pen away from the other girls. I separate for 4 weeks, this way I am pretty sure all is well then I put them with the big girls out side the main pen, but at the end of the day put them back into there own pen. This is how I get the girls used ot each other. Did you add the 12 with your girls now? If so did your older girls do ok with them? Mine seem to be poops so I add slowly. Hey next time I'm down that way I will send you a pm, and maybe if you got the time we can have a cup of coffee

Oh and of course I want a half a beef! Sounds like yours are organic ! Yummmm ! Let me know the price ok.
If you get more then one broody this year and are willing to sell her, I need a new broody, my other buff is not the best at it, and not the best mama !
Your coop sounds awesome, are you getting lots of eggs right now? Last month I was getting 5/6 eggs, this month three ugh. Two of my RIRs decided to molt,

I'm also looking for someone to build mom a coop, she wants at least 5 girls and I need a coop set up for electricity so it can have a tin water heater next winter.i want a coop made for her at least 5x7 . I have a 10x10x10 dog kennel for them already so just the coop needs to be built. Now to find someone who will not slaughter me in the price. If you know anyone who can do it for me let me know! We are hoping to have a coop by spring . Likely it will need to be on legs, her yard is slanted lol.

Karla, yeah, well having no clue what the heck I was doing, I just stuck the new ones in with the existing. A few days of cross behavior, but getting along well now. They are all right around 2 years old (new and existing).I hope I don't end up losing them all to some disease!

I was reading about quarantine AFTER I introduced them. Stupid me. Not happy about it.
Egg production is fantastic, even with these subzero conditions. I get between 6 and 10 a day! Not sure if I'm just lucky or if the "extras" I'm doing is helping production. I got the most hilarious tiny egg the other day. Just a bit larger than a quarter and almost as round. I was like WTH??!!
As for Broody's. I'm a big zero there at the moment. Thought my Buff was going to step up, but no. The new girls threw everything off I fear.
I'll ask Brian on the beef. The meat is amazing. They won't be ready until sometime in 2014 though! We will ween the calves in August. So if you are still interested then, let me know! We can set one aside for you.

I hate to volunteer Brian, because we are heading into calving season, but if he has time, he is an amazing wood worker and can build anything! He has a huge wood working shop. It might not be until April before he can even consider it, if he has time. So that may not be soon enough for you!

Back to the coop for me now. The wind is brutal. I got the girls a "Flock Block". Extra supplements seems in order to keep them warm!

TTFN. Tam
I

 

[Chick N Haus]

We believe the extras help. We give alfalfa, scratch and an organic layer feed. warm water plenty of deep bedding straw for the coop (which is insulated) and a little extra light and heat on cold short winter days. Don't feel too bad about the mixed flock thing. We did exactly the same thing when we were new and were lucky as well. I guess the lord protects newbies like us. NOW I would never try that without quarantine. I too read that after the fact. Live and learn.

 

[montanachicks]

Azriel & Karlamarie: I googled LOHMAN BROWN and got lots of pics (they are a reddish-cinnamon color) and was able to get lots of info on them. It says they lay early (16-18 wks) and in the first year alone, usually put out 300 eggs. The hatchery in Washington had sent the colony 6 eggs (to "show" what they look like) & they are nice big brown ones. The only thing negative i saw on one person's review (& it was here on BYC) was that sometimes they will eat their own eggs.... but I have someone doing that now, about once a week but dunno who it is. that's the only person that said that about them, but I actually sent a message to this guy & he answered me.... saying all the above is true--- great layers, cold tolerant, very very friendly bird, etc. He mentioned again that he has had ones that will sometimes eat an egg. Again, they are a hybrid, not pure bred. Think I also read that they originated in Germany. If either of you, or anyone else, finds out more about them, please let me know!!

Karla, the Leghorns I got from them were about 5-6 months old and were already laying. They are a small bird. Very skittish. they layed eggs the first couple days I had them, then (I presume from the upset in their life style-- moving, etc) they quit for about 3 weeks. But boy, do they lay! 4 out of the 5 lay a really nice size egg (jumbo size) and one of them lays a small egg, every day. They charged me $6.00 a piece for them. So I will let you know when I am closer to going to pick up the L Browns.

 

[karlamaria]

Karla, yeah, well having no clue what the heck I was doing, I just stuck the new ones in with the existing. A few days of cross behavior, but getting along well now. They are all right around 2 years old (new and existing).I hope I don't end up losing them all to some disease! :/  I was reading about quarantine AFTER I introduced them. Stupid me. Not happy about it.
Egg production is fantastic, even with these subzero conditions. I get between 6 and 10 a day!  Not sure if I'm just lucky or if the "extras" I'm doing is helping production. I got the most hilarious tiny egg the other day. Just a bit larger than a quarter and almost as round. I was like WTH??!!
As for Broody's. I'm a big zero there at the moment. Thought my Buff was going to step up, but no. The new girls threw everything off I fear. 
I'll ask Brian on the beef. The meat is amazing. They won't be ready until sometime in 2014 though! We will ween the calves in August. So if you are still interested then, let me know! We can set one aside for you.

I hate to volunteer Brian, because we are heading into calving season, but if he has time, he is an amazing wood worker and can build anything! He has a huge wood working shop. It might not be until April before he can even consider it, if he has time. So that may not be soon enough for you!

Back to the coop for me now. The wind is brutal. I got the girls a "Flock Block". Extra supplements seems in order to keep them warm!

TTFN. Tam
I 

hey, I added several to my flock to lol, yep and the read it was a no no, I was scared to death lol. All is well but I learned a lesson, and now I'm be putting my new pullets into a nice big dog house with a fence around it and tarp on top for 30 days when I get them. Tell Brian that I need one for around May/ April and I want one of those ones on legs. Moms yard is not level so it needs to be on legs so we can cut the legs to make it even. Maybe he can build it there and then bring it? I really like those ones that have a back door that opens so I can clean it for her , a couple of windows, and screen so they can be opened up in spring. Nothing fancy just panes of glass between wood that lifts up or out. 2 giant nest boxes on the out side so I just have to open from the out side. Insulated and a roof vent like mine. ( installed a roof vent so moisture goes out through the roof . Shingles covering the roof. I also want it to have electricity ( plug in) so I can put water in and a heater for winters. If I find one I'm also going to have an electric door added so mom does not have to go out and open and close as she is to old in winter to do so. Your lucky your getting so many eggs girl, are you selling them? I'm down to one dozen left :0 gave a dozen to mom and with my chickens only laying 3 a day I fear running out lol.