Hi All,
I haven't been on the forum for a good while due to a flare up of RA and taking care of the critters. The barred rocks AKA( the lady bugs) which I had purchased 25 of from mypetchicken.com the 1st of Aug. 09 finally started laying last week. As cold and snowy as the weather has been here in WV since Christmas I figured I wouldn't get any eggs until spring. They are small and only getting 1 or 2 a day but at least they are on their way to becoming hens!!! I still haven't decided if I like the barred rocks that well or not. They are awful flighty. Any time that I walk into the hen house they start jumping and flapping around like you are trying to catch them for the stew pot. So I don't know whats up with that? I didn't think the barred rocks were supposed to be that way. There is one hen that squats in front of me when I do the feeding. To be picked up.
My husband has been helping me take care of them since I have been having trouble , and he didn't know what to think when she squatted in front of him. He thought she was sick. heheheh.
I have been searching the McMurray catalog to see what breeds I want to get this spring. Luckily dear hubby said he would help me take care of them if I needed him to. Or else I probably wouldn't be able to get any more.
I am considering 5 to 7 of each of the following: buff orps,turkens,light brahmas,araucana/americana,standard blue cochins, and partridge cochins. Does anyone see anything wrong with this mix??? If so please let me know. They would all be pullets except for the blue cochins. You can only order str. run.
Also have a tip to share. My father-in-law who lives in southern IN was having trouble getting his pullets to start laying. So he called McMurray hatchery and they told him to start using the quick chick in their water. And he said within a week and a half they started laying. So maybe that helped them to get started.
Hope all are making it thru this awful winter we are having this year.
Tammy
I haven't been on the forum for a good while due to a flare up of RA and taking care of the critters. The barred rocks AKA( the lady bugs) which I had purchased 25 of from mypetchicken.com the 1st of Aug. 09 finally started laying last week. As cold and snowy as the weather has been here in WV since Christmas I figured I wouldn't get any eggs until spring. They are small and only getting 1 or 2 a day but at least they are on their way to becoming hens!!! I still haven't decided if I like the barred rocks that well or not. They are awful flighty. Any time that I walk into the hen house they start jumping and flapping around like you are trying to catch them for the stew pot. So I don't know whats up with that? I didn't think the barred rocks were supposed to be that way. There is one hen that squats in front of me when I do the feeding. To be picked up.
I have been searching the McMurray catalog to see what breeds I want to get this spring. Luckily dear hubby said he would help me take care of them if I needed him to. Or else I probably wouldn't be able to get any more.
Also have a tip to share. My father-in-law who lives in southern IN was having trouble getting his pullets to start laying. So he called McMurray hatchery and they told him to start using the quick chick in their water. And he said within a week and a half they started laying. So maybe that helped them to get started.
Hope all are making it thru this awful winter we are having this year.
Tammy
