My Story, Our experience, join me on my adventure!

[XxMingirlxX]

Despite not being able to buy birds due to the ban, which will hopefully be lifted soon. I want to think about what birds I'm going to get in my flock.

I only have room for one type of Wyandotte (Bantam size) so I want to know your opinions on the different types. I have to choose between Silver Laced, Blue Laced Red, Buff Laced, Barred and possible Gold Laced.

If you also have any opinions or experiences or any of the following breeds, they would be appreciated :
(Buff, Blue, Silver, Gold or Barred) Wyandotte
Buff Laced Frizzle, Gold Laced or Tolbunt Polish
Chocolate or Black Orpington
Salmon Faverolles
Welsummers
Cream Legbar
Gold or Double Silver Laced Barnevelder
Wheaten Marans
Silkie (a variety of colours - White, Black, Gold and a few other I can't remember)
Welbar
Brahma (Dark, Gold, Lemon Pyle)
And a variety of hybrid hens - Rhode Star, Amber Star, Black Rhode, Bluebelle, Calder Ranger, Daisybelle, Speckled Star, Sussex Star, White Star, Buff Barred and Partridge

Please also post photos of them as well as egg pictures

Thanks

 

[Free Feather]

I have only ever had golden laced Wyandottes, not the other colors. Mine varied greatly, but then again they were all raised differently. They were all hatchery birds. I have had six pass through here thus far.

As chicks, they were all pretty wild acting for being a dumpy, bigger bird. They wanted to be outside all the time, and were really good foragers compared to the other standard chicks. I had five, and I gave three to my grandmother. The two I kept were very different; Thistle had the end segments missing from all the toes on one foot and had very dark, muddied lacing that was "poor quality". She had a small build and an aloof personality, but was not unkind. She layed light pinkish eggs regularly. Ynis was bright and cleanly laced with lots of fluff and a bigger build. She would have been show quality, and was kind and perceptive. I do not thin she layed many eggs. They were both very quiet and minded their own business, coming up to you when called but not appreciative of being picked up. I think they were smart. They free ranged every day they lived with me with good company on a diverse landscape. I still have them. At one point, they were stolen out of the yard and were gone for a few weeks, but I got them back, and Ynis has not laid since.

When he was five months old, one of the Wyandottes came back to me from my grandmother. She said he was too mean to the hens and was aggressive towards her. I later found out that she was far from kind to him. He lived in a ten by ten run with eight other chickens - two other cockerels and six pullets. They were never allowed out of the pen. Apparently alot of other people think that it is okay to to have that many chickens in a pen that size, but that is appallingly cruel to me. He was so happy to be allowed loose. He was a pretty gruff guy with the chickens and me, but he was just protective and meant well. He was killed by a fox while protecting his flock. His name was Gabriel.

At seven months of age, all of my grandmothers chickens came to me to be babysat over the Winter since she was moving and could not take them back until she had a pen built.There was only six pullets left, two of which were the Golden Laced Wyandottes I gave to her. They were both short, fluffy, and round as a kick ball. Both had dark, more brownish lacing and compact heads. I named one Growl because of her, well, nasty disposition. The other I named Loom because she followed her comrade in activities and example, following her like a shadow, looming. They were also overjoyed at being able to perch and free range as they wanted, and were some of the first to wait at the fence gate to be let out. They detested being picked up. Hated it. Roosters let those two well alone, as did most hens. Growl was hit by a car because she was eating a duck hen that had died on the road. Says a bit about her character. Loom improved in disposition after Growl's death, and became more social. Roosters never did like her, however. She was killed by a raccoon just this month.

The last Golden Laced Wyandotte was an old hen I intercepted being sent to auction last September along with a feisty Deleware hen, a flighty Wyandotte x Deleware hen, and a timid Blue Copper Marans cockerel. She came overmated, molting, and very afraid. You could not get within ten feet of her and the mutt hen without her screaming and smashing herself into a corner. The two of them wanted to sleep on the ground in a dog house they picked out far away from everyone else. I treated their bare backs and nursed them back to better health. By this Spring she had became part of the flock and free ranged and acted content. I am not sure how old she was, but she seemed to be old. She layed a brown, occasionally deformed egg every so often. She was killed by my mother's German Shepherd in late Spring, snapped right in half. I held her while she died, although normally she hated nothing more than being held. Th rest of the group she came with went to a nice, older family member who let them free range. The mutt and the cockerel are fine, but unfortunately the Deleware never came home from free ranging one day. She was old as well.

Overall, I prefer Golden Laced Wyandottes over many other larger breeds. I am more of a bantam fan, but I do not discriminate on breeds or genders when someone needs a home. They, like many other chickens, will "adapt" to confinement, but the ones I had gotten from others who kept them that way were noticeably different and took time and encouragement to act like chickens are supposed to.

 

[Free Feather]

I have never had a silkie get to laying age. I had a hatchery quality silkie pullet, and several show quality silkie chicks and a cockerel. The hatchery quality one, Soo Hoo, was dominant hen and let everyone know it. A trusted family member received her with some other pullets that did not get along with the rest of the flock. Soo Hoo loved to be held and liked people as much as she liked treats.

The show quality ones were slower, not very good flyers, and unbelievably sweet. I had awful luck with them. One drowned, another was pecked on the soft part of the head and died, and the rest were gruesomely killed by my puppy. The cockerel, Fiver, survived the first time the dog had a killing spree, a black cockerel. Mother got more chicks to keep him company, but they were all killed as well. He was the only silkie left in the flock, and he was ostracized and scorned by everyone else. He was lonely and sad. In the dead of winter, the puppy got loose again. She ripped out all of soft, beautiful fluff from his back and chewed his black skin to shreds. He had hid under the nesting box, so she chewed up what she could reach of him. I warmed him up and cried over him. I gave him electrolytes and salves, but the stress and cold fear was just too much for him. He died a couple days later. All his short life he HATED that dog, yet I would bring her out and show her the chickens daily. The dog never hurt them while I was there, just when she got loose. The silkies were really attractive to her to chase, and the same is the case with the German Shepherd. I imagine it is because they are slow and really fluffy. I know he loathed me as well, and I still feel sick to the stomach thinking of it to this day. He was seven months old, but did not crow. I do not think he had the heart to.

 

[XxMingirlxX]

I'm back from Turkey! (Well I have been back for a few days but I forgot to post about it lol).

It was a lovely place, very cheap and there was lots of culture and history. We visited ruins and found tortoises, we walked down huge gorges, we went to an amazing market where you have to haggle which was lots of fun. The pool was good and the weather was really good.

We stayed in a small villa about ten minute walk from a small village, to our suprise, the village also had an ex-pat community.

The most surprising thing was the amount of chickens - everyone seemed to have them. I saw Rhode Island Reds, White Leghorns, Black and Red Sexlinks, Buff Brahmas, an impressive light Brahma Rooster, a Silver Laced Wyandotte, mixed breeds, Australorps, Sebrights, the list goes on! I even saw a broodie leading around over ten chicks!

I was glad to be home though. Meg was very excited when we came home, she kept making adorable little squeals of joy, was running around and rolling onto her belly to be stroked. The cats were fine, although Purrer looked like he had stayed in the same place on the sofa the entire time we were away - lazy cat! We picked up the chickens the following day from their holiday home because we got home in the early hours of the morning because our taxi broke down! They were happy to be home and we gave them lots of treats.

I was planning to get two more hens in the next few days but bird flu means that that plan is out the window. I thinks that's all I have to say, I am trying to shortlist the chicken breeds list have to choose from without much avail.

 

[XxMingirlxX]

The restrictions are still in place but I have shortlisted what breeds I want. I have decided to do it in waves lol.

First wave : as soon as the ban is lifted, go over and get two pol hens, probably the chocolate Orpington and the Frizzle Buff laced polish. Speak to them about wave two.

Wave 2 : Rent incubator, hatch seven eggs - 4 Welsummer and 3 of something else. Try to sex the Welsummers, keep one girl and give the rest back. When you take them back, buy a day old female daisybelle chick.

Wave 3 : At some time in the future lol. Buy a POL Wheaten Marans and a Blue Laced Red Wyandotte.

I will finally have eggs lol

 

[XxMingirlxX]

"We have been notified by APHA that we fall within the 10km Survellance Zone from the outbreak of Avian Inflenza in Goosnargh. At the moment, we are not able to move any livestock onto or off the site. The restriction also applies to the sale of eggs. This effectively means for the time being we are unable to sell any hens, ducks, geese etc. This also applies to our Hennels service. Hens and ducks that are already boarding will have to stay on the site until we get approval from APHA. We have contacted a number of people who have booked hens into our hennels in the next two weeks, to allow them time to find alternative arrangements. If you have hens booked in with us, please ring to get an update.
At the moment, APHA have not provided a date when we will be able to resume normal business, but as soon as we find out, we will post it onto the website and facebook. The SHOP is open as usual for all supplies, feed, bedding, drinkers, feeders etc.
We apologise for any inconvenience and hope you appreciate this is outside of our control."
Just checked the website and saw this, it's from the place I was getting hens, it was just a precaution before, now its official.

 

[XxMingirlxX]

e e The ban lifts on the 16th! I have arranged to get a Gold Laced Frizzle Polish and a Wheaten Marans - both at around 18 weeks old. I'm soooo looking forward to more eggs and hens!

 

[XxMingirlxX]

I collected my Hens today, and was very tempted to get a Silkie but I resisted the chicken math! When I get some deworming stuff in a month or two I might get a silkie.

I love them! They are timid but that's to be expected, Babs doesn't mind them but Selma has always been at the bottom of the pecking order and I think she is relishing in finally being a dominant hen. It hasn't been more than a few pecks and wing flaps and the new girls seem to be settling in really well. They got a little upset when it started to get dark but they soon settled themselves on the perches.

They are both twenty weeks old and I have looked on the Wheaten Marans thread and they generally lay around the 28 week mark, Polish live by no-ones rules so I'm not sure when she'll lay but neither look ready to lay.

Photo Time : I couldn't get a great photo of the Wheaten Marans (Monica) but she is at the side in a couple of the photos.

 

[sophiaw00]

I've loved following along this story. So sorry for all of your losses.

 

[XxMingirlxX]

Thanks, I'm glad you enjoyed it.