Nevadans?

[vegaschick]

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So fun! Great job. I gotta say that the SLCochins made the whole thing for me. They look so funny running around with those feathery legs. Love the pecking at the camera and the whispered.."get off me." I had the same problem when I was trying to get some saddles on a few of my girls last week, one pullet kept jumping onto my shoulder. I felt like a pirate. Sheeesh!!! Oh, also love the black orp. You can see the very English plushness, the fluffy-puffiness of it. Sweet. Now I got some questions. Is that a Blue Copper Marans? Is the white bearded one an Ameraucana or an EE? I gotta ask cuz the pirate-y pullet I mentioned before is a pure white EE. Okay...just gotta say...so jealous of the blue hen (Marans or Cochin?) and the Black Am...and the BlCM, if that's what it is. You have a beautiful flock of birds.

 

[HorseFeatherz NV]

vegaschick - The SL Cochins are so very friendly. They are the ones who I am asking to get off of me, plus they are the talkers

One of them loves to sit on my shoulder also - she will fly-walk up my back to get there. What they lack in APA standard, they make up for with love.

Is this the girl who you think is the BlCM? If so, she is actually an Orpington (splash)/Delaware cross. She is rumpless, and I acually have an older sister of hers who is rumpless also. I also have four more sisters who have rumps.

The white bearded is frm APA Ameraucana stock, but is considered EE due to his color not being APA. I am going to use him to make EEs with my Orps. The back Ams are now with Sunny

as I am going to focus more on Orps. (I have an order of chicks coming from another orp breeder who has imported more English stock) I just love the huge fluffy-ness and their soft personalities (feathered valium).





Sunny - Dinner was so very good, thank you and your loving DH.

 

[Jeeper1540]

Thanks! I can probably pick some up at my IFA store this spring, but that nice of you!

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[vegaschick]

HorseFeatherz NV - That was the pretty blue hen I mentioned (I thought maybe a Marans or Cochin so OrpXDel sounds right,lol!) but actually the BlCM I was asking about was a roo...? Looked like copper and blue feathers there. I love the orps (especially the Eng. variety) but they don't love the heat down here. I have one old girl (4 yrs) and I just feel guilty when I see her panting, not like the rest of them aren't panting too, it's just that she's so darn fluffy. That's gotta be extra hot!

Jeeper1540 - That works too. Yeah, I bought a bunch from a feed store also, but I'm finding that I like the greater color/patterning variation (in feathering) that I get from "homemade" or local ones. The day olds all look remarkable similar when feathered out which is not what I'm personally looking for. There is a very high percentage of the gold and brown ones. Plus, the green egg is not a given from feed stores. I have had 3 that lay otherwise...cream, light brown and a rosy-pinkish brown. I'm waiting to see what the new batch of feedstore "Ameraucanas/Araucanas = /EE's" will lay. Given the 'normal' waiting time for EE's I hope to find out by Christmas. *sigh* On a brighter note...at least through a feedstore you have a better chance of getting just pullets!

That's why I did it.

 

[shanyalv]

VegasChick - I am actually going to be cutting down some of the palms in that corner. My gardener is going to be coming by sometime next week to cut them down so that I can put my craigslist wooden playhouse in that corner for the coop.
I got my chicks from a lady off of Pebble, shes always listing things and I think shes actually clearing out lots of her chicks right now.
Two others I got from a lady who had them as pets but could not keep them. They are the two larger ones.

I figured that whatever I did I had to make it look nice as well. I studied arch landscaping in college and I couldn't bear to just throw something in the yard so I had to try to make it look "pretty".

I figure if I can't wrangle up a bator in the next day here I will just go and buy one from one of the feed stores in town. This is all so new to me and I honestly did not figure that the eggs would actually do anything and lo and behold I have them moving around like crazy in the eggs. I would hate to lose them and I don't know anyone with broody hens to have sit on the eggs.

 

[HorseFeatherz NV]

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Oops - ok now I know who you mean. That cockerel is an Orp/Barred rock cross. He is huge.

He does have the blue barring with gold leakage. As far as the heat, lots of shade and water is what I try to give them. I add water to their dry feed (make it soup) and it helps keep them hydrated - plus they really seem to love it.


shanyalv - If you have not yet, try moving your 'bator into a small windowless room - like an interior closet - this is where I keep mine. Helps cut down on temp flux - since the smaller room changes temp more slowly.

 

[Jeeper1540]

All my chickens or ducks i have bought at this feed store. my neighbors, who also have chickens, have all Easter Eggers. they all lay green eggs, and they bought them at one of the feed stores, but maybe that was a lucky year.

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[Eglyntine]

Our chicken coop is going to be raised as well. I thought it would add more room to the run plus I am cutting out a section under the nests inside and covering it with chicken wire to make cleaning easier. I will be able to put a bin under the house and then from the inside just push the crap over the chicken wire and it will fall through the floor into the bin outside and keep the hay/straw inside, no filtering necessary

The plywood section that I cut out will have hinges on it so that I can close it over the chicken wired section when I am not cleaning. A little hard to describe but when I am done I will take pictures.

We are also doing the nest boxes where they are accessible from the outside too so even though it is 8X8 it will have that foot over hang where the nesting boxes are. I am glad to see others have the raised coop as well. I think it makes it so much more sanitary in the run if you can get under the coop to clean it out. Nothing can really hide under there. We get a lot of stray cats in the area and you do not know how many times I hear of them getting stuck under sheds and houses. I definitely do not want a cat getting under the coop and dying. That is just a smell during the summers around here that you do not want around your house.


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Of course I mean more than just Reno, I know NV is a big state but it has always felt like a small town community. Even in Vegas, it's huge but everyone seems to know what is going on with everyone else just like most small towns.

I LOVE all of the pictures and videos of everyone's chickens! They are so beautiful. I love those SLC too. Growing up most of our cochins were docile, sweet birds except this one Black Cochin rooster we had, he was the devil in disguise. Very mean but he was my Dad's pride and joy rooster.

You all got me wanting more chickens again but I cannot get what I want until Spring *sob*. Oh some of the new girls have finally started laying. Both of the Leghorns and someone else (I am thinking it is one of the Black Stars cause she is always in the nests when I go out now) because I am getting 10 eggs a day now.

I started giving the girls Oyster shells about 2 weeks ago now and it is some funny stuff to watch. We had two hens, one Barred Rock and one Ameracauna hen that was eating at least an egg a day. Just breaking open the shell and starting a feeding frenzy. Now, after the oyster shells, the egg shells are so hard they cannot get into them but watching them try is hilarious. The Barred Rock gets so angry you think her head is gonna pop off. *LOL*

I guess it is one of those "Have to see it for it to be funny". Maybe I can catch her in the act with the video camera. Thank God for Oyster shells though, that is one more egg I get to keep a day.

 

[SunnyDawn]

WOW! Take a few days off and... I had a heck of a job catching up!

Welcome to the Nevada thread Jeeper1540! I have added you to the list on the first page. Great to see more Elko folks here.


Genny I'm glad you enjoyed it! The Ams have settled right in! They are still separate from the others but they can see each other. I will wait a few days and then let them mingle. I hope the two roos get along!

The 3 broody gals are all settled on the eggs you gave me. I checked them this morning and they were guarding them with everything they had!

I forgot to ask you how far along these eggs are. Should I candle them? I was thinking of candling them tonight and then I could divvy up the good ones between the gals. They are soooo happy to each have so many eggs under them that aren't being taken away each day! You were very generous!!! I will be sure to save you some fertile Ameraucana eggs on a regular basis to repay you for your generosity!

Also love the videos! Now you'll have to teach me how to do that.

Vegaschick is that a silver Ameraucana gal on that palm stump? She is a beauty! How do you like the silvers? I'm planning on getting some in spring since my only silver girl didn't make it this season. I've been hearing mixed reviews on this breed.


Eglyntine, I have the same thing on my coop.

I call them "poop chutes". I use the deep litter method so I also have a frame around them to keep the litter off of the hatches.

As far as OT goes, the rules state to stay on topic out of respect for the OP. Since the topic I stated in the first post was that I wanted to hear from other Nevada folks, I think we have always stayed on topic, no matter what we've discussed.

I was a little nervous about the football discussion because I know how easily some folks get their feelings hurt when someone doesn't like their team. I was wrong though!!! You all were able to enjoy talking about your favorites without putting anyone else's team down (except in jest, which I got a kick out of). I appreciate that and want to apologize for doubting that so many folks could talk football and not get irate.

As for recipes... I love to hear what other folks are making and LOVE it when you share recipes for your specialties!!! So post away!

I know if someone else is bored they will just skip that post and respond to what interests them. The only thing I ask is that you also post your recipes here as well... https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=125568 These 2 BYC gals work really hard to keep all the fantastic recipes we post here organized so that they are easy to find. It is an awesome thread and I go here a lot for ideas when I'm cooking. I also love this one for baking... https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=261075&p=1

BTW, LOVE all the pics everybody! More please?!! For you new folks that don't know me, I am a total pic hound. I love seeing pics of your chickens, your coops, runs, incubators, brooders etc. I shamelessly borrow ideas from all your projects so please post your pics! I have a few I need to post as well so I guess I should get busy on those.

So happy to see new folks on here! I love our little Nevada chicken community that we have going here! You folks are awesome!

There were so many posts that I didn't read them all in detail. So if I didn't respond to something you aimed at me just let me know. I am having surgery soon so life is a little busy right now but I will be on whenever I get a chance. Don't ask me to dwell on boring health issues but I do appreciate all the good wishes from everyone. Thank you. Please let me know if I missed any new folks! I think I updated the first post completely...

 

[aubreynoramarie]

hey guys, do you ever let your girls on your lawn? if so how often and what affect does it have on the grass? we just layed sod tonight and my ladies are drooling at the beaks staring at it..