Nevadans?

[aubreynoramarie]

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Hmmmm, that does not look like quarantine...............

Sorry - tell me to mind my own beezwax.

Poor birdie - reminds me of a parrot we owned - Cookie. She had a horrible past before we got her and plucked herself bald - every place she could reach. So all Cookie had was a helmet head of feathers.


So is it a she? and a cochin? I woujld think frazzle also - time to start knitting

It's funny you should mention quarantine. I brought her home, made her a pen, plopped her in it, took pictures, then realized I forgot about quarentine. I have her in a box now but I think I am going to put her on the side of the house tomorrow. It's shady and the girls can be blocked off from it. After my last scare I realized how uncommon those kinds of things are, but how scary they can be too.

I think it's a frazzle Cochin but her head is really wide and she really heavy so idk. Despite her fear of people she is really charming. We named her rue Paul hahaa. Can you imagine what will happen when Petey mates with her?!?

There was another like her in her pen that the lady would not let me have. The lady had very pretty birds and a very handsome pot-bellied pig, and seemed concerned about this chicken but not the other. I don't know why. Her standard birds were really gorgeous too. Lucky very healthy looking!

 

[aubreynoramarie]

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I have no clue. The lady Said she was really badly hen-pecked but she's gotta be a frazzle. She said she got her last winter so hopefully if she survived one...

Wow! I think my chickens would peck at that one too! Perhaps it needs more vitamins?

I think my chooks will not mind her. They're used to weird looking birds!

 

[chicharomirinda]

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Personally - I am a Heritage Orpington lover. Currently am hatching blue orp chicks (ok, not me personally hatching - I have broodies doing that

) I also have some EE (easter eggers) - who lay blueish/greenish eggs. Then I have my bantams - cochins - both in Silver Laced and Mille Fleur.

Orpingtons are definitely on my list. so great that you raise them. they are so pretty. Other breeds i'm interested in so far are black astralorp, barred plymoth rock, wyandotte, rhode island red, maybe some EE. i figure i'll start with a few different breeds and see what I end up liking most.

I was thinking about getting started with chicks next spring but now my husband has gotten excited about chickens too and wants to get chicks next month. Put me in a panic since I'm still working on painting our house (exterior). i'm not sure it will be feasible or practical but we'll see. I'm not sure if fall is a very good time to get chicks. Anyway i've been staying up late looking at coop designs on BYC. I am the DIY person in the family but my husband will help out on the coop build with muscle and he's good at sawing and hammering. He just has no design/planning skills. I did find some info on building regs for washoe county. the coop and run need to be at least 5 feet away from the property lines on any side and height less than 12 feet. fence has to be 6 feet or less. So i have to plan out the run a bit differently due to the 5 feet rule.

i can see how addicting chickens are and I don't even have any yet. I've already invested a bunch of hours here on BYC.
Elizabeth

 

[sherylreno]

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Personally - I am a Heritage Orpington lover. Currently am hatching blue orp chicks (ok, not me personally hatching - I have broodies doing that

) I also have some EE (easter eggers) - who lay blueish/greenish eggs. Then I have my bantams - cochins - both in Silver Laced and Mille Fleur.

Orpingtons are definitely on my list. so great that you raise them. they are so pretty. Other breeds i'm interested in so far are black astralorp, barred plymoth rock, wyandotte, rhode island red, maybe some EE. i figure i'll start with a few different breeds and see what I end up liking most.

I was thinking about getting started with chicks next spring but now my husband has gotten excited about chickens too and wants to get chicks next month. Put me in a panic since I'm still working on painting our house (exterior). i'm not sure it will be feasible or practical but we'll see. I'm not sure if fall is a very good time to get chicks. Anyway i've been staying up late looking at coop designs on BYC. I am the DIY person in the family but my husband will help out on the coop build with muscle and he's good at sawing and hammering. He just has no design/planning skills. I did find some info on building regs for washoe county. the coop and run need to be at least 5 feet away from the property lines on any side and height less than 12 feet. fence has to be 6 feet or less. So i have to plan out the run a bit differently due to the 5 feet rule.

i can see how addicting chickens are and I don't even have any yet. I've already invested a bunch of hours here on BYC.
Elizabeth

I love most of the breeds you mentioned except for the RIR, they can be aggressive and I don't like that. I have 3 wyandottes, 2 barred plymouth rocks and the ladies I got from Sunny - Cuckoo Marans, Lavender Orpington and EE Orpington. I don't have too many issues except when it comes with certain treats and the Lavender Orpington wants them all to herself and won't let anyone have any but hey there's a pecking order in place. LOL

 

[SunnyDawn]

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I actually love to start chicks in the summer or early fall! I just keep them in the brooder (in the garage) a bit longer so they have a chance to completely feather out before they go in the outside coop. My coop has a grow-out brooder section that has 2 lights installed, for warmth, during those really cold nights (although everything I've read says they are fine in the coop once they've feathered out. I just worry about them til they have fattened up a bit). That way you have eggs coming from them by spring or shortly thereafter, depending on when you started them.
I do get chicks in spring too but it can be a bummer to wait all spring and summer for eggs just to have them moult and then stop laying for the winter.

Thank you for the info on the coop requirements. It's been years since I talked to the county and we will be moving soon and building a new coop. I love all the breeds you mentioned and think that's a great starting flock. You will get a good idea of what you do and don't like. BTW, I've always had Rhode Island Reds and never had a problem with aggression but I have heard the roos can be difficult sometimes. They are awesome layers! My dominants have always been other breeds.

It tickled me to read that you are the building designer in the family. My DH is always ready to tackle a new job but I have to be there to give instructions as he cannot design anything by himself. He's a love but even he'll admit that is not his strong suit. But between the two of us we have built some awesome stuff and rehabed our homes completely as well.

Sheryl that orp you got from me is a Blue Orpington. She came from Genny. The lavender orps are a much lighter silver/grey color. I love Genny's blue orps. The darker colors on the edges of the feathers are so pretty and the darker hackles add so much. Great birds!

 

[chicharomirinda]

Thanks for the good info Sunny and Sheryl. good to hear that late summer/early fall isn't a bad time to get chicks. Cuckoo Maran seems cool, too, with the dark brown eggs. so many neat breeds. I was thinking about having a section in the coop that i could use for brooding/growing out--maybe with a removable divider for when I don't need it.

Elizabeth

 

[Eglyntine]

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Yes they are but the Gold-Laced are right behind them in the race for feathers. The last two times I have got chicks they feathered out pretty fast. They are also the more dominant of all of the chicks and the most friendly. Every time I go out to check on them the RCR's are the first ones at the door to greet me and want to play. I know how you feel about not wanting to get attached before you find out the sex but it is so hard to do with these RCR's because they are so friendly and outspoken. Give'em love and if they turn out to be roos just make sure they are going to a happy home.

 

[Eglyntine]

Quote:
Personally - I am a Heritage Orpington lover. Currently am hatching blue orp chicks (ok, not me personally hatching - I have broodies doing that

) I also have some EE (easter eggers) - who lay blueish/greenish eggs. Then I have my bantams - cochins - both in Silver Laced and Mille Fleur.

Orpingtons are definitely on my list. so great that you raise them. they are so pretty. Other breeds i'm interested in so far are black astralorp, barred plymoth rock, wyandotte, rhode island red, maybe some EE. i figure i'll start with a few different breeds and see what I end up liking most.

I was thinking about getting started with chicks next spring but now my husband has gotten excited about chickens too and wants to get chicks next month. Put me in a panic since I'm still working on painting our house (exterior). i'm not sure it will be feasible or practical but we'll see. I'm not sure if fall is a very good time to get chicks. Anyway i've been staying up late looking at coop designs on BYC. I am the DIY person in the family but my husband will help out on the coop build with muscle and he's good at sawing and hammering. He just has no design/planning skills. I did find some info on building regs for washoe county. the coop and run need to be at least 5 feet away from the property lines on any side and height less than 12 feet. fence has to be 6 feet or less. So i have to plan out the run a bit differently due to the 5 feet rule.

i can see how addicting chickens are and I don't even have any yet. I've already invested a bunch of hours here on BYC.

Elizabeth

Hi and Welcome!!!

The majority of my chickens are Australorps (Black & now White as of Monday), Wyandottes (Gold-laced and Silver Laced), Orpingtons (Buff for now I am trying to sweet talk some of the English Orpington ppl I know to part with a few of their Gold Laced and Lemon Cuckoo for less than $300/pair) and then I have a hodge podge of Black Stars, Cuckoo Marans, and Large Fowl Polish. If you want eggs and meat the Australorps, Wyandottes and Orpingtons are a good hearty winter and summer bird with a variety of colours. They lay like nobody's business. (Australorps still hold the record for laying 364 days a year.) All of these breeds are super sweet birds and the only problems with aggressiveness I have had is when I added 5 RIR roosters to the mix that came as packing peanuts. NEVER AGAIN will a RIR rooster live past 12 weeks old in my coop. heh

Anyway, if you wanted to pick up a group of Australorps and/or Orpingtons, Ideal Poultry has them available for ordering now and in September/October Gold-Laced and Silver-Laced Wyandottes will be available. They are a great hatchery and do not charge much for the hens and they do not gouge you on shipping either. I have never had a bad experience with them or the birds I got from them. By next Spring I will hopefully have my new separated coop and will be able to hatch out my own of these breeds for selling but that is a ways off.

Good luck with whatever you choose to do. Once you got chicken, you never go back.

 

[SunnyDawn]

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Thats what I do!

I have an area where I just remove the wire and fold it back. That way they can wander all around when babies aren't in there.

With the next coop I plan on building a complete panel that can be removed in one piece. That will make it easier to convert back and forth.
I love the marans! I started with the cuckoos and they gave me such beautiful eggs that I got some French Black Copper Marans (FBCMs) next and they lay an even darker egg. I am so hooked on the FBCMs now! I have 2 dozen FBCM eggs in the bator now and have another couple dozen coming. I got them from Adamson Acres. She has gorgeous FBCMs!

Hi Nikki! How are you feeling?

 

[chicharomirinda]

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I've heard that about RIR from two of you now. Good to know. I have small children and wouldn't like having aggressive chickens around. thanks for the info about ideal poutry too.

Elizabeth