North Carolina

[Hollowoakfarm]

I'm one that keeps pure Blue/Black/Splash Ameraucanas...and Easter Eggers. And really, I must admit I keep the purebreds as a source stock to make EEs from! I like EEs. I was working on crossing mine with my Gorgeous Silver Sussex rooster...until Something killed Sterling and brought that project to a screeching halt. This weekend I'll be doing some rearranging, and putting all my Ameraucana girls and all my EEs under Golden Cuckoo Marans to create some interesting looking olive eggers. EEs are the most fun to play with! Later this summer I'll cross some into my Welsummers, too. Olive eggs. I want more olive eggs! I did make a huge mistake last year and decided to stick to EEs and stop breeding Ameraucanas...and sold off all my roosters. Then I realized I'd want the source stock. So I've found a breeder with a different bloodline than mine and am getting more straight run chicks later next month to grow out a couple roos from. In the meantime, those girls can make EEs for me!

 

[Coop Scoop Boogie]

Good morning folks

All this talk of EE vs Ameraucana....I have both but do prefer
the EEs. They are nice birds and do a good job as a duel
purpose bird. Keep in mind though........any cross bred bird
that lays a colored egg is considered an EE so they may
not have the traits you think an EE should have. A seller can
and will tell you anything to sell that bird.......just about every
Marans I look at is proclaimed to be Bev Davis lines or Jean
Wade lines even if they aren't. Know the breed characteristics
of what you are looking for and if nothing else.....just enjoy
the bird as a bird

hope everyone has a good day

 

[skitzkle]

He all, just wanted to give a shout out to Jeremy over at Fayetteville Poultry. We picked up 2 Cinnamon Queens, 1 GL Wyandotte, 1 Barnvelder and 1 Buff Orpington on SUN. He was super easy to work with and gave us lots of useful advice. I would highly recommend him for you chick needs.

Now, we watch them grow and finish up their coop!!

Jeremy You have Barnvelder's!!!!! I want them so bad. I have a friend traveling to see you in couple months. I will have to check the dates with her, but if you have them then I definitely want 2 barnvelder pullets!

 

[daphneysmamma]

i just googled the barnvelder bc i have never seen one.. gorgeous ! i love the markings on the feathers..cool

 

[greenchickenman]

Jeremy You have Barnvelder's!!!!! I want them so bad. I have a friend traveling to see you in couple months. I will have to check the dates with her, but if you have them then I definitely want 2 barnvelder pullets!

I have some right now. They are new to me, I have pics on the website of a full grown one. Pretty birds, I had a customer call me and ask if I could get them. Took me a while to find a reliable breeder but I have one now. They are harder for me to get so I will probably have one more hatch this year, maybe two.

 

[dutchbunny83]

Penny laid her first egg!!! In my smallest nest box too, I don't know how she got in there! I'm pretty sure it's fertile as my tom has been a busy boy! What do you do to keep an egg ready to incubate??? Never had my own before.





Now for a duck question-- they are 6 weeks old and HUGE (they should be on flock raiser, right? It's making them grow like meat birds) They have their tail feathers, but none have the drake curly feathers yet. There is one though that is very clearly holding down certain others and having his way with them while they scream in horror. Is it safe to assume that he is a boy and the ones he is having his way with are my girls? Or can they not tell yet either and he's just taking what he can get? I've never had ducks before, but if I had a better idea what they were I could choose which we're keeping. Also, at what age can you process Pekins? Mine are 6 weeks and the size of a chicken! The Swedish and Buffs are smaller.

 

[McCaskill]

Candled my first ever hatching eggs today and out of the 20 it looks like only 3 may be dead i put them back in and will check again next week hopefully i will see more growth

 

[greenchickenman]

Penny laid her first egg!!! In my smallest nest box too, I don't know how she got in there! I'm pretty sure it's fertile as my tom has been a busy boy! What do you do to keep an egg ready to incubate??? Never had my own before.





Now for a duck question-- they are 6 weeks old and HUGE (they should be on flock raiser, right? It's making them grow like meat birds) They have their tail feathers, but none have the drake curly feathers yet. There is one though that is very clearly holding down certain others and having his way with them while they scream in horror. Is it safe to assume that he is a boy and the ones he is having his way with are my girls? Or can they not tell yet either and he's just taking what he can get? I've never had ducks before, but if I had a better idea what they were I could choose which we're keeping. Also, at what age can you process Pekins? Mine are 6 weeks and the size of a chicken! The Swedish and Buffs are smaller.

I know with chicken eggs they have to be kept at 55 to 65 degrees to stay dormant. I think most people will advise you to rotate them also, like if they were in the bator. I dont know alot about ducks but I would say it should be similar to chickens eggs as that goes. Cant help with the rest of your questions...

 

[Coop Scoop Boogie]

Good morning folks

Going to a cooler day than what it was earlier this week
but somehow that is okay since I can see signs of spring
and new growth and flowers. That makes it easier to " grin
and bear it".

hope everyone has a good day

 

[Hollowoakfarm]

So...what do you look for to tell you that spring is truly here? We see buds starting, new growth here and there...and they can all be killed back by another freeze. What do you consider a real sign of spring? I have two...tent caterpillars and red-winged blackbirds, although I think the caterpillars are earlier than the blackbirds! When the plants start budding, I start watching for those distinctive tents in the trees as I drive to work each day.

Tent caterpillars. They know.