North Carolina

[Hollowoakfarm]

You folks need to quit stealing germs from the kiddos! Makes me glad mine are grown and gone!

Glad the big storm mostly skipped over us. I had a drizzly afternoon, which was just enough to keep me from doing fence work that needs doing. But I did manage to get in some feed and the new chicken wire I needed. I'm putting a two-foot overlay on the field fence, as the pullets can easily walk through the regular fencing. I'll use 2 x 4 woven wire on one section where the fox family is coming through. I'll wait and see if they take the trouble to tear up the chicken wire before I go to the expense of re-doing the whole fence with 2 x 4.

I now have the Welsummers separated, and they are beginning to pick up laying. In three weeks I'll start testing fertility on the eggs. I've also got two breeding pens of the Golden Cuckoo Marans started, with the rest of the girls in with another rooster. I'll get a lot of test crosses done this summer. I sorted the BBS English Orpingtons out into a pen, too...and realized that I really don't want to sell them all! They are so gorgeous, and I have some really good bloodlines out there. I would hate myself if I gave them up. But I can't keep a rooster in the general layer pen, as they are toooooo big for most of the girls there, so I'll just have to keep a flock of BBS!

I'm still looking for good Blue Wheaten Ameraucanas, if anyone knows of anyone who breeds them and ships chicks. Chicks are preferred, with hatching eggs being a far second. I've had little luck with shipped eggs.

THINK SPRING!!!!

 

[JayDubYa]

Sorry ya'all are stealing germs from the wee ones! Try to relax and get better.

Thank you for the advice on LGD, I kinda thought a "herd" dog was the wrong way to go. I will just try to help her fid homes for them instead! And I will find my own LGD.

We had decent weather yesterday, we put in some posts for our new livestock area. I am getting fainting goats in March, and I wanted to take the chickens and ducks out of our back yard, but I wanted a new fenced in area for all of them.

And to echo Hollow Oak's sentiment...THINK SPRING!!!!

Janelle

 

[crazyhen]

SNOW! they didn't tell us it was coming here. Just a light covering but enough to make the roads bad this morning. I had a diabetic class to go to but did not attend. I'll catch the next one.
My chickens have gone out but come back fairly quick to the covered part of the run. I like snow occ. but they don't.

I have a good wood heater to add to my electric heat so I am set inside for a warm snuggle day. The salt truck went by but its still to early, unless I had to to get on the roads.
I'd be careful ordering from the west coast because of the disease threat right now. I would not want our chickens getting sick and flocks being eradicated. I think local or at least east of the Mississippi would be ok for now. That bug is dangerous.
Those that have this crud going around good luck and hope you feel better soon. It takes about 4 days of feeling terrible and then 4 or 5 weeks of a persistant cough to over the stuff. Yuck!!

I just finished it and yes I got from my Grand daughter .

 

[Regin]

Spring IS just around the corner. YAY!

 

[cwhittington]

Alan, the coop is coming along nicely! Thanks for the play by play!

I have a completely new setup this year, and I'm brainstorming how to handle broodies this year. I don't currently have a way to separate them, so I'm going to need to build something before spring. I know I have three that have the broody bug every year, usually around the same time. Share pics if you guys have setups that you like!

 

[FVRM]

Ive been getting some eggs from almost all of my flock except for the faverolles, 1 or 2 marans, the ameraucauna and my old orpington. Well I think she may have laid an egg a few days ago, it was light brown and huge. The favs lay a pink egg so i don't think it was them yet and she is the only brown egg layer in the flock.

the giant brown egg


the rest



a giant blue egg laid by an EE

 

[BHep]

You folks need to quit stealing germs from the kiddos! Makes me glad mine are grown and gone!

Glad the big storm mostly skipped over us. I had a drizzly afternoon, which was just enough to keep me from doing fence work that needs doing. But I did manage to get in some feed and the new chicken wire I needed. I'm putting a two-foot overlay on the field fence, as the pullets can easily walk through the regular fencing. I'll use 2 x 4 woven wire on one section where the fox family is coming through. I'll wait and see if they take the trouble to tear up the chicken wire before I go to the expense of re-doing the whole fence with 2 x 4.

I now have the Welsummers separated, and they are beginning to pick up laying. In three weeks I'll start testing fertility on the eggs. I've also got two breeding pens of the Golden Cuckoo Marans started, with the rest of the girls in with another rooster. I'll get a lot of test crosses done this summer. I sorted the BBS English Orpingtons out into a pen, too...and realized that I really don't want to sell them all! They are so gorgeous, and I have some really good bloodlines out there. I would hate myself if I gave them up. But I can't keep a rooster in the general layer pen, as they are toooooo big for most of the girls there, so I'll just have to keep a flock of BBS!

I'm still looking for good Blue Wheaten Ameraucanas, if anyone knows of anyone who breeds them and ships chicks. Chicks are preferred, with hatching eggs being a far second. I've had little luck with shipped eggs.

THINK SPRING!!!!

Have you tried Laurabell Farms ? I thought she had some.

 

[Hollowoakfarm]

I did. She was going to send me some, but it kept falling through. Several times. And then she quit responding.

 

[Tikkijane]

Besides for the ayam cemanies, there is the silkie and the svart hona "swedish black hen", and I think other types of cemanies relatives. 

Silkies aren't solid black- to breed standard, combs are mulberry and skin is dark navy. Beak should be a variety of blue {slate, leaden), as sre the earlobes.

Cemanis and the svart honas are apparently cousins. The cemanis are interesting, though. That's the laughing rooster breed. :lol

 

[BHep]

I did. She was going to send me some, but it kept falling through. Several times. And then she quit responding.