NY chicken lover!!!!

[Henicillin]

County Boy, you have gorgeous birds.

 

[In His Service]

County Boy, you have gorgeous birds.

x2

Just got my first egg from the one hen I kept from the Mother's Day hatch. Yippee! Maybe the drought is about to be over!!

 

[Gramma Chick]

Country Boy , Beautiful Birds ...are these all bantams ? My favorite picture is the Roo To Roo one ..do I see them giving stink eye ? LOL

 

[rancher hicks]

My two wooden runs are 6x8 front and 5x8 on the back. Nice slope for snow removal and rain run off. All are in panels bolted together for easy removal if I need to add another 8 feet. I have a mini van.

The cattle panels can be rolled up. I have a friend who lives nearby and her husband has a truck. I bribe her sort of. I give her chicks and jelly.

Check to see if someone who works there drives by your place on the way home. You never know and it can't hurt to ask. Perhaps they aren't to far from you and you could trade some eggs for the delivery.

 

[pharmchickrnmom]

Morning all! Another beautiful day on tap and I have to work. Let the cheeps out yesterday for freerange time. Silkies first, then the hooligans and hens. I stayed out with everyone and made sure no free lunch was had. The falcon flew over for a look see but that was it. I had been trying to catch Hane, my rir roo, for a couple of days with the net to no avail. I think he got the message though as now both he and Olaf give me a wide berth when I walk around in and out of their coop.

My big girls are still molting and not laying. The terrorist coop has slowed down some, only a dozen or a little more each day. I dont supplement light so it is expected. I cooked a turkey yesterday so they will be getting some goodies today. I froze the carcass for later, when it is cold and snowy and they need something to do and a protein boost.

Trying to decide when to hatch out replacements for the big girls. They are almost two and a half years old now. They were my first ones but now I need to have layers who are consistant (and who pay for their feed!).

Boy---Very nice pics of your cheeps! Wish I could take some nice ones. Your roos are gorgeous.

Have a nice day everyone!

 

[ChickPrincess]

Is it normal for them NOT to have molted by now? I have 39 chickens, and not one shows any signs of molting. They are still laying as many eggs as they did all season (not that I'm complaining). Everyone else seems to be talking about molts and lack of eggs. This is my first fall/winter with chickens, so I'm not really sure what to expect.
Finally, since we added the second room to their coop (because we added 18 birds), I re-made their lay boxes and some of their roosts. I have it laid out just perfect where the lay boxes don't take away any roosting space and there's plenty of sleeping space for everyone. Well, before I did this, their FAVORITE spot to lay eggs was on top of a half bale of straw in a corner. I would find 10 eggs there on many days and none in their boxes. I had to take it down because that spot is now bagged scratch and DE. This morning, you would think they lost their best friend. I've never seen so much carrying on and sad songs. They go back and forth from the old spot, to the new boxes, back to the old spot, back to the new boxes, talking and sad singing the whole time. I'm waiting to see where they lay their eggs today! lol I'm also waiting to have an egg thrown at me when I go check.

 

[marquisella]

Birds don't go through a full molt until they are a year old or more. If your chickens are under a year old, they won't molt till next year.

 

[ChickPrincess]

Birds don't go through a full molt until they are a year old or more. If your chickens are under a year old, they won't molt till next year.

That explains it! They are 7-8 months old. Thank you!

 

[Framac]

I definitely expect to start hatching in a couple of months. I like to start early. I expect to start with Dels, then Br's and then Lav orps and the BM's and then EE's. I plan to separate my Oldest Del roo Nick, and three original hens. I've got one hen lays a nice X large egg. I'll work with her.

I'll be running a full incu each time.

I also Plan to start hatching in a few months. Probably in January, and depending on who is laying, I hope to set an incubator. My goal for this year tis to hatch out 50 Jersey giants for my own flock, and cull down to 5 or 6. I will also be setting Lav Orps, Lav Amers, and blue/black orps. Maybe Wheaten Marans if I get chicks soon and they lay by June.

I try to keep 2 hens from each hatch, that way I always have something laying.

Framac

 

[featherz]

Some birds do molt at 7-9 months of age. I had a few of my January birds go through a molt already about a month or two ago. It's not a FULL molt tho, at least not with mine. They just look scraggly for a while, then back to normal.