NY chicken lover!!!!

[Sally8]

I did have silkies once and I think they make their own heat. I swear I saw an eerie green glow coming from the coop. Gave me the willies good and proper.

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OH NO!!! I've seen that glow coming from the Silkie coop. Every one of my Silkie's are mixes; 2 are Sizzles, 1 doesn't lay eggs or crow, 1 looks and walks like a duck and 1 looks a lot like a loofah sponge. The 3 little ones are up in the air. Can't come up with a good reason why I even have them unless it's because every time I step in their run most of them squat. Makes me feel a little superior.

 

[LuvMyChicks1491]

Do you have a photo of the chicken who lays these? I have a girl laying an egg just like these and I don't know who it is!

Edit note:

Scratch that. Remember a few pages back I asked if my Barred Rock hen looked like a Roo because her pattern seemed different than her sisters? Looks like she could be a Cuckoo Maran. I also have some EE cross girls that looks like Blues.

My Blue Maran and my rooster


My Black Copper Maran

Blue Wheaton Maran
These pics were from this summer. All 3 are laying. The little Blue was the one that I was having trouble with the soft eggs, but she is finially straightened out.

 

[Sally8]

This is completely off topic but I figured you folks would be the best to ask since most live in areas like myself or even own one of what I'm looking for....But I am looking for an ATV that is more kid friendly than adult. Something that is like around 80cc or a little bit bigger but doesn't not go too fast. I'd like to find one for my son for Christmas and the only places I've been able to find this size is online. Doesn't anyone in the Syracuse area know of a dealership that sells the models for kids? I'd really like to get him something he can use in the yard and because there really isn't a place to ride bikes around here I thought it would be neat to look into a smaller ATV for him to use and eventually my daughter as well. For those that own an adult size ATV, do the dealerships generally carry smaller ones for kids or no? I just hate to make a purchase like this online and have something go wrong. Any help would be greatly appreciated - feel free to PM me as I know this is really off topic...

This isn't for sale but I'd like to add an experience. My grandson is 6 and my son bought this for him over a year ago. It's 125cc and sits a little high in the air making it "tipsy". His very first voyage he completely flipped it over on himself. Only a grass burn on his elbow. I couldn't really step far enough away tonight to show how high it is. You can see the springs on the front. Have you checked Craigslist? This one came from someone my son worked with. (BTW, tonight when I was taking these pic, I saw where it said 14+ up in age. I think it's way too big for him but he has a lot of supervised fun.

 

[Gramma Chick]

Movement. Sorry smartphone thought i was done.

Congrats on the developing ...Where you going to put them if they all hatch ? It is freezing out there .
A too Smart Smart Phone ? LOL I do hate that when it corrects you & you dont want it to

 

[Gramma Chick]

Quote:
I think you will get some Eggs once they are on layer for a bit ..I was surprised you put them on grower ....with no extra calcium ....when you want eggs

I will be trying the New Layer I got from Barski Brothers Farm Supply, in a few weeks ..
will let everyone know how it goes ...( if they lay more or less ) Right now my 8 hens lay 4-6 eggs a day ...with no extra light...The light change didnt effect them at all ..about what they laid in the summer
Quote:

 

[Metella]

I don't fuss much with special foods or particular ratios of things .... when they are peeps - I do give them mostly grower with treats and extra food from the house.

When they are teens, I give them stale crackers (natural brand - flour, oil, ect) and free range buffet .... with maybe once a week some layer, not even calcium as they free range and pick up all they need from bugs and rocks.

Never had an issue - always had good layers UNTIL THIS YEAR ! None of my peeps have grown up to be a layer yet - mostly I start getting eggs from this process about Sept, but certainly Oct .... and only a skinny leghorn broody - Momma Chickie - is giving me an egg now .... I bought her as a full grown momma hen. I try to feed her extra, I baby her as much as I can and she is still skinny, icky butt (washed twice) and popping out a grade extra large egg a day. Sheesh - I got her just because she went broody and I wanted a proven mother - turns out she is the only one giving me breakfast !

Anyway - point is - it must be something in the rain, sun, angle of the earth - as so many have buggies and no eggs and trouble with hatch rates .... it all seems to be a pattern.
Maybe those alien Silkies are putting their plot in motion ......

 

[armorfirelady]

My Blue Maran and my rooster

Blue Wheaton Maran
These pics were from this summer. All 3 are laying. The little Blue was the one that I was having trouble with the soft eggs, but she is finially straightened out.

Thanks for sharing the pics. They are all beautiful. I think my BCM may just be laying recently. I found a pullet sized speckled egg the other day in the egg carton. Lucy my EE/BCm was laying the same kind before she stopped. I am hoping that means she will start laying more now

Do your marans lay every day?

I don't fuss much with special foods or particular ratios of things .... when they are peeps - I do give them mostly grower with treats and extra food from the house.

When they are teens, I give them stale crackers (natural brand - flour, oil, ect) and free range buffet .... with maybe once a week some layer, not even calcium as they free range and pick up all they need from bugs and rocks.

Never had an issue - always had good layers UNTIL THIS YEAR ! None of my peeps have grown up to be a layer yet - mostly I start getting eggs from this process about Sept, but certainly Oct .... and only a skinny leghorn broody - Momma Chickie - is giving me an egg now .... I bought her as a full grown momma hen. I try to feed her extra, I baby her as much as I can and she is still skinny, icky butt (washed twice) and popping out a grade extra large egg a day. Sheesh - I got her just because she went broody and I wanted a proven mother - turns out she is the only one giving me breakfast !

Anyway - point is - it must be something in the rain, sun, angle of the earth - as so many have buggies and no eggs and trouble with hatch rates .... it all seems to be a pattern.
Maybe those alien Silkies are putting their plot in motion ......

I agree. Mine were on grower since I got the tots in May. Tho I did have calcium on the side if they wanted it. But they really didnt eat much so I am guessing they got enough from foraging. And I had nice hard shelled eggs all summer.

Its been a weird laying season this fall with everyone molting at the same time but they all stopped laying weeks before molting. I think they know something about the upcoming weather that we don't.

 

[pharmchickrnmom]

Morning all. Had to break ice out of the outside waterers this morning. Love those heavy black rubber bowls as you can just flip them over and step on them and the ice comes out. Everyone got boss this morning. Thelma and louise, my hertage rir hens,have made it to the. Top roost despite still being picked on by some of the other girls still. Bill is being a decent guy these days and he is getting better at letting me handle him. Only do it for inspections, not affection. I learned my lesson with mumbles. Ordered some supplements ftom dr brown. Nice guy. Very chicken savy. The vitamin and mineral supplements seem to be working for my cheeps. Got some kelp too. I am liking the non gmo feed they are on. They are looking better, healthier feathering,, shiny, bright eyes. Going to try eating soom eggs this weekend to see if I have a reaction.

Sally and lynzi--i have never put heat in my silkie coops. I have four in each coop. They stay warm. They were outside last winter on the most bitter days we had. As long as there are no drafts and there is plenty of litter, they will stay warm.

Lynzi-- we have also been giving the old venison to our layers. They love meat!

Rancher-- nice pic! I don't get a green glow from my silkie coops. Its a different color. They must be from a different planet.

So the holiday spirit is in full swing. I rang out a cart full of stuff and then the ten dollar off coupon the lady gives me. The coupon is decline. She starts yelling at me that she bought the fifty dollars worth of food and demands her ten dollars off. (It came to 53 dollars). I read her the exemption on the coupon and tell her that her 20 pound bag of dog food doesn't count. She gets all mad and tells me I can just keep everything ( after I had bagged it all). I just smiled and told her to have a nice day. Day before I had someone yelling at me because their script wasn't ready when they got there. I explained that they had never filled with us before and we needed their information. They asked me why they didn't get a phone call letting them know there was a problem. I looked at them and quietly said that we didn't have their information. Aparrently having to wait more than fifteen minutes while I input everything was "stupid" and I was incompetant. I jusft smiled and told them to have a nice day when I rang them out. Gotta love this time of year!

Have a nice day everyone!

 

[marquisella]

Quote: Cuckoo Marans are dark, with little white. The roos are much lighter,. Here is a picture of a Marans cuckoo hen.

http://www.google.com/url?sa=i&sour...fWEqMGcjzKqxT_ns5FoN55dw&ust=1385126621038941

 

[Lapeerian]

Lynzi - There is CNY PowerSports here in Cortland, near Exit 10 off I-81. They have all 4-wheelers, motorcycles, dirt bikes and accessories. Check them out online, they also have CNY FarmSupply and one other CNY store. But I second Sally8, make sure it is appropriate sized and he is physically/mentally capable of handling it. 4-Wheelers today are much bigger/heavier than 20 years ago when I drove a full size one on the farm at age 10.
And if your landlord is ok with a dirt track showing up on the lawn.
Your hens are all over 1 year old, except the Silkies which I don't have experience with. I don't use lights. My 1 year olds slowed and have now mostly stopped, but my first year hens are laying every day. Except the leghorn (haven't found a white egg layer yet I like). My plan is to add 6 hens each year to keep us and customers in eggs. And then any hen that does not resume laying after winter will be culled out of the flock (except the blue orp for broodiness). I have an EE hen that stopped laying late summer. I also think her near death experience with the amish dog chasing her contributed to the stopped production. If she doesn't start up again, her and any of my older birds will be replaced with new chicks next spring.