NY chicken lover!!!!

[boskelli1571]

Seems to me the more chickens you have the less time you have to cuddle them. Me I only have a few with names and they're the ones I hold.

My original girls all have names - Deidre the Delaware loves to snuggle under my armpit! She will stay there for long enough to get as much loving as she can take, she has been known to fall asleep there - gets a bit cranky when disturbed!

The newer ones (this years) are slowly getting named as their character comes out. I only have 29......so far. Phoreda has got me interested in Blue Bredas', but I have to build another coop for them

 

[Chicken girl 15]

Seems to me the more chickens you have the less time you have to cuddle them. Me I only have a few with names and they're the ones I hold. 

our first 8 have names given by the kids. Please no one get offended we explained to the kids they were for eating. Fried, Roasted, Baked, Soup, Nuggets and other of the sort. The kids found it fitting. Those are the RIR . The other 10 are just called dinner. They all have a 2 year expectancy, after we get a good hatch from them it's freezer camp. Well after the pullets start laying.

 

[tao chick]

our first 8 have names given by the kids. Please no one get offended we explained to the kids they were for eating. Fried, Roasted, Baked, Soup, Nuggets and other of the sort. The kids found it fitting. Those are the RIR . The other 10 are just called dinner. They all have a 2 year expectancy, after we get a good hatch from them it's freezer camp. Well after the pullets start laying.

No offense taken here. My kids are being taught the same thing. Florentine, Riggie, and Marsala are in the Cockerel Camp Coop before we process.

I found a local breeder of Wyandottes with chicks. The Marans breeder has chicks but is about an hour away. The Ameraucana breeder is close but no chicks. I haven't found Brahmas or Welsummers yet. So I made a coop (I have up to 4 different places to raise chicks), I made a list of breeds I want, I cleaned out another brooder, found local sources..., and my van is going to cost a fortune to pass inspection so everything is on hold right now.

 

[Beer can]

We have two with names, the girls laid claim to them. A gl polish and a little EE, two of our best layers actually. There will be no retirement home here so someday they will die of 'old age' when the kids aren't around. The rest of our current layers will be processed as soon as our new batch comes into lay, we don't need tons of chickens. I want to focus on the white jersey giants and red sussex, and a giant silkies breeding project.
When do silkies start laying? I only have them in a temporary coop right now, no nestbox. Need to build them something soon. I think I have one roo and five pullets. The roo is getting huge and not crowing yet but very roosterish, the whole 'here's the food girls come and get it' noises and he already has spurs. Must be silkies grow their spurs early, and his feet are huge compared to the pullets.

 

[Gramma Chick]

Quote:
I have a few Ameraucana , & Brahmas ..probably not all are pure ...as the Roosters are Ameraucana , Brahma , EEs
Sex to be determined on the itty bittys

 

[Lapeerian]

Thank you so much. Advice from local owners of each breed is great! After a thorough investigation, my current wish list is Welsummer, Wyandotte, Plymouth Rock, Maran, Ameraucana, and Brahma. I did find a breeder on craigslist that will have a couple of those breeds near me. I'm going to talk to my SIL about other hatcheries and breeders.

The cockerels started a "crowing" contest this morning. Almost 3 months old.

No offense taken here. My kids are being taught the same thing. Florentine, Riggie, and Marsala are in the Cockerel Camp Coop before we process.

I found a local breeder of Wyandottes with chicks. The Marans breeder has chicks but is about an hour away. The Ameraucana breeder is close but no chicks. I haven't found Brahmas or Welsummers yet. So I made a coop (I have up to 4 different places to raise chicks), I made a list of breeds I want, I cleaned out another brooder, found local sources..., and my van is going to cost a fortune to pass inspection so everything is on hold right now.

Not sure where you are, but I know a breeder of Welsummer and Partridge Plymouth Rocks. She lives in Pompey, south of Syracuse. I have a wellie hen from her, great forager. I hatched some of her eggs last year, crossed with the GLW roo, those girls are out foraging all the time. I have some of the rock pullets I'm waiting to lay. She also has buff Orp and EE. She has Speckled Sussex, but with only 2 older hens and unable to find more she usually doesn't have those eggs available.
Where is the Wyandotte breeder? I have just the GLW roo and love him. Got some of his mixed breed offspring and also pleased with their production.

 

[Tab's chicken obsession]

Our dog's dog run cable broke and she got loose last monday. She ended up going through my barn, 6 dead, couple injured, and 3 missing. I set another hatch of eggs from the ones I lost and the other birds I have last night. All the dead were hens, only 1 roo missing (younger silver ameraucana). Hopefully this hatch will be better than the previous ones. We haven't had good luck this year with hatching.

 

[tao chick]

Not sure where you are, but I know a breeder of Welsummer and Partridge Plymouth Rocks. She lives in Pompey, south of Syracuse. I have a wellie hen from her, great forager. I hatched some of her eggs last year, crossed with the GLW roo, those girls are out foraging all the time. I have some of the rock pullets I'm waiting to lay. She also has buff Orp and EE. She has Speckled Sussex, but with only 2 older hens and unable to find more she usually doesn't have those eggs available.
Where is the Wyandotte breeder? I have just the GLW roo and love him. Got some of his mixed breed offspring and also pleased with their production.

The ad for the GLW chicks was Clinton. I couldn't get them. My van repair today will slow me down.

 

[tao chick]

So sad! I hope your hatch goes well!

 

[myfivegirls]

Our dog's dog run cable broke and she got loose last monday. She ended up going through my barn, 6 dead, couple injured, and 3 missing. I set another hatch of eggs from the ones I lost and the other birds I have last night. All the dead were hens, only 1 roo missing (younger silver ameraucana). Hopefully this hatch will be better than the previous ones. We haven't had good luck this year with hatching.

Sorry about your loss! Back in 2010, my schnauzer/yorkie got loose, jumped a low spot in the fence & killed 4 of my 5 original hens.
Thankfully, I'd already has some chicks growing out, but had to get some other older layers for temporary eggs.
He's since learned that chickens aren't "rodents, meant to be killed", but I wouldn't trust him enough to leave him alone with them.

I've had a few poor hatches this year, as well, but at least for me, it was due to too high humidity during lockdown.
Even though I did a "dry incubation" the first 18 - 19 days, it would ultimately start to rain right after I filled up the water troughs in the hatcher!
I'm pretty sure that was the issue, since the broody hens had no problem hatching eggs, even some of the hard-to-hatch Swedish Flower Hens had 100% hatch rate on day 21,
way before any of the incubator chicks started to zip.

Speaking of hatching, checked on the broody duck and hen, both sitting on duck eggs, and saw an empty shell! Peaked underneath, and sure enough they've started to hatch.
Depending on how many hatch, I'd debating whether to let the duck raise them all, or let the hen raise a few & see her reaction when they go swimming!
One other duck sitting on eggs, but they're at least another week or two away from hatching.
Then, two more ducks decided to lay in the same "dog crate" under the rabbit cages, and are now sitting on the egg together!
That'll be interesting to see if they'll share ducklings or one will take over.
Never a dull moment!

So, between the broody hens and ducks, there's a grand total of 11 that are broody!