NY chicken lover!!!!

[Cydney83]

Speaking of emu, I SO wish to hatch one this year. It's on my mini bucket list. I'll drive to pick up an egg if anyone has them locally (when they are laying of course)..

I scanned the potholder pattern - pm me your email if you want it. It's a pdf file. Never seen a crochet pattern before - I vaguely know how, but it's like another language to me.

Love these! Also there is a lady in Athens that I believe has Emus. Just saying

 

[rancher hicks]

and I have had people NOT buy one of my Sumatra pullets because I ask $25 for a nearly ready to lay pullet. MOST people understand and IF they want a good Sumatra hen they are FINE with paying the $25. And as I explain to them, I breed these, feed them and IF I can't get $25 I'll keep her for eggs and breeding.

But $125. Sorry imho that is just plain silly. NO CHICKEN is worth that. Silly I say...silly!

The most I've ever spent on a chick is $20. The orps I traded to Tabs were $20 ea. The blks were $5. I don't mind paying since I know the work that goes into breeding and feeding them.

Would I pay $99 a chick for a breed I wanted? If I could afford it yes, but I can't justify it since there will be no return on my investment. I've gotten to the point where I might just do what my brother used to do when he was over run with pigeons and wring necks.

 

[rancher hicks]

Lav is a ressive gene and breeds true. Blue wont breed true you get. 25% blue 25% black and 50% splash when doing blue to blue. Blue to black gives 50/50 blue black. Google. "Blue breeding chart" for a chart on how to breed them.

I understand all this, BUT did you know the Rhode Island White is no relation to the Rhode Island Red? They are two completely different breeds. So I wondered how the lavender was related to the blue and black of orps. The same in Wyandottes.

 

[Lynzi777]

I understand all this, BUT did you know the Rhode Island White is no relation to the Rhode Island Red?  They are two completely different breeds. So I wondered how the lavender was related to the blue and black of orps. The same in Wyandottes.  

Ohhhh I see what you're saying. I would think they were considering the black Orps are used when breeding to get the lavender. I didn't know that the RIW and RIR were unrelated. But to me, an Orp is an Orp. Now if you get talking an Orp vs a Bantam Orp, then that's a different story.

 

[rancher hicks]

Wow. You guys have been busy today. I would never pay $89 for a blue barnie chick. Not in a million years. GF prices are pretty crazy. Sure they've imported some nice birds but when you only import a pair, somewhere down the line you have to add domestic stock to them to be able to sell chick's. There's a few people that have very nice blues and I hope to have some come spring. Silvers in the states are still a work in progress. They're silver penciled rocks crossed to a Barnie. Some lines are nearly pure barnevelder now but there seems to be a problem with red leakage into the silver. If I wasn't so set on the blues, I would have started working with the silvers.

Well my Birchens have copper in there somewhere and while the males are doing good and I've got one hen that is okay, I have to breed and hatch to work that copper out of them. My hope is that the roos will remain large and edible. The hens will have to be used til I have enough to cull the unacceptable one. Egg color is acceptable at this point, though I don't expect to work for that.

I gave up the orps so I could two coops of Birchens. In with these I can stick some EE's and get Olive Eggers too. I keep a coop of EE's with an Araucana and Amer/EE roo for more EE's. I also hope to get more CR hatching eggs for a small flock of those. I'll cull hard on them. The Dels need much work in size too.

I'm not sure what I'll do with the odd bird. BR, RIR, SLW and frizzles. I suppose I can keep them in the EE coop and cross them that way. Or just pull them when they get too old.

 

[rancher hicks]

You got it. Her silver project is coming along nicely. I saw them in the fall and they were certainly beautiful. Just like the other breeders, they just aren't ready yet.

Sure but will she get $99 a chick?

 

[ke5hde]

Sure but will she get $99 a chick?  

No chance

 

[ke5hde]

Well my Birchens have copper in there somewhere and while  the males are doing good and I've got one hen that is okay, I have to breed and hatch to work that copper out of them.   My hope is that the roos will remain large and edible.  The hens will have to be used til I have enough to cull the unacceptable one.  Egg color is acceptable at this point, though I don't expect to work for that.  

I gave up the orps so I could two coops of Birchens.   In with these I can stick some EE's and get Olive Eggers too.  I keep a coop of EE's with an Araucana and Amer/EE roo for more EE's.  I also hope to get more CR hatching eggs for a small flock of those.  I'll cull hard on them.  The Dels need much work in size too. 

I'm not sure what I'll do with the odd bird.  BR,  RIR, SLW and frizzles.  I suppose I can keep them in the EE coop and cross them that way.  Or just pull them when they get too old.  

My barnies need a little work but they're pretty close. I need to breed some red in the neck out of the pullets and the boys look good except for a comb fault. When I get some blues, I'll be able to keep them in the same pen.
The silkies and cochins will get new pens off the back of the garage in the spring so that will free up another coop for more barnies.
I might move the duck house but for the most part the ducks will stay the same.

 

[Cass]

I found out the bird that would work wonderful with my flock. An EMU!!! The male incubates the eggs and raises the young. I have 7 males. Think of all the chicks I could have. LOL

Featherz, I can't find any emu eggs local. They take 52 days to hatch. And are laid October - April, so this is the time to be looking for them.

My fingers are itching to start more plants. I wish I had grow lights. With grow lights you can control the height the plants grow to. The problem I have with starting seeds this early is they are stretching for the light out the window and get really leggy instead of staying compact like the ones in the store. Now this is not a problem with tomatoes, cuz you can bury the stem....but other veggies bend and break in the wind of spring when they are too tall too soon. So I guess I have to sit on my itchy fingers and wait a MONTH. A whole MONTH to start more. (And that will STILL be early. LOL)

 

[Gramma Chick]

Gramma Chick - this one.....


Like Ke said, it's a Silver Barnevelder, not too popular yet because only a few people are working on them. I like them a lot. Would probably even consider getting one in the future....

oh I missed that ...silver barnie didnt register I guess .
its feather pattern is almost opposite the Wandettes...I like the black neck , tail & bottom fluff