NY chicken lover!!!!

[boskelli1571]

I'm interested in the Chickenstock. Could you link the forum here? I'll look for it too, but only found old threads last time.

Just type chickenstock 2015 into the search box and it will pop up

 

[boskelli1571]

yes I have looked at the charts.

I was just wondering Central/Upstate NY favorites... Cold weather tolerant, winter egg layers... everyone has their favorites for one reason or another. I was just curious.
Does anyone have and breed Dominiques around here? I also, would rather buy from a local breeder of whatever I get. I don't want hatchery chicks again their color, size and demeanor vary wildly.

I have another question... How do you know your chicks are doing well?

Not that mine are doing poorly, I bought 13 and still have them all... How do you know they aren't too skinny? Mine are alert & active, allowed to free range when I am there with them 4-5 hours a day, eat like little piggies, get healthy chicken snacks fresh fruits, veggies, scrambled eggs. They always have food & water available, their coop is clean and dry.

They were supposed to be in the run by now however, the last wind storm dropped a huge tree limb on the back of the garage where the coup and run area is to be but there was so much damage the roof had to be replaced/repaired along with their coup and run.

I have 1 Dominique - they seem to be very quiet, not an overwhelming personality, but friendly, but that's based on 1 chicken! The Barnvelders are out and about in all weather as is my SLW - she is pretty, dependable layer, non-descript personality tho'. My RIR chicks I got from Luv are great foragers already ay 4 months - so I'm sure they too, will be out/about in all weather. They sat out thru the rainstorm last night!!

I think because they didn't want to go to bed early!!
It sounds as tho' your chicks are doing well from what you describe, they will eat as much as they need. As long as they seem to be 'bright-eyed & fluffy-feathered' I wouldn't worry.
We were fortunate with the storm, had a lightening strike very nearby, but no damage other than a little road washed away. I'm fortunate to have a large barn for the birds to live in, lots of large trees nearby, so fingers always crossed when a storm rolls thru'.

Some of the 'new' RIRs' - 4 months old.

 

[rancher hicks]

Hi fellow NY State residents! I just found this group, so I may as well start by including the intro I put up on 'New Members' board a few weeks ago, with a current update at the bottom - apologies for anyone who likes to 'keep it brief' - I'm longwinded!

HI Everyone, I'm originally from Worcestershire in the UK, where I grew up with a mixed flock of chickens, I have been living in upstate NY, about 40 mins from Buffalo for 9 years now. In July 2014, we got our first 2 chickens from a neighbors farm, when they were about 10 weeks old. The brown one turned out to be a Brown Leghorn we named Sylvia, and the white one a Plymouth Rock we named Miss Pearl. Here they are working on leftovers from a baby shower - they love watermelon!




















Look forward to sharing our chicken journey with some 'locals' - thanks for reading.

My father says his father was from Worcester is that different from Worcestershire? His father died of a heart attack while visiting his brother Alfred in Detroit. I hope to make a trip there before I die.

 

[BakerzDozen]

@BakerzDozen Do you have any Easter Eggers? Good and cold hardy, calm, and mine are laying right along with the leghorns, almost daily. I have one that doesn't look like a EE except for the green legs, she's small no muff and buff colored, still has a little pea comb, laid a dark olive egg all this cold nasty winter.

1 EE but he doesn't count cause he is definitely NOT a hen. I do love the beards and muffs that EE's have.

So far I have 13 chicks -
3 Black sex links
3 Red Stars
1 RIR
3 Marans X
1 Black Austolorpe
1 Ayam Cerami
1 EE Roo

 

[boskelli1571]

My father says his father was from Worcester is that different from Worcestershire? His father died of a heart attack while visiting his brother Alfred in Detroit. I hope to make a trip there before I die.

Worcester - city. Worchestershire - county.

 

[Purple Iris]

Thanks for the welcome boskelli1571, and for the info that there is an event called 'chickenstock' - I'd never heard of it, but interested to find out more, will look at the thread you mentioned.

Rancher Hicks - Worcester is the main city in the county of Worcestershire

Bakers Dozen - as we only have 2 adult chickens I really only know about those breeds - but we would certainly get another white Plymouth Rock - Miss Pearl has been an absolute star, she is curious and friendly, a great forager when free ranging, but also copes fine when they are just in their coop and run for days at a time. She follows us around, eats from our hands, and sometimes jumps on our laps when we are sitting outside. The other breed we currently have is a Brown Leghorn - and I don't think we'd get another one. Sylvia is high strung, gets alarmed and flappy at the slightest thing, and even after over a year here, still isn't keen to get too close to us - she also has bigger comb and wattles, and actually got a little bit of frostbite on the tips of her comb this winter.

We have them for eggs and pest control in the veg garden, really as pets, we didn't get them with meat in mind. However as Pearl lays brown eggs and Sylvia lays white eggs, it is very easy for me to keep track, so I have a little tally chart in my diary. Pearl started laying at around 20 weeks, Sylvia not until she was 24 weeks. I didn't remember to write it down every day of all the months, but throughout the winter Pearl laid very consistently, Sylvia occasionally. November when we had the terrible storms, Pearl laid on 27 of the 28 days I counted, Sylvia only laid 12 eggs that month. In January, Pearl laid 29/31, Sylvia only 4/31, March Pearl 30/31, Sylvia 20/31. We do not have any supplemental heat in the coop, just piled up extra straw, there is no extra lighting in the coop, our only 'winterization' was the use of a heated water bowl, as their water kept freezing, and we gave them warm oatmeal in the mornings.

Some days they chose to come out and about in the snow, on the very cold days they sensibly chose not to leave the coop, but both survived a pretty brutal winter in upstate NY.

I don't know if our experience is the norm for these breeds, but hope this helps. I'm looking forward to seeing how the personalities of our Silver Laced Wyandotte and Partridge Rock chicks develop as they grow up here.

 

[Gramma Chick]

Thanks for the welcome boskelli1571, and for the info that there is an event called 'chickenstock' - I'd never heard of it, but interested to find out more, will look at the thread you mentioned.

Hens without a Rooster tend to be more friendly - you are their family

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/948030/2015-new-york-chickenstock
page one ...you can also click last page & work back

I Will probably bring my EE , Brahma . Americana ( no tail ...they look so funny ) to chickenstock if I dont sell them on craigs list ..
I dont need 38 chickens ...AAAhhh..18 babies is somewhat overwhelming

 

[LuvMyChicks1491]

I have 1 Dominique - they seem to be very quiet, not an overwhelming personality, but friendly, but that's based on 1 chicken! The Barnvelders are out and about in all weather as is my SLW - she is pretty, dependable layer, non-descript personality tho'. My RIR chicks I got from Luv are great foragers already ay 4 months - so I'm sure they too, will be out/about in all weather. They sat out thru the rainstorm last night!!

I think because they didn't want to go to bed early!!
It sounds as tho' your chicks are doing well from what you describe, they will eat as much as they need. As long as they seem to be 'bright-eyed & fluffy-feathered' I wouldn't worry.
We were fortunate with the storm, had a lightening strike very nearby, but no damage other than a little road washed away. I'm fortunate to have a large barn for the birds to live in, lots of large trees nearby, so fingers always crossed when a storm rolls thru'.

Some of the 'new' RIRs' - 4 months old.

They look great! Glad that they are working out well for you.

 

[Pyxis]

Welcome to all the newcomers! Tab, so sorry for the loss of your birds. My broody here hatched six of the ten eggs I gave her from you and they are doing great. All are either frizzled or NN or both.

I have two new additions - peachicks! Both from eggs impulse bought on the auction thread. I only bought two eggs, and they both hatched. They're adorable and friendly little things. I'm also sad - I'm down to two ducklings left from my Holderread order. They just kept dying off at one a week. These last two seem strong, and at this point they are very expensive ducklings, so I hope they live. I also may not have any females left since I only got three in the order and one was DOA, and the rest were males. So I'm gonna have to try to track down some eggs from good quality parent stock to hatch to boost my numbers or I may not have any females for next year.

 

[boskelli1571]

Welcome to all the newcomers! Tab, so sorry for the loss of your birds. My broody here hatched six of the ten eggs I gave her from you and they are doing great. All are either frizzled or NN or both.

I have two new additions - peachicks! Both from eggs impulse bought on the auction thread. I only bought two eggs, and they both hatched. They're adorable and friendly little things. I'm also sad - I'm down to two ducklings left from my Holderread order. They just kept dying off at one a week. These last two seem strong, and at this point they are very expensive ducklings, so I hope they live. I also may not have any females left since I only got three in the order and one was DOA, and the rest were males. So I'm gonna have to try to track down some eggs from good quality parent stock to hatch to boost my numbers or I may not have any females for next year.

Ladyhawkeavry is going to supply me with Anconas. She seems to have a huge variety - I would pm her.