***OKIES in the BYC III ***

[NanaKat]

Oh...my! So ugly..so cute! Love the NN

 

[CayuseRanch]

I have my two Cochins I just got that will ruffle their neck feathers at each other and stretch really high. I have never seen females do this but I do think I have seen my daughter's silkie do it to the silkie cockerel. I hope the neck feather thing like roosters is normal for even pullets.

That or I have really crazy chickens.

Oh. My. Gosh. The CUTENESS!!! Oh how sweet! Did you get those from Greenfire?

My favorite place is breeders. I have heard that some hatcheries don't care about the quality of the breed standards. I guess I am a little particular with my breeds as I want them to be the real McCoy (even though they are just pets. Guess I can say I "collect" chickens?). I get most of mine from breeders and have gotten eggs off ebay but if you watch you might catch some interesting breeds on craigslist. Tomorrow I go to pick up eggs for Light Sussex in Arkansas from a Heritage breeder then swing it 30 min away from that place to a breeder for Sweedish Flower Hens eggs since it's nearby (found her off ebay of all places!), then I have some Cream Legbar eggs in the incubator along with a "surprise" variety of "could be" Naked necks, Silkies and maybe a Cochin bantam. My husband NEVER wanted me to hatch or get babies and stick to laying hens but if you want certain breeds then you will pay handsomely for those as adults (if you can find them!). I did get standard Cochins from an auction. Will probably be the very last time I go to an auction as I am almost done adding to my flock after eggs hatch. We will see. I would love to get them already hatched but that's just taking the fun out of it! It's also less expensive if you hatch your own if you are wanting more rare breeds though.


Another day with my poor little cocci sick babies. The combs are still pale but the boys' are getting more color. No more red bloody poopies but still some tar bloody nastyness. I still have to feed and water the girls by hand. The boys are now scratching and cherping away. It's still touch and go with one female in particular. Her crop is taking much longer to empty than the others. Is that a something I should worry about? I give her just a little water but not so much that she can't handle it. She still is ruffled up, pale, and tail down. I really hope she makes it and then after the storm blows over stay healthy... poor thing. I cuddled and loved on her for awhile and she just snuggled in my arms. I never knew I would be head over heals for chickens. These little things are so precious!!! Please tell me that there are chickens this bad that have a happy story without dying from this junk!!!

Today I received eggs from probably the same person you are getting the Swedish flower hen eggs from. She did an awesome job on shipping! Our chickens will be cousins on the forum! We will have to compare whose hatch goes better...the shipped or the non-shipped.

Ok, here's some shots. It's too bad pictures don't show how special these guys are to me. Robin, the 1st ones are Lillith. He's 18 months old now so I don't know how much of a comparison it is. Littlith is the most awesome boy! Super gentle and sweet, he's lived with his 7 Orloff girls since they were all 2 days old and he's so good to them. They have a bench to roost on but they don't use it, the girls all huddle up underneath Lillith to sleep. One night I went into their building in the dark to get their feed tub, it was pitch black. Something rammed into my legs so hard it was all I could do to stay upright lol It was Lillith protecting his girls! I was so proud of him. Once I talked to him and he realized it was me he was fine. His dad was an aggressive fool but Lillith never has been. I put an arrow by his sickle feathers in the one picture. Hens look all rounded and poofy but roosters tails are long and spikey and they stand up super tall and straight. I do think your Buff is a girl and can't wait to find out.








I hatched 4 eggs from Lillith and his Orloffs, they're 3 months old now (2 boys, 2 girls). The boys have a lot more gold on them, feathered legs, beards and cushion combs, really sweet and calm. So here's what a Brown Rd Cochin/Orloff cross cockerel looks like



And I was right there so I just had to get new pictures of my Spitzhaubens. I adore these guys and hope nothing happens to them before I get a chance to hatch their eggs.

Ksane....oohhhh...I just love me some cochins and even the roos are so snuggable!
And love the spitzhauben...I will not do it! I will not add them to my wish list! But they are awesome!

Just a few head shots for fun

Oh Kass...These poor chickens...I am glad they have you to love them! It's kind of like my English bulldog...so ugly you gotta love them.

 

[bardies]

So cute! Is that a bowtie? Showgirl?

No, full silkie, just a ratty looking 'coat' as the new feathers are coming in.
BTW, had a second silkie chick (from my eggs) hatch today (one day early). This one is most surely lavender....but it is still wet. There are still four more potential hatch mates hanging out in their eggs until tomorrow (day 21). Wish us luck!

 

[bardies]

Ksane and Kass, Thank you SO MUCH! for the eye candy on pg 5043!!!! The birds and handcraft are beautiful!

 

[T-Chicken]

I am enjoying reading this. I hope to hatch eggs in the future. I care for 8 chickens now and hope to expand in the future. I'd love to have an Easter Egger or five. I love finding the eggs and pretty colors makes it even more fun. Some cute chickens would be nice too. The silkies are precious and the all of the chickens with afros and such are gorgeous.

 

[T-Chicken]

This is Josephine Peckers. She lays lovely brown eggs.

 

[bardies]

Saw this add for white silkie roos in craigslist....

http://oklahomacity.craigslist.org/grd/4300145925.html

 

[T-Chicken]

It says there is nothing there.

 

[Ksane]

Rebecca, I thought Gregory the 1st was a splash. Was he the color of Lillith? That's cool, that color seems hard to find in LF Cochins.

Kass, those NN's crack me UP! They get big, don't they?

Cayuse, anytime you want Spitz eggs let me know lol

Kim, you're braver than me still hatching :-O I think I have around 30 chicks give or take a few that I've hatched since Sept. It's been really tough trying to keep them warm when it go below freezing. Thank God I could put a lot of them in the heated RV. A little cramped in dog crates but it sure beat 15 below zero (or whatever god-awful temp it was).

T-Chicken, Josephine Peckers looks like a Red Star, is that what she is? I'm pretty partial to Red Stars.

 

[T-Chicken]

I am not sure. Someone thought she was a sex link. I am new to chickens and don't know anything about their background.