***OKIES in the BYC III ***

[Firefly89]

It may have been a year or 2 ago but was someone raising americauna or EE x Cochins?
Essentially cotton balls with pretty eggs? lol
I think that may be my spring project but would love any info about the cross! I am just in the beginning planning stages right now and thinking I need colored egg layers (Im not particular and don't have any interest in the EE/Ameraucana/Araucana debate) under a nice Cochin Roo. What do you guys think?
I also need to find some pretty egg layers lol I just have one EE hen that lays a very pretty light blue/green egg. She is super sweet, but not much to look at lol. She is driving force in the idea

 

[bardies]

Deleted, forgot to quote. (No, I'm no trying to up my post count!)

Even a non post can be funny before the first cup of coffee really sinks in!

Edited to correct morning grammar. Too many educators on this thread!

 

[Tony O]

My mystery trees are VERY INVASIVE, small grow in thicket type formation, have pointy leaves, thornes, and white fragrant blossoms in spring.

If the leaf itself looks like a stem with a bunch of pointy leaves, then it sounds like a honey locust. They can spread by sending up new trees from the roots as well as from seeds.

Does it look anything like this?

http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk81/kklein9/flowers for honey bees/honey-locust-thorns-2.jpg

 

[bardies]

I haven't been on in a while. I love to see all the pictures you've posted, beautiful chicks, flowers and gardens. I recently nursed one of hens back to health who had gone broody and got overheated.

So good news there. But I lost a different hen Monday.

Not sure why, her breathing was crackley, so I'm thinking something respiratory and the heat combined. So far other chickens are doing well Praise the Lord!

This has spurred hubby to build me a bigger coop, I can't wait to get it.

I'll have room for more chickens. Yay!




My "johnny jump ups" (violas) that I planted in memory of my granddad and his mom, they were started from seed, so it took them a while just to get them this far. Mamaw's name was Viola. A couple of other arrangements I planted last month.

Love the succulents!

 

[bardies]

At times when I have the time to stand and watch the buns eat the forage I give them, I have been trying to give it to them in several small piles w/ each different leaf/plant to see what they like best. Today's selection in order of best to worst was: plantain, sunflower leaves, sweet potato leaves, raspberry leaves, lambs quarters. They didn't really eat the lamb's quarters, just nibbled and left them. I had given them the new growth tops of the lambs quarters.



I filled up the drying rack this morning and didn't even put a dent in the raspberries, seems I'll be drying raspberry leaves for a while.

Kass, I don't know how related bunny eating is to cow eating, but well educated cows will eat a selection of plants from the field available to them. The selection will change as the nutrient content (and other chemical make up) in the plant changes, as well as how the nutrient requirements of the cattle changes. Makes sense that bunnies would do that too - being natural free range grazers. So its possible that what is the choice today might not be the same choice made a month from now.

 

[Kassaundra]

If the leaf itself looks like a stem with a bunch of pointy leaves, then it sounds like a honey locust. They can spread by sending up new trees from the roots as well as from seeds.

Does it look anything like this?

http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk81/kklein9/flowers for honey bees/honey-locust-thorns-2.jpg

No the leaves themselves are more pointy

 

[Ksane]

It may have been a year or 2 ago but was someone raising americauna or EE x Cochins?
Essentially cotton balls with pretty eggs? lol
I think that may be my spring project but would love any info about the cross! I am just in the beginning planning stages right now and thinking I need colored egg layers (Im not particular and don't have any interest in the EE/Ameraucana/Araucana debate) under a nice Cochin Roo. What do you guys think?
I also need to find some pretty egg layers lol I just have one EE hen that lays a very pretty light blue/green egg. She is super sweet, but not much to look at lol. She is driving force in the idea :yiipchick

Hey, Jackie! That's one of my favorite crosses also, I've got a couple here. It was Muesky who had been working on that cross but I don't think she's gotten anywhere yet.
I'll see if I have any pictures here on my iPad of the ones I have. I've got like 8 Blue LF Ameraucana cockerels (not EE's), they're 6 wks old now. I've hung onto my huge Gold Laced Cochin boy because it's always in the back of my head that I'd like to breed him to one of my Blue Ameraucanas next year. That's be the prettiest Blue and red and black colors.
These 1st 2 are 3/4 Ameraucana and 1/4 Cochin. They look like hefty Ameraucanas.

This boy is the daddy of the above 2, he's 1/2 Cochin and 1/2 Ameraucana.

This is my Bantam Ameraucana boy, tame like a puppy. I do have 6 wk old cockerels out of him also.

The Gold laced Cochin boy is in the background of this picture, wouldn't he make pretty babies?? lol The one in the foreground is an Orloff/Cuckoo Marans mix who's awesome sweet.

Here's a close up of the Orloff/Marans boy in the previous picture. I'm so in awe of how tame he is, he waits for me to sit down when I'm working on something in the yard so he can come sit on my lap. I love him so much.

But let me put in a plug for Faverolles mixes!! Favs make the prettiest mixes of all :-D I have 2 of these boys, they're 2 yrs old now, 1/2 Faverolles & 1/2 Orloff. I'd love to hatch a whole batch of these in the spring.

Ok, I'll stop for now!

 

[Kassaundra]

Here are pics of the mystery tree / shrub



Here is part of the thicket



Here are the spikey thorns, they are only on the older wood



Little out of focus, but you can see the color of the stem and how leaves form on it.




And a close up of the leaves themselves




Any ideas?

 

[Firefly89]

Hey, Jackie! That's one of my favorite crosses also, I've got a couple here. It was Muesky who had been working on that cross but I don't think she's gotten anywhere yet.
I'll see if I have any pictures here on my iPad of the ones I have. I've got like 8 Blue LF Ameraucana cockerels (not EE's), they're 6 wks old now. I've hung onto my huge Gold Laced Cochin boy because it's always in the back of my head that I'd like to breed him to one of my Blue Ameraucanas next year. That's be the prettiest Blue and red and black colors.
These 1st 2 are 3/4 Ameraucana and 1/4 Cochin. They look like hefty Ameraucanas.




This boy is the daddy of the above 2, he's 1/2 Cochin and 1/2 Ameraucana.


This is my Bantam Ameraucana boy, tame like a puppy. I do have 6 wk old cockerels out of him also.



The Gold laced Cochin boy is in the background of this picture, wouldn't he make pretty babies?? lol The one in the foreground is an Orloff/Cuckoo Marans mix who's awesome sweet.


Here's a close up of the Orloff/Marans boy in the previous picture. I'm so in awe of how tame he is, he waits for me to sit down when I'm working on something in the yard so he can come sit on my lap. I love him so much.




But let me put in a plug for Faverolles mixes!! Favs make the prettiest mixes of all :-D I have 2 of these boys, they're 2 yrs old now, 1/2 Faverolles & 1/2 Orloff. I'd love to hatch a whole batch of these in the spring.


Ok, I'll stop for now!

Oh now I am sold! Your 1/2 Cochin and 1/2 Ameraucana is EXACTLY what I am hoping for!!
Mitzi, you have such pretty boys! The orloff/marans is gorgeous and you know the Faverolles are my favorite too, boy or girl!
If you do breed that Cochin with your Ameraucanas let me know! I would love to have some of those chicks or eggs

 

[ashtree]

@Kassaundra are you sure those aren't sand plums? Looks like it to me.