***OKIES in the BYC III ***

[bardies]

I was once sold a barnvelder chick, and asked about the color of the eggs. He said that they were not dark or speckled. I am wondering if some breeders out there lost site of that one particular characteristic.

 

[HeyBigRhondaq]

I was once sold a barnvelder chick, and asked about the color of the eggs. He said that they were not dark or speckled. I am wondering if some breeders out there lost site of that one particular characteristic.

Could be, as I would think the feather lacing would come first (unlike the Marans, which aren't even supposed to be sold as Marans unless the egg are at least a 4, I think).

 

[SharkmanDan]

Thanks for that. Mine aren't "too" light, then. Not like my Australorp eggs. When the Australorp girls are laying, their eggs are so light, if they're not next to a leghorn egg, and if I'm looking in poor lighting, they look white, or off-white.
But, I haven't seen an egg from my Australorps, or my Leghorns, since October, when I took them off the 20% feed.

 

[HeyBigRhondaq]

@Poco Pollo, those eggs are beautiful!

My Tolbunt Polish hopes are a bust. Egg-wise, I ended up with three. Plus he sent me 2 Silkie, 2 Breda, and a Barnevelder. Oddly (haha), all the eggs are developing EXCEPT the Polish. I let him know but don't expect anything...such is mail-order. I am having a difficult time getting my crazy chickens!

Tolbunt man is sending me more eggs! Good guy! Yippee!

 

[dgibson]

Kathryn this would be perfect day to burn brush piles both boys are holding their recliner down also .

 

[NanaKat]

Kathryn this would be perfect day to burn brush piles both boys are holding their recliner down also .

Can't imagine why none of our guys want to brace the cold wind and snow.

Went in this evening to move eggs to the hatcher for lockdown...heard peeping as I entered the bedroom and thought that the last 4 quail eggs might be hatching...Nope! it was two of the eggs that were supposed to be moved to the hatcher for lockdown. Seems two decided to pop early and two more are pipped. The quail eggs were due today so probably wont' hatch. But the chick eggs are due on the 29 and 30. The eggs are safely moved to the hatcher ...three are serama.
And then I loaded 14 more to the incubator.

 

[lonnyandrinda]

God doesn't make mistakes, so you march out there and tell them you'll love them no matter what! For eggs or for soup.

I woke up this morning to find sweet little Juliette had passed over the chicken bridge. I knew it was coming because she hadn't been eating and she was losing feathers. She had finally been taking on more adult qualities and I was afraid she wouldn't survive laying, so I'm thinking that maybe her body had reached a point where it was time for her to let go. Stubborn little girl, she surprised me with her resilience, and I'll miss her sweet demeanor.

I have six jumbo eggs in the bator. I had put them in there so Juliette would hopefully have babies to cuddle, since that always seemed to make her happy. Lord knows I didn't want chicks inside over the winter, but for Juliette I was making an exception. Odd thing is, my laying CL, Lena, hadn't laid an egg in a month until three days ago, and on a whim I popped it in the bator with the others. If I get a little girl out of it I'll name her Julie.

Had to edit to say that when I went out to feed the flock, I found a Lena egg on the floor of the coop. She never lays in the coop, and it wasn't there last night so she had to have gotten up first thing this morning to lay it. I thanked her for what was an amazingly touching present. And yes, it went into the bator too. I'm such a sentimental dork.

Write my name on the list with the rest of the sentimental saps. I am so sorry you lost your sweet girl. I hope you get a Julie to replace her!

Poco and Nana,
I've been thinking along those lines, all along. I hadn't exactly come up with that scenario, in my mind, but, it is entirely plausible.
All along, I was thinking that either they were someone's escapees, or, they just ran away from someone's total free range flock, to form their own small flock, or, someone just turned some of them out, because for whatever reason, they were undesirable. And, maybe, then, they "hooked up" with a stray, of sorts.
It's amazing, because I keep trying to think of scenarios, which would be reason for these beautiful birds, to be roaming so freely. And every time I talk, or converse, with other chicken folk, I get another scenario, suggested, that I never thought of.
They are gorgeous birds. They show ZERO tendency towards aggressiveness. And they appear healthy. I mean, I haven't been able to get up close enough to examine them, but there is nothing obvious about them, that says they are in failing health.
I really hope that I can ethically add them to my flock (though the one that I am fairly sure is a rooster, will likely become chicken soup), but, I don't want to be a bad neighbor.

One more question, for you more experienced folks.
Barnevelders. I read that they are supposed to lay very dark eggs, nearly like Marans. I have two, and when they were laying, before they went into molt, their eggs seemed to be much lighter in color than my RIR's. Would this be normal? Or, would they likely be more cross breeds?
I got them just for egg production, and in season, they produce, just fine. They just aren't very dark, and that makes me curious.

Barnevelder eggs are a light to medium brown, often but not always speckled. These were from mine:


In contrast, the same lighting and background with my Marans eggs. Both from last spring.

Tolbunt man is sending me more eggs! Good guy! Yippee!

Kathryn this would be perfect day to burn brush piles both boys are holding their recliner down also .

We were supposed to be repairing fencing today- yeah that did NOT happen. We are new to this whole farm thing, but are learning as we go. The property line fencing is in very poor shape. We are trying to set up a paddock for the goats before they demolish my chicken pens. 3 out of 4 sides are done except clipping the fence to the T posts. The last side is the property line. We were going to attempt to repair the existing 4"x4" fencing and barbed wire on the top- but the barbed wire is so brittle we can't repair it. Will have to start over, not doing that in this muck! Did get all the brush and small trees cleared away Friday, and what I could reach of the neighbor's dead tree off the fence. He used to run cattle but hasn't since he retired 10+ years ago, it's frustrating the fencing is so shot.

 

[Loriemarler]

I don't know if anyone else is up right now but I am terrified watching my neighbors house burn down. We had stayed up late watching tv and was getting ready for bed when hubby heard a truck driving down the road. It was the fire truck. Fire rescue and ambulances were there and tankers showed up. 3people got out of the house but not everyone. I feel so helpless right now watching the firefighters. An hour later and the flames are still going. Thankfully the house is a good 300 yards away at least but it is terrifying that it happened at all.

 

[erinszoo]

I don't know if anyone else is up right now but I am terrified watching my neighbors house burn down. We had stayed up late watching tv and was getting ready for bed when hubby heard a truck driving down the road. It was the fire truck. Fire rescue and ambulances were there and tankers showed up. 3people got out of the house but not everyone. I feel so helpless right now watching the firefighters. An hour later and the flames are still going. Thankfully the house is a good 300 yards away at least but it is terrifying that it happened at all.

How scary! Hope you're safe and your neighbors are too, now.

 

[erinszoo]

Been battling illness since mid October. Thinking its all related back to the rocky mountain spotted fever as I keep running a fever off and on but I can't afford to go to a doctor to find out and our great state refuses to play by the new health care rules ... sad when a supposedly first world country makes its citizens go bankrupt to get health care. Sigh.