***OKIES in the BYC III ***

[Fanaticalchickenlady]

Whisker faces- Don't you mean the easter eggers? That's the only whisker faces I see around here.
Gotta Luv me
I'm part of the family now!
Fanatical Chicken Lady

 

[Kassaundra]

I'm am winning my squash bug war!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Woooo Hooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! got them little suckers on the run.

Take that squash bugs

We need a bug warrior smiley!

 

[Sooner]

Quote:
What's working for you? I have something after mine & I think I am gettin a handle on them just using soapy water in a spray bottle.

 

[Fanaticalchickenlady]

I have Bantam Cochins and the Black Copper Marans, both have feather feet.
I had a brahma hen last year and I loved her too. She was a big pet and very calm.
I sold her to a lady who wanted a pet chicken.
I also have Easter Eggers. They don't have feathered feet, but they are good layers,
and very calm birds.
We just started raising the BCMs this spring, and I am loving how calm and docile they are.
Right now I have fourteen seven month old BCM roosters turned loose on our farm.
(Yeah, and only nine hens-- the math probabilities of chicken raising)
They are not mean or aggressive towards the other chickens or to people.
It is true that their egg laying abilities won't surpass some of the chickens that are so well
known as super egg layers, but a lot of those super egg layers are hyper, not as friendly and
some are known to have aggressive roosters. If you're raising chickens around kids, you need
to be sure and get a friendly, calm bird.
(sorry, I know what they say about opinions,
they're like belly buttons, everyone has one,some stink!)

Also, I agree with everyone else on here, you may plan to have only four chickens, but
chickens are habit forming. Whatever they say about the best laid plans is certainly true
for chicken farming. Just ask my husband. He keeps telling me if I bring one more chicken
home, he's calling Tyson.
Fanatical Chicken Lady
Wonderful, Rural Rudy, Arkansas

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[CityClucks]

Quote:
Welcome Michiele! There are lots of chickens on Craigslist, but I think your best bet is to try to get pullets from someone here on the Okie thread. If you want a good egg layer, I agree with some of the other advice you've received and stay away from cochins. I don't have experience with Brahmas, so I don't know if they lay well or not. In my experience some of the best layers are Easter Eggers, Australorps, Rhode Island Reds and Barred Rocks - but none of those breeds are feather-footed. Someone else may have more suggestions! Anyway - thanks for posting and introducing yourself!

 

[CityClucks]

Quote:
Beautiful!

 

[Grace'sDad]

Hey everyone.....Today is National Hug Day!

So to all my BYC friends.....

 

[tgperg]

I will not buy chickens off craigslist again. I had a very bad experience. My very first birds I bought were a breeding group of Dominiques. I bought a rooster and six hens. The rooster was sneezing and had watery eyes. I mentioned it to the breeder and he said that the bird wasn't sick, that he was just sneezing because it had been windy and dusty. Being inexperienced, I believed him and bought the birds. Well, that rooster had mycoplasma. Here it is over a year later and I have reached the point where I have to depopulate and start over because I can't get rid of it. The point is, that man should have culled those birds, but he palmed them off on me because I didn't know any better. I know anyone anywhere can be dishonest and try to save a buck when they should do the right thing, but at least if you buy from someone on here they probably have a lot of people that know them and can vouch for whether they're honest or not. I personally wouldn't buy from anyone again without that kind of feedback in place. I went through a lot of heartache because I have come to love these birds so much, and it makes me angry that someone deliberately sold me a bird that was going to be nothing but trouble.

Traci

 

[michiele]

Welcome Michiele! There are lots of chickens on Craigslist, but I think your best bet is to try to get pullets from someone here on the Okie thread. If you want a good egg layer, I agree with some of the other advice you've received and stay away from cochins. I don't have experience with Brahmas, so I don't know if they lay well or not. In my experience some of the best layers are Easter Eggers, Australorps, Rhode Island Reds and Barred Rocks - but none of those breeds are feather-footed. Someone else may have more suggestions! Anyway - thanks for posting and introducing yourself!

I hope I can get some pullets from you wonderful Okies when I am ready I will tell my hubby that the feather feet birds don't lay many eggs. He might still want one and then we can get the rest to be better egg layers Here is the list I had of chickens we might like to try:

Welsummer
Sussex
Easter Egg
Orpington
Marans

Any experience with these in OK?

Michiele​

 

[mjgigax]

Quote:
I agree. I have only Cochins and I adore them but they aren't the best for egg and they do like to go broody, means they often will be sitting on the nest trying to hatch and not laying. Brahmas are very sweet and are better layers. There are some Marans that are feather legged and lay beautiful dark, dark brown eggs. If I were to get a laying flock I'd get Orphingtons. I'm no expert though, just love my Cochins.
You can always have a mixed flock; A good laying breed and Cochins for incubators.
P.S. Welcome!