Hey everyone! I'm new to BYC, and I am located in Huntingdon Valley, right outside of Philly. Can anyone recommend a good place to get pullets or grown chickens? Preferably Barred Rock or Orphingtons but any breed that lays well/ can stand the cold would do. The only things I can find are chicks online or a place that sells pullets with beaks cut that is veryyy expensive to ship. I am willing to drive up to 2 hours to get the birds. Any and all help would be great!
Welcome! I'm sure someone on here is within that distance. Also, many more breeds would fit the decent layer/cold hardy breeds! If you'd like to see where most people are located, check the map in my signature.
Hey Pennsylvania, I just put an offer down on a house in Shrewsbury, I think it's in Shrewsbury Township, it might be in East Hopewell too. I can't find anywhere that says about the chicken laws. My property has an acre of land, and I think it's considered agricultural residential. Anyone know the laws off the top of their head? I have 10 girls I don't want to loose Thanks!
I just recently joined. Feel free to add me to your list of PA people. I just recently purchased four Buff Chantecler's. They are 12 weeks old today. What a difference from my other birds. I want to breed these for laying in the winter among other reasons. They are soooo docile. They would follow me inside if I would let them. Even my three year old can pick one up and pet it with no trouble. I was soo shocked. anyone with any information would be greatly appreciated.
We don't name birds until we are positive we are keeping them. No roos get names except our breeder boys & meaties just get called Nugget, Drumstick, Leg, Thigh, Lunch, Dinner, Fat Bird, etc. We don't specifically name any of the meaties they just randomly get called whatever food or descriptive thing that comes to mind at that moment.
Mine are all named Move, You, Yes You, and Get out of my Way! Spent the weekend in NJ doing Relay for Life with my family....it rained the whole time! So we were soaked to the skin by the time they finally had to call it at 11 pm. Got to meet my adorable niece. And finally my aunt had me come over and pick up 14 cases of canning jars! Most of them are not even opened! YAY!
Incubator/broody question.... We have 2 broody hens currently, I'm worried about the eggs under them because I think we let them have too many (they each have 14). Should I just take a few away and toss them? Or can I still put them in an incubator if I go get one? They've been sitting 1 week now, or should I just let nature take its course? I'm worried that the ones on the outside aren't warm enough and they'll all end up not hatching due to getting moved around... Thanks! Any advice is appreciated, we are totally new to this... Thanks!
As long as she is a LF, she should be okay with 14. Are they always sticking out? The rule (I know) is that you add eggs until they start popping out from under her. Then take away 2.
Looks like we are hatching together!!
Quote: I really don't want to know how many of you guys eat that kind of stuff! You are from NJ! Don't you know I am talking about human body parts? LOL. I was trying to make LMP and pretty much everyone else laugh.
I REALLY want to know about Chili. The book said I have to add sugar. I adon't want to make my chili sweet.
I am sorry I am not funny. Maybe I should have added an emoticon after the joke. I am sorry.
As long as she is a LF, she should be okay with 14. Are they always sticking out? The rule (I know) is that you add eggs until they start popping out from under her. Then take away 2.
Looks like we are hatching together!!
I really don't want to know how many of you guys eat that kind of stuff! You are from NJ! Don't you know I am talking about human body parts? LOL. I was trying to make LMP and pretty much everyone else laugh.
I REALLY want to know about Chili. The book said I have to add sugar. I adon't want to make my chili sweet. I am sorry I am not funny. Maybe I should have added an emoticon after the joke. I am sorry.
LOL Believe me, I never ate tongue etc when I lived in NJ. I got that kind of stuff when I got a quarter beef this year, and I don't believe in wasting food. But yes, for chili, I'd still pressure can.
Incubator/broody question.... We have 2 broody hens currently, I'm worried about the eggs under them because I think we let them have too many (they each have 14). Should I just take a few away and toss them? Or can I still put them in an incubator if I go get one? They've been sitting 1 week now, or should I just let nature take its course? I'm worried that the ones on the outside aren't warm enough and they'll all end up not hatching due to getting moved around... Thanks! Any advice is appreciated, we are totally new to this... Thanks!
You may be able to just candle them and will probably find a few that are clear. You can pitch those that you know aren't fertile and end up with a better number for them to sit. If Gracie could cover 8 and get them all to hatch your girls should be good for a dozen!
If you aren't sure about some, you can put them into an incubator for another week and see if they change. Since the hens probably will get a good hatch rate but have a couple that don't hatch you may even be able to graft back any day olds that hatch in the incubator to whichever hen has fewer chicks.
Quote: Looks like a girl to me too.
I'll try getting some better head, comb and hackle pics. I'll honestly feel a little bad if Stich is a girl, only because I know you were hoping Stitch would be a pullet/hen LeBlackBird. IF Stitch is a she I guess we'll be building a bachlor pen and breeding pens sooner than I planned, wouldn't want her getting hurt.
I do, but only for my son and only when my sister won't see it. She went for Baking and Pastry arts at Penn Tech, and I hate to make her feel bad by doing it instead of coming to her. Plus I hate having her attitude and temper flare because I do a better job than she does (according to my parents, fiance and others), but I've been baking/decorating for 20 years or more...
Alright, I have a lot of updates to do, so apologies for possible pic overload!
First, an update on Nonalee, who is getting quite huge as of late! She follows me around the yard while I do chores (that thing in the corner is the top to my one poultry traveling cage thingy. It's yellow and covered in dirty scratches, but it's placed just well enough to give off the illusion of a hairy leg. gross.)
Also, the meaties got butchered last week...
Yum!
Also, Oley Valley chick days, so I picked up new fluffies!
2 Cochin Bantams, one Red (still hoping for miracle frizzle) and one Silver Laced
3 D'uccles, 2 Mottled and 1 Porcelain
3 other bantams, 1 Buff Brahma, 1 Silver Duckwing OEGB, and 1 looks to be RIR
3 Assorted Cresteds, 1 Silver Laced Polish, 1 Gold Lace Polish, 1 Buff Laced Polish, and 1 Black Crevecoeur
also got 2 Royal Palm turkeys! So turkey math begins...
I can't wait until I have enough room for some more chicks, Gavin's begging for gooslings
.... We may be getting eggs this time, the future FIL is trying to pass a lot of his chicken stuff off to me (waterer, feeders, crates for breeding pens, a bator etc), as he hasn't had birds for years.
For those of you who send your chickens to "freezer camp" do you do the work yourself? At first I couldn't stand the thought of eating one of my pets but since I seem to be a rooster magnet I've decided to reconsider. I just don't know if I can do it myself. There is a guy a few minutes away that processes deer and he also did my neighbors steer. I wonder if it would be worth it for me to pay him to do my roosters. I'm new to all of this so any info you can give me would be great. Is it better to do it at a certain age?
I will be processing ours on our own, but we don't have many that are strictly for meat so I can space out processing. I know age to process depends on the breed, sorry I couldn't be more help.
Dear Valued Murray McMurray Hatchery Customer,
It has come to our attention the Post Office is requesting a change to the shipment of poultry through the mail. The following link is a copy of the proposal in PDF form or You can read the proposal on-line at the Federal Register: https://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2013/04/24/2013-09603/new-mailing-standards-for-live-animals-and-special-handling
They are asking that a Special Handle Fee be charged on every Live Animal Shipment. This proposal would increase the postage amount by $9.00 to $11.95 per box.
The proposal outlines the new fees to be charged but it does not include any new rules to insure us that service would also improve. Nor does it offer how additional funds would address their concerns about; Protection of Postal Service employees, mail and the environment, or animals against death.
Please read the proposed changes and send your comments to the US Post Office. We have included a link to a sample letter (in MS Word) for your use. (Sample Letter Link)
Make your voice heard, do it today. The comment period ends next week May 24. Thank you for your continued support. Letters and e-mails must be submitted on or before May 24, 2013, by sending to the below address or Emailed to [email protected], with a subject line of "Live Animals".
The Manager, Product Classification
U.S. Postal Service
475 L'Enfant Plaza SW, Room 4446
Washington, DC 20260-5015
RE: 39 CFR Part 111 New Mailing Standards for Live Animals and Special Handling
Diggle is from eggs I hatched from Amy Knoll in the fall. Spriggs is from J Matts in NY (Jan hatch). I have my first home laid eggs in the bator! Very excited for some peeps!!!
.....can I watch??!! You know I like you...hahaha, and you always make me laugh
Hey, I have a question...don't the chickens move their eggs around themselves, and keep turning them? Isn't it a natural thing? just thought I heard/read that somewhere.... See now that is funny, me thinking I know something about broody/hatchy/ things...
Well yesterday got slightly better, we got to go fishing for a few hours, which made Gavin happy. Then when we went to feed the chicks their evening meal Ripple (another EE) was nearly crushed by the feeder and the other chicks. Thankfully I found her in time. At first she was unresponsive, bleeding near her eyes, and it looked REALLY bad for a little bit. Then about 5 minutes in she just opened her eyes and hoped up and started eating at the food on my hands... I was so glad, poor Gavin ran out of the room crying his eyes out thinking she was dead (so was I), he came back when I called for him when she started eating and was beyond happy. She made it through the night and has been eating and drinking normally. When that happened I figured out what must have happened to Chip, the chicks rush the waterer and feeders and the bigger chicks must have pushed Chip under the waterer. Now I'm being extra careful when putting stuff down....
I have a question for anyone who shows and uses FF. How do you clean your birds' heads? I know we can't wash their heads like we do their bodies, and we want to clean two or three of the birds for the 4-H meeting tomorrow night, they're working on showmanship. I was thinking a damp (barely wet) washcloth or baby wipes, but I wanted to ask first.
On a lighter note I have multiple cupcake thieves to worry about now
ETA: Gavin would be the number one cupcake thief and his face paint was wearing off in the pics, hadn't washed his face for the night yet.
Stitch only got a couple crumbs here (his fav was the Hummingbird and banana foster's cupcakes and he got no icing or choc bits), but he has become our primary food thief. He will jump up onto us for yogurt, fruit, any baked goods, lil snot even stole a piece of turkey from my sandwich today. All of our true pets have become food thieves, but Stitch is the boldest and if we are eating ANYTHING he has to have some of it, he's begun singing/crying if we don't share....yeah he's just a lil spoiled, Roo's a close runner up, then Fudge and Ripple are tied for third. Thanks for two of the "brats" LeBlackBird.
Welcome! I'm sure someone on here is within that distance. Also, many more breeds would fit the decent layer/cold hardy breeds! If you'd like to see where most people are located, check the map in my signature.
We have trees from both places.
Come on over. For meat (you said tongue etc in a later post) you're going to want to pressure can.
No, but I'm more than willing to eat them.
Welcome to the area!
Welcome aboard!
Mine are all named Move, You, Yes You, and Get out of my Way!
Spent the weekend in NJ doing Relay for Life with my family....it rained the whole time! So we were soaked to the skin by the time they finally had to call it at 11 pm. Got to meet my adorable niece. And finally my aunt had me come over and pick up 14 cases of canning jars! Most of them are not even opened! YAY!
.....I grew up around all that, tongue, heart, liver, kidney stuff....and yes i have tried it all...and no i do not eat it now..., but I think if you can use all the animal then that is great! waste not..want not..hahaha,...
Good night everyone, this chick has had a long day
I seriously need to learn to can. I got a book, but the author (whom is actually a member of BYC) didn't cover all the things I would be canning.
Thanks!
I am sorry I am not funny. Maybe I should have added an emoticon after the joke. I am sorry.
