Pennsylvania!! Unite!!

[dheltzel]

@troyer
how in the world did you get those dragonflys to look so big?

Troyer feeds cracked corn and mealworms to his dragonflies to put on some size before processing them

 

[dheltzel]

Need some advice on a breed to get that goes broody often and can hatch and raise a decent sized clutch. I'm totally over having chicks in a brooder, but I'm not done with chicks... I just want a hen to do the work for me! I just have black austral ops and RIRS (and I'll have dark cornish and delaware but they are still just chicks now). I don't think any of my breeds are known for broodiness so I'm looking for recommendations (and sources! The chicks are about 4 weeks old so that's the ideal age... or a mature hen)

Most people try to avoid broodiness and it gets bred out of "production" lines of large fowl. Bantams are not bred for high egg production and most go broody a lot (silkies and cochins being extreme examples of this). In large fowl, I would pick a breed you like and get stock from someone that raises them for fun or showing.

Some breeds have a reputation for broodiness, but I think it varies a low between strains and even individual hens. Here are some LF breeds that are know for broodiness:
Buff Orpingtons
Marans
Sumatras
Games
Cochins

 

[AnneInTheBurbs]

Welcome from the Poconos!


Today was a good egg laying day!!! I had 14 out of 14 eggs today!! I guess the helicopter yesterday didn't stress out my girls. I tried to collect the eggs from under my cuckoo marans and she bit me lol

Yay! That's a lot of eggs!

Nice! Love Gold laced anything, but Those large Wyandottes are especially pretty.


On the Avian Influenza, I should clarify that the cases found in PA thius far are NOT the High Pathonogen variety wiping out thousands of birds in other states, the variety recently found near Philadelphia is a Low Pathonogen and not even making the birds sick.

That's good news, at least.

Get ahold of Dick Horstman (www.horstmanspoultry.com) and ask him if he has any Silver Pencil Rock hens or pullets available.  I have a handful of them, they are beautiful birds, about 6 or 7 pounds, so average large fowl size and these hens are broody all the time.  Out of 5 hens last year I had 3 of them broody 3x and the other 2 brooded 2x. 
I just set 12 of their eggs under a broody White Rock hen (which I also got from his eggs, LOL) so I won't know what I have for chicks for a few weeks and they certainly won't be old enough to help you out this year or I would send a few of mine your way....
His eggs are $25/doz and I think chicks are $6-$8 each but they are high quality birds. 

also look for sources for large fowl cochin, Langshan and some breeder's lines of Black Australorp and Jersey Giants, I believe they are broody prone.

...and be careful what you wish for!!!  I wanted broody prone hens also, and I ended up with an entire coop of them, many of which are NOT SUPPOSED TO BE BROODY TYPES!  Who ever thought that hatchery stock Jersey Giants, EEs and barnyard mixes from Black Sex link stock would ALL want to raise chicks!?  


Edit to correct the egg price, I just checked out his website and see he increased this year.

My bantam Langshans has gone broody a lot, my Australorp has yet to.

Troyer feeds cracked corn and mealworms to his dragonflies to put on some size before processing them 

Most people try to avoid broodiness and it gets bred out of "production" lines of large fowl. Bantams are not bred for high egg production and most go broody a lot (silkies and cochins being extreme examples of this). In large fowl, I would pick a breed you like and get stock from someone that raises them for fun or showing.

Some breeds have a reputation for broodiness, but I think it varies a low between strains and even individual hens. Here are some LF breeds that are know for broodiness:
Buff Orpingtons
Marans
Sumatras
Games
Cochins

My bantam Cochin might be going broody. Fingers crossed!

 

[wingstone]

 
@troyer

how in the world did you get those dragonflys to look so big?

Troyer feeds cracked corn and mealworms to his dragonflies to put on some size before processing them 

Speaking of mealworms, I have 1000's of them, does anyone know how to dry them in the oven, if I do that how long will they last and what would be the protein percent if added to a feed mix

 

[Ducky07]

South Central! Harrisburg Area!

 

[wingstone]

Update on a few things.
Silkie, the pilgrim eggs are doing great, 1 didn't develop, 1 quit early on.. but the other 2 had internal pips when I checked last night....
Fisherlady, That rock assortment that you brought is doing really well, they will move to the big coops this weekend and have control of all the hen's they want since many roosters will be leaving today they I'll not have any competition.. and the barred have been laying for about a week now, I am gonna go ahead and set a few of those eggs since I have a broody....

Blarney, so sorry to say that I lost the olive egg rooster last weekend, we called him sentry because he was always outside walking the fence line and always the first to notice anything....it did help to know that he was doing what he thought his job was, we lost no hen's that day, but it was obvious that he put up a fight....

ISO guinea, any color, they are only for bug control

 

[wingstone]

Message for the locals around me,
Today and Friday will be processing day for roosters and older rabbits... nothing fancy, all skinned quickly and bagged for canning over the weekend.

If you have anything that you need done, get it over here and I can add it..

 

[AnneInTheBurbs]

South Central! Harrisburg Area!

Welcome to the Pa thread!

 

[bobrut]

do you have any young hens for sale?

 

[AnneInTheBurbs]

My little Cochin is not broody

.....Not yet...