Pennsylvania!! Unite!!

[TillyPeeps]

Those sexlinks are intriguing. A friend that has a bunch growing out commented yesterday about how wild and uncontrollable they are. I think they are just more intelligent (I wonder if inbreeding reduces intelligence in some way) and recognize danger, or friends, more readily. Every sexlink that I have gotten reports and pics about has been the hands down favorite of the kids that raised them. Not sure why that is, but it seems too consistent to be chance. Even compared to Legbars they win the personality contests, and that's saying something because I have gotten a lot of rave reviews of legbars from people that did not also get sexlinks.

I am trying to get Biels to hatch for Anne. They are very problematic for me, along with the Wheaten Ameraucanas. The other breeds hatch much better (except Rhodebars, I stopped setting them they hatch so bad). Biels and Rhodebars are both problematic hatchers, but the hybrids of those 2 hatch 90+%. That makes me think "inbreeding", but I'm not really certain what is going on. Oh, and they share a pen or are next pen over in the same coop, and so the care and food is identical.

I started saving Rhodefelder eggs for hatching again after seeing how yours turned out.

If non Bielefelder hatchs, she may want to take Rhodefelder? I cannot tell any difference between Bear and a pure Bielefelder.

For the egg news, I watched Ruff-Ruff laid her egg today and it's very different from the two dark brown ones from the two days before. I don't know if she ran out of pigment or those dark eggs are Penny's. See the following photo, the left bottom speckled egg was laid by Ruff today, the two dark one right to it were the eggs in question. I guess Bear laid a shellless egg today, so she only have one big dark brown egg here. All blue eggs were from Brownie.

Here is Ruff-Ruff just laid an egg.

 

[TillyPeeps]

I originally built a full height 12ft x 12ft building with a 4 ft porch for our first coop....
Then I bought a shed with full height walls (8 ft to eave) and a 'barn roof' so it has a lot of 'attic space' inside, we built loft space on both ends with a connecting high shelf along the back side, it has 2 small coops on one end (about 5.5ft x 6 ft) and a full width coop on the other end that is about 5.5 ft x 12 ft. We created a 'people area in the middle section which is used for food storage and broody hens.
If you can find a shed they are great for coops with minimal adaptations, if you get it moved by a shed company you can even build an elevated frame to have it set on so the birds have extra square footage under cover for their outside space and just build a small deck with a couple of steps to the entrance. It is amazing how handy our porch area is and awesome that it is dry when you want to set stuff down before going into the coop.
Yes, I did enjoy it....will participate more later, still playing catch up after being on 'quick visit' checks while away last week.

When you have a chance, can you post some picture of your coop setups? I plan to buy a shed as our next coop and will let DH build an elevated frame for it. All the chickens spend all their time under the coop when it rains, so I would like to have space there for them in the future too. In the mean time, buying a shed instead of build everything ourselves can save us lot of time.

 

[chickachickayea]

They look great!  But the mandatory question is, only three?

I had 9 originally and 8 were boys, so I had to do some rehoming and rebuilding, and will slowly work my way up in the future I'm sure

They can be used for chickens with a lower dose. Pick one, and look it up on BYC or PM casportpony.

Found it and will be dosing later today (probably around bedtime). Last question, should I be watching for the culprit or dose all of them? Thank you so much for pointing me in the right direction!

 

[BullChick]

I had 9 originally and 8 were boys, so I had to do some rehoming and rebuilding, and will slowly work my way up in the future I'm sure

Found it and will be dosing later today (probably around bedtime). Last question, should I be watching for the culprit or dose all of them? Thank you so much for pointing me in the right direction!

Dose them all.

 

[BullChick]

@swataracreek Hi! OMG! How are you?!

 

[AnneInTheBurbs]

 
Settlement is in 40 days... I figure I'll need a week to settle in before I get my girls back.  Then Dheltzel, I'll be arranging a pickup! e

Good for you! Will you have a coop right away or has my bad habit of "just in time" coop building rubbed off? 
It's about time to start scavenging the farm for new places to put chickens this winter. Or I could start to finally show a bit of restraint this year . . . nah, where's the fun in that?

Maybe you will take so many that I won't need to build any new coops.

Do you still have any Banty Cochins? Does anyone have some besides Wing?

 

[stake]

Yes!! I have been wanting some Bieles for over a year, but haven't had the coop space. I definitely want at least a few. I'll take what ever Dheltzel has on the clearance rack and wants to get rid of. I have enough space to not be picky now. ha!


Restraint? What's that? My plan is to buy a used shed and hire a shed moving company to ship and place it. Then can modify it from there. I figure it would be equivalent to how much it would cost to build a nice coop and be ready almost instantly. I have to exercise a little caution at least initially. The seller is actually having a modular home placed on his lot next door, and I don't want to shock him with a fell fledged farm in the first month, especially if they will be free ranging until I have time to construct a decent run. The lot is mostly wooded with perhaps a 1/2 acre cleared. On the up side, I already noticed the neighbors have a few hens in a small run next to their house. I'm praying nobody makes a stink if I have a couple Roos.

Anne:

Moving used sheds may be a bit more challenging....movers don't want the liability if the shed falls apart while being moved....I've tested the waters a couple of times and never could get a price that worked.....my two cents....

 

[OneMountainAcres]

We harvested all our garlic today. There was a lot more there than we thought lol. We shouldn't run out this year at all! How are everyone's gardens don't this year?

I allay finally talked to the guy about the bee equipment. We get to go pick up our stuff on Saturday

 

[BullChick]

Garden is coming along slowly. My fault. I was thinking the wrong garden was fertile. I'm going to have to weed and fertilize tonight or during naps.

 

[TillyPeeps]

I'm moving to Auturn - Skaneateles -Syracus NY area next month. Any one knows a chicken friendly rental place there? It seems a rural area, and I saw many chickens there. I am going to ask in the NY thread too. Just want to ask here first.