Pennsylvania!! Unite!!

[VictoriaTemple]

Marans eggs taste different, firmer and a nice rich taste. Can’t recommend them enough. The meringues are out of this world!

Edit: If you end up with any boys, I DEFINITELY noticed a difference in flavor and meat quality between my Marans hybrids and my Brahma hybrids. Still in early stages, but I will make sure to keep plenty of Marans DNA in the mix going forward. I love my Brahmas for many reasons, but Marans taste SO much better it shocked me!

 

[LadyBehir]

The Marans extra roo we processed tasted just fine but I didn't notice much difference in flavor. It was a while ago and we don't have our flock for meat anyway. And Cate hardly laid at all anyway so I can't really compare. She was a nice bird tho and I will miss her.

 

[troyer]

Hey all, just wanted to say hi from Susquehanna county. Got 16 chicks from McMurray's yesterday to start the adventure. And naturally yesterday we also discovered we have at least 2 raccoons on the property, so will have to deal with that before we move the chicks to the coop. Anyway, happy to connect

Welcome from former Lancaster County.....

 

[EmRip]

Hello everyone, today I had to say goodbye to my jumbo Pekin duck that I have had since she was a hatchling. I am only down to one duck now and I am afraid of how lonely my female pekin will be now without her sister. If needed I am going to buy another hatchling to raise from the start but I was wondering if there is anyone in or near the bucks county region of Pennsylvania that has or knows anyone with adult pekin or jumbo pekin ducks that they would sell or re-home!! Please help me get my baby a new friend.

I have ducks for sale, their four days old, Pekin. Check my post for more information

 

[OneMountainAcres]

Well I just lost my oldest hen. Cate was never a very good layer but she was a nice bird. I'm thinking it was just her time. No sign of trauma or illness.

So, for renewing my flock, what are some suggestions for breeds? I do want another Orp. I like the bigger chickens. And colored eggs. I don't know why, I just like the colored eggs better. They don't taste any different but seeing the rainbow of different colors makes me happy.

I'm sorry for your loss I think I remember when you first got Cate. Wasn't there a Dipli-Cate too?

 

[fisherlady]

Well I just lost my oldest hen. Cate was never a very good layer but she was a nice bird. I'm thinking it was just her time. No sign of trauma or illness.

So, for renewing my flock, what are some suggestions for breeds? I do want another Orp. I like the bigger chickens. And colored eggs. I don't know why, I just like the colored eggs better. They don't taste any different but seeing the rainbow of different colors makes me happy.

I'm sorry to hear of your loss, always leaves a hole when you loose a much loved flock member.
If you like friendly and laid back bigger girls look at quality Light Sussex. We had some from a breeder in Westmoreland County but unfortunately he no longer has them since he is concentrating on barred rock and buckeye.
FWIW a quality heritage Plymouth Rock is hard to beat for laid back and well rounded girls. Jersey giants and cochins are also nice calm hens with good sense and good looks.

 

[N Good]

Silver appleyard drakes in Quakertown PA.
I have two silver appleyard drakes I'm looking to get rid of. One is a year old, it was one of five I selected to breed from ducklings last spring I received from cackle hatchery. The other I traded for, was told it was 1 year old and a full bred silver appleyard. I don't know anything about it, but based on the 10 ducklings we hatched out from these two drakes I think they're both full bred (all ducklings had characteristic mohawk and dark tail).
Since I've already bred these boys into the flock I want to get rid of them and add new blood. I'm willing to sell or trade.
I can provide pictures but don't have any handy at the moment.

 

[TillyPeeps]

Well I just lost my oldest hen. Cate was never a very good layer but she was a nice bird. I'm thinking it was just her time. No sign of trauma or illness.

So, for renewing my flock, what are some suggestions for breeds? I do want another Orp. I like the bigger chickens. And colored eggs. I don't know why, I just like the colored eggs better. They don't taste any different but seeing the rainbow of different colors makes me happy.

Sorry for your loss. For colored eggs, you can always got some girls from Dennis. I love his Welbar egg color too. It's such shinny beautiful dark brown! Orp is a great large bird. I just got a Buff chick, and she is so friendly and huge when comparing to her hatchlings. Too bad that Dennis doesn't have bielefelder anymore. They are very calm large birds layering big eggs. I just love to see my Biel breaking fights between girls.

 

[dheltzel]

Well I just lost my oldest hen. Cate was never a very good layer but she was a nice bird. I'm thinking it was just her time. No sign of trauma or illness.

So, for renewing my flock, what are some suggestions for breeds? I do want another Orp. I like the bigger chickens. And colored eggs. I don't know why, I just like the colored eggs better. They don't taste any different but seeing the rainbow of different colors makes me happy.

If you get an Ameraucana, you get all the advantage of an Orpington, plus blue eggs. Big, fluffy, friendly, go broody sometimes - sounds like an Orp, but all true of Ameraucanas too.
And for big, I agree that Marans are great. Also, big, fluffy and friendly, plus dark brown eggs. Orps are ok, but when I had them I always wondered what made them any different/better than Marans and Ameraucanas.
But if you want efficient egg production, don't overlook Legbars and Welbars. I have old hens of both still laying like they are pullets.

 

[dheltzel]

Sorry for your loss. For colored eggs, you can always got some girls from Dennis. I love his Welbar egg color too. It's such shinny beautiful dark brown! Orp is a great large bird. I just got a Buff chick, and she is so friendly and huge when comparing to her hatchlings. Too bad that Dennis doesn't have bielefelder anymore. They are very calm large birds layering big eggs. I just love to see my Biel breaking fights between girls.

I am considering getting Bielefelders again. When I had them before, I think they were too inbred because I got relatively few eggs (though they were jumbo sized) and they hatched poorly (maybe too big an egg). At the time my Welbars were just getting to be properly autosexing and were laying circles around the Biels, so the decision to focus on Welbars was easy. A good friend has a line that is going gangbusters for him. He had to source a male from a different breeder because all his chicks were female, so perhaps that outcross was the "trick"