Pennsylvania!! Unite!!

Pics
Date sort Score sort
heatherscooby77 said:
So precious, I want a broody that will commit. I have yet to have one, I think I might have one this year!
Click to expand...
When we picked up Gracie and her flockmates it was with the hope that one would end up being a broody for us... I knew silkies were known for it, so we got them with fingers crossed. I just didn't expect for it to happen so soon! We got them at the end of October, by mid December she was into a broody mood that just wasn't going to quit! If yours don't seem inclined to it, then find a silkie or silkie mix or two and add them into the flock. They don't eat much! LOL Maybe seeing a broody silkie around will get some of your other hens in the mood!
 
fisherlady said:
When we picked up Gracie and her flockmates it was with the hope that one would end up being a broody for us... I knew silkies were known for it, so we got them with fingers crossed. I just didn't expect for it to happen so soon! We got them at the end of October, by mid December she was into a broody mood that just wasn't going to quit! If yours don't seem inclined to it, then find a silkie or silkie mix or two and add them into the flock. They don't eat much! LOL Maybe seeing a broody silkie around will get some of your other hens in the mood!
Click to expand...

I am hoping for the bantam cochins to want to be mommies!
 
Sally Sunshine,

Love that coop you built. While I already have plans for my coop, I am going to substitute pallet wood for much of the sheet lumber in the plan. I really like your shutters....think I'll incorporate similar ones into mine.

Is that gravel you have in your run? Looks like 3/4s. Haven't seen that before. Advantages?

Jim
 
Last edited:
heatherscooby77 said:
So precious, I want a broody that will commit. I have yet to have one, I think I might have one this year!
Click to expand...

I wish the same, my baby's are missing out on a warm fluffy body to cuddle up to,
sad.png
 
they'reHISchickens said:
CAUTION: GRAPHIC POST
well, we had a succesful family processing day today.  DIL got 4 leghorn roos and 4 spent black hens at the Schuylkill Haven Saturday night market. ( They live about 10 minutes from there.)  She said there were few chickens available. Paid $2/ea for the leghorns. $5 each for others.
Lesson 1. When I looked at the crate this  morning, we noticed a white egg on the floor!  ??? I started looking closer. Leghorns were hens!  I picked out the one I thought may have laid the egg and then another one to keep her company in their small flock so they wouldn't have only one new one.  Then we had a lesson on how to tell a roo from a hen ( hint.. NOT by the size of the comb.) Fortunately DIL had chosen one of our FBlueCM roos for her flock so we had a comparison.
Lesson 2. How to best guess if they are laying. DIL and DD learned about pelvic distance. All 4 leghorns seemed wide, but this was processing time! We split the diff.. 2 saved, 2 process. Black hens all seemed narrow. Best guess on black hen breed: Black Stars
DS had water boiling outside on a campfire and a HUGE stump ready plus a sharp hatchet. Both DD's volunteered for holders, SIL2B did the deed. Total of 10. We took up 5 of our 4 yr old Orps. Some we plucked and  skinned some.  Leghorns worked better skinned due to many pinfeathers and hairs.  Orps were exceedingly fatty. Age or are we overfeeding?  Unknown hens were also quite fatty but not as bad. Found loads of eggs in the leghorns, none in the blacks and one in an orp.
DS had heat in the shed for cutting. All three gals grabbed knives and followed SIL2B's instructions ( he is a hunter and farm butcher.) Then I followed with how to cut whole chicken into pieces.
Overall conclusions: Eminently doable to process your own but having a group made the process MUCH more bearable. Finished in 3 hours with lots of amateur debate time.
Kids are planning another session in summer and contemplating meat birds.   John and I are not interested in meaties but will have roos from FBCM hatchings.
Oh, and as we were checking out their laying flock coop we found another leghorn egg!  Bonus:)
Yet to learn: how to caponize. No roosters to practice on:idunno

 
Click to expand...


Amazing! Great info. I love my leghorns, they're mean, but I still love em!
 
Bettacreek said:
Speaking of self-sufficiency, time to start thinking about gardens, if you haven't already! Getting some seeds from the dollar tree 4 packs for a dollar, some are 2 for a buck.
Click to expand...
I am in full planning mode!! We are buying our seeds from Seeds of Change. Trying to be all organic and non-Gmo this year....
 

New posts New threads Active threads

Back
Top Bottom