Pennsylvania!! Unite!!

[stake]

I suppose it depends a lot on how you define a "normal breed". If more than one commercial hatchery offers them, I think most would agree that's a normal breed. I lot of hatcheries do Maran's, but most only cuckoo, so in my opinion BCM's are on the fence, and Blue CM's are certainly not normal. No hatcheries offer Rhodebars or Breese that I'm aware of, and Icelandics are only available from Sandhill (not sure if I count them as a commercial hatchery). Perhaps some hatchery has Cuckoo OEG's, I don't follow those very closely, but I suspect they aren't "normal" either. At least one commercial hatchery lists CCL's for sale, but everyone is with you on them. My point is just that there are non-normal chickens for sale on CL. The fact they are there on occasion, but not regularly, make yours likely to get at least some attention. I might be wrong, but I hope I'm right and when you post on CL, you get a lot of interest.

I wish we could do a poultry auction like the fish and garden clubs do auctions. I know there are livestock auctions, but they are a "last resort", IMO. A good auction is educational and not just a "dumping ground". The biosecurity implications make it too daunting to even think about.

DH:

There are a few meetups and swaps around SE PA every year(there is one woman in MD who has a big one)....last summer there was some talk of folks from here getting together around june for a weekend swap...they are not strictly chooks though...I also think there are many breeds of chooks that if you want to focus on a rare breed, they can be hard to get in driving range...I don't believe an of the marans are considered rare....here's a good list, but it isn't even complete.....http://www.albc-usa.org/documents/chickenbreedcomparison.pdf

 

[SilkieSensation]

Has anyone got chicks at Pickering Valley Feed?  Love to hear the results.  All my chicks are doing well, but we lost a few of the leghorns in the first few weeks, and I was looking to kinda fill in the ranks a bit, try some different breeds?

I'm getting my five chickies here next week supposedly. I feel so unprepared even for all my studying and reading. Thanks for the input on Pickering Valley. I would have never heard of it except from you guys here. I am really excited for it! . e


I definitely think spring is around the corner, I feel like I hear birds chirping a lot more recently. Anyone else notice that? I feel like my dog is even bouncing off the walls (more than usual). In the salon I used to work at we had "the February Phenomenon" very year. People would come in and want a drastically different style or color. We think it was just because people are bored and cold and ready for spring this time of year and need a change. And it's usually been about 6 weeks from Christmas when they last did any kind of special style.

Back to Chickening.... What is everyone's preferred bedding for new day old chicks?

I use pine shavings until they are big enough to go outside in my wire bottom brooder.

 

[Katt66]

When we sold the big house I had to sell all my fish and tanks, I was just starting with them too! Its an addiction! I had three 55 gals and a bunch of smaller 30 gals and then I had turtles and goldfish anddddddd now I have a dumb little tank that the LED light dont work and I cant replace it because it costs money and too much of it!! I keep thinking the fish will croak but they carry on! I think once you go big you cant enjoy a tiny tank, I dont at all. its like pffffst he he he

Same here. We actually went from a small house to a bigger house though. But in our case the smaller house was a row home in Mahanoy City. (the toilet bowl of Schuylkill County)
Because it was a row home though there was probably 80ft of straight uninterrupted wall space down both sides of the living/dining room area. And the fact that the cracker boxes are only 12 ft wide supported by solid stone foundations meant that there was plenty of support for even the biggest of aquariums.

At one time I had my current 120 gallon, 3 40 gallon breeders I'd gotten from a friend, 3 30 gallon breeders, 4 55 gallons, and assorted 10 and 20 gallons with everything and anything you can imagine in them from goldfish to guppies to angelfish to big marine angels and triggers. A 2 ft Snowflake Moray, a 15" Lunula Lionfish, and tons of cichlids from little shell dwellers to Malawi Mbuna rock reef setups.

Now I've got more room but no wall space for tanks. So I'm down to my 120 gallon with a baby Redtail Cat, an overgrown Sailfin Pleco and a Flowerhorn who's too grumpy for the Redtail to eat.
Downstairs I've got a 55 with a fat stunted Jack Dempsey, a big female Firemouth, a little P. polleni large spot, assorted LF Bristlenoses, and some other stuff all from a friend of my Cousins.

I miss all of my aquariums. But as long as DH keeps me in chickens I suppose I shall survive. ^_^

 

[stake]

I'm getting my five chickies here next week supposedly. I feel so unprepared even for all my studying and reading. Thanks for the input on Pickering Valley. I would have never heard of it except from you guys here. I am really excited for it!

.

I definitely think spring is around the corner, I feel like I hear birds chirping a lot more recently. Anyone else notice that? I feel like my dog is even bouncing off the walls (more than usual). In the salon I used to work at we had "the February Phenomenon" very year. People would come in and want a drastically different style or color. We think it was just because people are bored and cold and ready for spring this time of year and need a change. And it's usually been about 6 weeks from Christmas when they last did any kind of special style.

Back to Chickening.... What is everyone's preferred bedding for new day old chicks?

Annie:

I use pine shaving for brood and coop....I also think Pickering has a good price on it...their bag is 3.25 cubic feet while alot of other pet stores are 2.5......my two cents....

 

[Katt66]

And on a totally unrelated note. Has anybody noticed what it's doing outside suddenly?

I could cry!
When I woke up this morning it felt like Spring was in the air. I just knew today was going to be the day all the snow melted away.

And now it's sleeting and raining. D:

 

[dheltzel]

DH:

There are a few meetups and swaps around SE PA every year(there is one woman in MD who has a big one)....last summer there was some talk of folks from here getting together around june for a weekend swap...they are not strictly chooks though...I also think there are many breeds of chooks that if you want to focus on a rare breed, they can be hard to get in driving range...I don't believe an of the marans are considered rare....here's a good list, but it isn't even complete.....http://www.albc-usa.org/documents/chickenbreedcomparison.pdf

So how do you define rare? I used the "commercial hatchery test", because it seemed easiest. By that measure BCM are at least not common, blue ones even less so, and I can't think of a single hatchery anywhere with Golden Cuckoo Marans. Please let me know if you've seen them!

How do the swaps work with NPIP and general biosecurity? Is PA fairly liberal about that? I think private sales (like through CL) are mostly ignored, but well advertised swap meet might attract the wrong sort of attention from someone. Fortunately, fish are still very loosely regulated, because they are not a food item (in the pet store sense) and the pet industry has a huge lobby in DC dedicated to the unregulated flow of goods, including a lot of potentially dangerous animals. I've heard that the state of PA has bans on many pets (I don't really want to know what I can't have - just makes me want it), but apparently can't enforce them because the money is in the shops and they only sell supplies if people have those pets.

I know they have swaps in MD and they regulate everything down there, so it's certainly feasible for operations that already do NPIP, but that's impractical for mostly free-ranging poultry on a small dairy farm (I remember those discussion when Sally was getting certified, way too much hassle for me)

 

[SilkieSensation]

 


DH:

There are a few meetups and swaps around SE PA every year(there is one woman in MD who has a big one)....last summer there was some talk of folks from here getting together around june for a weekend swap...they are not strictly chooks though...I also think there are many breeds of chooks that if you want to focus on a rare breed, they can be hard to get in driving range...I don't believe an of the marans are considered rare....here's a good list, but it isn't even complete.....http://www.albc-usa.org/documents/chickenbreedcomparison.pdf

So how do you define rare? I used the "commercial hatchery test", because it seemed easiest. By that measure BCM are at least not common, blue ones even less so, and I can't think of a single hatchery anywhere with Golden Cuckoo Marans. Please let me know if you've seen them!

How do the swaps work with NPIP and general biosecurity? Is PA fairly liberal about that? I think private sales (like through CL) are mostly ignored, but  well advertised swap meet might attract the wrong sort of attention from someone. Fortunately, fish are still very loosely regulated, because they are not a food item (in the pet store sense) and the pet industry has a huge lobby in DC dedicated to the unregulated flow of goods, including a lot of potentially dangerous animals. I've heard that the state of PA has bans on many pets (I don't really want to know what I can't have - just makes me want it), but apparently can't enforce them because the money is in the shops and they only sell supplies if people have those pets.

I know they have swaps in MD and they regulate everything down there, so it's certainly feasible for operations that already do NPIP, but that's impractical for mostly free-ranging poultry on a small dairy farm (I remember those discussion when Sally was getting certified, way too much hassle for me)

In Ohio, if you are not NPIP, all of the organized swaps & auctions require proof of p/t testing in the past 30 days or have a tester on site to do the testing before you are allowed to sell birds. For fairs & shows they also require AI.

 

[dheltzel]

In Ohio, if you are not NPIP, all of the organized swaps & auctions require proof of p/t testing in the past 30 days or have a tester on site to do the testing before you are allowed to sell birds. For fairs & shows they also require AI.

I'm glad the fish hobby doesn't require that. Fish people (in general) are far to cheap/libertarian to tolerate that. It would all go underground. Some of us already meet in peoples houses like secret societies, lol.

 

[barbiegirl]

And on a totally unrelated note. Has anybody noticed what it's doing outside suddenly?

I could cry!
When I woke up this morning it felt like Spring was in the air. I just knew today was going to be the day all the snow melted away.

And now it's sleeting and raining. D:

It's snowing good here. We were supposed to get freezing rain so I will take the snow. My son went back to school today for the first time in a week. I hope they will be ok!

I love fish, I have 2 ponds, an 100 gallon tank and my son has a betta tank. I had a horrible leak in my koi pond and I think they all died, couldn't find the leak and then everything froze. I'm so upset. I have a couple of koi in my 100 gallon tank with my silver dollars and cory cats and my huge pleco. I had a baby redtail and leopard shovel nose catfish but they both didn't eat and died. I love the catfishes, so many different ones and so pretty. I used to have a salt water tank but I am so allergic to salt water and the fish are so expensive. I do miss my seahorses and my favorite mandarin goby fish.

 

[sgtmom52]

And on a totally unrelated note. Has anybody noticed what it's doing outside suddenly?

I could cry!
When I woke up this morning it felt like Spring was in the air. I just knew today was going to be the day all the snow melted away.

And now it's sleeting and raining. D:

We have rain/freezing rain & LIGHTENING AND THUNDER!