Pennsylvania!! Unite!!

[dheltzel]

I considered to build one like these, but don't think they are sturdy enough. My current plan is having a plastic shed with lots of windows added. Unfortunately, I just decide to quit my job and move back to PA on January, so I will not build a coop in our current NY home. Hopefully, we can find our new house in PA by summer time, so my son can get his chickens. I will get the same types of chickens from Dennis again, especially those Pennsylvania blacks.

I will be producing those for sure. They are still the best blue egg layers I've ever raised. Legbars are close, but lack the hybrid vigor from the California Greys.
I've been trying to find a better name for them that doesn't sound weird when you append "chicks" the the name in an ad. I was thinking about calling them Norwegian Blues, since they do have "lovely plumage" (apologies to anyone that doesn't get that, you are missing out if you've never seen Monty Python's Dead Parrot sketch). They lay blue eggs but aren't blue and aren't from Norway. Still, it seems as appropriate as some of the other recent names I've seen, like "Sapphires"

 

[OneMountainAcres]

@fangedknight This one's not a bad price and being a GQF, would be pretty reliable.
https://www.cutlersupply.com/collec...-incubator-with-fan-and-electronic-thermostat

They have one for $42 too but it's a still air. They're harder to work with.

 

[dheltzel]

What to do, what to do. I have a willing broody. Anyone have any pure eggs I can pop under her? Mine are all mixed at this point. I’m thinking of just getting some fertile eggs from Moyers, since they are 10 minutes from me.

I have Partridge Penedesenca eggs. They are small, but quite dark brown. Not sure about fertility, but the roo is gorgeous and seems to take good care of his hens. They remind me of Welsummers with slate blue legs (Welsummers should have yellow legs).

 

[dheltzel]

Does anyone have a spare incubator they aren't using/don't need anymore? I'm still on the hunt for one and it's hard to find something that's not going to break the budget right now.

I have several of the cheap styrofoam ones that I don't use anymore. They are too "fiddly" with getting the temp stable for my tastes. If you want to try one and see if you can get it to work, let me know. They should be fine for easy to hatch eggs, but I wouldn't entrust anything valuable to them.

 

[fangedknight]

@fangedknight This one's not a bad price and being a GQF, would be pretty reliable.
https://www.cutlersupply.com/collec...-incubator-with-fan-and-electronic-thermostat

They have one for $42 too but it's a still air. They're harder to work with.

Ooo! I'll check it out. Honestly right now as long as I can get something that's workable it'll save me a lot of time.

I have several of the cheap styrofoam ones that I don't use anymore. They are too "fiddly" with getting the temp stable for my tastes. If you want to try one and see if you can get it to work, let me know. They should be fine for easy to hatch eggs, but I wouldn't entrust anything valuable to them.

Awesome! I'd love to give them a shot! I don't have anything show worthy anyways at the moment so I can always attempt to get my duck eggs to hatch.

I've also been talking with @LeBlackbird about my flock and having to sell some of my birds to make some room since I have a 30 bird limit. I really hate the township some days. Oi.

 

[kie4]

good for you. Will you be processing him, or giving him away?

I just gave her another look over and she has a small lump between two toes. No evidence of a scab so I’m not sure if this is early onset of bumblefoot.

I seem to remember a bumblefoot thread on here recently so I’ll go back and look at that, as well as read some blogs and watch some YouTube videos on the subject.

 

[kie4]

I just gave her another look over and she has a small lump between two toes. No evidence of a scab so I’m not sure if this is early onset of bumblefoot.

I seem to remember a bumblefoot thread on here recently so I’ll go back and look at that, as well as read some blogs and watch some YouTube videos on the subject.

I posted this across on the diseases forum too, can anyone here confirm if this is bumblefoot please?

It’s small compared to what aim seeing on YouTube and there’s no scab to cut around.

Happy Thanksgiving!

 

[AnneInTheBurbs]

Does anyone have a spare incubator they aren't using/don't need anymore? I'm still on the hunt for one and it's hard to find something that's not going to break the budget right now.

If Dheltzel isn’t able to help you, I have available to borrow, although I am farther away.

I have Partridge Penedesenca eggs. They are small, but quite dark brown. Not sure about fertility, but the roo is gorgeous and seems to take good care of his hens. They remind me of Welsummers with slate blue legs (Welsummers should have yellow legs).

Thank you but you are too late, ha Ha! Since Moyers is 10 minutes from me I figured I’d try some Leghorn eggs. I was able to pick up this morning and they are cooking under my broody right now. By the way, the broody is one of the Black sex Link -blue egg layers. I think this is at least her second time going broody. It’s hard to tell the apart sometimes. They do a good job as a broody.

I just gave her another look over and she has a small lump between two toes. No evidence of a scab so I’m not sure if this is early onset of bumblefoot.

I seem to remember a bumblefoot thread on here recently so I’ll go back and look at that, as well as read some blogs and watch some YouTube videos on the subject.

I posted this across on the diseases forum too, can anyone here confirm if this is bumblefoot please?

It’s small compared to what aim seeing on YouTube and there’s no scab to cut around.


Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanks for the pictures, they are always helpful. I have had a couple girls with bumblefoot, and I think I will change their roosts for next year because of it.

It doesn’t look like there is any redness on her toe, but it sure is swollen. Because of its location, I wonder if it could be a problem with the joint instead perhaps?

Is she walking normally? Showing any signs of discomfort? As terrible as this may sound, with one of my girls, I had to let her foot get a little worse before I could “operate”. I needed to let the infection come to the surface so I was able to extract it easier. If she is not limping or showing any signs of distress, I would suggest a wait and see approach. You will know if it is problematic.

I thought something was wrong with one of my hens yesterday. She has been hanging back, and not going after food as much when I give out treats. I picked her up, and lo and behold, she was just molting. Poor girl!

 

[AnneInTheBurbs]

Does anyone else’s gourmet treats occasionally?

My girls are getting salmon bisque tomorrow because my husband didn’t eat it in time. They will also get leftover movie popcorn.

 

[AnneInTheBurbs]

So I have had this crazy thought recently, and I’d love to hear everybody’s take on it, especially @dheltzel .

With technology moving at such a rapid pace, I wonder how it will affect even chicken raising. I bet in the future, you will be able to scan an egg to read the DNA inside. This would allow you to sex the egg before it develops, so you could potentially only hatch females or males. Wouldn’t that be an awesome thing, to be able to select only females to hatch, and then the male eggs could be eaten?

I understand there could be problems like minimizing the genetic pool. But it’s just a thought as to a possible invention one day. It seems impossible, but try to remember how we can see galaxies thousands of miles away in space, or how we have cancer sniffing dogs.

Okay, back to our regularly scheduled program of chicken chat...