Pennsylvania!! Unite!!

[AnneInTheBurbs]

In my very limited experience, the Legbars are most people friendly birds. Molly used to ride on my shoulder when we walking around backyard. Every time I stretched my arm, and she would fly and land on my arm, then walk to my shoulder. The blue-egg sexlink pullet just loves kids. She's half ameraucana half california grey. They are the best pet chickens for backyard. I also love Bielefelders calm personality.

Unfortunately, I'm still waiting to sell my NY house before we can buy one at local. I'm hoping I could be ready before Dennis stopping hatching this year.

Don’t worry @dheltzel won’t stop hatching until December 31st, 11:59 pm. Then he will resume for the next year.

 

[dheltzel]

Don’t worry @dheltzel won’t stop hatching until December 31st, 11:59 pm. Then he will resume for the next year.

True, I think.

I was going to say that I would restart the incubator anytime, just to hatch for @TillyPeeps

 

[FluffyButt789]

I've decided not to get the 4 older hens from our neighbor and just stick with our 13 + the 6 babies. One rooster will be culled if he continues to be mean. Then we can sell some chickens if we need to in the fall.

I can NOT wait until the property is ours and to be able to have a coop, no a BARN, and all the chickens my heart desires

I did NOT know what I was getting into 2 years ago, when we got our first chicks...

 

[TillyPeeps]

Don’t worry @dheltzel won’t stop hatching until December 31st, 11:59 pm. Then he will resume for the next year.

I know someone will say that he never stop hatching. Well, he did stop for a month last year though. I'm afraid to raise chicks during winter. Last time, I got them at end of February and moved them out of my basement on May, many still caught cold after moving and sneezed a week.

 

[TillyPeeps]

True, I think.

I was going to say that I would restart the incubator anytime, just to hatch for @TillyPeeps

Thanks very much, Dennis. You're always extremely nice and helpful. I wouldn't get chicks when it's too cold outside anyway. If I need to wait for next year, I will try to have more work done for my coop and run before chicks coming. I'll post some pictures after I start working on coop. It wouldn't be very easy, since hubby can only give me limited help. I might just buy a existing shed and modify it.

 

[Lelanae]

I am not the expert, but I have had both English and American Orps--beautiful big fluffy colorful docile girls, who are easy for my little boy to pick up. He loves that they are like the fat Teddy Bears of the Bird world.
(Obviously MUCH more fragile that a toy!) I would hate to be with out them.
I did have an Amerucauna briefly and she was incredibly friendly--running up to us the way FangedKnight's Wyandotte does now.We all fell in love with her.The down side of orps--My English orps go broody a lot and nobody laid eggs for at least two months during the winter. I love the lavender color--but I am doing to buy lavender Amerucanas (rather than a lavender orp) from Dennis to get that bing color, personality ----and of course BLUE eggs --in my flock! Picture below is of my English Orp Buttercup--big fat fluffy ---not particularly friendly but not flighty and she just started laying.

 

[dheltzel]

I am not the expert, but I have had both English and American Orps--beautiful big fluffy colorful docile girls, who are easy for my little boy to pick up. He loves that they are like the fat Teddy Bears of the Bird world.
(Obviously MUCH more fragile that a toy!) I would hate to be with out them.
I did have an Amerucauna briefly and she was incredibly friendly--running up to us the way FangedKnight's Wyandotte does now.We all fell in love with her.The down side of orps--My English orps go broody a lot and nobody laid eggs for at least two months during the winter. I love the lavender color--but I am doing to buy lavender Amerucanas (rather than a lavender orp) from Dennis to get that bing color, personality ----and of course BLUE eggs --in my flock! Picture below is of my English Orp Buttercup--big fat fluffy ---not particularly friendly but not flighty and she just started laying.View attachment 1301105

Ameraucanas can go broody too. The blacks seem more prone to than the the lavenders, but not many of my hens go broody compared to what others get. I have 5 broodies now, which is a lot for me. None of the Ameraucanas, Legbars or Cali Greys are broody, yet when I had the blue egg black sexlinks they went broody often, despite neither parent being very prone to it.
I believe there is a lot of individual variation, even in the breeds not prone to broodiness. It is certainly not a simple genetic trait, though the difference in breed "tendencies" indicates there is something genetic. Some people have a "knack" for managing broodies. I don't and can't quite figure out what I am doing wrong.

 

[Blarneyeggs]

Welcome from Berks County!

So I got on the horn with someone about the swan at the ARL, hoping that she goes for her. I also have my eggs in the Brinsea on lockdown! here's hoping for a good hatch, I've been trying to keep the humidity up but I'm starting to think my humidity gauge is busted. I'm not sure.

Also in bigger news, you guys are my poultry family so I thought to let you know. I came out as transgender a couple days ago. Thankfully the response has been pretty good so far, and obviously the chickens don't care. But for future reference I'm going by Jack now and using male pronouns. Funny thing is, apparently a lot of people realized it before I did.

Anywhoodles, I'm thinking I'll be lucky if I get one BCM to hatch outta this batch. @LeBlackbird and I were candling them earlier (way before lockdown) and the development on some of these eggs wasn't all there like they'd died early on. I'm a little upset cause I was looking forward to having BCM chicks but... eh. it's whatever. I'll keep you guys posted on how many Bielfelders I get and if anyone wants any chicks I'll probably sell a couple.

That’s a big step. Welcome Jack!

 

[AnneInTheBurbs]

I made good use of the nice weather today by working on my little broody coop. It will be a "nursery" for when my broodies have chicks, which may be as soon as Saturday.




Free shipping crate that was found with some discarded pallets. Plywood side panels we from a separate pallet pickup also. They were not the exact size, but thankfully, the chickens don't care.

Walls added on outside, hardware cloth on top for ventilation and to make it predator proof. Inside "walls" are leftover 1/4" osb plywood. Necessary because little chicks can find the tiniest places to get stuck.

A friend had some small sheets of the corrugated green roofing panels, so they worked perfect here. Also, the "floor" is just leftover pallet wood, some.of which was stained.

Edited to add, I will finish with a door of some sort for the front, and a small run, so that she she can take chicks outside, without me having to gather them up later.

2 turkeys and a Bielefelder in the same box. Is this really necessary? Haha!

 

[dheltzel]

I sometimes get a good laugh checking out the competition: https://www.cacklehatchery.com/lavender-ameraucana-chicken.html
Of course, I sell them for $8 rather than $14, no shipping charges (or stress), and I have them right now, in fact some are several weeks old already. Also, mine are all split for the silkied (wooly) gene.
They are making a lot of profit on these, the just aren't that hard to keep and hatch.