She said/He said Who's right? Who's wrong? No one!

[scflock]

We bought our pellet stove during one of the last government created "oil crises".  It was a cheap model, the only one we could get.  No removeable ash bin, so it has to be vacuumed out.  Have to clean it about every other day, but we use it only in the basement to keep the pipes from freezing, and buy pellets 6 bags or so at a time, as we need them.  I love that stove.  Heat upstairs with a tiny little Jotul.  Burn about 3 cords of wood/winter.  Have to double split it b/c the wood box is so small.  Our first stove was a Fisher.  That's an incredible stove!  But it was too big for the house and cooked us out.

Want snow?  Come to Maine.  Want cold?  Come to Maine!

How old?  Beautiful feathering.  Interesting comment made re: pea as it relates to shell color.  I'm finding that to be the case with this year's hatches.  My straight combed pullets all lay a brown egg.  (Daddy is EE)

Ruby, time to give that little boy an education in manners.  Got a squirt gun?  Keep it in your pocket.  If he so much as looks at you the wrong way, give him a face full.  Now's the time to get him trained, b/c if he gets away with it, you'll have to introduce him to your crock pot.  My 14 y.o GS came home sick 2 days ago.  But he's got an incredible immune system.  He's back to school today.  Sounds like your son needs a pronto trip to the Dr.  Kidney infections, if that's what it is are nothing to mess with.  

I handle mine just the opposite:  I let broody and chicks out to range with the flock, before putting them in the run or coop with the rest of the flock.

It's funny how everyone does things different, and you find what works for you. My good broody's first clutch, she took them straight into the pen, where they were massacred. After that, she kept them in the coop for at least a week. It's a huge coop, with plenty of hiding spaces. I fed and watered them in the coop, and after a week or so she brought them outside with no issues. She has hatched 2 more clutches and done the same thing

 

[ronott1]

You may mean that the comb is a combination, but all combs will be the same. The reason I'm asking is I have some horribly bred silkies. They are great pets, but they throw single, pea, rose, walnut, and various combinations of those

It is important for the Cock birds that you are using for breeding. For Araucana based blue egg shell genes, the association is over 95%.

Any bit of peas in the comb works. No peas and straight will most likely not have the blue gene so he would not be used for breeding. pullets\hens you can either sell or keep as layers but not breed them. Of course you will know what color egg shell gene they have since you will see the egg color.

One problem is that you can't tell by egg color if they have a recessive white gent too. You could get white egg shells from some of them if the hen only has one blue and the Rooster only has one.

Lot's of fun!

 

[scflock]

It is important for the Cock birds that you are using for breeding. For Araucana based blue egg shell genes, the association is over 95%.

Any bit of peas in the comb works. No peas and straight will most likely not have the blue gene so he would not be used for breeding. pullets\hens you can either sell or keep as layers but not breed them. Of course you will know what color egg shell gene they have since you will see the egg color.

One problem is that you can't tell by egg color if they have a recessive white gent too. You could get white egg shells from some of them if the hen only has one blue and the Rooster only has one.

Lot's of fun!

That is still helpful, though. I will sell the offspring as OE/EE anyway, so I will have to study more before I start trying to work on those egg combinations. I have a good Am flock, and a sketchy BCM flock, so I am going to cross those with the extra roosters. I hope to get a better BCM flock by next year, but I'm attached to my current rooster, so the plan is to give him some Am hens and start over with the BCM

 

[scflock]

Thank you dear

I hadn't gotten to actually look at my pictures on the big screen until now. They are very pretty birds. I think I got lucky with them. Their feathering isn't perfect, but I expect it will be better after the next molt. I really like their color though. The black split girl is really gorgeous, pics don't do her justice. Both of my roosters are very nice looking too, just very timid, so far. And they are huge!

That black split is showing some nice green

Was she always that way, or did it start purple and turn green like my Ams?

 

[RubyNala97]

Ruby, time to give that little boy an education in manners.  Got a squirt gun?  Keep it in your pocket.  If he so much as looks at you the wrong way, give him a face full.  Now's the time to get him trained, b/c if he gets away with it, you'll have to introduce him to your crock pot.  My 14 y.o GS came home sick 2 days ago.  But he's got an incredible immune system.  He's back to school today.  Sounds like your son needs a pronto trip to the Dr.  Kidney infections, if that's what it is are nothing to mess with.  

Yup, I have three boys so lots of water guns in this house. There is a small one that shoots really hard, actually burns when you get hit with it. I will start that asap. I have some younger cockerels I was going to get rid of. This is making me think I'll hang on to them till spring. I don't want a mean rooster. So he if doesn't shape up then someone else will take his place. I just really like this one, as he's the first egg I ever hatched and he was hand raised. Makes me even more mad that he'd start biting me!!
We're at the Drs now. My son just peed in the cup. So we'll see. If it is a kidney infection, we caught it early! Glad yours is feeling better!

 

[WVduckchick]

That black split is showing some nice green
Was she always that way, or did it start purple and turn green like my Ams?

Looking back through the hundreds of pics on my phone, even the earliest of sheen was green, I don't think I ever noticed any purple on her. My ducks, yes, but not on her. I named her Onyx.

 

[scflock]

Looking back through the hundreds of pics on my phone, even the earliest of sheen was green, I don't think I ever noticed any purple on her. My ducks, yes, but not on her. I named her Onyx.

Make noise, B Boys!!!!

 

[lazy gardener]

Yup, I have three boys so lots of water guns in this house. There is a small one that shoots really hard, actually burns when you get hit with it. I will start that asap. I have some younger cockerels I was going to get rid of. This is making me think I'll hang on to them till spring. I don't want a mean rooster. So he if doesn't shape up then someone else will take his place. I just really like this one, as he's the first egg I ever hatched and he was hand raised. Makes me even more mad that he'd start biting me!!
We're at the Drs now. My son just peed in the cup. So we'll see. If it is a kidney infection, we caught it early! Glad yours is feeling better!

My policy with roos is that I take a hands off policy just as soon as I figure out that they are male. From that time on, they are taught to stay arms length away from me. However, one of my little broody hatched guys is a hot ticket. He declared himself very early, and started biting me when I touched his siblings or his Mama. (at 3 weeks of age!) He's so stinking cute. I snatched him up and started dominance training right away, and he's not tried that stunt again. He bears watching. He may actually be a replacement for Jack down the road, b/c he was easily broken from that habit, and he's a smart little stinker. I use a little fiberglass pole and herd the roos/cockrels around with it. If they are food aggressive, I'll hold them off from the feed and not let them eat until the hens are done. Same with any behavior that needs to be curbed. A light tap with the pole, and they know what behavior is being corrected. All I have to do is tell Jack, "OUT!" when he's being a pita in the coop, and he'll leave. Same when he's running down a hen... I put my hand up, and say NO!, and he'll immediately change his plans. They're smarter than we give them credit for.

 

[scflock]

My policy with roos is that I take a hands off policy just as soon as I figure out that they are male. From that time on, they are taught to stay arms length away from me. However, one of my little broody hatched guys is a hot ticket. He declared himself very early, and started biting me when I touched his siblings or his Mama. (at 3 weeks of age!) He's so stinking cute. I snatched him up and started dominance training right away, and he's not tried that stunt again. He bears watching. He may actually be a replacement for Jack down the road, b/c he was easily broken from that habit, and he's a smart little stinker. I use a little fiberglass pole and herd the roos/cockrels around with it. If they are food aggressive, I'll hold them off from the feed and not let them eat until the hens are done. Same with any behavior that needs to be curbed. A light tap with the pole, and they know what behavior is being corrected. All I have to do is tell Jack, "OUT!" when he's being a pita in the coop, and he'll leave. Same when he's running down a hen... I put my hand up, and say NO!, and he'll immediately change his plans. They're smarter than we give them credit for.

That's awesome

 

[AmyLynn2374]

This was great!

Well I'm looking forward to the updates!!
Snopes? What is that?
Maybe it will just delay the hatch by a few hours. Should be ok.

Yup I'm oil here. Way expensive and we did run out once last year and had to pay the $50 emergency fee.
Oh I miss living in FL and wearing flip-flops year round!!!

Snopes is where you go to find out if something is true or not. lol They research to find proof or debunk the crap that goes around the internet. http://www.snopes.com/
I would love to be able to wear flip flops all year!!
We've run out more than once when we've had furnaces and had to use electric heaters because we didn't have the $$ to get 100 gallons. That's the biggest thing I love about the pellets.

Certainly could be kidneys, but not neccessarily; I'd have him checked out.

Sounds like your cockerel had a testosterone attack. Could be he'll continue unless you change his mind for him

xs 2
(Glad you're at Drs. Keep us posted!)@RubyNala97

The silkies, yes, no issues. The cuckoo marans are 50/50. One is a great broody, but 2 are kinda dumb. One always swaps nests every few days, and another gets spooked and leaves when they pip. The first batch of chicks that ever hatched in that pen were attacked and killed by the other hens, but I've had 3 successful clutches reared in the pen since then. The silkies are a no-brainer with no issues, but the marans are a gamble

I read the article when I got my incubator. The final conclusion was that for every 40 chicken eggs set, you could expect one more egg to hatch. I figured the chances of me forgetting to turn the feature off at lockdown were much greater than me getting one additional hatch, so I haven't used it. I may try it with the BCM, though, if this next hatch is like the others. Lockdown tonight...

I'm not just saying this because you're my girl, those LOs are gorgeous. If I could handle another breed, those would be next. That rooster is a beautiful boy

I don't move mine any more, except for a marans after the hatch. I was finding that reintroducing a hen to the flock after being separated for a month was almost as bad as throwing in a new chicken. She lost her place in the pecking order, and the other hens were rough on her for a few days. With the marans, I will take mama and the chicks out before she comes of the nest and keep them in a broody pen for a couple of weeks, then they go back in the coop. She has learned to keep them in the coop and teach the others not to mess with them before taking them out into the yard

Thanks. I'm definitely going to keep an eye on her throughout the day. And seriously -Good luck on lockdown and hatch! I really want to see parade status and not just for the parade either.
That's part of my concern - seperating her from the flock, even though I have the room in the coop to put the kennel, I'd rather not if I don't have to. She maybe little but she can be fiesty if she needs to. I've seen it...lol

Thank you dear

I hadn't gotten to actually look at my pictures on the big screen until now. They are very pretty birds. I think I got lucky with them. Their feathering isn't perfect, but I expect it will be better after the next molt. I really like their color though. The black split girl is really gorgeous, pics don't do her justice. Both of my roosters are very nice looking too, just very timid, so far. And they are huge!

Ya- they are gorgeous. Have been from day one.

We bought our pellet stove during one of the last government created "oil crises". It was a cheap model, the only one we could get. No removeable ash bin, so it has to be vacuumed out. Have to clean it about every other day, but we use it only in the basement to keep the pipes from freezing, and buy pellets 6 bags or so at a time, as we need them. I love that stove. Heat upstairs with a tiny little Jotul. Burn about 3 cords of wood/winter. Have to double split it b/c the wood box is so small. Our first stove was a Fisher. That's an incredible stove! But it was too big for the house and cooked us out.

Want snow? Come to Maine. Want cold? Come to Maine!

How old? Beautiful feathering. Interesting comment made re: pea as it relates to shell color. I'm finding that to be the case with this year's hatches. My straight combed pullets all lay a brown egg. (Daddy is EE)

Ruby, time to give that little boy an education in manners. Got a squirt gun? Keep it in your pocket. If he so much as looks at you the wrong way, give him a face full. Now's the time to get him trained, b/c if he gets away with it, you'll have to introduce him to your crock pot. My 14 y.o GS came home sick 2 days ago. But he's got an incredible immune system. He's back to school today. Sounds like your son needs a pronto trip to the Dr. Kidney infections, if that's what it is are nothing to mess with.

I handle mine just the opposite: I let broody and chicks out to range with the flock, before putting them in the run or coop with the rest of the flock.

Our stove doesn't have a removable ash bin either. I have to vacuum it, but the burn pot comes out. Usually, as long as I keep it cleaned the pellets completely ash and rarely have burning embers. If I go too long before cleaning I get a stove full of half burned pellets and all embers.