Should I buy eggs or wait it out?

[ronott1]

I can't remember if I posted yesterday or not...6/6 which surprised me. Good chickens! I should really make them some pie. Right now they're doing good if they get feed. It's SO COLD. It's not warming up from the single digit highs until like the 23rd.

I can't even.

way to go chickens!

 

[Wishing4Wings]

Condolences, mortie (& everyone who is freezing).

 

[Wishing4Wings]

Quote:
Are you getting more BBS? What else are you hatching this year?

 

[ronott1]

Are you getting more BBS? What else are you hatching this year?

Mrs. B has show australorps. They are very pretty but are not BBS. I might use a black rooster for breeding though.

I will be breeding:

Arkansas Blues
Pita Pinta
Partridge Penedesenca
Olive Eggers: Arkansas blue x partridge Penedesenca

I will have hatching eggs available too.

I do have a flock of Bresse in winters at the egg farm but I do not know the status.

 

[Wishing4Wings]

Mingirl, some breeds develop more slowly, so genetics combined with winter sunlight and unknown hatch dates can lead to more torture for those of us waiting... and waiting...


About Babs' eggs, I have a hen that had shell problems including lots of wrinkling like Babs. Found that the hen may have trouble absorbing the available calcium. I tried dosing her with some vitamin D3 (squirted a drop or two from a soft gel capsule onto a piece of bread) and it seemed to help. Got a higher proportion of normal eggs. This year, at 3 yrs, she doesn't seem to be having any problems at all, so

.

 

[Wishing4Wings]

Mrs. B has show australorps. They are very pretty but are not BBS. I might use a black rooster for breeding though.

I will be breeding:

Arkansas Blues
Pita Pinta
Partridge Penedesenca
Olive Eggers: Arkansas blue x partridge Penedesenca

I will have hatching eggs available too.

I do have a flock of Bresse in winters at the egg farm but I do not know the status.

Oooooo, all of those sound lovely. Sooo tempting. Wish I had more room. BYC needs to make a new badge honoring ENABLERs. You would get one for sure!

I love a glossy black hen. So pretty. I also like variety so I can tell who's who. Conflicted? Me? Never.

I have a question about temperament. Most of yours are derived from Mediterranean breeds. Are they more aggressive than typical dual purpose breeds? Would they do well in a mixed flock without picking on calmer birds?


I ask because my only experience with non dual purpose involved a hatchery white Leghorn (supposed to have been a Delaware). She is a psycho chicken compared to the others, racing around hogging food, bullying, chasing, pulling feathers, mounting!

She has calmed down since she quit laying last year and fits in better, but I am leery of the Med breeds because of her.

I am not psycho. I'm ENERGETIC! I got here first, so that bug is mine mine mine!

 

[Scrambles55]

It sounds like you guys back in the mid west and the east are getting our weather. The high today will be 48 and it is sunny!! Rump is protecting her fake eggs and Smoke and Minnie P are on the nest laying an egg.
Today is a day off work and we are remodeling from the sewage back up. I'll get pics later.
Keep your flock warm and toasty.

 

[Wishing4Wings]

This was in the random pics thread.

 

[ronott1]

Oooooo, all of those sound lovely. Sooo tempting. Wish I had more room. BYC needs to make a new badge honoring ENABLERs. You would get one for sure!

I love a glossy black hen. So pretty. I also like variety so I can tell who's who. Conflicted? Me? Never.

I have a question about temperament. Most of yours are derived from Mediterranean breeds. Are they more aggressive than typical dual purpose breeds? Would they do well in a mixed flock without picking on calmer birds?


I ask because my only experience with non dual purpose involved a hatchery white Leghorn (supposed to have been a Delaware). She is a psycho chicken compared to the others, racing around hogging food, bullying, chasing, pulling feathers, mounting!

She has calmed down since she quit laying last year and fits in better, but I am leery of the Med breeds because of her.

I am not psycho. I'm ENERGETIC! I got here first, so that bug is mine mine mine!

They do mix nicely. I moved two Penedesencas in with the layer flock and it went very smoothly.

See:



They are not psyco chickens but the do have more energy. They can fly but not too high. They also are not aggressive to people at all. I am careful when I combine them though.

 

[ronott1]

This was in the random pics thread.

That is great!