South Carolina

[Joycats]

Quote:
Pink - if your layers are buff orps they won't lay until between 6 and 8 months of age. They mature much slower than production birds. As a matter of fact, I've had 9 month old buff orps that I thought were pullets and they turned into roos overnight!

I didn't have any hens to compare them to at the time so that is my excuse for not knowing. I love my buff orps, but they haven't done well in this heat at all.

Oh my goodness they just up and changed on you.

. yup that would be my luck.

. I think I need to pen them up and keep them up for a while, they are all getting ready.. I guess ill just take fan down there till I get some eggs, so they know to come back to the run everyday to lay.. my one BR who started out Joan Jet.. then became Jett Lee,, well... hummmm he doesn't crow, he is constantly at my feet . gets along with both flocks. not aggressive except a peck now and then at the feed bowl.. but now.. he is squatting for me , I go to pet him and down he goes and starts coooing..... hummm Im thinking maybe hes still Joan jet?

Im not going to complain is he is a she.. but odd...

has everyone seen the moon tonight.. she is gorgeous.

. I went out to check my girls and didn't even need a flash light.

)O(
Pink

That definitely sounds like a hen to me. Roosters wouldn't do that, not in my experience. If you have Plymouth Rocks, they are slower to mature too so it'll take longer for them to start laying. I would bet they will start for you sometime in mid-September. That's assuming you are feeding them a layer feed of some sort.

And yes, the moon is really beautiful and it's actually a little cooler than normal tonight too. Only 80 degrees here.

 

[Joycats]

Quote:

WooHoo!!! Congrats on the baby. I'm so glad you got that mean ole snake. I see a bit of red color on the chicks face so my bet would be buff orp for the Mom. Just a guess though. Anyway, it's a very cute baby. I hope you have many more hatch. Me thinks you may have caught that "hatching bug" that some of us have and can't cure. My incubators have been going continuously for the past 4 years now and it seems I add a new one every year or so. Love, love, love those babies! And if you think baby chicks are cute, you need to see a newly hatched duckling!

 

[pinkwindsong]

Quote:
Oh my goodness they just up and changed on you.

. yup that would be my luck.

. I think I need to pen them up and keep them up for a while, they are all getting ready.. I guess ill just take fan down there till I get some eggs, so they know to come back to the run everyday to lay.. my one BR who started out Joan Jet.. then became Jett Lee,, well... hummmm he doesn't crow, he is constantly at my feet . gets along with both flocks. not aggressive except a peck now and then at the feed bowl.. but now.. he is squatting for me , I go to pet him and down he goes and starts coooing..... hummm Im thinking maybe hes still Joan jet?

Im not going to complain is he is a she.. but odd...

has everyone seen the moon tonight.. she is gorgeous.

. I went out to check my girls and didn't even need a flash light.

)O(
Pink

That definitely sounds like a hen to me. Roosters wouldn't do that, not in my experience. If you have Plymouth Rocks, they are slower to mature too so it'll take longer for them to start laying. I would be they will start for you sometime in mid-September. That's assuming you are feeding them a layer feed of some sort.

I am feeding layer feed and I add manna pro every other day.. I do not have oyster added? should I? .. I also keep a bowl of scratch grains out for them to free choose what they want.

As long as I get eggs before sept. 21st.. for PPD, we are having as a fundraiser. a silent auction of Baskets, each church, group, individual, etc, chooses a theme and makes up a basket with all kinds of goodies in it, then whoevers basket brings the highest paid bid wins a prize.. Well of course I want to do a country egg basket. I have checkered towels, plates, napkins and a porcine hen ring holder. a little chicken wall plaque and a little cook book for eggs. the basket itself is a open Hen, that I have gone in and added real feathers to the tail.. all that Its missing is EGGS.... If I have to go out and buy someone elses home laid eggs, Im gonna cry.

)O(
Pink

 

[Joycats]

Well I have tried to catch up, but I missed one whole day and it seems I got several pages behind. So I just want to say Welcome to all the new folks who joined us today. I'm in Duncan (Spartanburg County), not sure if I'm close to any of ya'll or not. I think it's great that we have so many new SC people here.

 

[Joycats]

Quote:
That definitely sounds like a hen to me. Roosters wouldn't do that, not in my experience. If you have Plymouth Rocks, they are slower to mature too so it'll take longer for them to start laying. I would be they will start for you sometime in mid-September. That's assuming you are feeding them a layer feed of some sort.

I am feeding layer feed and I add manna pro every other day.. I do not have oyster added? should I? .. I also keep a bowl of scratch grains out for them to free choose what they want.

As long as I get eggs before sept. 21st.. for PPD, we are having as a fundraiser. a silent auction of Baskets, each church, group, individual, etc, chooses a theme and makes up a basket with all kinds of goodies in it, then whoevers basket brings the highest paid bid wins a prize.. Well of course I want to do a country egg basket. I have checkered towels, plates, napkins and a porcine hen ring holder. a little chicken wall plaque and a little cook book for eggs. the basket itself is a open Hen, that I have gone in and added real feathers to the tail.. all that Its missing is EGGS.... If I have to go out and buy someone elses home laid eggs, Im gonna cry.

)O(
Pink

The basket sounds wonderful! I surely hope your birds cooperate, but .....

- not sure where you are but maybe you can beg a doz colorful fresh eggs from somebody close by since it's for a good cause.

Also meant to say that I give mine oyster shell free choice in a bowl. They'll go weeks without even looking at it and then some days they eat some of it.

 

[WestKnollAmy]

Quote:
Oh, Yancy! How wonderful for you! Looks like the mom was the buff Orp! But chicken genetics can still puzzle me. I know you will enjoy this tremendously and I can't wait until the others join your new little addition and they are peep peeping around the coop.

Doesn't take long to get totally into the chicken raising thing. I'm telling you, you will have to buy a small farm soon.
What a nice early anniversary present from your chickens.

 

[WestKnollAmy]

Quote:
SUPER idea! I never think about this.

The pens with chicks still have the gallon drinkers in them but I am finding the Muscovy ducklings in the pools, wringing wet and saying they can't get out. However, they all have pieces of concrete block that they could easily get onto and get out but they don't use them. I even have a Saxony drake that seems a bit "off" in the head and he often gets in his big pool and then says he can't get out. I have to go pick him up and get him out but he has steps in and out of the pool. I find him at least once a week totally soaking wet standing in the pool asking for help.
We're talking bird brains again, I guess.

 

[huckleberryfarm]

Quote:
Hi Susanne I have their brother now.. hes beautiful and I was glad I was able to be a re-home for him now to get 2 hens and let the experiments begin...

)O(
Pink

Hopefully he'll look like his dad. Thor is magnificent! Enjoy!

 

[huckleberryfarm]

Quote:
Susanne will you let me know when you have 2 Americauna girls available.. for the kids project. they have to be americaunas not EEs or I would let them use my 2 EE girls..

have a great one..
)O(
Pink

To be honest, I probably won't ever have them. I almost always just sell chicks and never have the chance to let them mature. When I hatched that last batch, I hadn't really started selling anything to the public and just let them grow. And I need all the ones I have for sure!

 

[IttyBiddyRedHen]

So, I have no idea if and when mine will start laying. I am sure they have to reach a certain age/level of physical maturity. Will they need more space then?..instead of just the chicken tractor? We only have the one finished so far...and it has no laying boxes.