Southern Ontario- Canada-looking for eggs/chicks/rooster?

[Minky]

At least that is my plan... hahaha ... I have no idea what I'm doing... but I sure am enjoying reading about chicken genetics and egg colour and my kids are really enjoying the mystery of who laid what and figuring all that out... its so much fun, we are all a bit chicken crazy over here. Cant wait for the journey of hatching eggs and then those fluffy little chicks!

 

[Minky]

Your birds are beautiful- what kind are they? Looks like you've won some awards with them? Do you show them? Nice looking egg! I love blue/green eggs.

 

[chicken4prez]

Hey!!! Wonderful!! Other chicken people in Ontario! Sounds good @Stephanie Mitchell maybe post some pics of your flock!
I think Im going to be hatching out some eggs soon...... need to decide on what incubator I will buy, and get a rooster!!

@chicken4prez I am just north of Cobourg

Ok so you're 2 hrs away from me then.

 

[chicken4prez]

I might be selling Mille Fleur d'Uccle chicks in the spring. I only have 1 hen and a rooster so if someone wants 7 chicks that means that the oldest would be a week old and the youngest a day or so. And not every egg survives/hens don't lay eggs EVERY day so, not sure if people want that or not so I might sell next year when I have more laying hens.

 

[Stephanie Mitchell]

Your birds are beautiful- what kind are they? Looks like you've won some awards with them? Do you show them? Nice looking egg! I love blue/green eggs.

The one pictured in the box is Red, she is an Easter Egger, the layer of the pretty blue egg. The khaki coloured hen is Pecky, also an Easter Egger, but some kind of cross with a feather footed type. Her legs have a bit of fluffy feathers. And the white is the light sussex, Salty. The two that won prizes were shown by my friends kid at the Beaverton fair. Not a huge fancy show by any means! Its awesome your kids are involved, what a great way to teach!! Chickens are so forgiving, my future generations I want to breed for temperament most importantly, then colour, then egg pigment. I love the egg colours but not everyone looking to buy farm fresh eggs is alright with blue. So I do intend on keeping some white and brown layers as well !

 

[Stephanie Mitchell]

I LOVE your white spotted one pictured front and centre. So adorable!

 

[Minky]

Stephanie- I really like the one with the fluffy cheeks. One of my EE has fluffy cheeks too, but they are really messy, and not cute like yours. I love the beards and muffs.
I'm surprised you have egg customers who prefer brown and white!! LOL I would have thought blue and green would go for a premium!!! I don't sell mine, but I'd pay more for colourful eggs! Too funny. I think I miss seeing the white mixed in with brown blue and green so i may get a white layer this year.
Chicken4Prez - I googled mille fleur d'uccle- those are some amazing looking chickens! Are they bantams? Do your free range? I am looking into getting a couple of kooky looking Spitzhuben. Not sure yet if i will.
I have a short list made, hope Im not too late. Gotta stop researching and daydreaming and pull the trigger!!!

The white hen in front is "Snowflake". I think she is a splash maran, with yellow legs? She lays a dark brown egg. Much darker than my Barnevelder. She is very sweet and docile.
Infact, I dont have many noise makers at all. Maybe some bawking once or twice around egg time.

I am hoping I don't end up with an abnoxoius rooster...

 

[Stephanie Mitchell]

"I'm surprised you have egg customers who prefer brown and white!! LOL I would have thought blue and green would go for a premium!!! I don't sell mine, but I'd pay more for colourful eggs! Too funny. I think I miss seeing the white mixed in with brown blue and green so i may get a white layer this year."

It's like my dad, he won't eat funny coloured carrots or tomatoes because they're ''weird". Some people just don't have the open mind it takes to eat an egg different than what they were raised on, even though the inside is the same regular egg colour haha

Having a few white eggs in the mix gives the blue eggs more pop that's for sure!
The fuzzy muffs and beards are also what I'm breeding for. It makes their faces look unbearably adorable!! I have a big black Brahma/Easter egger type hen named Drogon that is as cute as a button. Huge, but cute ! Take a look at the breed Sultans, I ordered 5 for spring. An interesting mix for the future perhaps!

 

[Minky]

My kids would love those Sultans! I have on my short list- Welsummer, Cream Legbar, more EE, Silverlaced Wyandotte, Columbian Wyandotte.... so many to drool over.
Whats the deal with Performance Poultry- they dont list their prices? Their website is really lacking. But I guess its better than Freys. What other places are around here? We have such poor choices compared to south of the border.
I hate having to order 5 of one breed! and Im surprised they dont have a meat bird option.

 

[Stephanie Mitchell]

For PP you have to request the price list, they send it in an email to you, maybe you prevent outdated prices from being on the website? The only problem is they won't ship within Ontario unless you're in thunder bay. I live 2.5 hours from this place, and was given weekdays as options for pick up- not likely since I work mon-fri. So lucky me I have a friend going to pick up her order and mine as well! I like your choices of birds! They're all great backyard breeds and even showy. I'm sure your kids could win a ribbon or two at local shows if it's something they were interested in. My friends kid showed like 7 of my chickens and got a ribbon for almost every one. And money!