Sumatra Thread!

[AllenK RGV]

He is going to be a pretty bird, you can send your roo to me if you need as I have no restrictions on the poultry I keep. Still think you could keep him a secret with a No Crow collar. Yes it will drive 1000 miles across texas in a truck with usps priority mail but as a backup plan I will rehome your bird if needed. "She just doesn't look female even to me" I'm the least qualified to say that but I only see pointed feathers and nothing rounded at all.

I think November is the best shipping time from Kansas to Deep south Texas just in the off chance you still feel you cannot keep a roo!

 

[Lauravonsmurf]

On the breeding... the more roo traits a hen exhibits the better, so hens with spurs are keepers in these sort of breeds, also count tail feathers, I don't know if I can find my notes on this for best number but more is always better...

 

[SilverKelpie]

Introducing myself to this forum thread as I had ordered a clutch of 1 day Black Sumatra chicks from mypetchicken and we have all made it through our first week together. After reading the first 55 pages(intimadating but informative) of this thread and then skipped to the last 55 I feel comfortable posting. I was very concerned that 7 have mostly all yellow feet and legs still, but have had the majority of my questions answered, and am expecting them to blacken up after reading. I will be incredibly disappointed if they(hatchery) didn't breed to APA standards as I want a true to breed birds with the green sheen at maturity.

I went ahead and traumatized my MPC sumatra to try to get pictures of the green glimmer that was missing in my last picture. Here they are (one is in the shade, but you can still see where the feathers would glimmer). Hopefully they give an idea:

 

[Then I Will]

Guess who is turning green all over after a nice rain washed the dust off her feathers.

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That last photo of Ugly sleeping... is so precious!

 

[AllenK RGV]

That last photo of Ugly sleeping... is so precious!

Happy for you all, mine are still all with me and getting ready to move to the fortified outside coop as soon as I uparmor that old doghouse. That bathtub they are in isn't going to be able to hold them very much longer. I cut down a tree that was going to take out my power lines in a hurricane today so that will make some nice roosting materials. Thank you both for your photos!

 

[AllenK RGV]

do you ever wonder if you are raising Velosiraptors's? There guys and gals are evil bug hunters... Just saying at 2 weeks they are displaying some unusual behavior. I suspect they would even tear a mouse pinky apart at this age. No bug I have fed them has lasted longer than a blink of an eye. Possibly I need to protect the possum's from them at adulthood.

 

[Then I Will]

do you ever wonder if you are raising Velosiraptors's? There guys and gals are evil bug hunters... Just saying at 2 weeks they are displaying some unusual behavior. I suspect they would even tear a mouse pinky apart at this age. No bug I have fed them has lasted longer than a blink of an eye. Possibly I need to protect the possum's from them at adulthood.

They do say these Sumatras look more like a bird of prey than a chicken. Mine are just now beginning to chase bugs at 7-8 weeks, but they are still funny about table-scraps (leftover pancakes and orchard peaches) I like chickens with a prehistoric edge to them. Spurs on the hens, ability to fly, lanky and swift,.... perhaps this is what drew me to the Sumatras.
I'm very impressed with their friendly personalities and bright minds so far. I think they will continue to surprise me as they grow.
Unfortunately, mine are all hatchery stock, so if anyone in the PA area has breeder stock available, I am interested!

 

[AllenK RGV]

Mine are only 2 and change weeks old and impressive bug hunters i bought a Dust buster type vacuum with a one way seal to capture yard and unfortunately house bugs making me a good mama bird but crazy chicken person at the end of their first week. Thinking that is what nature would provide naturally vs straight chick starter. No matter how many bugs I collect I am unable to get them out of the dust buster fast enough for the chicks to enjoy the show visually. Occasionally, I am able to isolate the last chick being hunted by it's siblings because it is still holding on to a larger bug in its beak it is trying to get down. My little fledgling flock has a strong hunting instinct that is stellar as that is their purpose eye candy for the yard and get rid of scorpions food sources and potentially the scorpions too! I just hope they leave the green anoles and house geccos alone but doubt they will.

 

[Then I Will]

[QUOTE="AllenK@new2this, post: 18812116, member: 487541"My little fledgling flock has a strong hunting instinct that is stellar as that is their purpose eye candy for the yard and get rid of scorpions food sources and potentially the scorpions too! I just hope they leave the green anoles and house geccos alone but doubt they will.[/QUOTE]

Yes! I like lizards sooo much I always got upset when my chickens swallowed one back in Alabama. No lizard way up here in PA though.
I've never heard of a chicken eating a scorpion! Maybe guineas.... Could be painful going down!

 

[TattooedChicks]

Well the ugly baby has been named by my spouse. He was out with me and tried to speak the chicken noises he was hearing back to the brood. She seemed to perk up greatly to the ki-ki-ki's and came running.

'Kiki' it is then!

And she's becoming quite the hunter, snatched a cicada clean out of the air!