The Middle Tennessee Thread

[exlawyer]

[CODE]

[/CODE]Wow, thanks so much for the warm welcome and wealth of information! I think you have almost talked me out of the RIRs. My biggest (and only) hesitation with them was their disposition and my kids (who I feel sure will always want to "pet" the chickens - they are so excited that they told every stranger and worker in Home Depot today that "we are getting chickens!!!".)

I've read great things abut Orpingtons, but wondered if they would fair well in our sweltering summer heat. Also, are they any mor susceptible to illnesses? People who recommended RIRs to me were of the opinion that they are very "hearty birds." They didn't say the Orps weren't hearty, but that almost seemed implied or something. I have to wonder if it's because the people I've spoken with were largely unfamiliar with the breed.

So who has English Orp eggs?

 

[Lots A Cluckin]

Code:

Wow, thanks so much for the warm welcome and wealth of information! I think you have almost talked me out of the RIRs. My biggest (and only) hesitation with them was their disposition and my kids (who I feel sure will always want to "pet" the chickens - they are so excited that they told every stranger and worker in Home Depot today that "we are getting chickens!!!".)

I've read great things abut Orpingtons, but wondered if they would fair well in our sweltering summer heat. Also, are they any mor susceptible to illnesses? People who recommended RIRs to me were of the opinion that they are very "hearty birds." They didn't say the Orps weren't hearty, but that almost seemed implied or something. I have to wonder if it's because the people I've spoken with were largely unfamiliar with the breed.

So who has English Orp eggs?

yes english orpingtons do great in all of our season's the most important thing is just keep the dry...since they are so fluffy the water goes straight to thier skin and if there is a chill in the air they could get sick....I some some English Orpington eggs and depending on when you want them I can get you 6-12 eggs

 

[pickledchicken]

Code:

Wow, thanks so much for the warm welcome and wealth of information! I think you have almost talked me out of the RIRs. My biggest (and only) hesitation with them was their disposition and my kids (who I feel sure will always want to "pet" the chickens - they are so excited that they told every stranger and worker in Home Depot today that "we are getting chickens!!!".)

I've read great things abut Orpingtons, but wondered if they would fair well in our sweltering summer heat. Also, are they any mor susceptible to illnesses? People who recommended RIRs to me were of the opinion that they are very "hearty birds." They didn't say the Orps weren't hearty, but that almost seemed implied or something. I have to wonder if it's because the people I've spoken with were largely unfamiliar with the breed.

So who has English Orp eggs?

Lots of Cluckin has some I believe and I'll have blue, black, and splash come spring. Your more than welcome to visit and look at some Orps first hand at my place. They take to spoiling and I think would be wonderful for the younger chicken fanciers. Mine will follow me into the house if I let them and are always roaming around the garage with me. I do have some off color crele's if your interested just a little over a week old. They are over 75% English and will be big and fluffy two are looking much like a lemon cuckoo coloration and one has a nice red color all 3 should be pullets. They would make great backyard birds I just won't be using them in my breeding program I have a total of 21 and will be offering the rest after I cull down to my breeders. Someone will have the wonderful chance to start with some 5th generation crele's...Chad

 

[ChickenQueen12]

Hello all! We are in the early stages pf planning our first coop. It was a difficult decision, but I think we have decided to go with Rhode Island Reds (somewhere around 8-10). I am interested in getting a small incubator and hatching some eggs as a learning expereince for my two small children. My grandmother bought an incubator for my 3rd grade class as a child, and it was a big event for us! I want them to have the same. Does anyone here know of a local (and reputable) source for fertilized RIR eggs? We are located in rural southern Warren County, but I don't mind driving to purchase them.

Also, the other breed we had looked at were Orpingtons. If I'm making a mistake with the Reds, please tell me so! We are mostly just wanting eggs, and plan to use a fixed coop/paddock method in our immediate (shady) backyard. It is surrounded by a pre-existing 5ft fence.

Thanks in advance!

Welcome to

..I have RIR and mine are friendly maybe cause i raised them from chicks and have 6 kids that held them just about everyday. I love my english orps they are very sweet and calm, Easter Eggers (lay blue, green eggs) are friendly but very chatty love to talk to you and for you to talk to them but my ABSOLUTE favorite are my SG Dorkings girls they will hop up into your lap and talk and love to be pet and held well mine do any way and herd alot of ppl have the experience with them but they dont lay as well as others and fertility is harder to achieve.

 

[FeyRaine]

Welcome to

..I have RIR and mine are friendly maybe cause i raised them from chicks and have 6 kids that held them just about everyday. I love my english orps they are very sweet and calm, Easter Eggers (lay blue, green eggs) are friendly but very chatty love to talk to you and for you to talk to them but my ABSOLUTE favorite are my SG Dorkings girls they will hop up into your lap and talk and love to be pet and held well mine do any way and herd alot of ppl have the experience with them but they dont lay as well as others and fertility is harder to achieve.

ChickenQueen12 , I didn't know you had RIR (or I'd have pointed in your direction on that, hope you didn't take any offence).



exlawyer:
I think you make a great point also about raising the chicks and handling them every day, it makes a huge difference. Some birds are naturally more friendly than others but that every day interaction from hatching can make even more difference esp. in the pullets/hens, Roosters well when they get to be top Roo they act like top Roo a fact which I got rudely reminded of last week.--

My Roo Handsome (EE) I could get to hop on my arm to get put up at sunset, for 2 yrs, recently he got moved in to be only Roo in the LF pen w/ several hens. I made the mistake of setting a feed bucket down in front of him & the girls who started eatting, but it wasn't for them and I reached w/o even looking to pick it up just not even thinking about it at all, and he bit my thumb and scratched my knuckles (yep just had taken the gloves off too). I was more shocked than hurt, but it was a good reminder, even the gentlest Roos is gonna protect his gals & their food source, (& he doesn't care if said food source is the duck's feeder being refilled). So just like w/ children and dogs or cats etc. a sharp eye on their interaction esp. w/ small children is a must. For many yr I had a 130# Samoyed, best dog I ever ever had, who's first 6 months was w/ a family where the toddler rode him like a horse, he LOVED kids but I had to be watchful b/c he would try to run toward _any_ small child, wanting to lick their face, which generally set everyone into a panic and I was concerned he might end up knocking a small child over just being friendly. Roosters, any rooster, can be territorial and aggressive, and toddlers etc might look like a threat so it is just something to be aware of and use common sense. Sounds like you only intend to keep the pullets/hens so that is less of an issue for you. I've frequently got very urban visitors and it can be a challenge, it disturbs me when the parents want their toddler to hand feed a 1,000#hog and I have to graphically explain that hog could bit off _my_ hand in an instant so while she is docile & "tame-ish" I'd really rather they not encourage their toddler to trust a first full on tiny treats at her through the fence!! yikes...

 

[ChickenQueen12]

ChickenQueen12 , I didn't know you had RIR (or I'd have pointed in your direction on that, hope you didn't take any offence).



exlawyer:
I think you make a great point also about raising the chicks and handling them every day, it makes a huge difference. Some birds are naturally more friendly than others but that every day interaction from hatching can make even more difference esp. in the pullets/hens, Roosters well when they get to be top Roo they act like top Roo a fact which I got rudely reminded of last week.--

My Roo Handsome (EE) I could get to hop on my arm to get put up at sunset, for 2 yrs, recently he got moved in to be only Roo in the LF pen w/ several hens. I made the mistake of setting a feed bucket down in front of him & the girls who started eatting, but it wasn't for them and I reached w/o even looking to pick it up just not even thinking about it at all, and he bit my thumb and scratched my knuckles (yep just had taken the gloves off too). I was more shocked than hurt, but it was a good reminder, even the gentlest Roos is gonna protect his gals & their food source, (& he doesn't care if said food source is the duck's feeder being refilled). So just like w/ children and dogs or cats etc. a sharp eye on their interaction esp. w/ small children is a must. For many yr I had a 130# Samoyed, best dog I ever ever had, who's first 6 months was w/ a family where the toddler rode him like a horse, he LOVED kids but I had to be watchful b/c he would try to run toward _any_ small child, wanting to lick their face, which generally set everyone into a panic and I was concerned he might end up knocking a small child over just being friendly. Roosters, any rooster, can be territorial and aggressive, and toddlers etc might look like a threat so it is just something to be aware of and use common sense. Sounds like you only intend to keep the pullets/hens so that is less of an issue for you. I've frequently got very urban visitors and it can be a challenge, it disturbs me when the parents want their toddler to hand feed a 1,000#hog and I have to graphically explain that hog could bit off _my_ hand in an instant so while she is docile & "tame-ish" I'd really rather they not encourage their toddler to trust a first full on tiny treats at her through the fence!! yikes...

No none taken i havent really said what kind of birds i have on here jbut very true dominant roos can be very unpredictable i have a Wyndotte boy that does not like to be touched even to put him to bed at night i have had several bites from him but i have yet to be flogged by one but sure it will happen eventually Good Luck with your search exlawyer

 

[DMRippy]

Quote:
EAT the FLOGGERS they will not get better. My last Flogger was an Olive Egger and he was here by accident.... should have gone to the roo guy young but he hid with the pullets for a long time. He would try to get me every time I feed them or collected eggs. Finally I took him out of the breeding pen and called the roo guy..... well the roo guy was N/A so I held onto him in the roo pen. EVERY TIME I would go in there we got in a fight. A month or so ago when it was so warm I was in shorts and had NOTHING to stop him. I found a bucket in another pen and charged at him enough till he was tired. BUT That was the LAST STRAW.... DON'T keep a MEAN roo.... it breeds forward and they make someone a good dinner.

 

[FeyRaine]

EAT the FLOGGERS they will not get better. My last Flogger was an Olive Egger and he was here by accident.... should have gone to the roo guy young but he hid with the pullets for a long time. He would try to get me every time I feed them or collected eggs. Finally I took him out of the breeding pen and called the roo guy..... well the roo guy was N/A so I held onto him in the roo pen. EVERY TIME I would go in there we got in a fight. A month or so ago when it was so warm I was in shorts and had NOTHING to stop him. I found a bucket in another pen and charged at him enough till he was tired. BUT That was the LAST STRAW.... DON'T keep a MEAN roo.... it breeds forward and they make someone a good dinner.

I agree & we've eaten a few mean Roos, just plan mean Roos are for dinner.

On the other hand I had one that got uppity (I'm small so they sometimes think they might try to outrank me) & I had to do a martial arts kick and was going to tell my DH to make dumplings out of him but after that one incident he completely got the picture and was fine to everyone, the dog & the barn cats thereafter. So sometimes there are just plain mean Roos who are dinner, sometimes they get mean after they become top Roo (the last one we ate was like that), and sometimes they get a notion to try something once and after that there never is an issue. So I have a 3 chances rule here.

The 3 chance rule allows for cases like last week where I think it was situational and more my fault than his, BUT it still counts as 1 strike. If he has truly turned mean he will soon find himself in freezer camp. I'm not using him for breeding, he is just protecting the layer flock atm for free ranging we have a ton of predators so having a Roo who will take action if he thinks his gals are threatened is important, I'd a lot rather loose this Roo than a layer (that last dinner Roo got meaner over time but also lost gals while free ranging so he was useless!) I promoted this one, Handsome, b/c he is good at free range but still dances for his gals and was gentle enough to pen w/ banty hens and even 2 unrelated young cockerels. To me, not dancing for the gals (just jumping on them) is a sign of a "mean" Roo who will tear up the hens and likely attack ppl, whereas I've noticed the Roos who do the wing drop dance tend to be easier on the hens but also more apt to find them food and stay close and warn of danger while free ranging -- anyone else notice that correlation?

 

[amenfarm]

Hello all! We are in the early stages pf planning our first coop. It was a difficult decision, but I think we have decided to go with Rhode Island Reds (somewhere around 8-10). I am interested in getting a small incubator and hatching some eggs as a learning expereince for my two small children. My grandmother bought an incubator for my 3rd grade class as a child, and it was a big event for us! I want them to have the same. Does anyone here know of a local (and reputable) source for fertilized RIR eggs? We are located in rural southern Warren County, but I don't mind driving to purchase them.

Also, the other breed we had looked at were Orpingtons. If I'm making a mistake with the Reds, please tell me so! We are mostly just wanting eggs, and plan to use a fixed coop/paddock method in our immediate (shady) backyard. It is surrounded by a pre-existing 5ft fence.

Thanks in advance!

I agree with everyone hand raise birds are much friendlier, my buff Or. is very friendly and my one buckeye, so far, is known for being a very friendly breed and the best mouser of the chickens-she is very chatty and follows me all over. I just bought 2 Delawares and 2 barred ply. rocks--you can tell that they were not hand raised--every time I go into the Q- pen they act like I'm going to eat them!

 

[pickledchicken]

What is this bright light in the sky....I'm so glad the sun is out today