The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[Mumsy]

Except for silkies

I have guessed with silkies as early as week one and been right based on beak shape. It's not a science though, and there is always room for error. I've had boys really difficult to sex (silkies).

Turkeys don't have penises though. They are just like chickens in that regard.

Silkies are the easiest for me. Longer toes, often longer legs. Often grow out wing and tails faster than females. Identifying the sex by vent is the surest way. It's how hatcheries do it.
Oopps about turkeys. I meant geese.

Sorry.






I use these charts. No infringement of copyright is intended. I post these for educational reasons only. I can post images of ducks and geese as well if anyone is interested in studying them.

 

[aoxa]

Silkies are the easiest for me. Longer toes, often longer legs. Often grow out wing and tails faster than females. Identifying the sex by vent is the surest way. It's how hatcheries do it.
Oopps about turkeys. I meant geese.

Sorry.






I use these charts. No infringement of copyright is intended. I post these for educational reasons only. I can post images of ducks and geese as well if anyone is interested in studying them.

I've never heard of a hatchery that would sex a silkie.

You'll need to PM me some of your tips on silkie sexing. I'd like to try them, as even the best breeders doing it for 25+ years say they can't until week 3 at the earliest.


How is any of my silkies supposed to compete against these?

Jamie Carson is the best in Canada for silkies. He said 3 weeks. He's been using the same line for 25 years. He's my mentor.

Also - I guessed you meant geese.

 

[delisha]

Quote: wow

you need to get some of them

 

[delisha]

Quote: I do not throw away the frozen eggs. You can freeze eggs. I freeze eggs whites all the time. I do bake my shells and feed them back to the birds, because I let then set on the counter to long and I worry about bacteria. I never refrigerate my eggs. The dog also eats egg shells. It is a way to save money instead of buying calcium or additives. It is natural and it is produced by the healthiest chickens on the planet. It is a win win.

 

[NickyPick]

Do people still have pen pals? Well...This thread is special like that.

I used to have a LOT of pen pals back in the 80's. About 60+ and got them all through music. Lost touch with pretty much everyone, but just last week, reconnected with the one I was most close to - she still lives up in Toronto. The power of Facebook, apparently.

On the subject of pullet vs. hen eggs: I got 6 pullets back in June. 2 "NHR" (I think they're red sex links, tho), 2 BAx"NHR" and 2 barred rocks. Lost one of the BRs to a fox shortly afterwards, but the rest are doing fine. The 2 "NHRs" have been laying huge orangey brown eggs since day one. The 2 crosses are laying a somewhat medium/small mauve colored egg. Since they've been laying for about 5 months now, would you say they're eggs are as big as they're going to get? The pullets are gorgeous and forage very well and I'm starting to make plans for whose eggs to set when my Orpington or Brahma goes broody this spring. How much import should I put into the egg size?

 

[Sally8]

Melabella - congratulations on your first egg. It wasn't long ago that I was dancing and shouting.

For those of you that sell eggs, do you wash them? If so, with hot water? Only about half the time do I find perfect eggs that do not have something on them. Since I collect them 2x day, I wash them with hot water and use them first. I give eggs away but worry that I'm doing something wrong. 20 years ago I don't think I ever gave this much thought.

How accurate are the color charts that I view from my laptop or iPad? I have Black Copper Marans and EE's. I'd like to know how dark and how blue my eggs are. Like everyone else trying to have that very blue egg, I'd like to know how far off I am.

Mumsy - before I met my DH, he used to live in Enumclaw, WA for 21 yr and says that he misses it so much, especially with all the fishing and so much to do out there. He says it's very beautiful. (I told him he should see the chicken coops!). lol

 

[Mumsy]

I've never heard of a hatchery that would sex a silkie.

You'll need to PM me some of your tips on silkie sexing. I'd like to try them, as even the best breeders doing it for 25+ years say they can't until week 3 at the earliest.

I've only bought hatchery day old Silkies but once. Just two chicks. I judged them to be cockerels after a couple days and unfortunatley that is what they were. Not very pretty ones either.

There is something about Silkie chicks and most other breeds that just jumps out at me. I've raised over 30 different breeds of LF and B fowl over the many years. Hatched out hundreds with incubator and natural hen.
Right now I have four chicks from hatching eggs I purchased without ever seeing the breeding birds. Of the four on day two I judged two females and two males. At one week I judged three males and one female. I'll put pictures of them up at age three weeks and ask what you all think. Just on appearances. Not vent check. I really hope I'm wrong. I was hoping against hope for at least two of each out of the four.

I also have three surviving Bantam RIR chicks from mail order hatching eggs. To my eyes they appear to be two males and one female. I hope so. But...my gut is telling me they are all three males.
So. I post it here and put my touchy feely judgement out for the world. This is one time I'm really hoping to be wrong. One female to six males is a bad ratio.

 

[delisha]

Quote: Once a bird is a year old is moves from pullet to hen and yes..the egg is as big as it is going to get.

 

[jockeyeba]

Melabella Is proud to announce​

The arrival of the very​

First egg from her flock​

From her RIR girl named​

Rose​

Mother and egg are doing well

Proud papa Duke is clueless​

​

Congrats Melabella!! Something has gone wrong on BYC-I haven't received notifications in 3 days from any thread I just now went to this one & the Texas thread & everyone is posting away but I don't know about it....got my 1st Wyandotte egg yesterday from one of my 2 girls 8 1/2 months old. The picture is a WR egg, an American Game & the little 1st Dotte egg and Happy New Year

 

[delisha]

Quote: Once a bird is a year old is moves from pullet to hen and yes..the egg is as big as it is going to get.
I do not put importance in size of egg. I put importance in consistency. You will have a hen for a longer time if she is consistent in her egg size and shape with out oddities and excessively long breaks for molt. Your hens need a molt break and an egg laying break once a year to body recover. 6 weeks is enough. If they hatch out chicks they use this time to recover and build back what they use while setting.(they loose a lot). You have to take into consideration all of your hens duties. If she is raising chicks, setting nests, or just a layer. Your expectations need to be for that particular hen. For pullets..expect nothing and just observe them and watch.