The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[lalaland]

I am thinking of adding Australorps next year does anyone raise them? would like to hear what you think about the breed personally. 

I do, have always had them. RIght now, I have some very sorry specimens (from the guy that kept them in a bedroom for a year). My original lorps were from mcmurray hatchery, but they were beautiful. Large, regal, great layers, calm. Cold hardy. I lost them a few years back to a couple of dogs that dug under the fence. The sorry girls I have now are hardly larger than a banty, and I think they are fighting against their very poor start in life. I've only had them 6 months, and right now they aren't laying. I've had lorps lay right thru winter.

 

[delisha]

I do not know anything about Australorps other than they are part Orpington and created in Australia. I have never had one.

 

[Miss Lydia]

I do, have always had them. RIght now, I have some very sorry specimens (from the guy that kept them in a bedroom for a year). My original lorps were from mcmurray hatchery, but they were beautiful. Large, regal, great layers, calm. Cold hardy. I lost them a few years back to a couple of dogs that dug under the fence. The sorry girls I have now are hardly larger than a banty, and I think they are fighting against their very poor start in life. I've only had them 6 months, and right now they aren't laying. I've had lorps lay right thru winter.

That's a shame someone kept them in a bedroom why was that? don't you imagine they are stunted. Maybe you can bring them up to snuff with the ff and sunshine and of course TLC. so sorry about the ones the dogs got. I have been doing alot of reading and was going back an forth between them and JG's but there is some one in my county who raises BA's so I am going to see about getting some hatching eggs from her. Her birds are beautiful .

 

[mlowen]

I just pm'd a moderator. BYC "bans" are temporary and based upon "points" accumulated and not just one thing. Length of ban accumulates as points accumulate. Banned people can be back anywhere from 24 hours to 2 weeks...depending on history. That's what I believe she said.

 

[Eggcessive]

I got 5 black australorps last spring from Meyer Hatchery. They are large calm girls that are my best layers of this year's chickens (others were speckled sussex and breeder quality blue wheaten ameraucanas.

 

[bobbi-j]

buckeyes,
who has buckeyes? I saw some gorgeous pics on a thread here, might have been the Road thread, and fell in love with them. Am thinking about getting some this spring.
If you have or have had buckeyes, what do you think about them?

I have Buckeyes. Just getting started with them. I got them as day-olds last spring. Right now, I'm getting maybe 1-2 eggs a day from the 6 of them. OK, I have 15 pullets of mixed breeds and am getting only 1-2 eggs a day at all, but I know that I get at least one Buckeye egg a day. Mine are great at foraging, and from what I've read are wonderful mousers. Out of my 8 chicks, I had 2 cockerels that we butchered. They take awhile to mature, but they dressed out at over 5 lbs. each. Lots of leg meat, not as much breast meat as you'll find on a Cornish or Cornish X. They are very friendly, curious birds. There is a Buckeye breed thread if you want to check it out. Lots of good info there.

 

[Miss Lydia]

I just pm'd a moderator. BYC "bans" are temporary and based upon "points" accumulated and not just one thing. Length of ban accumulates as points accumulate. Banned people can be back anywhere from 24 hours to 2 weeks...depending on history. That's what I believe she said.

Thanks for the info.

 

[lalaland]

It was a very sad situation. This guy got the chicks and then his life fell apart, so he never got the coop built. He kept them in a bedroom, with a tarp on the floor, and bedding on top of that. Built them roosts, spent a lot of time with them. He had to sell his house and his realtor refused to show the house until the chickens were gone.

When I went to pick them up, he had a very hard time - cried, called me before I got home and pretty regularly for a few months for updates on them.

They had a lot to deal with when they got here - outdoors, for one. Bugs. bird sounds. any kind of food except pellets. Wind really freaked them out. They were a year old - half of them BA and half wyandottes. The BAs had feather picked the wyandottes something awful. They would just reach over and graze off the wyandottes backs. And the palest combs you ever saw, and dull eyes, dull feathers. All were laying, though.

They have molted, and they look pretty good now. Their combs started to pink up before they molted, and then got pale, but now are starting to pink up again. The Wyandottes have turned into little bullies now, and run everyone else off the feeders and waters, so I have had to add feeders and waterers.

I could cull them this spring to make room - maybe for buckeyes.

 

[stonykill]

I figure knocking over the FF is just part of the general craziness that seems to be in the air. Makes me think I should check out what the moon stage is, lol.
Interesting that your hens won't go outside the fence . I wonder what the recovery period is for this? Earlier this year, I had a hen wiggle by me thru the gate and she got snagged on the electric fence. She was pretty upset, and it took two months for her to decide she could go out of the gate again. She would stay in the chicken yard even though the whole flock was out.
Wonder if Stony's ducks are still skittish? They looked pretty good in the pics with the other ducks.

They certainly aren't themselves yet. But....this is kinda funny. Duck lock up tonight. 1st night for the Runners in the new to them coop. My Runners are pretty much scared of everything, including me. So I walk in the fence. Typical night quacking, grunting running around...etc. The Pekins go in their coop. Then STAND at the door, face out wing to wing. Blocking the door.

. Then the one who challenged the boys today, jumped out (yes jumped) and stood outside the door. The Runners are just standing there looking at me...quacking. I had to go to the door, shine the light in the back of the coop, and the Pekins went to the back (where they always sleep anyway at their nest) and I herded the Runners in. I lock 3 more coops up and still hear quacking (typical) Curiosity got the best of me, so I unlock the door and open it. 11 ducks running in circles. Pekins and Runners funky ducking to each other.

. I just look at them, tell them they better sort it out and close the door, set traps and all was quiet.

Silly ducks. Constant entertainment.

So ...anyway to answer the question, the Pekins certainly aren't themselves but seem to feel safe in their run. My ducks don't free range. I'm afraid with all of the options for water around, I'll never get them back to the coop. So they seem to feel safe in their home.

 

[NikkiMiChickie]

Miss Lydia, is your avatar an EE? I have 3 chicks that are about 8 weeks old, and my black one has funny tufts of feathers by his/her ears and a sort of beard and Mohawk that seem to be going on. They're from a broody hatch, and I know this ones father is the silkie roo that I have since rehomed. Don't know whether these weird tufts come from the silkie lineage or whichever of my hens is the mom.