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[GGBEAR]

Hey Yorkshirecoop I'm pretty sure of her age when I got her she was pol and looked very young so shes about 7 month old now I was not sure at first regarding moult but it looks to be a few tail feathers and some pin feathers she does not look to have lost any more and she has no noticeable bald patches except where se plucked her breast when broody!

 

[Yorkshire Coop]

Maybe the last of her juvenile moults?

I'm sure there is an article about this, will have a look for it

 

[Yorkshire Coop]

@GGBEAR I posted back about the article but for some reason it hasn't show up and I thought it did I couldn't find the article I was thinking of, how's she doing now?

Everyone is very quiet here, hope you are all well?

 

[Queenie89]

Yorkshirecoop just pointed me in this direction so I'll say Hi!

I'm new to chicken keeping and new to the forum. I have four Rhode Island Red x Light Sussex ladies and I live in Derby.

 

[Yorkshire Coop]

Hiya Queenie, welcome to the thread

 

[rebrascora]

Hi Queenie and welcome from me too.

That's an interesting breed mix. How old are they and how do they lay? Am I correct in thinking that combination would make a red sex link? If so, probably not a bad cross, as the cockerels would make a good size to be raised for meat perhaps rather than just culled.

Hi Kim

Sorry for delayed reply. Pleased to hear Harry's dental work was less intrusive and less expensive than it might have been. Don't talk to me about cleaning tack or I will die of embarrassment.

My saddler did suggest the other day (very politely because he is a good friend) that if I wanted my saddles to last another 15 years the application of some leather treatment might be a good idea! It has to be at least a couple of years since I cleaned them.

One got the mould polished off it by my jodhpurs earlier this year! Totally shocking I know!

Very surprised to hear that you still have pullets for sale. I would have thought that they would have been snapped up.
I have failed to keep records of my hatches this year so I'm not sure of exact ages but I have 5 pullets that are somewhere near POL and it will be a relief when they start because egg production has got even worse since my last post.
I'm pleased to report though that I have started tackling the excess cockerels at last. Three 6 month old, mixed breed stunners went the journey last week. They really were handsome. Took a lot of courage but it went very smoothly and I'm proud of myself for dealing with them on my own. Huge looking birds but not a lot underneath once you get the feathers off. Still they will make a few meals.

One of my young chicks is looking worryingly not right. I've had an outbreak of Marek's last year but all has been fine though the summer. The past few days, this chick has had one dropped wing. I had to catch it and trim the feathers on it yesterday as it was standing on them and tripping itself. It looks to be managing a bit better today and I'm trying to convince myself that it is an injury rather than Marek's breaking out again. Thankfully the previous outbreak wasn't too bad compared to what many on this forum experience with the disease, but still heart breaking to lose even one bird to it. Keeping my fingers crossed that my gut instinct is wrong and it's just something minor. My POL pullets would be at a vulnerable age to go down with it if it is Marek's again.

Anyway, I think that's all my news. Not great weather for riding out at the moment. Excitable horses and wind are not a good combination. Wish I had an arena as they really could do with blowing some steam in a semi controlled area before I take them out as I'm straight onto a busy main road in the centre of the village when I leave the yard...after that I can get onto quiet roads and old railway lines but that initial hundred yards is a bit gauntlet to run on a hyped horse.

Hope everyone else and their chickens and other animals (and families of course) are well.

Best wishes

Barbara

 

[Queenie89]

Hi Barbara,

Yes they are, I've been informed, Red Sex Links, although they were marketed under another name when I acquired them. We live right in town though, so I'm not sure our neighbours would be too happy if we started breeding chickens.

Two more lovely brown eggs this morning - I'm told they are excellent layers and they've already won my heart by how curious and friendly they are.

Having a few issues with one of the neighbouring cats though. The girls are in a run and have scared one cat off, but there's another tougher one who likes to sneak down the side of the coop so they can't see him coming and then jump out to scare them. We chase the cat off every time we see him but I'm worried they'll stress the chickens out

Looking forward to the weekend now so I can devote more time to them.

Queenie x

 

[rebrascora]

Hi Queenie

I was thinking more from the breeders point of view than for the end buyer like yourself to breed them.
With normal red sex links the whole idea is that males can be identified at hatch and usually culled straight away, which is a terrible waste of life in my opinion. But this cross between the RIR and light sussex may make it worth the hatchery raising the cockerels for meat although the resulting hens may not be such prolific layers as other more commercial red sex link crosses. Good to hear that you are already getting some nice brown eggs from them though and more importantly, enjoying keeping them. It I a very addictive pastime.
My flock free range and there are several feral cats knocking about as well as domestic ones but I've never even lost a chick to them. The cats used to terrorise my neighbour's hens which are confined to a run, but they do get used to them eventually. His hens are particularly nervous though and it may make a difference that I have cockerel running with my flock. Just a shame it doesn't deter the foxes (and people's dogs!!) although it has been quiet on that front recently.... touching wood!

 

[Queenie89]

That's reassuring to hear - I don't want the poor things scared too much.
I am considering anti-cat measures, seeing as I don't even know who it belongs to. There's another huge cat that turns up occasionally to eat any pigeons it can find but I don't think he's been to see the chickens yet.

 

[emmaellis111]

Hi all im in shropshire anyone else in shropshire?