Utah!

[Sphinx]

Wow, what fun! Two friends hatching chicks, a new friend giving away chickens (must not give in).

Lisa, your Lav Am's eggs are still really small? Mine are too. I think they're a bit bigger (pause while I go weigh one). Ok, Potsie hatched out of a 27 or 28 gram egg. I just weighed 4 more of my lav am's eggs, and they were 33 and 34 grams. So, marginally bigger. I don't mind so much because my fav cookie recipe calls for 1.5 eggs (shaddup), so having a small egg is nice for that.

I moved my babies outside today, and have a light on a timer. I hope they adjust well to being out there. They somehow managed to get over/under the wire. I think that's a bad idea, so hopefully it was a one time adventure.


I'm trying not to think about those lovely chicks that Sundance is hatching.

 

[Cynthia12]

I am hatching sizzles and some show quality silkies

How come you can hatch those Silkies..tell me your secret. Thing is, I didn't have any problems earlier in the year. I need to go back and see where I got the eggs from, I think that may make a difference too. The first eggs I hatched, popped out like pop corn, I had a great hatch. I have oodles of pictures of my Silkies from the past, but from mid summer on, it has not been good at all.

 

[RedIII]

Cynthia, thank you so much for the introduction!

I do have a mixed bag of chickens that I am going to give away. The oldest ones are three years old. I have a GLW and a SLW that are three. The two year olds are light and dark Brahmas, black AM's and lavendar AM's. This year's bunch is mainly farmyard mix EE's although I do have one lavendar AM pullet. Out of the two year olds I have a really nice black AM roo and a lavendar AM roo. Both are very well behaved. I do have a light Brahma roo but his behavior is questionable so he is probably better off in the stew pot (he is two years old). I will try to get some pictures tomorrow of the bunch and post them on this thread. You will have to forgive their appearance though since they have started molting and some of the girls have bare backs from the breeding. They are all very healthy and love to free range. If anyone is interested, PM me and we can arrange meeting somewhere. I would take them with me but I really don't want to drag them 1700 miles to Virginia. Cynthia is right, I do have turkeys but I am planning on butchering them although I could be persuaded to give one or more up if someone wants one to keep. I have two black spanish toms, one bourbon red hen and one blue slate hen (all hatched this year) and one bourbon red tom that is two years old.

You're in Stockton!! Yaaaaay! I have an uncle out there, and my BF lives in Tooele. At some point in the however-distant future, I plan to move out to the Tooele valley, too. I am extraordinarily tempted to take a turkey or two for you, but let me talk to the BF and see if he would mind having them, since they'd be on his property. I would take your 3-yr-old hens, but we have had a BAD problem with dogs and predators killing chickens in his yard this year, so I don't dare put any more girls out there until a nice big fence is up.

I'd better go read the rest of the posts. I got so excited about seeing a chicken neighbor from Stockton, I about bounced out of my chair. Even if she is moving.

 

[La Casa de Pollo]

Cynthia, yup after I started using the cartons (or lids of cartons at least to keep the eggs in place) my hatches were a lot better.

Sphinx, my egg today weighs 26 grams. Sure is a petite little thing She has had some a little bigger, todays looks smaller. It is funny, though, she lays nearly every day, really really well, just small. She is SUCH a sweetheart, it really does make it hard to decide what to do :/

So, Sphinx, I have to notice the line of thinking here....I remember this happened when you got your Sussex.....I have noted you saying about the Silkies "I really need to get one of those someday". Now Sundance has SIZZLES none the less.....so are you thinking what I am thinking? You will so lose the guessing game if you ask "what did i bring back from Diana's house today"..... just do it they are sooo cute!!

Red---you are a turkey-holic haha! Love it!

Wait--did I hear cookies Sphinx? I am on a diet....and been doing so good......aaaaggghhh now all I can think about are cookies with little Potsie eggs in them.....yum

 

[Cynthia12]

my little faverolle is a blue..here is a picture of a blue faverolle They have feathered feet and 5 toes too..they are stronger in the winter months than the Silkies.

My first swedish to hatch, is black, will have white spots on the body.

Lisa, that little Faverolle is having problems getting out of the shell from the carton. I guess it will eventually get strong enough? It is sitting on it's butt. With it's little legs sticking out front. :/

Scratch that, it got out, and is going all over the place.

 

[RedIII]

My house sitter just called me. He was excited to report that I have 13 baby chickens in my incubator. He said they are all doing well. He was so cute and excited. He said he put his hand in the incubator and they all came running to it. He gave them food and water and all is well

That is so cute

I'm glad they're doing so well. Baby chicks.....hmmmmmm

Sorry, having happy thoughts here.

The treadle feeder I ordered arrived today, so wish me luck in teaching my senoritas on how to use it!
We have a stray cat that's adopted us, he's all black, and my brother creatively named him 'Shadow'

He's a sweet boy, and he loves sitting on the wall, watching the chickens. Well apparently, today, he followed Glenn down to the fenced area and very gently pressed his nose through the wire to sniff at Zazzles, one of our Golden Sex Links, and she promptly ran up and bit his nose! Poor little guy. He got a snuggle after though.

My brother's building the 'winter' door for the coop this weekend, to replace the summer door we've has since the spring as the nights are cooling down, though the days are still low 90s.

Poor kitty! The cat that my BF has is a sweet, lovey fellow, but when he got let outside the other day, he apparently tried to 'eat' the rooster. I guess he's never seen chickens before. "Heeeey, that's a big sparrow! Looks like FUN!"

Cynthia I sold one of my buff laced, the smaller crested one,....and one of the Silver laced. boy oh boy oh boy I hope the one I have left is a girl. It was a total roll of the dice...I am getting kind of an idea but no way am I positive. If I sold the girl and kept the boy I am going to be soooo bummed! I could not part with either of the white with black/blue crests, they are just so different I want to see what happens and choose as they get a little older. But I had to sell a couple while they were still little enough to be sold....they are getting bigger and they do not fit in that cage so well hehe....gotta make room for that sweet little splash! It is so hard to decide who to keep! How the heck do you decide which ones to sell, and not bawl when they leave? Argh! I get all choked up every single time. That is why I had to quit hatching, I am not too good about letting them go. Chicken Hoarder, go ahead, say it lol!Originally Posted by La Casa de Pollo

I am having a really hard time with the thought of giving the little BR/Dominique pullet to my neighbor. Not only is she sweet, she's one of my babies, and THEN the BF had to remind me that he really likes those barred breeds. They remind him of classic farm paintings with the fat little hens wandering around. Maybe I will have to give up one of my other girls, instead? Even though I don't want to.

And you should see the Frizzle Sundance has! Pretty fun looking little birds. I love how their feathers curl like that.

Alright, so I need to share another little story here. Lately, I have been doing this thing in the evenings where I got out back into the preserve and sit on a chair while I watch chicken tv. Some of the chickens like to jump up on my lap or shoulder and say hi, whether for just a moment or to stay for a few minutes while I pet them. Well, the turkeys now seem to think they need to be on my lap, too. The tom wanted to sit up there for just a second, and then after he got down, the little white hen wanted to come up. And she wasn't going to just sit on my lap. Oh no, she wanted to cuddle right up next to me! I was a little surprised. Here I am with BR chicks already vying for attention, and the little turkey hen pushed right up against my neck and wants to be cuddled. I held her under my chin for a few minutes, and I'm pretty sure that had I not stood up and set her down, she would have happily slept on me.

It was very sweet, but I am going to be in sooo much trouble when the turkeys are full-grown

Right now they're about the size of an adult chicken, maybe a little larger, but they weigh twice as much as any one chicken I have out there. They sure are fun. I told my BF he needed to be the one to butcher them when they're old enough. I can't kill my babies

I never thought the turkeys would have this much personality and be so affectionate.

 

[RedIII]

Lisa, they are so much fun, I am telling you! More expensive to raise than chickens, for sure, but the ones I have been raising have been an absolute joy to have around. I love watching them stuff themselves silly on crab apples and all manner of berries and grass.

Edit: Lisa, that's how my BO is. I love her to death, but she lays small eggs compared to the other girls. I'm keeping her, no matter how well or poorly she lays. She's such a character. "Yes, you may approach the princess."

Cynthia, yay for babies! A blue Faverolle? Goodness, I don't think I'd ever seen one before. How fun!

 

[La Casa de Pollo]

Oh good, glad it made it! hooray!

That picture is beautiful. I did not realize they look so much like the Ameraucanas! So...like Ameraucanas with feathered feet? How cute is that!

And the Swedish....the white spots...will it be mottled then? Like your Bailey was? She was adorable. I liked that color pattern Learning alot tonight on here! Turkeys giving hugs? Awww that is so sweet!

 

[RedIII]

Wait--did I hear cookies Sphinx? I am on a diet....and been doing so good......aaaaggghhh now all I can think about are cookies with little Potsie eggs in them.....yum

 

[Cynthia12]

Close to what my cochin looked like. She was a mean mama! Or I would still have her. Man, you are good at remembering names of our chickens!