Utah!

[muddypuddles]

Does anyone know from which hatchery IFA and Calranch get their chicks? It seems like I read someplace that its a hatchery in Idaho but I can't remember. Just wanted to know.

 

[muddypuddles]

Never mind --- found it! Dunlap Hatchery in Caldwell Idaho

 

[kimbobim]

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Funny, seems like I'm hearing a lot of buzz about Delawares lately - I was planning on getting a couple this year to see what we think, and a couple Red Sex Links. The kids like the idea of getting some EEs, but I haven't heard many great stories about their egg production, other than the colors.

Technically, all 11 of ours are laying, but we're only getting 5-8 a day. I think it probably is due to the cold/light issues (even though we do have light on a timer out there), our head bird is coming out of a molt and isn't laying, and the younger one's ages - they started in December, but don't seem regular yet. Our three RIRs are laying like champs, but the younger ones are less productive so far. So, I'm planning on getting a few more birds so we'll have enough to eat, and enough extra to sell to offset the cost of feed. We do go through a lot of eggs - we have four kids who all love scrambled eggs, quiche, and French Toast Friday is a tradition at our house. Whenever we get too many eggs in the fridge, we walk them over to our next door neighbor who buys them.

 

[PacsMan]

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Exactly. Cool eggs, when you get them.

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Do you have Red Sex Links now? They are great egg producers, but personally, I think they're kind of ugly birds. With all of the different color splotches they have, they just look unkempt to me. Barred PR's are cool looking...

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Is this one you got last spring? I haven't had one go into Molt yet. Maybe that was the reason I was getting rid of them after one season... (grin)

 

[PacsMan]

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[kimbobim]

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Exactly. Cool eggs, when you get them.

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Do you have Red Sex Links now? They are great egg producers, but personally, I think they're kind of ugly birds. With all of the different color splotches they have, they just look unkempt to me. Barred PR's are cool looking...

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Is this one you got last spring? I haven't had one go into Molt yet. Maybe that was the reason I was getting rid of them after one season... (grin)

No, our head hen is almost 6 years old and the friend I got her from says she molts every December. She's a Black Star and lays probably 5-6 enormous eggs a week when she's not molting. I keep hearing people say that production is supposed to drop way off after a few years, but she's a rock star in our coop (when she's not molting, that is).

I don't have any Red Sex Links yet. I do have Lola (Black Star from McMurray Hatchery), and 2 Black Sex Links that are pretty good layers, too, but their eggs aren't as big as Lolas (but they've only been laying about 6 weeks). Are Golden Comets the same as a Red Sex Link? I just want some healthy birds that lay lots of eggs that are decent looking and not too flighty. I have two Barred Playmouth Rocks that are really good layers, but their eggs are smaller than Lolas (everybody's eggs are smaller than Lola). They're excellent foragers, but are buggers to keep in the run. If they feel like foraging in the snow, they get out somehow - and then can't find their way back in, so they run back and forth in front of the gate, squawking and wailing. And Lavender keeps laying her eggs in the woodpile, too busy to make her way back to the coop, I guess.

 

[hen-thusiast]

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I'm pretty sure they are all the same, wikipedia says that red sex-links are the same as red stars and Meyer hatchery says that golden buff, golden comet, golden sex link, cinnamon queen and red star are all the same. We got one from Meyer as a substitute for a welsummer and she is amazing. I'd say that she lays 15 out of 16 days with big old brown eggs. Way bigger than the others, although they are slowly catching up as they become older. She's not the flashiest bird we have, but I do love her coloring. Easy to handle, not flighty, best forager we have and just all round friendly. Goes nuts for bugs, worms, grasshoppers, earwhigs or whatever creepy crawly thing she finds. Only bad thing I could say about her is that she's too serious all the time, unless it's time for a nap in the sun.

 

[vegaschick]

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Send some of that warmth and clean air up this way!

Wish I could. All we got right now is rain, rain, and more rain. Seems like we're trying to get a years worth in a few days! However, the smell of creosote in the air is priceless and at least its not SNOWing!

Clean air? What's that? Oh yeah, that's what we get after those crazy winds come through!

 

[Rindee]

I am in Spanish Fork and I would like to place an order from McMurray Hatchery for February day-old chicks. I only need 12, but the min. order is 25. Is anyone interested in going in on an order with me? We could split the shipping costs and make it cheaper all around for each contributor.

PM me if you are interested. Thanks!

 

[bluemoonluck]

If anyone's interested in almost-6 month old EE's let me know...I'm still trying to get my flock down to a manageable number! I'd like to see 7 hens and 1 rooster go.....