Utah!

Lisa, that is way funny about the bunnies + chickens! Your Maynard sounds cute. I know Birdman has had a bunny in with his chickens, and I never heard him mention any problems. So maybe he would know?

Cynthia, thanks for the pictures. I was actually going to say the other day that it would be fun to see pics of everyone's flocks, but then I realized that not everyone has a way to get pictures and post them - or, soe people just don't want to get flooded with pictures. So I kept my beak shut, hehe.

These turkeys are nuts. The wild one is cute, pretty timid, but still cute. She is a great respecter of personal bubbles. The white ones, however.......They've started doing this thing where if they get a peek into one of the feed bags, they vault in head-first with an excited little squeal. And as soon as you pull one turkey out, the other one is there to take their place. They're getting big. If you've never been hit in the head with a turkey wing, let me tell you: it hurts. I inadvertently sat on one of them last night trying to get the coop cleaned out. Wherever I went, whatever I was doing, I had two turkeys and way too many chickens escorting me, getting in my way, hopping in the dustpan, trying to eat what I was cleaning up, tripping me, and making a general ruckus. I now know what it's like to wade through chickens. Literally. It usually goes like this:

"Excuse me. Move, please."
"Baaaawk bawk bawk baawk."
"Move, guys."
"SQUAWK!"
"Sorry. I said move."
"Bawk bawk!"
"Cheep cheep cheep!"
"Excuse me. Excuse me. Get off the lid, please."
"CHEEEP cheep!"
"PETER! Get out of the food! No, Pumpkin, don't-- HEY! OUT OF THE FOOD! Crazy animals!"
"Cheeepcheepcheepbawkbawkcheep!"

And at this point, someone flies up on my head/back.
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Yes Lisa, the Wellies are known for their dark, speckled eggs. They are really pretty. Hope you get the speckled part out of her.

Do post your coop, I bet you've made it look even more pretty.

Bunnies? How fun! pictures of them too. :D I have a friend that has bunnies run in the yard with her chickens, but not in the coop..she has a small coop though. They get along out in the yard.

Cute about the showgirl. Sounds like she is getting more friendly? :)
 
Red, this reminds me of the scene in one of the "Home Alone" movies where the homeless lady in Central Park rises from the bushes covered in pigeons lol. You could totally do that part, with turkeys in tow. Haha!

When I am out in the run, it is more of a dust cloud business, They are not on me, they just get really close, then scatter if I make a sudden movement.... walk gently or POOF! They all scatter and I come in with white eyelashes. They like to blast me constantly. I might need to spray it down out there when I go for a visit :) Great for dust bathing, Not great for catching chickens. Maybe I should cut down on the DE lol
 
Yes Lisa, the Wellies are known for their dark, speckled eggs.  They are really pretty.  Hope you get the speckled part out of her.

Do post your coop, I bet you've made it look even more pretty.

Bunnies?  How fun!   pictures of them too.  :D  I have a friend that has bunnies run in the yard with her chickens, but not in the coop..she has a small coop though.  They get along out in the yard.

Cute about the showgirl. Sounds like she is getting more friendly?  :)


Speckled! Ooooh I hope so! Dark dark speckled maybe!

That showgirl...she has always been adorable with people, just bossy to the other girls...not mean, ever, but she is so small and "takes.no.crap.at.all.'! She picks the spot on the roost that she wants, she will stand on the feeder and yell at the others when she wants a turn...If I take watermelon out there she jumps on it while it is still in my hand and stakes her claim. Mostly it is about the treats, she thinks they are all for her, and makes sure she gets her fill quickly before anybody else moves in haha! Love it! She has some spunk, that one. But absolutely adores her human pets. I think she has made a friend with that little bunny too. Maybe she was staking her claim on him as her new buddy :) Maynard is the best, truly, very happy with her! Hope she stays a she! I really think she is...a she. Will have to update her pic as well. Lots of pics tomorrow if I can get time!
 
You would know if it was a boy by now..for sure. They get big "walnut" combs. . I was already pretty sure it was a girl when I sent her off to you. She is about the same age as my cotton, she's a she, no big round comb. She sounds fun. Sounds like my Polish. She is skittish, but likes to hop up on anything high. Gets right in there now, was afraid of the Silkies, because they did chase the little ones off, but this cuckoo is getting used to them. I peeked in the coop tonight, and there she was, snuggled up under both Silkies, peeking out at me like she was saying...what? I made some buddies that will keep me warm. This is one that I am thinking more and more is a girl.

Oh yes, Wellis lay dark eggs at first like the Marans. Only with speckles. Sometimes the speckles are like little peppered spots all over, and sometimes they are big spots. A hen will sometimes lay one or the other on different days, or, they will lay one or the other the same every day.
 
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That sounds fun. Will see what happens. She is cute, but not too people friendly yet, it is taking awhile. She came from Michelle's--big farm, and she was older so not handled a ton as a chick, She will be so very cautious when I am out there...but when she starts laying I hope she will warm up a bit.

Hope your cuckoo is a girl too! Crossing fingers.

Anybody driving from Orem to the north in the next week or two? Pleeez? even to SLC, or even better Layton or Ogden? I am in Logan, and I need to get a ride for a chicken :) at least to get her a little closer to me, my DH has been giving me grief over how many trips to get chickens this year down south lol! Will keep checking, hopefully eventually somebody will be driving this way :) Maybe when you sell your Swedish Flowers Cynthia someone up this way will come down to buy them and my chickie can hitch a ride back :)
 
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That sounds fun. Will see what happens. She is cute, but not too people friendly yet, it is taking awhile. She came from Michelle's--big farm, and she was older so not handled a ton as a chick, She will be so very cautious when I am out there...but when she starts laying I hope she will warm up a bit.
Hope your cuckoo is a girl too! Crossing fingers.
Anybody driving from Orem to the north in the next week or two? Pleeez? even to SLC, or even better Layton or Ogden? I am in Logan, and I need to get a ride for a chicken
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at least to get her a little closer to me, my DH has been giving me grief over how many trips to get chickens this year down south lol! Will keep checking, hopefully eventually somebody will be driving this way
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Maybe when you sell your Swedish Flowers Cynthia someone up this way will come down to buy them and my chickie can hitch a ride back
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I know that ara wants one or two..I know she is up that way. Maybe you two can talk. I just ordered some good future layers. She will have a choice of what to get if she wants. I want another leghorn, and I think it's time I had another Australorp, and one that lays big eggs...
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Also buff sex links, and buff Orpingtons. I have friends that are wanting some good layer chicks, but no more in the stores..thank goodness. I only ordered 4 each, these are pullets for sure.
I want eggs! My Swedish are supposed to lay as well as an EE, and I've had some good ones of those!
 
We're down in West Jordan and will be in Ogden next weekend if you can get it into the SL Valley I can bring it to Ogden. I'm in Herriman almost every afternoon for work or I could meet them in the Ikea parking lot, that's just off the freeway and convenient for someone to meet me. I'm in Ogden fairly regularly, so I could bring it up after I get my chicks from Cynthia, too if we can't make arrangements for this week. Just let me know!

We went to the fair on Friday and saw the chickens. My son thought they were the neatest thing...well, after the cows, he loves cows! I hope to have some coop progress pictures to share this week.
 
Aravis, personally, I'd just get one of each breed that you like. 5 is a nice number, and it'll give you a better idea of what you like. I'd get chicks (sexed pullets) and raise them. They're much, much more tame and friendly if you raise them.

newtochickens, glad your chickens seem to be doing better.

Lisa, that egg is gorgeous! I can't wait for my olive girl to lay.

My speckled sussex girl is quite quiet. However, Cynthia is right about egg size- my friends had one, and her eggs were so small that I had decided then and there not to bother with that breed. Then I saw a really cute pullet this spring and decided it was ok to have a small egg layer. And, you'll laugh at this, but my amazing famous chocolate chip cookie recipe calls for 1.5 eggs. If I have little eggs, I just choose a big egg and a small egg and it works. I have read that a large egg weighs around 45-50 grams. So I use my kitchen scale and measure with that.

I agree with Michelle on breeding olive eggers. It's been my experience that ameraucanas lay more, and their eggs are MUCH easier to candle and hatch. Marans eggs are notoriously hard, and chicks often have trouble cracking through. If I use a marans dad, you get the light blue egg that's easy to see through, easy to hatch, and they're more prolific layers.

Red, your chickens are real escape artists!!

I buy pine shavings. I've gotten them from Cal Ranch, IFA and Peterson. Never paid attention to where they came from.

Sorry, not going to Southern Utah anytime soon, and I'm still iffy about anyone hatching eggs from me right now- I think my flock is clean, but I'm keep them in isolation for a few more months to be sure.

Lisa, I had no idea you could mix rabbits and chickens. My oldest has been dying for a rabbit, and my friend breeds them. I just can't take care of/make another enclosure for one more thing. But, if I could just integrate them with the chickens, that puts a new spin on things.

So how is this for weird? I checked on my chickens about 6pm last night, and no eggs in the boxes. I checked again at 10am, and there were THREE blue eggs and a brown egg. I only have two blue egg layers in that coop.
 

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