Virginia

[pysankigirl]

we had to put up an electric net fence in order to "free range." Its a big enough area (we have goats, too) that I think my chickens think they are free ranging, but the fox knows differently. we probably have 3 acres fenced off for them. and the goats.

 

[pysankigirl]

So I have decided to throw my lone CCL hen in with my red dorkings when I separate them out for breeding. Blue egg is dominant over white and my egg customers love the blue ones and she is my only blue egg layer. I am oddly excited about this prospect because it will be like having Blue egg-laying dorkings who are sex-linked. (red roo over barred hen) I actually have had pretty good luck telling the dorking chicks apart anyway. but this should make it easier. and I worry about losing my only blue layer...that dang fox has made me not even able to count my chickens ever, let alone "before they hatch."

Remember that saying about trying to "keep your ducks in a row"...well I am just trying to keep mine ALIVE.

Planning on putting all the suspected males down in a bachelor pen (next to the garden we are building this year) in an identical fenced area to this year's garden and llimiting my exposure to them so as to not get attached. Then in the fall cull them all and use that side (pre fertilized) for next year's garden, flip/flopping every year.

That way I think I can let them go. we will see! I have a weakness for roosters. they are so gorgeous and have such attitude!

And we will see about how the offspring do with their Mareks resistance. If I have no/fewer deaths this year, then I will know that breeding for resistance works. The Dorkings were the ones that seemed to be susceptible. the ones that lived through that crucial age (of 4 months old) have been fine with no symptoms at all.

 

[KWoodardRN]

My dog loves loves loves him some chickens. He is on a shock collar and hens have kinda learned where they and he can go so they stear clear but he watches them and if they are engrossed in their grazing he chases them. Labs love their birds!

 

[canesisters]

A few shots of the Weeble-chick I got from ki4got last year at Gilmanor

Benzo Cane! A sweet (meaning standing-off-ish but kind to the hens) roo

 

[HaplessRunner]

So I have decided to throw my lone CCL hen in with my red dorkings when I separate them out for breeding. Blue egg is dominant over white and my egg customers love the blue ones and she is my only blue egg layer. I am oddly excited about this prospect because it will be like having Blue egg-laying dorkings who are sex-linked. (red roo over barred hen) I actually have had pretty good luck telling the dorking chicks apart anyway. but this should make it easier. and I worry about losing my only blue layer...that dang fox has made me not even able to count my chickens ever, let alone "before they hatch."

Remember that saying about trying to "keep your ducks in a row"...well I am just trying to keep mine ALIVE.

Planning on putting all the suspected males down in a bachelor pen (next to the garden we are building this year) in an identical fenced area to this year's garden and llimiting my exposure to them so as to not get attached. Then in the fall cull them all and use that side (pre fertilized) for next year's garden, flip/flopping every year.

That way I think I can let them go. we will see! I have a weakness for roosters. they are so gorgeous and have such attitude!

And we will see about how the offspring do with their Mareks resistance. If I have no/fewer deaths this year, then I will know that breeding for resistance works. The Dorkings were the ones that seemed to be susceptible. the ones that lived through that crucial age (of 4 months old) have been fine with no symptoms at all.

Pys,

Let me know how that plan works. I know that the male carries two genes for blue eggs and female carries one gene for blue eggs. In making Easter eggers or passing on the blue gene, it is usually done with the male blue egg layer breed. That way you are certain the the resultant chicks all have the gene for blue eggs. If your using the female blue egg breed to pass this along, I believe that only half of the offspring may have the blue egg gene. I recently crossed a CLB rooster with some RIR hens. The following pictures show the two pullets I got from this cross and the eggs they are now laying, a light creamy green.





Not an expert or a geneticist but I would certainly like to hear how this works out for you.

 

[canesisters]

Oh! And a couple of the wynadotte I got too.

Lido Cane

 

[ki4got]

well, I made a *little* bit of progress today... got one tent frame up, measured and planned what i'm doing with it and just need to run 40' of 6' tall wire, bend over the top edge and apply 2 tarps for the roof. then frame in a door and wire it. ok well there's a bit more to it, but not horrible. it has priority over the dorking pens right now, since hubby's starting to grumble about the 496 chicks in the house. LOL (20 sfh, 2 blrw, 5 cochin/ee and 2 ee) oh and 1 bantam cochin still recovering from being dead...

 

[ki4got]

Oh! And a couple of the wynadotte I got too.

Lido Cane

did they come from me too? if so, any better pics so I can see what kinds of girls this pair throws? I've only seen the 2 boys I have. LOL

 

[Cknldy]

Recovering from being dead If it wasn't a chicken I would say morbid humor but I know what ya mean! Thought a roo was dead once and was gonna come back later to get him- came back in a few hours and it was walking around like nothing happened...I want blue egg layers too...

 

[ki4got]

Recovering from being dead If it wasn't a chicken I would say morbid humor but I know what ya mean! Thought a roo was dead once and was gonna come back later to get him- came back in a few hours and it was walking around like nothing happened...I want blue egg layers too...

well, this little guy was quite literally dead and would have stayed that way if I hadn't acted quickly... he decided to go for a swim in the ice-covered 'pond' (kiddie pool)... no idea how long he was there (not more than 10 minutes, but long enough to be nearly frozen and stiff). I netted him out (couldn't reach the center by hand) and took him in the house, plunked him into a bucket of the hottest water our tap will give (won't burn but it's not comfortable).

he wasn't breathing, eyes were open and no change to the pupils, no pain response from touching his eyeball... after a couple minutes I noticed the pupils kind of vibrating (rapidly constricting/dilating just a teeny bit). I dumped out the now cool water and refilled it, dunked him back in, this time putting his head nearly under, except for beak/nostrils/eyes, and within another minute or 2 he started breathing and moving slightly. took his head out of the water so he wouldn't accidentally go under and let him warm up some more. when he started panting slightly, I wrapped him in a towel and set him down on my chair while I went outside to finish moving the birds I had just gotten (he was one, got loose on me while I was unpacking them).

when I came back in, he was sleeping normally tho still very wet. I put him into a tote with some fluffy clean shavings and covered him with a dry towel. 2 weeks later, he's eating and preening normally, walking very clumsily but getting better. he now has company too, in the form of 2 sfh girls that had to come in because they were getting too cold during the cold spike we had. they're keeping him active and moving, and I think helping him relearn how to walk and move around normally.

thought I'd posted it just about everywhere, but I guess not. OL