Washingtonians

[hallerlake]

Quote:
nice birds! don't think I've ever seen them before!

X2 they are very colorful

I posted my pictures on the Brabanter/Spitzhauben thread to see if anyone could tell me how many cockerels I have. It seems I only have ONE!

 

[chickens4gramma]

I notice that many of you have several different kinds of chickens. Are they all living together? I was planning on getting barred rocks, silver laced Wyandottes, and maybe a buff Orp. I only want to start with 3-5 pullets for now and thought if I got a few different breeds, then I could see what I liked best before we try chicks in the spring. I thought if I got them from the same place, even if they were different flocks, as long as they were all going into a brand new coop, there would be minimal fighting, just enough to establish a pecking order. I love the cochins and the silkies, but need to stick to my goal of large brown eggs. But maybe I could throw in one that is just for cute? Will the bigger breeds pick on the littler ones? Can you have one cute little silkie in with the bigger laying hens? Am I a nutty newbie?

Susie

 

[Chickielady]

Quote:
welcome to the thread........and I thought it was feasants?
My FiL has a feasant farm.
Or is it a Pheasant Pharm ??????????

Hey look up Mike 'Eagle2026' who also raises Orn. Pheasants & has a big place in Snohomish.
He has a youtube video of some of his pheasants...

his video is under Impeyan (sp?) pheasants and goes by Humprey's Homestead.

 

[cheryl98117]

Quote:
I raised a silky hen with my layer flock and they do just fine. Actually the silky is second in comand, but she is an evil little screaming fuzzy devil. lol At the moment 28 of my birds are housed together. Once the Wheaton Ameraucanas start laying, everyone will be seperated. The other 8 are running lose in my yard.

 

[hallerlake]

Quote:
My spitz and brabanters are separate (I might try a little breeding), but the other girls are mixed together. They get along just fine.

 

[Chickielady]

well I am off to get another chore done instead of sitting here...later all!

 

[pettec63]

Quote:
Mine (no breeds I have) will eat any kind of carrot, cooked, raw peels, nothing.
I have not tried the meaties, though

Those little porkers may eat anything!!

Speaking of chicken food...
I am getting low on layer & flock raiser.
I was buying max grow (20%) from Patriot farms, and adding a 50# sack of ground corn to it, for the meaties.
Since, his prices have gone up & up to the point where it is not worth the drive anymore what with gas added in to the final price.
So we are shopping the feed sales & going to buy at Monte feed or Del's as we go that way anyways, so won't be out the tank of gas we use going to Winlock.
But we do not get the newspaper.
So, within a week I will need flcok raiser or a broiler feed, and layena crumbles.
Anyone see feed on sale, please PM me!!
Please!!!
I will get some scratch & layer at Dennis Company here in town to hold me over.
I just read Del's web site, says no ad right now.
I am waiting for the 4th of July sale...gotta have alot of places ahving 4th of July sales!!!

speaking of meaties, I weighed mine when we were done processing and I was packaging them, the smallest was 5 lbs and the biggest was lbs!!

that's more like a roaster not a broiler!! lol they were about 10 weeks I think. Is that normal??? just wondering since I have never done it before??

opps I meant 9 lbs!!

 

[pettec63]

Quote:
speaking of meaties, I weighed mine when we were done processing and I was packaging them, the smallest was 5 lbs and the biggest was lbs!!

that's more like a roaster not a broiler!! lol they were about 10 weeks I think. Is that normal??? just wondering since I have never done it before??

They say to butcher at 6 to 8 weeks.
They are still great at 9, but I hear they suffer from joint pains at 10 and by 12 weeks they can have organ problems, the organs cannot keep up with the large amount of muscle mass they have.
And then they die,
You will notice they have a tiny organ cavity and 3-4X the meat a layer has.
I have heard of some people trying to raise them as layers, as old as 20 weeks, the birds can no longer walk, and just sit there.
Alot of work for the liver, kidneys and lungs...and the little heart has to work so hard.

I know I was feeling bad they really should have gone a week or so ago, but, Terry's schedule is just so irratic it's hard to plan and we had to make the cones too, It was getting hard for them to walk and I finally told him we HAVE to do this, that is why I won't buy these again, I'd rather raise my own that don't have those problems, I did notice on the biggest roo, his kidneys were enlarged. I'm learning a LOT not only on this thread but, just keeping chickens in general. Oh I have a hen question, I have a BR I love her to death she's been a very good hen, but lately she's been jumping up at my fingers as if to get my attention, and sometimes she pecks at my pants?? Not in a mean way and not attacking, I don't know how to explain it? It's kinda weird so I just thought I would ask if any one knows what that could be about??

 

[VelvettFog]

Quote:
My opinion ONLY --

Birds of the same age, who are pretty close to the same size can be housed together. The breeds you mentioned, BR, SLW, BO - would all be fine in a flock together. I have 8 EE's, 8 RIR's, 4 Stars, 1 BO, 1 SLW and 1 GLW-Roo - things are going along swimmingly, even tho I don't have any ducks.

I personally, would not try and put bantams and large fowl together -- UNLESS --- a bantam roo over LF hens -- maybe.

You are not a nuttie newbie -- unless we all are. Other than CR. He's old.

Tail twisting is encouraged

Stepping on rats is not. There are few to no rats on the dry side of the mtns. I've lived here for 35 yrs -- never seen a rat.

Now I've done it -- rat jinxed my own darn self.


Dave

 

[cheryl98117]

Quote:
They say to butcher at 6 to 8 weeks.
They are still great at 9, but I hear they suffer from joint pains at 10 and by 12 weeks they can have organ problems, the organs cannot keep up with the large amount of muscle mass they have.
And then they die,
You will notice they have a tiny organ cavity and 3-4X the meat a layer has.
I have heard of some people trying to raise them as layers, as old as 20 weeks, the birds can no longer walk, and just sit there.
Alot of work for the liver, kidneys and lungs...and the little heart has to work so hard.

I know I was feeling bad they really should have gone a week or so ago, but, Terry's schedule is just so irratic it's hard to plan and we had to make the cones too, It was getting hard for them to walk and I finally told him we HAVE to do this, that is why I won't buy these again, I'd rather raise my own that don't have those problems, I did notice on the biggest roo, his kidneys were enlarged. I'm learning a LOT not only on this thread but, just keeping chickens in general. Oh I have a hen question, I have a BR I love her to death she's been a very good hen, but lately she's been jumping up at my fingers as if to get my attention, and sometimes she pecks at my pants?? Not in a mean way and not attacking, I don't know how to explain it? It's kinda weird so I just thought I would ask if any one knows what that could be about??

Maby looking to get your attention! I have a Cuckoo Marans pullet who does that to me! And once I bend down to see her, she jumps up on my arm, forever begging for treats.