Washingtonians

[Imp]

About Reber Ranch,
I have gotten most of my birds from Reber and have yet to get a sick one. They take good care of the chicks, and the staff seem fairly knowledgable.They get their chicks from Privett Hatchery,(as do lots of the feedstore in this area) which has a good reputation.
I've been on this thread long enough to remember a few arguements about breeders selling diseased birds, and old birds, and birds/eggs that obviously did not come close to SOP.

Russ- Let the buyer beware, whether it is hatchery or breeders.

 

[Chicken Rustler]

Quote: OK yes I may tend to overlook new peeps. I don't really do that on purpose it is just that I haven't found a common ground (besides chickens of course). See as you will notice I really don't talk chickens a lot. Many of us are that way. For some of us this is our "social life" with some cackle spackle mixed in!!
I will also tell you that IF I am addressed in a post I WILL try my best to respond in a decent manner (unless one is trying to call me out).
As for "inside jokes" well sometimes they have just been around so long that we forget others don't know! Like the fact that RonB and I are twin brudders by different mudders !! I thought everybody knew that.

Guess what??? Turns out Nobody told Ron!!!

About the "mix of new ways and older (did ya really go there

) ways". I wasn't talking about the raising / care of poultry. What I was referring to is there seems to be an attempt to change the way this thread functions.
See I actually take a little time to look at peoples "profile" and whatever info they choose to share. I just wonder how many others do same. For example I wonder how many new(er) members know the story of Chicken Rustler. It is in text for all to see/read.
And in parting YES I have TURNED THE RALLY MONKEY LOOSE!!!!! And been in contact with Admin!!!

 

[itsren]

Are the chicks at Reber Ranch good ones? I see people post about the difference in quality between hatchery (production?) chicks and the ones from local breeders. I would like nice looking, well tempered birds, so should I skip places like Reber and the feed store in Monroe?

I apologize if this opens a can of worms!

I might actually have a coop in a couple of weeks, so I'm starting to look for chicks.

Jennifer

I absolutely love my Reber Ranch babies

. But, then, my only experience is with my 3 Reber Ranch babies.

OK - I must be honest. There are days I'm not so in love with Rhodie, my RIR. For the most part, she's a good, sweet girl. But she has her moments. Now that she's gotten used to laying (7 eggs so far), and has quieted her non-stop squawking down, I adore her again. We have a pretty good love-hate relationship going on. She's gotten nicer now that she lays eggs. I can finally pet her - she'll squat and stand perfectly still and let me pet her as long as I want. She'll even tolerate being picked up. Prior to laying - we could hardly touch that girl. She's also taking on the role of "roo" and protecting the other two - so that's a good thing. It's strange - she was at the bottom of the flock for so long. Now she thinks she's Mama hen. I'm not so sure this is a Reber Ranch chick issue - I'm guessing it is a breed personality issue.

Reber Ranch does not get vaccinated chicks for Maerk's. So if you want vaccinated - find someplace that does vaccinate. They explained their reasoning for not getting vaccinated chicks, but I'm not going to try and re-explain it.

 

[SadieSue]

And since I'm posting pics, here are some more recent photos of my Imported English Orpingtons. The boy, Mr. Darcy, may be available. I've been putting him in the garage each night so he doesn't create any trouble with the neighbors since he started crowing this past week. I think he's very pretty, but he has a lot of filling out to do. He's only 4 months old and I understand the English Orps continue maturing and changing until what - 1 year or more?

Judges4 has expressed interest in him but needs to find a new home for her black orpington first. We're hoping that happens soon - If not, he's available!

Emily and Charlotte in back, Mr. Darcy in front taking good care of his flock. He typically creates a barrier between me and his girls.
I like this photo - it looks like the girls are whispering to each other "Isn't he handsome"?

 

[itsren]

There is always gonna be someone who disagrees heavily with just about anything we say so I guess as long as WE know we are doing what we believe is right then so be it! I'm smack in the middle of my 30s and am still struggling to thicken my skin. My Scottish/Irish blood boils too easily!!!

Ha, ha. We Scottish/Irish folk are pretty strong-willed. Well, I'll admit, I'm a little more of a "mutt". I must have been bought at a feed store! LOL!

Scottish/Irish/English and throw in some German - now that's a crazy combo for ya! And, I certainly wasn't bred to any standard of perfection.

Ah - our skin does thicken over time. It took me a while to thicken my own skin. When I was in my 30s not so much. Now that I'm in my 40s and after having to go to bat for my boys frequently in their younger years, my skin thickened rather quickly.

Any family who has children with Autism gets treated a little differently - by neighbors, by people at church, by kids at school, by strangers in the store (now that one gets me!), by everyone. People don't know how to take their odd behaviors. Adults will get snippy, be rude and tell you to "get your child under control". I usually had no problems putting those adults in their place rather quickly. It's the kids that had me in tears late in the evening. Having a 3, 4 or 5-year old kid walk up to you and say "Why does he sound like a puppy?" or "How come he talks funny?" or "What's wrong with him?" will tear your heart apart into shreds. Thankfully, both my boys can speak eloquently now and both have become (relatively) pretty good at disguising their stims. They have quirky senses of humor, but they can blend in. The hardest years were between the ages of 2 and 7 for both my boys. Now they're old enough to know they have Autism. They know they have to work harder to fit in than most people. They know that their stims can be upsetting or distracting to others and that they really have to try hard not to do them when they are around other people. They know they are loved and adored by family, and if they completely fall apart at home after having worked so hard to keep it together out in the public, it's quite alright. We are their soft place to fall.

 

[itsren]

Hmmm. I just found their FB page and they do carry a lot of breeds! How do the birds you've bought from them look? I do care about egg production, but if I buy a silver laced Wyandotte, will it look like the ones I see in my books? I am probably coming across as really shallow here, but I am limited to 5 birds and they are going to be long term pets. I really like the look of laced, double penciled and columbian birds.

Jennifer

Not shallow at all! I'm limited to 6. I totally get that. Mine are pets, too. Other than 2 goldfish who are rapidly out-growing their tank, they are our only pets.

That's why I thinking the remainder of our flock will be LF Light Brahmas. They're not known for being great layers, but are super sweet birds. Drama is very much like a puppy.

 

[SadieSue]

Quote:
I remember the challenges involved in being a newbie. I've had my flock for a just about 1 1/2 years, but I was on the forum for 10 months before I got any chickens as I read all the information I could, was perusing coop designs, etc. Everybody who was here at the time was very nice about putting up with my constant barrage of questions as I got closer to coop building and acquiring birds.

But yes, I'll admit, at first it was like playing double dutch jump rope - I would just look for the right opportunity to jump in and hope I didn't mess up everyone's game. So much of the time I was watching and waiting. I learned a lot just by lurking!

Many of the Washington BYCer's have also had benefit of meeting face to face - have you heard about our potlucks at the chicken shows? They're legendary!

Lots of food, we all bring our own chairs and find a good spot to gather. That's been a great way to get to know each other and to put faces with the names. Of course, name tags have been necessary! Occasionally we have smaller, more regional meet-ups. Someone will just decide it's time for a group in an area to get together and agree on a place, date and time. Those are always nice too.

A lot of us have our quirks - but intention is much easier to decipher when you're face to face with a potential new friend and can actually see that they're not hiding an ax behind their back.

So my advice would be, YES, hang in there! Chime in when you want, ask questions as you need and if there is ever opportunity to be part of a live meet-up, do it! You'll find that there are some very special, generous, helpful people that just might become very good new friends. It's been a rewarding experience for me.

 

[itsren]

Thank you, I will try! I know very little about where the best places to get chickens are, and I apologize if I am insulting anyone's birds. I am a lot more familiar with reptiles, and there are a million good reasons not to buy those from pet stores or bulk dealers. And I have no idea how to tell what an adult hen will look like based on its appearance as a chick. Is there any way to tell?

Jennifer

I'm a newbie - but I don't think so. Mine look nothing like they looked as chicks. And they go through a horribly mangy looking phase... hold on for the ride through that one. It's like a combination of cute and ugly - they're so ugly, they are kinda cute. LOL.

 

[Nikki99]

Good Post.. I'm new here too and one of the things I picked up on fairly quickly is just how close some of these folks are... Like you I have a hard time jumping in and I hate confrontation. So I t does sometimes feel like being the "annoying little kid trying to hang out with the cool teenagers" I figure no one means for that to be the case..... also I think that many of the long time posters see a flux each year around the time baby chicks go on sale of newbies coming in and chattering and all then maybe they fade out. So I think they are looking for staying power So like you I keep the same attitude to keep plug gin along until I find a spot I fit. I often marvel at how this group looks after each other and does act like a family.. Its kinda a rare and cool thing!! Like CR said in one of his post earlier Its not a bad thing to just sit back read and learn and watch the flow... find the rhythm of the group and add to it. We all have good info to add to the forum new and old. After all thats what brought us all together CHICKENS.... GLORIOUS ...... CHICKENS.. We all know how they can be about adding new members to the flock... Tempermental buggers Then all of the sudden its all pecked out and Harmony.... LOL

Hehe, I love that "the annoying little kid trying to hang out with the cool teenagers", yep, I am right there with ya. I totally agree that I don't think anyone really means to purposely over look the newbies, and that's a really good point about all the new members that come through right around baby chick time and then they disappear. I however, like you, would really like to be here long term!
Oh goodness yes! They (chickens) are little stinkers sometimes, down right mean! My LG's are still big jerks to my little banties and they've been together all summer now. Poor little dudes.

OK yes I may tend to overlook new peeps. I don't really do that on purpose it is just that I haven't found a common ground (besides chickens of course). See as you will notice I really don't talk chickens a lot. Many of us are that way. For some of us this is our "social life" with some cackle spackle mixed in!!
I will also tell you that IF I am addressed in a post I WILL try my best to respond in a decent manner (unless one is trying to call me out).
As for "inside jokes" well sometimes they have just been around so long that we forget others don't know! Like the fact that RonB and I are twin brudders by different mudders !! I thought everybody knew that.

Guess what??? Turns out Nobody told Ron!!!

About the "mix of new ways and older (did ya really go there

) ways". I wasn't talking about the raising / care of poultry. What I was referring to is there seems to be an attempt to change the way this thread functions.
See I actually take a little time to look at peoples "profile" and whatever info they choose to share. I just wonder how many others do same. For example I wonder how many new(er) members know the story of Chicken Rustler. It is in text for all to see/read.
And in parting YES I have TURNED THE RALLY MONKEY LOOSE!!!!! And been in contact with Admin!!!

CR you have definitely answered a few of my chicken related questions and that I very much appreciate.

I usually look at peoples profiles if I'm having a conversation with them, or if I've talked to them more then once, but I'm afraid I can't say I look at any and everybody's.
Oh, and what's the rally monkey?

 

[itsren]

She was laying for years! She looked completely normal. I thought she was molting oddly until I noticed that her new feathers were very curious. The spurs came in a bit after that. They're so tiny! I was told that her ovary must have shut down, so she went into an interesting gender state.

I've read about that. I read if a hen loses an ovary they can convert to a Roo. Look up the words "crowing hen" and quite a few posts will come up about that.

Edited to add: Look it up here on BYC.