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Hilda the chicken is beyond cute! I’m really thinking about pulling the trigger on my chicken order. What are people’s thoughts on Marek’s vaccination? How long after I get the chickens before I have to have the coop set up, nesting boxes in place, run built, etc. Also any glaring problems with any of the breeds I selected? I’m looking for hardy birds that will lay different colored eggs and tolerate cold weather. 
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Apr 5, 2012 18:18
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Zeta Buttforce posted:I’m really thinking about pulling the trigger on my chicken order. What are people’s thoughts on Marek’s vaccination? How long after I get the chickens before I have to have the coop set up, nesting boxes in place, run built, etc. Also any glaring problems with any of the breeds I selected? I’m looking for hardy birds that will lay different colored eggs and tolerate cold weather. I posed your questions to Velvet Sparrow in the Chickam chat and she said: "Vaccinated is always best. As to what breeds, depends on what he wants from the chickens--meat, eggs, meat/eggs or yard candy. Yard candy: I'd say Silkies, Cochins, d'Uccles and maybe some Americaunas and Marans for the egg color." Come by the Chickam chat later and ask VS more questions. 
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Apr 5, 2012 22:19
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Where is this Chickam chat? I am looking less for “yard candy”. Maybe “refrigerator candy” is a better description. I think it would be really fun to have extra eggs and be able to give a dozen fun, cool looking eggs away of every different shade to the people in my life I care about. As far as the chickens themselves go, all chickens are beautiful and fun to watch. I don’t need fancy looking birds, it’s more important that they be productive layers that use food efficiently and keep going in the winter. Bonus if they are friendly.
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Apr 5, 2012 23:09
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Zeta Buttforce posted:Where is this Chickam chat? http://www.ustream.tv/channel/chickam2008 The SA Chickam 2012 thread is here: http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3476644 Come and join us in the chat.
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Apr 5, 2012 23:19
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It was a nice sunny day so I though I'd grab some photos of my hens: Janet was not impressed with the camera.  Neither was Zorro though.  Also outside my window there is a garden bench that they like to sit on during the day to rest and to preen.  
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Apr 6, 2012 01:57
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Geokinesis posted:It was a nice sunny day so I though I'd grab some photos of my hens: Nice shots of your chickens. I like how the sun is hitting them from the back and making their wattles/combs glow bright red.
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Apr 6, 2012 01:59
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Zeta Buttforce posted:Hilda the chicken is beyond cute! Get brahmas, they do great in cold weather from what I understand, and they are really docile and oh so fluffy  Roostroyer is a standard light brahma rooster, and he's such a good boy.
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Apr 6, 2012 04:00
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For breeds that do well in cold weather, anything fluffy and with a small comb will usually do well. Either Easter Eggers or Ameraucanas are always a good choice, they seem to do well in almost any environment. When you're thinking of fridge candy, keep in mind that brown eggs come in all shades, the Meyer Hatchery paper catalogue has pictures of eggs to give you an idea of color.
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Apr 6, 2012 04:13
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Zeta Buttforce posted:Hilda the chicken is beyond cute! You might want to switch out the leghorns for anconas. Leghorns don't do very well in the cold as they are "light" and their combs get quite large. This makes their combs more prone to frostbite. While the ancona is just as light as the leghorn they have smaller combs that don't require special care in freezing temps. They both lay white eggs though. hypoallergenic cat breed fucked around with this message at 04:20 on Apr 6, 2012 |
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Apr 6, 2012 04:16
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Get one of these. I think brahmas lay brown eggs. See that body? He's fluffy, has a smallish comb, feathered legs, and he can handle the cold. Get some brahmas, standard or bantam, they are awesome  
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Apr 6, 2012 05:16
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Always buy vaccinated if the option is there. Most chicken hobbyists wont be able to vaccinate their own flock due to cost and difficulty.
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Apr 6, 2012 06:56
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God I fucking love Diablo 3 gold, it even paid for this shitty title
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Tim the Enchanter posted:Always buy vaccinated if the option is there. Most chicken hobbyists wont be able to vaccinate their own flock due to cost and difficulty. This. I'm going to quote a post I made a few pages back because my wife and I learned this the (very hard) way. Always buy vaccinated, always. Peas and Rice posted:There probably are people who impulse-buy from farm supply stores. That's also where we got our last flock after getting screwed (once royally) from unhealthy animals we got on craigslist. The second time, we got them from a woman who didn't believe in any kind of antibiotics or medicated feed whatsoever, and our chickens literally fell apart from the inside-out because of a stomach bacteria they pick up from crows or other birds that's usually controllable if you simply vaccinate young. It causes their intestines to dissolve so they poop them out, then they starve slowly because they can't digest their food without intestines anymore.
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Apr 6, 2012 16:00
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So, I now have three more pullets. Its a long story. Today, I got a text from a buddy who is also a chicken owner, about his son's friend's dad's chickens. He had to get rid of them, because of complaints from a neighbor. Who the neighbor was or what the complaint was I don't know, because they were all girls, and only three months old. Apparently a HoA was involved, so it could have been anything. Anyway, the text also said that if he couldn't find someone to take the chickens right away, he was going to turn them loose in the desert, where they'd likely either die or be eaten by coyotes. My friend didn't want that to happen, but he didn't want to take them, because his flock has been sick and he didn't want to risk adding more birds until he got things under control. So, he asked me. And, I'm a sucker, and also like free stuff, so I said yes, and gave the dude a call. They were three months old, all girls and he didn't know what kinds. I got the address and headed out. Thankfully, they appeared to be healthy and in fairly good shape. As soon as I got there, and got a look at them, it was obvious that two of them were black sex-links. I had no idea what the other one was, but some research on the internet let me figure out that she is a California White. I've tried to stay away from the high production hybrids, as they usually don't lay well past the second year, but they seem to be finding me this year. Now, I just need to decide how many of these new pullets, if any I'm going to keep.
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Apr 7, 2012 06:18
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Chicks are 5 weeks old! The facial feathers on EE 1 are really starting to fill out. They have also all figured out how to drink water out of the chicken nipple waterer I made, so no more nasty water bottle to deal with! Easter Egger 1 (keeping this one):   Easter Egger 2:  Easter Egger 3:  Easter Egger 5 (keeping this one):  Silver Laced Wyandotte 3 (becoming more and more sure this one is male, it's probably going to our friend):  Silver Laced Wyandotte 4 (keeping this one):  Here's one of the two Wyandottes next to each other in the box:  And all 6 chicks together in the box:  Our friends are taking their two next weekend. SLW3 and either EE2 or EE3. Then I'll just be left with our 4. The coop moved outside today and we priced out materials to build the run. Should be putting it together in the next week or so, then we'll be moving them outside. Really happy with how well they are all doing, all seem happy and healthy and they are growing like weeds.
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Apr 8, 2012 02:40
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Ceridwen posted:Chicks are 5 weeks old! The facial feathers on EE 1 are really starting to fill out. They have also all figured out how to drink water out of the chicken nipple waterer I made, so no more nasty water bottle to deal with!
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Apr 8, 2012 16:41
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4BTmLRPqz8 Too cute.
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Apr 9, 2012 04:57
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I was reading the Chickam chat thread and Velvet Sparrow reported an egg bound hen. How often does that happen? Google says to put her in a cage that is very warm and moist will relax her enough for her to lay the egg. I can picture myself doing that. But I don’t want to get in the habit of bringing them to the vet and paying hundreds of dollars if that doesn’t work.
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Apr 9, 2012 18:24
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Chido posted:... help me, I saw more street fowl on my way home yesterday, and I wanna take them home with me I've been trying very hard to not give this guy a call and buy some birds, I wasn't planning on getting any chickens until next year, though!  http://eugene.craigslist.org/grd/2939778113.html
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Apr 9, 2012 19:28
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I bet Roo would love to have some of these big girls.
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coyo7e posted:I've been trying very hard to not give this guy a call and buy some birds, I wasn't planning on getting any chickens until next year, though! His Craigslist posting is pretty well-done with good keyword placement, but that copy-paste smile of his is genuinely creepy, 14 years old or not :/
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Apr 9, 2012 19:46
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daggerdragon posted:that copy-paste smile of his is genuinely creepy, 14 years old or not :/
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Apr 9, 2012 20:59
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daggerdragon posted:His Craigslist posting is pretty well-done with good keyword placement, but that copy-paste smile of his is genuinely creepy, 14 years old or not :/ The average 14 year old doesn't raise 750 chickens. He is going to own us one day, and he will do it with a (creepy) smile.
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Apr 9, 2012 21:13
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Chido posted:Get one of these. I think brahmas lay brown eggs. Roostroyer, a challenger appears...   Meet Latrice, 9 months old and already 10lbs of fluffy Brahma awesomeness. Here's his girlfriend, Jiggly:  And 2 gigantic fluffy Brahma butts:  Seriously, I also totally recommend Brahmas to anybody getting chickens. They are an awesome breed, beautiful, not very noisy, and very friendly/easy to handle. This is my first pair, but I've got some eggs in the incubator, both from this pair and some really rare Blue Brahmas I got from another breeder, hoping for a good hatch... Of all the breeds of chickens I've had or have now, the Brahmas are definitely my favorites and I plan to make them the majority of my flock. I've already got a waiting list on chicks or eggs from these guys and I'm hoping to get 1-2 more pullets from the breeder I got this first pair from later in the year. The other breeds I have right now are Easter Eggers, Marans (Blue Birchen, Black Copper, Silver Cuckoo), and the Appenzeller Spitzhaubens. In the incubator along with the Brahmas I've got purebred Ameracuanas (including some that carry the silkied gene, a breeding project started by some over on the BYC forums), pure Aracuanas, more Marans (Blue Birchen, Black Copper, Silver Cuckoo), BLR Wyandottes, and Cochins. I plan to keep some to upgrade my flock and sell the rest, the main focus is going to be the Brahmas though. Who knew chickens were so addictive??
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Apr 10, 2012 01:53
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SolanaSkyes posted:Roostroyer, a challenger appears... Tell me about it  Btw Roo is still the king of the fluffbuttes because his comb is ginormous... and he doesn't have to go out to look for hens, the silly things come to him 
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Apr 10, 2012 03:40
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Chido posted:Tell me about it  Ah, but the Brahma is supposed to have a SMALL pea comb and Latrice thinks he's too good for those street walkin' ho chickens lol. I saw the LF Light Brahmas at the Ft Worth Stock Show and was instantly like now THAT is a chicken! The breeder I got this pair from has been breeding and showing them for 44 years, his lines are a total outcross to any other LF Light Brahmas out there since he always maintained a closed breeding colony and they're regarded as some of the best around (OK, I didn't know any of this before, just thought I was buying a pair of cool chickens). The local LF Brahma breeders I had been in contact with who didn't have any for sale at the time are now lining up wanting eggs and chicks, there have even been offers to buy this pair. So it begins... Seriously though, this started as getting a few guineas to control the bugs and weeds (and skirt the very loose HOA "rules"). Then neighbors started asking for fresh eggs, and I figured "what the hell, get a few chickens," so the first batch of 10 Easter Eggers arrived and I became the neighborhood egg dealer. A couple friends wanted to split up orders of hatchery chicks, so the numbers and breeds grew last Fall. I sold off my extras on Craigslist a couple months ago and made $300 in 2 weeks selling the younger pullets. Now I'm hooked and totally understand what "chicken math" is all about!
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Apr 10, 2012 15:17
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SolanaSkyes posted:
Pfft technicalities. Latrice just doesn't have enough fluff appeal to bring all the free hens in the area to him. Roostroyer is a chick magnet I mean, who doesn't wanna touch that big fat cock?Edit: I saw pictures of blue laced red brahmas in feathersite, you have to have at least one of them, they are so pretty! and yes, chicken math is sneaky. We started with only 3 mutt chickies, then my BIL wanted a rooster... My limit is 10 chickens. I want to get either another BR like Spaghetti because I love her coloring and how vocal she is, or a black jersey giant. I'd love to get a dark brahma hen, but the websites that sell you 3 chicks don't carry dark ones, and my local feed store doesn't seem to order them  .
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Apr 10, 2012 17:51
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Get 25 chicks and sell the extras on craigslist. Its pretty easy, as long as you order 'cool' breeds.
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Apr 10, 2012 22:13
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Can't do that, I'd fall in love with all the chicks while waiting to sell them, then I'd have 35 chickens in my backyard...
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Apr 10, 2012 22:17
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Chido posted:Edit: I saw pictures of blue laced red brahmas in feathersite, you have to have at least one of them, they are so pretty! and yes, chicken math is sneaky. We started with only 3 mutt chickies, then my BIL wanted a rooster... My limit is 10 chickens. I want to get either another BR like Spaghetti because I love her coloring and how vocal she is, or a black jersey giant. I'd love to get a dark brahma hen, but the websites that sell you 3 chicks don't carry dark ones, and my local feed store doesn't seem to order them From what I've found out, the LF Dark Brahmas are almost impossible to find outside hatchery stock now, but the BYC forums is a good place to start looking for someone that has them and will sell you eggs to hatch or some chicks (I've seen LF Dark Brahma eggs for sale on eBay too). You can also check out Poultry Press for someone that might have them. The hens are gorgeous with their penciling though. The whole reason I went to a private breeder to get these Brahmas was because I wanted the Lights (MPC only had Buffs), and I didn't want to get stuck ordering 25-30 chicks from another hatchery since I didn't have anybody that wanted to split up a chick order again. It just turns out I stumbled across what is supposedly one of the best and most sought after lines of Brahmas. The breeder himself was very nice, spent a lot of time telling me about his breeding program and the breed and said he'd send me the best pair he had available. I didn't really find out about the rep for quality his lines had until I emailed pics to a local breeder I had been talking to about buying something from him later in the year and he went nuts over Latrice and Jiggly. Since then, a couple other breeders in the area have contacted me asking if I want to show them and asking for eggs or chicks out of the pair or to buy them outright. OK, not what I was expecting, but kinda cool and with the prices these people have offered to pay, I will try to hatch some eggs out now.  The Brahma eggs I have in the incubator right now are solid blues, not the laced ones, although I'd love to get the laced at some point. drat you, chicken math!!! 
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Apr 11, 2012 02:26
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Solana, if you live in LA county and eventually get bluelaced brahmas, I'm so gonna stalk you! They are so pretty
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Apr 11, 2012 02:43
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^^Check your PMs.
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Apr 11, 2012 02:46
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Long time lurker of this thread checking in! After watching chickam and making coop plans all weekend with my SO, this afternoon I brought home two one-week old chicks. It wasn't the plan to happen so soon since we have no coop ready for them yet, but I really want a welsumer and the other hatcheries in town were full up on reservations for the rest of the year. When I called the last place they only had a few left so I ran over. The guy at the feed store said the welsumers were expensive since they are so rare - $3.15 each. Not only did they have 6 welsumers but a whole bunch (flock?) of another breed I couldn't find locally - light brahmas! Which I was only looking for because of Roostroyer's fluffy snowshoe feet Now we have two darling peeping pooping machines in a box on the dining room floor. I read up on VS's chicken page and made a nearly identical setup including a window in the box to watch us moving around. I'm trying to hold them often so they get used to it but they seem to get tired & fall asleep pretty quickly. Such little babies. I took pictures but neither imgur or tinypic want to work on the iPad so it will have to wait til work tomorrow. I have a question about mixing chicks of different ages though. In addition to these two, I have 5 more reserved for the week of May 11th from a local feed store. Golden laced Wyandotte, silver laced Wyandotte, black Australorp, barred rock, & "Arcana/Americana" which I'm guessing is really Easter egger. Since we have cold dry winters here I tried to balance cold-hardiness with egg production and good lookin birds. We can have 10 hens in city limits so the number isn't a problem. Will they all get along though? Since they will be ~6 weeks apart I can't keep them in the same box initially, but can they be introduced gradually a few weeks after that? I'm hoping that after the second batch is a couple months old they can all be outside together. Is it ok to mix so many different breeds together at two different ages or should I start off more slowly this first year? Also, where should the coop go? We have two good options: an old chain link dog run that could be modified, or a west-facing deck to screen in. If the run is under the deck (6' tall underneath), should the coop be on the south side where it will get winter sun, or on the north side where it is against the house & protected from the wind? It gets down to the negatives a few times each winter, with little snowfall, but decent wind.
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Apr 11, 2012 04:24
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Zeta Taskforce posted:I was reading the Chickam chat thread and Velvet Sparrow reported an egg bound hen. How often does that happen? Google says to put her in a cage that is very warm and moist will relax her enough for her to lay the egg. I can picture myself doing that. But I don’t want to get in the habit of bringing them to the vet and paying hundreds of dollars if that doesn’t work. They dont happen too often,usually the chicken ends up dying but you can save them or they eventually force it out themselves. They try to strain it out so much that they just give in to exhaustion and die. Ive had it happen a couple of times where the hen tried to lay an egg without a shell,since their muscles have nothing to push on they just strain and strain,you can usually save these birds though ,its the overlarge eggs or flipped around ones that are the problem.
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Apr 11, 2012 11:52
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Egg binding is one of those things that can happen, but isn't super common. It also happens more often with chickens that are bred for super-high production and large eggs, so you can cut down on your odds of this particular problem by getting heritage breeds.
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Apr 12, 2012 06:58
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My nieces spent the afternon with the people that adopted Roo's babies. We got videos! The chicks will be 3 weeks old this Friday. 7 chicks, one big bug. (Jaydan is a 6 year old kid who is a bit of a pain in the butt XD)      
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Apr 12, 2012 08:16
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WrathofKhan posted:Egg binding is one of those things that can happen, but isn't super common. It also happens more often with chickens that are bred for super-high production and large eggs, so you can cut down on your odds of this particular problem by getting heritage breeds. 
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Apr 12, 2012 08:57
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Chido posted:My nieces spent the afternon with the people that adopted Roo's babies. We got videos! The chicks will be 3 weeks old this Friday. That grass won't last.  Finally penned in our chickens and seeded a new lawn, as there was nothing left. Now I have to work out how they keep escaping!
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Apr 12, 2012 12:33
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Chido posted:My nieces spent the afternon with the people that adopted Roo's babies. We got videos! The chicks will be 3 weeks old this Friday. They look like a perfect combination of Roo and their mama. Also, your nieces are wonderful: "Jayden, get out! This is for my aunt!"
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Apr 12, 2012 12:56
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D'aww. Those are some seriously cute little chicks.
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Apr 12, 2012 22:26
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I just pulled the trigger and ordered chickens a few minutes ago. They are coming on June 18th. Ended up going with 4 Acondas, 4 Barred Plymouth Rocks (nod to Massachusetts), 4 Welsummers, 4 Easter Eggers. Hopefully I can sell half of them some time around the end of the summer. Colorful egg basket, here I come!
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Apr 14, 2012 20:02
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Zeta Taskforce posted:I just pulled the trigger and ordered chickens a few minutes ago. They are coming on June 18th.  Now you'd better make sure you post pictures and videos of your chicks when they arrive, you don't wanna find out how chicken nuggets are made, do you?
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Apr 15, 2012 00:07
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