Baby chicks

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  • JennyT Upstate South Carolina
    JennyT Upstate South Carolina Posts: 1,273 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Thank you for the link @LaurieLovesLearning. I see now why they call the Buff Orpingtons "the golden retriever" of the chicken world.

    Here's another one we'd love to get. Lavender Orpingtons.

    I found info on them from this hatchery. https://www.mthealthy.com/birds/lavender-orpington

    We found out about these a couple of years ago. They look like they'd be such fun. And of course being Orpingtons their personality and demeanor are extremely friendly.

  • LaurieLovesLearning
    LaurieLovesLearning Posts: 7,576 admin
    edited February 2021

    @JennyT One of my friend has these. She has crossed them with other colors to make Isabel. They are even more stunning, believe it or not.

    Zoom in on the second picture in the first link to see the feather pattern.

    http://www.chickenridgefarm.com/isabel-cuckoo-orpington.html

    https://www.carolinararechicks.net/isabell-cuckoo-orpington

    The fluffier, deeper birds are English orps and they will get heavier than the American ones too. The skinnier ones are American orps. With orps, it is not uncommon to have to trim down the butt fluff to increase fertility as it can get in the way.

    I did that last year with some of my giants. That's a lot of feather fluff everywhere in the air! It was like being in a pillow fight. 😳😆

  • JennyT Upstate South Carolina
    JennyT Upstate South Carolina Posts: 1,273 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @LaurieLovesLearning Those birds are beautiful.

    My oldest would love to try to create her own line or just get the opportunity to cross breeds or something like that to see what she can come up with. And we're hoping to have enough space when we move to let her do that.😊

  • Monek Marie
    Monek Marie Posts: 3,539 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @JennyT I have a few Lavender Orp's

  • LaurieLovesLearning
    LaurieLovesLearning Posts: 7,576 admin

    @JennyT I will be improving some of my purebreds (its continuous), and will be crossing my largest meat birds that lay well to see what I get. One type is a barred feather pattern, so I should be able to tell which are male & female at hatch. :)

    @Denise Grant If you two could arrange something, I think that would be fantastic!

  • JennyT Upstate South Carolina
    JennyT Upstate South Carolina Posts: 1,273 ✭✭✭✭✭

    I was looking on the Orpington website that has the Lavender breed with my oldest last night. We saw that they also carry Chocolate & Red Orp's too. And the Buff of course. She got all excited and said she could have a flock of rainbow Orp's and then started saying all that she'd do with them. 😄

    It was hilarious and made me proud that my 14 yr old gets all excited over something like this as apposed to clothes, phone or whatever else her generation are crazy about these days.😊

  • LaurieLovesLearning
    LaurieLovesLearning Posts: 7,576 admin

    @JennyT Ah...she's got the bug which can lead to a chicken addiction. You know it's real. Be careful! 😉 😄

  • @JennyT something done right in parenting 😂😂😂

  • Monek Marie
    Monek Marie Posts: 3,539 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited February 2021

    Ah yes, chicken addiction is so true.

    My friend talked me in to chickens. actually she bought some, raised them until they were older and presented them to me. I had three Cochin, one Barred Rock, one Copper Maran and two - I am sure of the last breed. I would know it if I picked up a catalog, but I would never have that breed again - tends to be meanish.

    Since then I have tried almost every breed there is and now its time to really decide what I want. I've even had the Turken. But I do stick to heritage birds. I don't like the new breeds they are creating and want to help save a heritage bird.

    I guess I had better go look up that Chocolate Orp and get my morning cute chicken fix.

  • vickeym
    vickeym Posts: 2,134 ✭✭✭✭✭

    LaurieLovesLearning Yes, the whiting is a hatchery bird. We were still fairly new to chickens back then. Raised with them but not any specific breeds. My Mom traded an van she had for someone's farm animals they no longer wanted. Rabbits, chickens, ducks, a few pigs, a goat, later she added cows. Never knew what kinds we had. Just barnyard mixture I think.

    Not many breeders in Alaska and not usually what we are looking for. Mostly show types and we aren't interested in showing. We are interested in our food supply. So cold hardy, good layers and good amount of meat on them. Right now we have a lot of hatchery birds which got us started on our farm. Now we are ready to go further and start getting breeding birds. Baby steps for a very small budget.

    We are established for supplying eggs now and have a good customer base, so we can start being more selective in our purchases. Just starting to look for specific breeds, and figuring out what we can afford to bring in.

    Once we get a good selection of breed quality then we will start working on crossing for a bird that will meet the Alaska environment as well as good laying and meet. I guess an Alaskan type, something with similar characteristics to the Chantecler.

    Every "breeder" we have found in the US for the Chantecler seems to have stopped selling them or is out of business.

  • LaurieLovesLearning
    LaurieLovesLearning Posts: 7,576 admin

    @vickeym I think that you are going to have to look into what it takes to import. I am not sure if that's allowed right now though.

    You should have a decent market for chantecler if you are the only ones who would have them. You would want to start with 2 to 3 trios to keep the birds good and not have inbreeding.

    Three clans (starting with the breeding trios), where you keep the pullets within their flock, but rotate the roosters would be the way to go. You would not have to import again for a long time if you did them this way. You also need to keep a few choice roosters back in case you lose one of the others from anything.

    There are illustrations and explanations online that explain how to do this.

    I could ask around and see if I can find some breeders in BC who are willing to export when it is allowed. BC would be much closer than any other province. Hmm. There might be some in the Yukon. I will have to see what I can find.

    If you give me a thumbs up, I will see what I can uncover for you.

  • vickeym
    vickeym Posts: 2,134 ✭✭✭✭✭

    LaurieLovesLearning It will be next year before we could start bringing in the breeding stock. Would love to get stock from 3 different lines as our plan was very much as you described. To keep separate lines going to prevent inbreeding and continue to have quality birds available.

    If you don't mind and have some extra time that would be wonderful. Thank you so much. I love how helpful everyone in this network is.

    I had talked to a couple relatives near Ontario and had asked if they could look into it for me but they never did.

  • LaurieLovesLearning
    LaurieLovesLearning Posts: 7,576 admin
    edited February 2021

    @vickeym You are fine with it being further away? That would certainly make the search much easier.

    I could ask on a couple poultry boards for recommendations.

  • JennyT Upstate South Carolina
    JennyT Upstate South Carolina Posts: 1,273 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Oh the chicken addiction happened long ago and has only gotten worse.🙂

    Now that she's older and has an email other such things her "names" are always something like "ChickenCrazed" ChickenWhisperer" "ChickenFanatic". It's so silly. Everyone knows what to get her for Christmas and birthdays, anything to do with chickens.😄

  • vickeym
    vickeym Posts: 2,134 ✭✭✭✭✭

    LaurieLovesLearning Have not found anything in the US yet. And definitely not in Alaska. So if we get them it will most likely have to be from some distance.

    Will just depend on what is available and what final costs will be. Sometimes shipping things here get so high we end up not making a purchase on all kinds of items.

    I have had items that weighed less than 8 ounces and cost less than $10 US that shipping costs were going to be $40. Not worth purchasing at 4 times the cost of the item.

  • LaurieLovesLearning
    LaurieLovesLearning Posts: 7,576 admin

    While I was pursuing another breed, I was directed here. I should have known to look here for both of us.

    You get the possibility of white or partridge (which is my favorite color of silkie!). Anytime since January on is usually the time to start asking about availability. I don't know how long hatching eggs would take to get across the border. You'd be best off going for actual birds.

    I understand the cost when shipping adds more than the item. We can get that here as well when ordering from places and often from the US. Then there is exchange on top of that. The exchange should work in your favor, but who knows what crossing the physical border might add.

    Let me know if any of these could be possible solid leads.

  • Jens the Beekeeper
    Jens the Beekeeper Posts: 651 admin

    @LaurieLovesLearning as promised here a picture of the reason I went to the pet store and found those cute little chicks.

    And here in a little bit closer

    And the whole terrarium


  • LaurieLovesLearning
    LaurieLovesLearning Posts: 7,576 admin

    @Jens Thank you! How is the chameleon ownership going so far? I find them so fascinating!

  • Jens the Beekeeper
    Jens the Beekeeper Posts: 651 admin

    @LaurieLovesLearning it is definitely a learning curve. They need a small range of temperatures and enough humidity with plenty of airflow which is a contradiction by itself 😳

    But he is hunting crickets already and fruit flies so it seems we have manage the basics.

  • JennyT Upstate South Carolina
    JennyT Upstate South Carolina Posts: 1,273 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Awesome, @Jens! I was curious, what did your daughter end up calling her beloved new friend?

  • Jens the Beekeeper
    Jens the Beekeeper Posts: 651 admin

    @JennyT she calls him Horst. 😂😂😳

  • Owl
    Owl Posts: 346 ✭✭✭

    I would love to see your art creations! I used to be very artistic and creative but I lost it somewhere...

  • nicksamanda11
    nicksamanda11 Posts: 755 ✭✭✭✭

    I always wanted to hatch my own chicks. I thought that would be fun. Maybe I'll do it this year.

  • LaurieLovesLearning
    LaurieLovesLearning Posts: 7,576 admin

    @nicksamanda11 I'm behind you 100%.

    It will most likely put you through all kinds of emotions, but it is certainly fascinating to experience & can be quite rewarding.

    Go for it!