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Post by insaneh on May 20, 2013 8:15:44 GMT -7
I like it roller pig, nicely done....I was wondering, do your chickens lay bananas too ? ;D Thanks for sharing. Btw, I was also wondering how much more or less did it cost you to make your coop ? I was thinking more that that chicken broke it's *** laying that one. |
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Post by Deleted on May 20, 2013 10:56:18 GMT -7
Great info for the total noob potential chicken owner! I will have to see if the Barred Rocks are cold weather hardy. Right now I am looking at:Orpington, Plymouth Rock, NH Red, Ameraucana RI Reds and Wyandotte as potential candidates. I was thinking of Guineas for tick control and because I could put them in the garden with the veggies. But I have heard they are really niosy and really won't be as tame as regular chickens. All pretty good choices. I decided to go with the Deleware since they do excellent in both cold and hot conditions and do well in confinement and on range. They are very calm and gentle, and the roosters don't turn mean...which is a problem with several of the breeds you listed. The Deleware are good layers of large brown eggs and lay well even during molting. They were the original butcher breed replaced by the cornish cross, so they have a very good food conversion rate. Of the breeds you listed, I would lean towards the Wyandottes or the Orpingtons, for the simple fact of NOT want a rooster that is going to more than likely turn mean. Sometimes the ones from those other breeds don't but most of the time they do...and when you have a 12# rooster with 1-2" spurs trying tot flog the crap out of you...you WILL get hurt, they WILL get you when you are not looking!! I love my gold and silver laced Wyandottes, it just takes them a bit longer to mature and start laying. Very pretty, very friendly, docile, foragers, excellent layers and wonderful broody hens. Tend to be healthy adn easy to care for. As for Guineas. They are loud, and ugly and I cannot stand them...but for the tick control, I put up with it. If you want natural tick control, get some guineas. If you want quiet and pretty....forget them. I keep a mated pair locked up for hatching eggs, but the rest just run wherever they want, and if something gets them, oh well. I lost 3 birds 1 day...so far the rest are more wary and doing fine. I still have ticks...but CLEARLY not the massive numbers I had before, and I only have 5 running loose right now! They definitely earn their keep, and the work they do more than makes up for the noise. They are not noisy ALL the time. Generally only when something alarms them or if they get split up, they call back and forth until they get back together. I got my guineas as chicks. They do not tame down so you can handle them, but since I was the only one around them, they do not sound an alarm when I am outside working. If they are calling and alarming at night I can walk out in the dark and say guinea, guinea, guinea a few times in a row and they shut right up...but generally there will be a raccoon, dog or something messing around. They don't run from me unless I TRY to catch them. I leave the pen open they were in over the winter, and they go in there every night at bed time, and I lock them up so nothing gets them at night...but when the duck eggs hatch, they will get evicted from the pen. Each one has a different personality, and they are fun to watch...but they are FUGLY!!! |
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Post by cowgirlup on May 20, 2013 12:46:49 GMT -7
Great info for the total noob potential chicken owner! I will have to see if the Barred Rocks are cold weather hardy. Right now I am looking at:Orpington, Plymouth Rock, NH Red, Ameraucana RI Reds and Wyandotte as potential candidates. I was thinking of Guineas for tick control and because I could put them in the garden with the veggies. But I have heard they are really niosy and really won't be as tame as regular chickens. !! quote] And that would be the last thing that roo ever did. So far I just plan to have girls.  |
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Post by cajunlady87 on May 20, 2013 13:42:01 GMT -7
My rooster is quite large and very protective of his ladies in waiting especially when they freerange. They follow him around and stay closeby. Not once has he attempted to attack me or yes, he'd be gone in a flash. Just saying.  |
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