New Year January 17, 2012
Posted by Tamara in Uncategorized.Tags: chickens, chicks, hatching chickens, heritadge chickens, partridge rock, plymouth rocks
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Happy New Year everyone. I know I have not posted lately but not much has been happening. Our 10 chickens are doing great. All 7 hens are now laying. My 3 roosters are the best I have raised yet.
I have to buy a new camera as our old one is having problems. But that buy will be another month away at least. We are getting ready to finish the property fence. Just waiting for tax stuff to come in so we can pay the guy to do it. This will lead to more animals here one being milk goats.
As far as the chickens I am under orders by hubby to increase flock over 30. Due to bear attack he wants to make sure if he hits this year we have enough backup. He loves his fresh eggs. LOL Hubby not bear.
Luckily all 3 rooster are a big improvment over Alpha and Captain. Longfeather the oldest has correct comb and body and is in charge of all 7 gals for now. The other 2 are a bit younger than him but not by much.
Spring here is showing its head by our daffodills popping up already. Today was rain and is the 40′s but saturday it will be in the 60′s. Just crasy I know. I m planning on incubating eggs next month. I will fill it this time which means 42 eggs. Probably do that 3 times at least this year. If not more depending on how many rooster I get out of hatching. I expect to have a good year this year but time will tell.
predator update November 13, 2011
Posted by Tamara in Uncategorized.Tags: bear and chickens, chickens, predators attacking chickens
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Not a racoon but a black bear. Yes, you read right. We got hit by a black bear and lost half the flock. He took out the new coop I bought. We have to put it back together. He also hit my large coop. The only way I know it was a black bear is because he left a paw print next to door.
Here is what he did on big coop. First he pulled off the small chickens door which is in the persons door. He ripped 3 corners about 4 ft high in fustration. That was second hit after small coop. Third hit was window. We had some ladders on the ground that he used to give him hight to get into west side window. Next one was east side when we removed ladders. When he went into it that night he must have fell on his head for he broke the top of a next box close to the perch. Rest of box was not moved. He had to go over perch when he whent into that window.
OK, hubby stay home all week to get bear. We never saw him as he was hitting 4am or so. We even bought motion sensor light and camera. He boarded up coop with 1/2 ply and lots of 3 inch screws. That got him. He could not pull off that wood. We think he only hit because he was getting ready to hibernate. For after third hit on big coop he did not show again. It could be he was shot since that week was bear season here. I hate to say it but I hope he was for I do not want him back. I like black bears but this one is too much.
On a good note property has been surveyed. So we can refence it. It has old fencing that is down on two sides. Both are in the woods. Not hard to get too as our driveway goes up that far. Luckily we are paying someone to do it. I will know by next week what that will cost. We want it sone by spring so we can get goats here to eat brambles. Hopefully it will help some with the larger predators too.
fall and predators October 26, 2011
Posted by Tamara in Uncategorized.Tags: chickens, coops, heritadge chickens, partridge rock, plymouth rocks, predators
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Well, it has been an interesting month so far. Neibor up the road got hit by hawks when they left town. I got hit a couple of days later by hawk, no losses. Then after neibor got back they got hit again. But last night takes the prize.
They say things come in 3s and that was yesterday. MIL in hospital. Hubby and I had a fight, we never do that, and last but not least my small coop was broken into. I let Noel our dog out this morning to see a cockeral outside the coop. I was thinking he got locked out since I saw others in the coop. I ent to get dressed and was on the phone with hubby when I looked outside. All the chickens in small coop were out. Door to pen was still closed so I had no idea how they got out. Went down with feed and check nest box entrance. WOW, it was ripped off the hindges. Eye bolts were also ripped off. Hubby thinks it was a coon. I never knew a coon could bend metal and break wood. Mind you neither was really thick but still.
This must have been after 1am for I had windows open till then.. Noel would have heard something. The fact that she did not tell me it was later than that while we were in bedroom sleeping. I was up just before 6am but did nit look outside as it was still dark. Oh well, it was bound to happen sometime. I just never thought a coop would get broken into. I will move the other 12 too big coop tonight and lock that one. I have a special lock for it that should be coon proof.
Selection process October 21, 2011
Posted by Tamara in Uncategorized.Tags: breeding chickens, cjicken selction, partridge rock, plymouth rocks
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OK, I was asked how to I choose my keepers for breeding. One is I am basing breeding on the Standard of Perfection or SOP for the breed. Therefor whatever is not allowed in the breed is first to go. Major DQ is white color. No white is allowed in the color at all. Luckily it has not showed up except in chicks just hatched but turns brown within a couple of days.
Since roosters and hens are two total differnt color and patterns in the variation, it make things more interesting. First I look at leg color for early rejects. If leg color does not match chicks are gone before 4 months. After that selection waits till 5 months and older. Right now cockerals will be thinned based on combs and fluffliness of underfeathering. This is supposed to be a tight feathered breed not like the Cochins which is much looser in feathering. I can also seelcted at this age based on tail set and poor wing set. I do not do body or pattern selection till over a year old. Reason is this color variation changes with each molt. So when they finally have their true adult molt I know there pattern is set. For those chicks hatched this year in May selection for them will not be until fall next year. This is one big reason there are not alot of breeders of the pattern plymouth rocks. Most do not have the time of space to wait that long before making final selection on keepers for breeding. I am lucky in that I have the space and time since I do not show.
chicken pictures October 17, 2011
Posted by Tamara in Uncategorized.Tags: chicken pictures, hertige chickens, partridgerocks
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Took some pictures of some of the young chickens I hatched. This was this morning so sun was a bit of a problem. First is a pullet that I am keeping from first hatching. Second is 4 of the flock walking back down towards wood. Last is a small flock that are in front of back stairs to house.
The wonders of Fall October 16, 2011
Posted by Tamara in Uncategorized.Tags: breeding chickens, chicks, heritage chickens, partridge rock, plymouth rock, raising chickens
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Wow, it has been a few months since last posting. Sorry all for that. Flock is doing good. Sold last 6 of chicks that a friend bought for laying. Have been slowly moving rest of chicks over to big coop. At this time we stand at 25 total mostly pullets and hens. The cockerals are growing well and are very large. Besides Spike I have 3 others almost his size. I do have a few that will go to either new homes for mixed flocks or become food for dog.
Since I am now on a new computer I have to reload my chicken software. Glad I bought the disk. It is Zooeasy program and can be found on the net. Luckily we were able to save data from it so I can just switch it over. I will be banding the chickens soon as some are indeed large enough for adult bands. This comming year I will be keeping more records than before. I have seen an improment in size as well as shape in the offspring.
The nice thing is with more roos the chickens are forgaing farther. A couple have there own ladies following already. But most are just too young yet. The older hens have been rough on the new cockerals. Most have no tail feathers since they keep getting pulled out. I am sure that will change soon as Spike start to come into his own. With Beta gone now, Spike is top cockeral and he grew up in big coop. All the others are in small coop.
Out of those in the small coop I have been looking them over real good. Since I feed only in the morning that is my time to sit and watch. It works well in being able to see faults or things I want to correct. Right now with weather the way it is sitting for an hour or 2 is fun. One thing I have notice strongly in the cockerals is Alpha passed on his comb to many. But on the good he also passed on his size. Spike has his comb and is almost his sire double in looks. Now if I can see if one of the others that look like him but gets the correct comb I will be happy. I have 2, I am watching as their combs are not curved up front but straight all the way back as a single comb should look. I am not worrying about how many points right now just getting that thumb print curve gone.
In color everyone is good. I do have a couple to watch but they are the hens and it is a lighter neck thing. I have one cockeral that has a weird wing feather thing going on. Last outside feather comes to a long point. Might be fun to see if that moults out but I have him listed for culling. Pullets that I sold, the last bunch were all sold with longer tails than I wanted. All those I kept were much better in that area. I have a few pullets from my first hatching that are just looking great in body. Much better than moms and larger too. It will be interesting to see what they lay in egg size next year. My hens now only lay between lrg and xlrg. I am hoping the breeding them up back to standard of perfection size they will increase egg size. I kept and hatched only my largest and most uniform eggs. It looks too have worked well. Time will tell. At this time I am still waiting on the first to start laying. Should be I hope next month.
Spike and chick pictures August 17, 2011
Posted by Tamara in Uncategorized.Tags: chicks, hatched chicks. heritage chickens, partridge rocks
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Well, here are some more pictures. 2 are of Spike byhimself. 1 is the new mom with chicks eating a cantalope half. The one on the steps is another cockeral with pullets.
spike
The end of Summer August 16, 2011
Posted by Tamara in Uncategorized.Tags: chickens, cockeral, plythmouth rock, pullets
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Well, it has been awhile since I have posted. Not much going on but chicks growing. I have some new pics of the babies. We do have one new mom she hatched out 3. Our local fox showed again and is gone again. Lost a few to it but not many. At this time we will be tranfering chicks to big coop they are still in small coop.
Beta is still with us. He has been better since we both put him in his place. Unfortunatly the girls just do not like him at all. We have more unfertile eggs than fertile. Ofcourse with the heat we are not getting many eggs but those we are can not be hatched. So when we transfer the babies to big coop he will go for good.
The oldest cockeral is in the big coop with him and is crowing and trying to mate the pullets. You can see Alpha was his daddy. I have named him Spike. Besides him we have 6 other cockerals and some of those I know are from beta. Do not know if last 3 hatched have any cockerals since they are too young yet.
Now that temps have broken and dropped we should be seeing more eggs again. Right now everyone is eating what they can catch or pick plus chick grower and black sunflower seed. We are getting rain again and bugs seem to be under control thanks to the chickens. They do such a good job of bug control.
The young ones are starting to range further away and up by the house now. Beta still chases them as well as the hens but that should stop soon. They pullets are half the size of the hens and Spike is a little more than that against Beta. I did not get a pick of Spike today but will tomorrow. The picks are of moring under popular trees on southwest part behind house. About 300 feet from where I am at. The weeds is where they spend most of there time since it is in the shade most of the day. I shall have closer ones tomorrow.
summer time July 17, 2011
Posted by Tamara in Uncategorized.Tags: chickens, heritage chickens, summer, weight
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Well, it has been a bit since last post. I have hatched out another set of eggs. This time from Beta. I have one last one I will do from him as I am not impressed at all with how he is producing. I had to put down 3 chicks with problems. Non of Alphas did I have to do that too. He also produces way to many males unlike Alpha which I got tons of gals from.
Speaking of those chicks here are pictures of mom with them eating off back of house.
hatched chicks pictures June 5, 2011
Posted by Tamara in Uncategorized.Tags: chicks, hatched chicks. heritage chickens, partridge rocks
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Well, as promised here are some picuters of the chicks I hatched. We had 10 of 12 then 3 0f 3 then 3 of 6 hatched total. Plus broody hatched 3 of her 6 as of now. Only the last 3 turned out to have the chipmunk pattern all other are more solid brown in color.
chipmink
pullet
same pullet
all of them
