I haven't yet. I am waiting on the weather to warm up some more. As to breed, I think I'll just get one of the "specials". I really don't want to keep more than just a handful of layers, and since I am alone, I don't need to many in the freezer.

Freezer? Couldn't do it!

Gotta do it! The specials are usually cockrel heavy in the order. I don't need 18 roosters fighting all the time, and I don't need the neighbor complaining about the noise. (He complains about my renter's dog barking at him as it is.)

mokevinb,
I totally understand.
Sounds as though you don't need any more problems...
Don't you just *love* neighbors?!

Yes, I too just ordered chicks (from McMurray), and we seem to have some similar tastes in chickens, including the avoiding the freezer part.

1 barred rock
1 partridge rock
2 Dominiques
1 buff orpington
2 speckled Sussex
1 araucana

I'm also planning on ducks and geese this year, but am having difficulty finding exactly what I want: 6 white runners and 2 pilgrims, all female.

I've been researching all this obsessively, reading far too many books on the subject, and spending way too much time on the Internet. (No offense....) We'll see how the theory compares to the reality soon!

My wife and I played hooky from work yesterday and went out for sushi. She put on that "I'm going to try very hard to be supportive now" eyes-glazed-over look and said, "So, honey, tell me what kind of chickens you're getting."

She did a great job of not yawning, and I appreciated it very much, even though I know in reality that she could give a flying @!!*& about what kind of chickens I'm getting.

Thank you for really caring, though. I care about yours too. :)

What are you using for a brooder? I'm using large feeding trough I found at the dump.

--Jonathan

We just got our first chicks at the feed store where I work. These are the first chicks from Ideal and 100 came in with only two dead and one died an hour later. The rest are healthy and peeping.

I just placed an order from McMurray. My goal was to establish a laying flock with emphasis on egg color and a couple handsome roos.

6 Ameraucanas straight run
6 Cuckoo Marans straight run
6 Silver Laced Wyandottes straight run
2 Barred Rock hens
2 Dominiques hens
2 Golden Laced Wyandottes hens
1 Single Comb Brown Leghorn

+1 Free rare chick

My fingers are crossed for a majority of hens on the straight run chicks, I ordered anticipating a 50/50 mix, we'll see. Extra roos will be sold, given away, or eaten.

I finally decided on a flock to be ordered next spring...it's been a long time waiting but I can finally see the end in sight with our move in the next few months. I too wanted colorful eggs and after talking to my MIL, have learned that she sells her eggs and has too many customers to supply them with what all they want. So I decided to go a little bigger than my original plan:
Delaware- 4
Speckled Sussex- 2
Buff Orpington- 4
Black Australorp- 2
Cuckoo Maran- 4
Araucanas- 6
Production Black-4
Production Red-2
Golden Laced Wyandotte-2

I almost doubled what I had previously intended and also wanted a diverse flock. I'm getting pullets and intend on ordering from Ideal as they allow you to order Araucanas as pullets and not straight runs like at McMurray. After much thought, I am also going with 25 or so of the Cornish Rocks for meat birds and may end up getting them yet this summer since hopefully they will be butchered before cold weather. I was freaked out after reading the posts about all the problems they could have but my MIL will help me with them and she relates that she has never had a problem with them. They will have a big area to move around and I thought perhaps it would be a decent introduction to poultry before getting my laying flock in the spring. This is my plan, anyway ;) Lori

Yeah, good neighbors are great, until they start complaining.

We used to get white rocks and barred rocks. Mom's folks used to get Buff Orpingtons, and my dad's, Leghorns.

The brown eggs seem to sell quicker at farmer's markets, but just about any "farm eggs" sell quicker if you are either using organic certified feed or free ranging your hens.

Jonathan,

Sorry to hear that your wife is not as excited as you are about the new chicks. :(

I have a feeling that all that will change when the new chicks arrive! :)

http://www.the-coop.org/cgi-bin/UBB/ultimatebb.cgi

http://forums.farm-garden.com/

SW Virginia,

Oh, she's excited about the chicks. She just doesn't obsess about varieties like I do.

--Jonathan

I just got my babies yesterday at two different feed stores.
7 aracaunas
5 rhode island reds
5 buff orp
2 white leghorns
5 golden sexlinks
They are so cute of course(-: I love watching them grow up into beautiful hens(-:

cindee11461,

Oh, you're so lucky...I'm still waiting...

It sounds as though you have an interesting combination of chicks.

Wishing you the best of luck with them...Enjoy! :)

Jonathan - Fantastic find - cannot imagine the luck and timing of that find, be sure to take care with the bottom of the trough. I understand there is something called splaying that can occur with chicks and there footing from slippery surfaces. I am sure you are aware of that though!

I am incubating 12 of our own Marans/Welsummer crosses (dark layers) and a couple mutt chickens from our favorite mix breed hen.

We also ordered some silkie eggs, all do Mon. and Thursday of next week.

I have a pair of Pilgrims on order to be picked up at the farm in mid April.

And we have 4 silkie chicks 1.5 months old we got 2 weeks ago.

Zootjs, you are not alone in your breed obsession :) your wife was so good to pretend to care, my husband wouldn't dream of opening that door as he knows I'd just never shut up lol! I guess that's how I feel when he talks about cars.

Moretogrow, that sounds like a wonderful combo for color! that is my passion :)
{{gwi:37205}}

-Sheila

Hi every one. never joined one of these before, but this sounded like the place to talk about my chickens.
my husband brought home 10 dominiques peeps on wednesday from the feed store. they are doing great. we also have:
black austrolorps
standard game
standard milifluer
standard cochins
and assorted other standards.
we also have bantys:
old english game in several colors
cochin in several colors
silkies in several colors
black tailed white japaneese
quail antwerp belgain bearded d'anvers
we also have 2 kinds of ducks, 2 tom tuekeys, 3 guinis, 1 dog, 4 cats and a pregnant goat.
my incubator is full of eggs and I look foward to every little peep that hatches.

Hi Roxann,

Actually, I picked it up at the dump a couple years ago, knowing that some day, I'd use it for something but not knowing what.

Here's a photo of my setup. Missing are the backup lamp and a cover that keeps the heat (and possibly chicks) in. Note the hand-turned perch, which will likely not get used but you never know. The feeder is way too big for my eight chicks, so I'll block off about half of it.

{{gwi:37206}}

--Jonathan

Hi Sullicorbit,

Would you mind sharing your pilgrim source? I'm going to be getting two of those this year too, though I'm undecided about where.

--Jonathan

P.S. What a beautiful photograph of your eggs!

Hi Jonathan,
here's the link to my source. Have you ever had geese before? I am trying to learn all I can.

-Sheila

Here is a link that might be useful: Pilgrim source

Thanks Sheila,

These will also be my first geese. I've been reading too, and they seem lovely.

--Jonathan

--Jonathan

That looks so warm & cozy...lucky chicks! ;)

Jonathan - I used the water trough for my chicks also. All came out well, good luck.

Enjoy the peeps.

Roxann

I ordered my chicks back in the first week of February. Ordered from McMurray...20 Americauna hens, 3 Americauna Roos, a Black Cochin Roo and a Partridge Cochin Roo. The Cochins were ordered strictly as pets. There was one extra chick in the box. 10 chicks arrived dead in the box and one died the next day. Our weather had been very mild, but McMurrays said their weather was bad when the chicks shipped out. However, they attributed the loss to "rough handling" by the postal service. I was credited for the dead birds. The chicks were raised in a big round livestock tank in my heatd garage until age 5 weeks, when they were turned out to the hen house. They had a heat lamp until age 7 weeks, then they no longer required one due to mild weather. They were first turned out into the chicken coop at 6 weeks. They could go back in under the light whenever they felt chilly. Talk about a bunch of happy birds! As it turns out, I have one Americauna Roo, 2 Black Cochin Roos, (the extra chick was a black cochin, as one of the dead chicks was (sadly) the patridge cochin) and the rest are Americauan hens. I also already had one Blue Cochin Bantam Roo left over from my previous flock, who is a very happy guy these days! I'm thinking I will start having a few eggs sometime in June...can't wait! I think next time I order I will try Ideal, although this was the only time I had bad luck with McMurrays.
~Jan~

I'm thinking of incubating my own maran crossed with splash cochin...I'm just scared of getting boys! at what age can you tell the sex??

They have arrived!

> http://jonathanfeist.com/Pages/PhotoPages/Photos2007/0407Photos.html

Congrats! :)