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9:09 pm
October 7, 2008
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WV_Hills
Big Chicken
| | Calhoun County, WV | |
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| posts 53 |
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We have 28 hens, various ages and breeds. We also have 6 guinea hens. We have one hen, a 'Black Star' that lays large eggs, and occasionally a HUGE egg.
She's big, but not THAT big. Take a look at her egg.
http://suzannemcminn.com/blog/2008/09/10/
On September 10th and 11th Suzanne gave you a PhotoBlog picture of another of the Black Star's eggs. Yes, she can still walk after giving birth to an egg that large.
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10:24 pm
September 22, 2008
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Amanda
Big Chicken
| | Charleston, WV | |
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| posts 18 |
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beeyourself said:
Amanda - A pullet is a teen-aged chick…a young hen.
Thanks!
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9:53 pm
September 19, 2008
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Imogene Birdette
Banty
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Tresh in OK said:
Imogene! I have an Aunt Imogene!!!!! I LOVE THIS NAME….her sister, my grandmother, name is Margie…what a pair…Margie and Imogene
sorry, this has nothing to do with chickens..I just got excited when I saw your name. I have not heard it or seen in anywhere else! she spells it exactly the same as you. Her Maiden name is King.
Thanks, Tresh! Glad you like my name….my maiden name is Miller. Do you have chickens?
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4:27 pm
September 18, 2008
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beeyourself
Big Chicken
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Amanda - A pullet is a teen-aged chick…a young hen.
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3:14 pm
September 18, 2008
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Amanda
Big Chicken
| | Charleston, WV | |
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| posts 18 |
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Suzanne said:
Yours are a month ahead of mine so I don't know yet. Mine are three and a half months old now and I'm waiting eagerly for them to start laying! I hope some others will come along and tell us when theirs started laying! I'm impatient for my own fresh eggs, LOL.
My chicks are only 2 1/2 months old so I have a while to wait. One of my chicks is a hen 1 is a rooster and I'm not sure about the other one yet. I also have one RIR rooster my daughter got as an easter gift he is about 2 years old now. A hen heard his crow and showed up out of the blue, She laid some very nice eggs but she got tired of me finding them and hid them which is where the baby chicks came in. After the eggs hatched the hen took off and I haven't seen her since. I'm kind new to this and I have no idea what a pullet is????
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8:21 am
September 18, 2008
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Tresh in OK
Big Chicken
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Imogene! I have an Aunt Imogene!!!!! I LOVE THIS NAME….her sister, my grandmother, name is Margie…what a pair…Margie and Imogene
sorry, this has nothing to do with chickens..I just got excited when I saw your name. I have not heard it or seen in anywhere else! she spells it exactly the same as you. Her Maiden name is King.
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7:19 pm
September 17, 2008
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Imogene Birdette
Banty
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Merilyn said:
Merilyn said:
Does anyone know if you can post chickens or eggs and how are they handled. As I have seen many adds for poultry that has the price + postage & handling
Yes, you can safely order day-old chicks from several hatcheries. Murray McMurray is my favorite. I have ordered many chicks from them, and they come to my post-office where I go and pick them up the day after they are shipped. You usually have to order at least 25 chicks so they can keep warm enough. They arrive in good shape, and i never lose any!
Imogene
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10:10 pm
September 16, 2008
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Tresh in OK
Big Chicken
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Merilyn, are you sure they plan a posting you LIVE chickens or are they coming to you packed in dry ice? I would be a little freaked out if my mailman delivered me a box of chickens cackling and crowing!
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4:01 pm
September 16, 2008
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Imogene Birdette
Banty
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In my experience, not many chickens will lay at 41/2 months. I raised 30 chickens last summer of different breeds, and they were all about 6 months old before they started to lay, so I think you'll just have to be patient (or impatient!) for another month or so. Also, because the days were getting shorter, we put a light with a timer to come on at 3:00 in the morning and go off at 8:30 a.m.. because they need longer hours of light to lay their best through the dark winter months. But, maybe your hens will be the early birds!
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10:59 am
September 16, 2008
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Merilyn
Big Chicken
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Merilyn said:
Does anyone know if you can post chickens or eggs and how are they handled. As I have seen many adds for poultry that has the price + postage & handling
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8:59 am
September 16, 2008
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Gizmo
Big Chicken
| | Greenup, KY | |
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| posts 67 |
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I'm finally going to be getting more chickens. I sure missed having them around.
Anyway, I wanted to share the advice I was given before, and again….To get your hens to start (or restart) laying, give them a can of soft dog food (cheapest you can find).
Sounds strange, but I did it when we lived in WI to get the hens to start laying, and they never stopped. I'll do it again, when I bring the girls (and boy) home, and make sure I have their night light ready too.
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8:10 am
September 16, 2008
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Fowlvisions
Big Chicken
| | NE Florida | |
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| posts 21 |
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Most pullets start laying anywhere from 5 to 7 months. My RIR started laying at 6 months and my SLW started laying at 7 1/2 months. It is a wait and see game but the rewards are an awesome egg!
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8:55 pm
September 13, 2008
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WV_Hills
Big Chicken
| | Calhoun County, WV | |
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| posts 53 |
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One of our March Rhode Island Red hens just started laying. Small eggs, but one a day so far. We have 3 March pullets, 6 April, and 6 July, so when they all get started we will have a LOT of eggs. Mike just loves chickens…we bought a dedicated refrigerator (no freezer compartment) to handle the eggs and produce from the garden. It’s great to hold the veggies until I get a chance to can/freeze/dry them.
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8:27 pm
September 13, 2008
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Merilyn
Big Chicken
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Birdi said:
There is a lot of math here.. Suzanne is keeping us alert. Congrats on the eggs! I have 30 and mine took almost 6 months to begin laying. If you want any of them to hatch… you can also try a cochin. I have 3 little black cochin banties. They are excellent foster moms. They seem to set on any of them like its their mission in life. My chickens give me lots of farmgirl entertainment.
I luv my 8 hens and 1 randy rooster they give me so many funny moments in the day. I have this hen that chases my car when I go out and come home, she worse than dog and looks so funny running. They all have there own personalites don't they. I wish I had some bantams, I have heard they make great mums, I trying to incubat some eggs think it would be easier to buy some bantams
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11:33 am
August 31, 2008
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GeorgiaZ
Big Chicken
| | Rockdale, TX | |
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| posts 275 |
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I was in feeding my girls the other day. The girls are Australorp and Americanas and have been laying since May. Got only 1 rooster with the batch as babies and soon as he began the call, he went to live on a farm. So all I have are hens…so I THINK! I swear when I was in there feeding the other day, that one of the australorp was “humping” the americanas!!! What else could they possible have been doing??? Dancing??? Leap frog??? Pushing her out of a rut???
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7:37 am
August 31, 2008
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wkf
Big Chicken
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Linda, Congrats on your egg!!!! The RIR's lay really dark brown eggs. That should give you an idea who's it is. What will be interesting is you will eventuallly be able to figure out by the shade of the eggs who is who's ( or is it whom's). Yes more should start this week but it will be slow at first and little. I tried the golf ball and the fake eggs. Chickens are gonna lay where and when they want. My favorite thing is when one chicken is in another's favorite nest box. One will stand out side of the box and yell at the other one. Sounds like something is trying to eat them. That usually gets everybody else all riled up! Then everybody is raising cain. I love my Chickens! Who knew they had such personality.
I had one hen that would meet me at my car everyday, for me to scratch her back. I called her The Gimp. She had a bit of a bad leg after a run in with one of my horses. I'd sit on the steps and talk on the phone and she would sit beside me and “purr” . That is the only way I can describe it. Does anyone know what that sound is called? I miss My Gimp!
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12:01 am
August 31, 2008
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Linda in San Diego
Hatchling
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We broght the Delightful Dozen home in the middle of April,and we have an egg! I have to get some pictures! So exciting, I was not going to let myself expect anything until mid-September, but there it was, just laying on the ground in the run.
I am going to the feed store for layer pellets tomorrow. The whole flock and the dogs got some scrambled egg (not THE egg) as a treat this evening. The Delightful Dozen are 21 weeks old tomorrow - so I should be expecting more all week long!
We don't have golf balls, but we put whole walnuts and a tiny wiffle golf ball in the 3 nest boxes. Here's hoping.
BTW, my 3 RIR are the most mature so I think it is one of them that laid the FIRST EGG! I am so glad I was the first one to find it - if it had been yesterday, DH would have been the one. He can find some now too, but I got to be first!
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10:24 pm
August 29, 2008
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Heidi533
Big Chicken
| | Michigan | |
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| posts 57 |
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I have a flock of 30 chickens that are 13 weeks old. It's the first time I've ever had any kind of barnyard animal and I am so in love with them. I have 27 pullets and 3 roosters. They are all different breeds. Two of the roosters are bantams and they are starting to have crowing contests. But what I'm really looking forward to is my first fried egg sandwich made with a freshly laid egg.
Heidi
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10:09 pm
August 29, 2008
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Cranberry
Big Chicken
| | Boise, ID | |
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| posts 13 |
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Ok Living vicariously through all-ya'all, I had banty's and plain ol white chickens growing up but now live in subdivision. I will be an old lady one day - with chickens again! They are so much fun! Looking forward to reading more!
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6:53 pm
August 25, 2008
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Gail L.
Big Chicken
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We are up to 4 eggs a day now, and the eggs are getting bigger too. Now the other 4 hens just need
to produce their share!
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