Officialish Chicken Photo Thread!

[Animallover707]

My RIR babies(approx 4 months), they don't look purebred to me... anyone else think they are mixed?

[Animallover707]

RIR parent stock tearing up my moms garden (shhhhh lol) If you look closely you can see where their wings got clipped to prevent them from flying over the fence into the neighbors yard because they shoot them. But then they told me I was being cruel for trimming their wings. Ugh lol.

[Lockwood]

Originally Posted by FlyGap    

Have any of you guys had Black Copper Marans? I've been thinking about getting some, found a great breeder and possibly ordering some hatching eggs...

Dreamcatcher don't you have some? Do they ever go broody?

So far they are at the top of my list...
Here is what I want:
Large
Hardy
Dark brown eggs, lol yeah marans would do it!
Average to above average production
Broody, very very broody!!

I don't really want Cochins or Alstrops. I need a tougher bird.
I've looked at BYC, and all over trying to figure out my next flock. Just can't make up my mind! ARG!!!
HELP!

I have BC Marans. The roo turned mean even thought they are supposed to be nice birds. They are not as hearty as the other birds and do stop laying completely in the winter, but the eggs they do lay are beautiful!
Keep in mind though, it gets much colder and winters stay pretty much cloudy and overcast here. I don't have lights or heat in the coop what-so-ever so they are at least heary enough to make it through our winters just fine.
Mine went broody and hatched turkey eggs last summer.
I also have Welsummers who lay dark eggs as well, but like the Marans they stop laying in winter. Not broody either.

For good broody birds, my Speckled Sussex have been the best! They will hatch anything! Close behind them are my Silver Laced Wyandottes.

Australorps are very tough and hearty birds like the Sussex and will lay all winter (so will White Plymouth Rocks)
I have three Aust. And my friend has 25. Last October her young 6 month old Aust. Pullet layed and hatched out 15 chicks! Terrific birds!

Originally Posted by Animallover707    

my RIR babies(approx 4 months), they don't look purebred to me... anyone else think they are mixed?

They could be mixed or sometimes purebreds (like Australorps) have some off colored feathers until they get through their first real molt.
Dunno. It does seem like they have a tad bit too much black. Maybe they are mixed with production reds or New Hampshire reds, who have dark feathers.

[Animallover707]

Ya im thinking the rooster is mixed, he is huge compsred to other RIR roosters iv seen. Will him being mixed make the babies not lay as good as their moms?

[Celeste]

I guess it depends on what they are mixed with. They may lay better.

[Animallover707]

Originally Posted by Celeste    

I guess it depends on what they are mixed with. They may lay better.

ya hopefully! I know I usually get 5-6 eggs a day from the moms, and there are 6 hens. Im getting less right now because its winter, but I got 6 yesterday

[FlyGap]

AL they look pb to me. I've got 19 RIR's and they look the same.
Mine have been laying all winter, slowed down when they molted, but are almost back up to full production now! My roos are enormous, 10+ lbs, hatchery stock.

Thank you Lockwood! Sooo many choices!! ARGGGHHHHH!!!!!
I'm not too keen on paying the higher prices for BC's, sooo Speckled Sussex or Australorps... Shopping!!! Need to get some eggs in the inc asap.

[Lockwood]

Originally Posted by FlyGap    

... Sooo many choices!! ARGGGHHHHH!!!!!
LOL...uh huh...
Enough to drive ya nuts yah?

I'm not too keen on paying the higher prices for BC's, sooo Speckled Sussex or Australorps... Shopping!!! Need to get some eggs in the inc asap.

If I had it to do over again I would not have paid the prices for the BC Marans, although I might have sourced some local Cuckoo Marans instead. While the eggs are indeed dark and beautiful, the shell chips worse than any other breed I have owned (about 20 different breeds now) and gosh darn it if shards doen't get in everything!
You have to crack them into a seperate bowl first and fish out the pieces because they are round eggs they just don't crack and split cleanly.
And... that means an extra dish to wash. For those of us without a real dishwasher and not enough time in a day, that's a big strike.
It is why I got rid of the roo and decided not to breed them.

Love my Speckled Sussex! Toughest birds I've had yet. I had one young pullet get bumble foot in both feet several years ago. She lost all her toes and gosh darn if she doesn't get around on her little stumps just fine. Perches, roosts and scratches just like a normal hen. SS eggs are a little smaller than the others, but they more than make up for it in pluck and broodiness.

[JeepnGirl]

Here are some of my birds.
These are real Araucanas. They do not have tails. And they should cheekie poufs like my hen here. While my rooster is missing his poufs... They are frustrating breed to breed to show standard. I only want them for blue eggs.




My peafowl:


My Muscovy drake, Jelly:


My black Marans hen, Beeper (it was pretty hot the day of that show..)


My younger copper blue Marans rooster:

[Almond Joy]

Love my chickens! I've had chickens for 4 years now, just lost our oldest, a 7 year old buff orpington named KFC XD

We still have 17 (We need to get it down to 12... they're kind of addicting!)

We have australorps, barred rocks, easter eggers, production birds, cochins, wyandottes, polish, leghorns, bantam plymouth rocks, old english bantams, bantam cochins, and my favorite, and my retired show bird from my 4H years, a little belgian bearded d'anver. I'll have to get some pictures for everyone!

Once we get the numbers down, I might be finally getting a rooster. I used to have one but my mom never liked him and she pretended to hear him crow one morning (She had always thought he was a hen before the night before when we told her) and said he needed to go.