Quail_Antwerp: Words from the Barnyard...

[Quail_Antwerp]

I got my Welsummers today!! A big gorgeous trio, 9 months old! One hen is already laying, the other one is not. The roo is big and gorgeous! He was already trying to get friendly with his "girls" when I put them in their small quarantine pen.

It was kind of late after I got them settled and finished up the other chores and dinner, so no pics yet today. I'll try to get some tomorrow.

I'm just so excited to finally have some Welsummers!!

 

[PamsPride]

 

[Beekissed]

I think they are some of the prettiest of the breeds! So...how many different breeds do you have now, Aly?

 

[Quail_Antwerp]

I think they are some of the prettiest of the breeds! So...how many different breeds do you have now, Aly?

Um.....

At least 13. Only the Welsummers are separated right now. And we are only going to add I think 2 or 3 more coops so I will rotate out which breeds I have separated instead of having a different coop per breed. I think that will be easier on our pocket and on work, since we build it all ourselves.

Course, if I had a big old pole barn that was about 70 feet long....lol then I'd just have it divided off into sections for each breed.

Today I have to get pics of Louisa, Quincy, and Monroe for my website and of the Welsummers, who are yet unnamed.

Oh and I am sure by the end of this year, I'll have close to 20 different breeds....um well more like close to the end of this month....

but I'm cutting myself off! NO more ordering chicks after my chicks arrive the end of this month! NO NO NO I have got to STOP buying chickens. I am putting my foot down, and I told DH to make me stick to it (and I told my friend who picked up the Welsummers) that I am at my limit, I have plenty of different breeds to work with, and NO MORE chicks after this spring!!

I am allowing myself to place a turkey and guinea order in May, and we are going to try to get 3-4 more duck hens, but nothing else!! NO NO NO

 

[Farmfresh]

Quail - You sound SO much like me when I was younger!

I had quite a collection of breeds back then. Primarily bantams. I just was a chicken junkie! There are so many unique and beautiful breeds - I just wanted a show quality trio of each!

I finally mellowed with age - down to the point of only 4 VERY useful hens - but I am still an admirer. My sissy found me a beautiful wall calendar "The Fairest of Fowl" by Avalanche Publishing ( www.avalanchepub.com ) this year. It is full of portraits of chickens. Beautiful artful show birds - NOT your normal chicken calendar. It helps keep me at bird buying bay.

 

[Quail_Antwerp]

Yea, I'm pretty chicken crazy, I guess

The goal started out to have several chickens for just brown egg layers, but a roo or two with them so that I would have chickens that would propagate my flock without my having to buy more for eating eggs.

Then I wanted several of the fancy breeds to have for breeding purposes so I could meet the local 4-H needs. With the exception of the cornish x's. It's just expanded from there. Originally I had no interest in Cuckoo Marans, but then Keljonma offered me Monroe and Elizabeth, and I just fell in love! I am getting a day old pullet this month so that I'll have a trio of Marans.

Then keljonma added Quincy, Polk, and Louisa to the mix, and I was just thrilled! Cochins were one chicken that I again had no interest in getting, until I had seen my mom's! Then I just had to have them. Thanks to keljonma, I do!

Really I had no interest in Welsummers, until I saw them on the cover of Meyers catalog this year. I've been obsessesed with them, and now I have 3!! (ahem not counting the 3 day olds on order, lol, and the Wellie eggs going in the 'bator...)

We are adding NHR's this year because my daughter has asked to have them for her small flock. She had 5 Buff Brahma Bantams, but 4 of those were roos, so I let her keep the 2 best roos and 1 hen, and we sold the rest. She also has 1 Sizzle that is her pet, named Chirpy. She wants to have some standards of her own, and she chose the NHR, but I decided to get a few extra hens to put with my brown egg layers.

The Quail Antwerps, which I've just gone gaga over actually belong to my DS1. They are his, and he is hoping to hatch some chicks from them to increase his pair to a small flock of 5 or 6.

We are also adding RIR's this year because DH wants them. He also wanted the Silver Duckwing Bantams, so we have those, too.

The other breeds I am adding this year are Salmon Faverolles and Porcelain d'Uccles. Then I am done. I hope.

OK so I am not the only one contributing to the chicken addiction. I live with a huge enabler! How in the world am I to stop?!

In other excitment, I have my first broody!! Last fall I had borrowed my mother's broody, but this time, it's my own hen!! My little blue silkie hen Emmy, has gone broody, and this morning I discovered her a settin' on one lonely little egg! So I shoved 3 Porcelain d'Uccles under her and 2 Dutch bantam eggs (ooops that's another breed!) under her! I took her egg, but I think I'm going to give it back, so she'll have 6 little eggs under her, and I hope they hatch!!

So project for today will be working on broody pen and hopefully raised bed for my carrots!

I did snag some pics of the chickerdoodles. Here's the Welsummers:

I was thinking of naming my Welsummer roo Kellogg, but it's not that original, but the way he was crowing this morning, and his comb and wattles really made me think of the Kellogg Roo...so I dunno...I'm still thinking on it. No idea on his two ladies yet.

Here's Louisa strolling around the yard.

Quincy, who wasn't so sure he wanted his picture taken LOL

And Monroe, who's comb looks much better, but still a little pale after his bout of frost bite. I so hope he gets that bright red back soon!

 

[Farmfresh]

Ha ha!

I add to my addiction - just on a way smaller scale. My hennies for this round in the City Biddy coop are 1 Red Star which I chose for their awesome laying ability, 1 Ameraucana which is probably my favorite all round breed, 1 Salmon Faverolle chosen for pure interest and beauty, and and 1 Cuckoo Maran chosen for all of the obvious reasons.

Last batch of hennies I had a Welsummer, an Ameraucana, a Spangled Hamburg and an Cornish Cross slow grow variety hen that the Spangled Hamburg was given when broody and that I ended up keeping long after her surrogate mother because she was an awesome layer.

Each time I replace my backyard hennies I try to find the prettiest and best layers I can find. As a further challenge I further try to have each hen in the current "collection" lay a different color of egg. That way I can tell what hen is laying which egg. It is just more fun for me that way. The current City Biddy hens lay 1 chocolate egg, 1 brown egg, 1 blue and 1 tinted.

I buy sexed pullets of the varieties that I choose for each batch. I keep them for a little while and take the "pick of the litter" to keep for my hennies. I then advertise and sell the extras as started pullets. Works great for me!

 

[keljonma]

DH and I really liked the Meyer's catalogue cover also. Your Welsummers are just beautiful, QA!

Everyone is looking good and healthy! I bet everyone is enjoying the great weather, too.

I love the shot of Louisa floating across the farmyard and Quincy's "bad hair".. Maybe that's why that boy never liked getting his picture taken!

Monroe is looking fine also. I can't see any real damage to his comb.

 

[Beekissed]

Your Wellie roo looks like my Partridge Rock roo, Aly! Pretty boys, aren't they?

 

[Patch of Heaven Farm]

Congrats on your Welsummers!! They are beautiful!! I can't wait to get my eggs in a cpl weeks!! I just hope I can get at least a trio to hatch out!