Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Failure To Launch
Once again the eggs have failed to hatch. Could it be inconsistent temps, or maybe the rooster just lost his juice? Who knows! It's okay, it's all good. My uncle tried and would probably keep on trying but I think I'm just going to order me some chicks. So, now I'm trying to decide how many and what kind. Any thoughts?
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7 comments:
The best catalog out there is Murray McMurray. Get that catalog and start looking at pics and the descriptions and go from there. It really depends on what you're looking for.
farm mom: I want something hardy, difficult to kill, friendly, not flighty. I was originally going with the Barred Rocks, but since I get to choose now I'm thinking Buff Orpington, but I also like the Laced Wing Wyandotte.
I'm sorry about your chicks. As you know, I will soon be the grandmother of two Rhode Island Reds! OYE!!! We had Buff Orpingtons, Guineas, and others to name a few! I agree that MM is an excellent choice, it worked for Grandad for YEARS!
Miss: I checked MM and right now they are very limited on what they have. Or at least on the ones I'm interested in.
I wasn't necessarily recommending you buy from MM, just saying they've got a great catalog and really good descriptions of each breed. You can make your choices using the catalog and order wherever you like! ;) Well, I have to admit, I'm biased toward the Buff Orpingtons! So sweet, so gentle, good layers and winter hardy. Barred rocks and Black Australorps are good choices too. I had wyandotes as well, and while they weren't all that friendly, they weren't flighty or scaredy-chicks either. Good layers, too. Good Luck in finding the right chicks for you! :)
Good luck on choosing your chicks. It's so fun!
Our pullets are about 31 weeks old now. A friend and I went in together to split the order and save on shipping and service charges as most hatheries charge more if you don't order the minimum. So we each got 13 chickens.
I chose Barred Rock (good all around chickens, can't go wrong), Rhode Island Red (another good choice), Silver Laced Wyandottes (look beautiful, but not very friendly), Speckled Sussex (my favorite! They are as friendly as a puppy and sweet as can be. They also lay well, but can go broody, like one of mine is right now! hehe), Brown Leghorn (my least favorite chicken. lays boring white eggs, is hyper and flighty and not friendly), and Ameracaunas (love those green and blue and pink eggs, and the cheek muffs. I have a photo of one of ours on my blog front page. They are so pretty and quite friendly, too).
We recently picked up some Polish and Silky chicks from a friend. We saw the Polish that Critter Farm and Sugar Creek Farm had and just fell in love with their quirkiness and had to have some just for fun!
And the Silkies we chose to show at the fairs and as future broody hens.
Good luck with your coop building, too. I could tell you some stories that sounds similar to yours. hehe
It's all a journey, isnt it?
Enjoy the ride!
farm mom: I will probably have to order from a hatchery. My local farm store won't let me buy less than 25. I'm not sure if I can buy them sorted or if I have to buy them straight run. I really don't want that many to start out.
twinville: I was going with Barred Rocks originally, that's what my uncle could get to incubate. The Laced Wyandottes are beautiful, but I want birds that are friendly so they are out. I'm leaning towards the Buff Orpington's right now. Friendly, good egg layers, good winter birds, pretty gold color. I think they might be the best for starting out. Then maybe next year trying out some different ones, but, Sshhh, don't tell my husband. LOL
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