I think he is a cutie... lol He's a cuckoo Silkie rooster!

So.. I took in a couple roos the other day. A black Silkie and a cuckoo Silkie. The cuckoo Silkie looks so different, though. He is supposed to be pure Silkie, I guess..

The lady I got them from is a breeder of Silkie & Welsummers. She didn't need these two anymore, because she isn't breeding the cuckoo color anymore, and the black roo has a slightly crooked beak.

The above photo was taken on the way home, while stopping for gas. He's a fairly friendly roo. The black one seems sweet too, except... While giving them a bath, he grabbed onto the Cuckoo's wattle, and would let go! =/

Yesterday was a busy day.. Cleaned 4 brooders (sigh).. Had to give the two new roosters a bath.. Give my goat a bath (not an easy task lol).. Give 2 dogs and 7 puppies a bath. After which time, it was time for me to take a bath...Was already soaked anyway! ha

Today, I have to worm the goat and try to get a lot done..And I woke up tired. Exhausted. Hate that. You know it's going to be a long say when you wake feeling that way. lol

Anyway.. The baby chicks are all doing well. I have chicks in 3 separate "brooders".. And a couple Mallard ducks in another.

The Tetra Tints and "mixed reds" (golden comets?) are in a cage in the house.. The original brooder has Amberlinks, a couple Leghorn pullets, 4 mystery chicks (lol) - they were in a bin at Tractor Supply marked "Comm. black pullets" , 3 Easter Eggers,3 barred rocks..

A brooder for the bantams - not sure what most of them are. I have 12, and out of those I know I have two Silkies. The other? Dunno. lol I have a couple production reds in with them for now, until they get a little bigger.

Then, I have the Mallards in their own little brooder. I think I got one male, one female. :) I tried the vent sexing method, and without a doubt, one is male. I'm 99% sure the other is female. lol

All are doing well, but have been a LOT of work to keep up, that many brooders, in an already crowded room. But, they are worth it.

The outside birds have been much easier to care for, obviously. lol

Outside, I have 4 month old Pekin ducks.. I bought them not too long ago from a guy in a nearby town. When we met up with him and tried to pet the ducks, I quickly realized they are not nearly as tame as I had expected/hoped. So, they will be some work.

Then, I have a white Silkie hen, a blue "splash" (?) Silkie roo, the two new roos,

an OEGB roo (he's not doing too great though).. Two White Rock hens, one "White Rock" with speckles.... lol Was told she was a White Rock hen, but if she is, she has to be mixed! lol She may be a Delaware or Sussex with faulty coloration, or a mix. She's the friendliest of the 3. :)

Back to the brooder situation... lol I'm moving the Tetra Tints and reds into a tall cage today, with more branches. I think the Ameracauna/Easter Eggers will be moving up, too. They are getting HUGE! They've outgrown the Amberlinks/Leghorns, all the same exact age!

Didn't think EE's were that much larger than Amberlinks, etc? Anyhow, they will probably move up into the big "brooder" cage today.It's actually a ferret cage. lol But it works! The bigger chicks love perching, roosting, flying.. lol

The last of the chicks I am planning to get this year will be here late April/early May.I have 5 Amberlinks & 5 black Australorps on order for the last week of April.. And 15 Buff Orpingtons on order for the first week of May. I only wanted 5-8 Buff Orps, but there was a 15 pullet minimum. =/

Sooooo tired. But, time to stop procrastinating. lol

Starting over with chickens..

Last year, I lost my flock. =( First, I took in some sick hens. It spread to some of the others. *sigh* Then, I made the mistake of trying to be good to a stray dog that came along. I kept him a while, until one day he got loose while I was gone and it was a massacre! :*( All of my chickens, and my duck.. Gone.

That dog is gone, and i'm starting over again.

So far, I have 3 White Rock hens, a cute little Mille Fleur Old English Game Bantum roo and a pair of Silkies - one white hen and a blue (splash?) rooster. The lady I bought the Silkies from said he is a splash, then she said he isn't a "true splash"....not sure what she meant? But, he's cute. lol Bad on the back for now from her other roosters.....lol....but cute!

In the brooder, I have 3 chicks from the "assorted red pullet" bin at Tractor Supply. I'm thinking they are Golden Comets. 3 "Ameracauna"/Easter Eggers....they were straight run...hoping they are all 3 girls!! ..Or at least 1-2! lol
4 Amberlinks.. Well, one may not be an Amberlink? She was in the Amberlink bin, but she has a light tan stripe down her back. So, we'll see! lol
2 White Leghorn pullets.. 3 Barred Rocks, straight run..
6 Tetra Tints.. A new "breed" that Mt. Healthy hatchery is getting in strictly for Tractor Supply this year.....and has VERY little information on!
They said they will be white birds, 5 pounds, similar to a White Leghorn.. Some may have darker markings on them. They will be heavy producers of a light creamy colored egg. That's all they know! No photos are available of a full grown Tetra Tint.
It seems like everyone has been asking about them on backyardchickens.com and noone has a photo of a full grown Tetra Tint! Soooo.. I will be sure to keep everyone who comes across here with photos of my Tetra Tints as they grow up! :)
Oh, and I have four little mystery chicks from a bin marked "Commercial black pullets".
Again, noone seems quite sure WHAT these birds are! lol
Some people thought they may be black sexlinks..
But, I contacted the hatchery, and they said "these birds are in no way sexlinks"..
"They will be a lot like an Australorp"!
The first one I got of this type is not getting a lot of bronze coloring on her wings and tail!
Her legs are dark and the bottoms of her feet are pretty yellow.
The others I just picked up from the bin.. One looks just like her when I got her (almost, except she has a beige chin...this one doesn't, I don't think) and two itty bitty almost solid black chicks. They "fur" is very velvety textures, and they has white wing tips and yellow undersides.

Can't wait to see what the little black mystery chicks AND the Tetra Tints turn out to look like!! :)

...and... I have 5 more Amberlinks (love, love, LOOOVE Amberlinks! lol) and 5 Australorps on order, they will be here toward the end of April!!

Now.. The ONE breed I am currently looking for is the Orpington. I'd love to find a Buff Orp hen or chick or two! Doesn't have to be buff in color, but preferred. :)

I will post photos here sometime soon!

Henny or Benny, continued! lol More pics..

My last post was about "Henny", and whether or not Henny is a hen/pullet or a cockerel/little rooster. I've had some people say she(?) looks like a female, and quite a few others say male.

She/he has acted a bit like a male, but then she was raised with SpunkyRooster, my young White Leghorn cockerel. So, maybe that why? Or, maybe she is a "he"? lol I mean, don't get me wrong, Henny will still be my baby, one of my favorites of the flock, either way! lol I'm just really curious!! lol

Also.. Trying to figure out her/his breed, or mix of breeds?

More photos:

Henny, or "Benny"? lol

Henny, Henny, Henny.....

Are you a "Henny", or are you a "Benny"? lol

So, this is "Henny". Or, is it "Benny"?

In any case, this is my chicken. lol

I love her....err, him...err,

whatever he/she may be, regardless! lol

But, I am curious. Is it a he or a she?

Henny on the right, and her "brother" Spunky Rooster on the left.

I've had them since they were a couple days old.

Not sure of Henny's breed..

Spunky has turned out to be a pretty little Leghorn roo!

I always had a feeling he/she was a "she",

thus the totally unimaginative name, "Henny". lol
She does act a little like a roo at times.

But still, I kinda feel she is a female.

A pullet.

She and Spunky were born in late March/1st of April.

(RIP little fawn in the background)
She looks like a pullet/hen to me, in this one!

But so many people i've talked to say cockerel/roo!

Please comment, and tell me what you think!
Is my Henny *really* a Benny? lol

"Big Boy" is a "Red Cap" Rooster!

Yay, so I finally know what his breed is......thanks to the wonderful people on the Backyard Chickens boards!!! =) (http://www.backyardchickens.com/ AMAZING website, love the message boards!)

(*Edit: Ok, so maybe he is a "Redcap" roo? lol Some others on the site have spoken up, and said they don't think he is a Redcap, but some sort of strange cross breed? Very possible! lol Anyone reading this have any idea? Please leave a comment!)

Out of the chickens I was given a while back, two were roosters. I assumed they were some sort of cross breeds.....which would be fine...but I was surprised when I posted their photos on the breed/gender identification board! The younger of the two (about a year, I was told) is a Golden Laced Wyandotte, apparently. And the bigger one, i've named "Big Boy" lol, is a "Red Cap" roo!

I'd never heard of the Red Cap breed, I guess they are somewhat rare, apparently?

Pics...

I was told this roo is a "Golden Laced Wyandotte"?

Can't help but think he looks mixed..

He's a little more "tame" than Big Boy! lol

None of these chickens were tame, but i'm working on it!

This is "Big Boy"... Apparently, a "Red Cap" roo!

Big Boy is one BIG boy! lol

His "Red Cap" comb.. So strange looking! lol

He's far from tame, but i'm working on it.

He's beginning to trust me a little more each day, and vice versa. lol

The very little i've been able to find to read about the breed,

says the breed is very shy by nature.

So, he may never be the loving roo my little Spunky is. lol

That's alright though. =)