Reviews by talkinboutchickens

2 broody mamas hatched 10 chicks last year, but I could never handle them because they would zoom away. They are very skittish, but that's because I never handled them. If you hatch some out, there is definitely going to be more roosters than if you got them in a pullet bin at a feed store (you will still get some but not as many.) I got 5-6 roos which I gave away and 4-5 hens. One that we gave away we weren't quite set on the idea that it was a roo, so that's why I say 5-6. I like sticking to the breeds at hatcheries and not the mixes. Why? Well
1. With pure breeds you know for sure how many eggs they are going to be laying, for instance around 250.
2. And you have a better chance of getting a nice chicken when getting a breed from a hatchery because that breed might be known for being calm and docile, whereas barnyard mixes you will never know how the personality might be.

Here are my mixes (they are much older now). #1 is an easter egger x sapphire gem. She always gives me the evil eye

#2 is a sapphire gem x olive egger.


I have a few mixes that I ended up giving away, here are some pics of them as a few weeks old.

this one is a light brahma x olive egger


this one is another brahma mix, he is a brahma x sapphire gem or olive egger

My chickens love this. Yes, don't overfeed. It is meant as a daily snack, will probably make your chickens fat if you feed this to them too often.

I used this when I first got chickens. It worked great...... Until one of my chick's heads grew too fat for the feeder, then we had to figure out a different way to feed them where he wouldn't get his head stuck

When my rooster got frostbite really bad where his wattles swelled up like balloons, I used this stuff and sprayed it on every day. When there was puss and blood oozing out of the infected part I sprayed it with my vetericyn. It probably saved his life because the infection could have gotten worse. They don't like being sprayed, but a trick I learned was to distract them with a yummy treat and then spray them. Remember to cover their eyes when spraying!

I love using puppy pads to line the bottom of a crate when a chicken needs to come inside for whatever reason. It's really easy cleanup, no poop gets on the bottom of the cage and and water spillage doesn't leak out either.
I don't use this exact brand, I get mine at Dollar Tree which work awesome for chickens.

Make sure you have this in your poultry first aid kit!
I use it for my rooster's wounds when another roo attacked him. He had a big chunk taken out of his comb, so we applied this stuff wherever it was needed. It seemed like it worked great. The only down side is that it is very thick and gooey and sometimes hard to apply.

I use this product for any illness that pops up among my chickens. You can put it in water or on a piece of fruit or veggie or any treat really. You can only give it to your chickens for every day for a week or 2. I will try using it for molting this year. My 4 yr old australorp went through an awful molt last year.

Last year in 2023 I found a baby mallard, all alone in a Kroger parking lot, surrounded by cars and no mom or nest, let alone a pond or water source to be found. Brought her home and named her Daisy. Had 2 broody hens with 10 chicks at the time, tried to put Daisy with them, but broody hens rejected her. Daisy imprinted on me very fast, following me all around. She tended to chase the chickens around. I felt bad because whenever we went inside she would wait at the door, waiting for sometimes a few hours until we could come outside. She was very friendly and cute and loved to cuddle as a baby. Went missing several times, and she eventually turned up every time except that last time. One night I went in my house to have dinner, came back 15 minutes later, and she was gone. Nowhere to be found, I looked everywhere. I didn't hear any squacking, quaking, and didn't find any feathers or blood anywhere. It still remains a mystery..... Otherwise, I would recommend taking a mallard in if you find a missing duckling, because usually in the Spring time rehab centers are overrun with animals and can't take any more in. I would call just in case, though.

I use this every time I have chicks. The design makes it easy to put rocks in it so that the chicks don't drown. It's better than using a dish-like design because there is less room for the chicks to fall in and/or drown. Chicks will poop in it, that will probably happen with all waterers and feeders, kinda inevitable.

This is a perfect feeder is you you have around 10 chicks. I use this every time I get chicks.
True, chicks will poop in it but you can easily dump out the top layer of feed with the poop. They like roosting on top of it.

I can't stress enough for you to get this breed!
They are literally the most sweetest breed ever. My hen Gert is a very big chicken, has stocky legs and feet, and lays huge eggs. My rooster Ledo.....The most cuddly rooster in town. He loved to cuddle as a baby, and still to this day he will jump up on my back. He is so darn heavy, you could probably use these as a dual purpose breed if you had to, looks like they got a bunch of meat on them (although I would never use my chickens for meat.) Great beginner breed. 10/10 recommend. Just before you get them keep in mind that females are dark gray and males are light gray with a white spot on their head. Tractor Supply sorted them wrong when I got my two. Light colored roos were in with females.

I only have one olive egger, his name is Benny and I got him from a local breeder. Let me just say- the SWEETEST boy to his hens. He will literally make nests for them, cuddles with them, and he even stuffs his face in their backs when they are cuddling
Whenever anyone comes to my house they always comment on how beautiful he is.

I can't say that they are all nice though.....
I once had a really mean olive egger named Dumpling, he would attack me all the time and chase me around the yard. I have tried 2 times to get an olive egger hen and have not got one yet Only have got roos.
I just really want those olive eggs.

Benny

I once had an Amberlink, I have no clue if it's the same as an Amber Star hybrid, but anyway, she was the sweetest girl ever, hopped up on my chair outside for treats. Very very smart, let me just say, however if I can recall she could be kinda sassy to the other chickens. Not really mean exactly, just not the nicest. Her name was Lucille. Lucille laid very pretty medium brown eggs if I can recall. I think she died of congestive heart failure.

I've only had one maran, she was a mystic maran. She was very sweet, laid huge dark brown eggs, had a big build, although not overweight. I don't remember her much because she died a long time ago. I think she probably died because she got egg bound.

my black sexlink is very food obsessed, she loves her crumble. She has a few BFFs in the flock, Vicky, who passed away, Flo, and Phyllis. She likes humans, but is more a chicken "person". She likes the older chickens more than the annoying young ones. She is not that picky about what she eats, which is good. She is not vocal at all.

My little hen Vicky was so sweet, she had a special bond with my black sexlink Winnie. They did everything together. Vicky had a lot of personality. She was kinda overweight either that or her legs were just far apart at birth.

I'm not really sure how many eggs she laid because the color of her eggs were the same color as all the rest of the eggs.

my welsummer that passed away was a very nice bird, she wasn't skittish or flighty, but she was more shy and kept to herself. very nice to other chickens. she was very big, had stocky legs and a big build in general.
R.I.P. Puddles.

On all websites I've visited says that easter eggers are one of the sweetest chicken breeds you can get. Yes, that can be true....But all chicken's personalities vary! I can barely get close to my easter egger, she startles when I make the slightest movement. She is not afraid to stand up for herself. She will fight. She fights with a hen that is twice the size as her. On the other hand, she lays pretty eggs and her face is cute. She only has 2 friends in my entire flock, they were in the same batch. She only really hangs out with the chickens her age. She has a very weird laying time, will lay all throughout summer, and after Winter she starts back up again very early, about February.

This is my light brahma, Dottie. Very sweet hen, kinda shy, but not skittish.

I have one black australorp named Phyllis, went broody in the summer of 2023, was a great mom. Gets along great with other chickens, rooster loves her.