Reviews by Apyl

I currently own 1 Blue Andalusian cockrel and 1 Splash Andalusian pullet. The Blue started out being very friendly and warmed up to us quickly. But as he grew ( now 10 weeks old) he became more distant and skitish. He's not one of the firsts to run to us anymore and does not like to be caught. Both the Blue and the Splash I feel prefers to be left to themselves. Our Splash has never really liked being social. This breed looks nice but I feel they are not a good breed if you want chickens to interact with you. I will not be keeping any chicks that result from any mating.

My Ancona is 7 weeks old. She is absolutly one of my favorites. Our Ancona is actually my 5yo sons chick, he originally chose the Barred Rock but it was no where near as social as the Ancona chick so now Speckles is my sons. She allows him to pick her up constantly. She doesnt run away and will just stand there for him. She is so friendly and makes the weirdest noise. She doesnt "chirp" like the other chicks, it more of a humming. Its hard to explain. Ancona's are deffinitly in my top breeds.

We have 1 Easter Egger and I would love to get some more. My daughter picked this breed when I placed my order with Meyer hatchery. From the very beginging Chilly ( the EE) wanted our attention. She was the first to grow feathers, the first to find the roost, the first to jump out of the brooder, and the first to want to be around us. Chilly has a great personality. She comes runing as soon as we walk out the door. She likes to perch on the back of my chair when we sit outside or sits in my lap. She lets the kids pick her up and looks proud as can be when she sits on someones shoulder. This is absolutly a wonderful breed. I can't wait to get eggs from her.

My white Cochin is now 7 weeks old. We originally named hi/her Mr. Marshmallow since I had ordered a male. But as he/she is growing we've noticed his/her comb is barely coming it. So we changed the name to just Marshmallow. So far he/she has been such a sweet chick. Very friendly and very laid back. When I crouch and put my hand out he/she will come up and let me pick him/her up. I have an order in for another White cochin male (as well as a few others) to be delivered come June and I can't wait. I love how fluffy he/she is. The only downfall is how dirty he/she gets.

We originally picked up a pair of Mallards for my daughter to use for 4-H. We got them from Tractor Supply during chick days. They are very loud as babies but as they grow they get quiter. Now the oldest pair is 5 weeks old and I rarely hear them quack. They get along great with our Pekin and chickens, and like to lay in the sun. My husband enjoyed watching my daughters pair so much he went out and picked up 5 more. His little flock is now almost 3 weeks old. They are just adorable. The follow the other ducks in a line and love love love the water. I personally prefer the larger breed ducks like the Pekin and Rouen but if you ask my daughter and husband they would have no other duck than the Mallard. They are not very social, so they are hard to catch, but that is to be expected from a duck with wild instincts.

We picked up our first 2 Pekins in March 2012 from Tractor Supply. Unfortunetly one didn't make but that is to be expected sometimes. Po our surviving Pekin is one of the coolest ducks I have had the pleasure of being around. She has always been a bit timid but if you have any kind of fruit she will be your best friend. She is the flocks guard duck also, she has this super loud "Quack" and if she sees any threat she quacks like crazy and everyone runs for the coop. She is now alomost 6 weeks old and just gorgeous. I love to watch her swim in her little pool and splash in the mud. Luckily we live in the country, because she is deffinitly loud and when she wants something she'll let you know.

My BO is named Buckbeak. He was originally bought in the Fry Pan Bargain from Meyer hatchery. I had no intentions of keeping other than for food, BUT he quickly changed my mind. He was one of the first chicks to warm up to me. As he grew he began to seek me out. When I am doing yard work he will come and forage right by me or walks up to me and stares at me. lol Thats his way of telling me he wants to be picked up. All I have to do is put my hand down and he climbs right up. When I bend down to fill the food or water containers he perches on my shoulder the entire time. He also comes when called. By these behaviors he saved himself from the chopping block and has now become my keeper rooster. I diffinitly plan to get more BO's in the future. Buckbeak is now 7 weeks old and I love watching him grow. The only downfall I can think of is he sometimes doesnt let the other chickens near me. On a few occasions he has flapped his wings and chased them away from me.