Posts by SueBaby

I've had similar thoughts.  Looking forward to the responses you get...

Having hatched and given away 2 roosters myself, I can see how you would want to avoid setting yourself up for that heartbreak again.  But try to look on the bright side now that you can't change your circumstances... Think of it as...

1. My whole lot is .26 acres, so the backyard must be about .18 ish.  That's big for this area.2. 73. Suburbs4. Coop = 3X5.  Run = 12X5.  Isn't that small for BYC peeps?

I put mine in cartons, on their side, more like resting on top of the carton than in it.  They hatched fine and I wasn't nervous that they would get knocked around when the first one out was stumbling all around. 

Hmmm, no obvious beards/muffs.  I do have one EE that doesn't have a beard though.  She actually looks a lot like your "striped" one.Unless someone with more experience can comment you might just have to watch and see...

Do either of the girls you showed have beards, muffs, etc. that would indicate Easter Egger?  I don't know much about Marans, except they lay dark brown eggs.  Maybe someone else can see a bit of Maran in one of your girls???

All good choices.  It is nice to have different colored eggs.  For one thing it looks pretty in a carton, but it's also nice to know exactly who is laying what. 

We use straw and we never clean it, just add more straw every 3-4 weeks.  Well, we plan to clean it in the spring- a once yearly type of thing.  Kind of like a deep litter method, but the straw breaks down so it's never that...

I have oleanders all along my fence line.  I was worried that my girls would get into it, and was watching them like crazy when I let them out at first.  Now I see that there are so many other good things to eat in my yard that...

Talk to your neighbor