Arkansas Blue egg layers

[BigBlueHen53]

I'm really sorry to hear this. Are these the experimental chickens from University of Arkansas?

 

[Finnie]

It was nice that you kept them going as long as you could.

 

[1muttsfan]

They were developed in a graduate research project to be commercial blue egg laying hens. High production and good feed efficiency a very important in commercial birds. I think it was just too hard to get people to eat blue eggs

I'm downsizing my flock and just don't have the room for the kind of work it would take to get these birds back up on their feet again.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

 

[ronott1]

They were developed in a graduate research project to be commercial blue egg laying hens. High production and good feed efficiency a very important in commercial birds. I think it was just too hard to get people to eat blue eggs

I'm downsizing my flock and just don't have the room for the kind of work it would take to get these birds back up on their feet again.

I am sorry that they did not take of big too!

 

[HaikuHeritageFarm]

Could you pass the surviving birds to someone that might be interested in continuing?

 

[BigBlueHen53]

May I ask the OP where and how you were trying to market these? There is another thread here asking if people would prefer green or blue eggs in a premium basket, and blue is so far the hands-down winner. I think blue eggs just need more PR exposure. On Chopped, a competitive cooking show, Martha Stewart has brought some of her Aracauna eggs and beams with pride when the chefs are surprised to see the pretty blue eggs. If one could just hang in there a little longer ...

 

[1muttsfan]

I have been trying for years here on BYC and locally to get people interested in these birds. With the difficulties involved transferring birds, including disease testing, shipping and avian influenza concerns, it would likely be prohibitive to ship them even if someone was interested. I offered free hatching eggs for the cost of shipping for 3 years and had only 4 takers.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

I've never hatched before and this is a terrible time of year, but ... do you have any available now?

 

[1muttsfan]

No, sorry, I'm no longer shipping eggs.