Australia - Six states..and that funny little island.

[satay]

The olive eggers were hard to find last year, but are slowly becoming more common as the number of Marans breeders selling cheap rejects increases so people have the dark layers to cross with the blues.

I have had quite a few requests from people wanting me to venture into olive eggers. I can't bear to cross my lovely marans with anything though

 

[MullyAly]

sjturner79 - thank you for your reply and you were absolutely correct with the neck feathering being a sex indicator. I had initially thought that with the sex linking the black/blue chicks would be male and the yellow ones would be female and I could therefore sex at hatching. so while it won't be that easy I was pleasantly surprised at your response that I may get some blue hens. I also went back and checked out the black/blue chicks and one definitely has silver neck feathering with strong comb and the other gold neck feathering with minimal comb. My initial reason for thinking the black and yellow chicks were sex linked by down colour, was that I thought I only had one wheaton marans egg and four birchen eggs in the bator, yet had 3 yellow and 2 black hatch, with the black acting very boyish for the first few weeks.

I am so curious now about the sex linking outcomes and because I am still confused how the extra yellow chicks got in there, so of course I have just filled the bator with more eggs - any excuse really!

 

[Anniebee]

Hey Anniebee I would definitely put the seed with shoot into a pot and leave it many months before putting into the garden. I changed their water every day.

Also, you must leave half of the seed exposed when you take it from the water and pot it as you can see in these pics.

My two could probably do with going into the garden but, because we rent, I am not doing that. If we have to move, I am taking them with me!

I might, however, try and get them some bigger pots.

This is Arnie two months after sprouting, just before he went into his earth pot.



Just transplanted. [Note the seed, half exposed]



Two months later. We had a bug attack which is why he has holes in his leaves.




Four months after that he moved to his big pot [You can still see the seed].



Danny sprouted in May [the baby picture in the earlier post] and spent 6 months in the water pot until he went to the earth pot. While he is bigger than Arnie now, he was definitely a slow starter.



While the roots are fast to grow, the sprout takes it time. This one has only just sprouted but has a substantial root:



On this one, the leaves have only just appeared but the roots are quite established:

Teila ....

Thank you so very much for all the advice. Certainly will make a difference to my approach with my next effort.

Your Arnie and Danny look so healthy - and while you await fruit - that might not be as far away as you think, considering the size of them from your previous photos.

Being in cold Victorian winter, I guess they might be brought inside for warmth ? - although I know Queensland has some very cold weather ( which amazed me when I heard
about your winter chills up there this year ) ... Still and all, first things first - eat avocado, put pip in water on two tooth picks - change water every day ... and see what happens.

Certainly, if it sprouts well - it will NOT be going into the garden. Pots it is.

Again that is fantastic advice ... ta muchly.

Cheers ......

 

[Anniebee]

Hi Sydney siders!This is Ethel Belle, my Welsummer. She about 26-28 weeks old, any idea when she will lay??
The suspense is killing me, I'm eggcited!!

Welcome to BYC gourmetgrannies .... you will enjoy this thread, assured.

I have a Welsummer - she is 4 years old, and I think may have quit laying altogether - maybe she's run out of eggs. But we will see.

She began laying at around 25 weeks, but had friends who had begun to lay too - so maybe that spurred her on. They are not renowned for being super great in the egg laying business, so you might have to remain 'eggcited' for a while yet. But they are magnificent looking hens - and are super protective of their best friends. My Mandy W can be extremely nasty ( and dangerous ) to my dear smaller Mindy Araucana, so poor Mindy lives alone, while Mandy lives with Molly RIR - her best friend.

My Mandy Welsummer is one huge chookie ... but there is no way to correct that - can't put hens on weight reduction diets ( that I know of ).

Anyway, good luck with your beautiful Welsummer ... hope she comes up the goods for you with eggs - and when she does, she will lay reasonably well - for maybe a few years. I don't know much about the recent weather up there in Sydney, but as it warms up, she might get the idea.

I stand to be corrected on all this ... but from research, they don't win gold medals for egg laying !! . There is much information about them on line.

Meanwhile, you have yourself a very beautiful hen.

Cheers.

 

[MyHaven]

I have had quite a few requests from people wanting me to venture into olive eggers. I can't bear to cross my lovely marans with anything though

Good on you.

 

[sjturner79]

sjturner79 - thank you for your reply and you were absolutely correct with the neck feathering being a sex indicator. I had initially thought that with the sex linking the black/blue chicks would be male and the yellow ones would be female and I could therefore sex at hatching. so while it won't be that easy I was pleasantly surprised at your response that I may get some blue hens.  I also went back and checked out the black/blue chicks and one definitely has silver neck feathering with strong comb and the other gold neck feathering with minimal comb. My initial reason for thinking the black and yellow chicks were sex linked by down colour, was that I thought I only had one wheaton marans egg and four birchen eggs in the bator, yet had 3 yellow and 2 black hatch, with the black acting very boyish for the first few weeks. 

I am so curious now about the sex linking outcomes and because I am still confused how the extra yellow chicks got in there, so of course I have just filled the bator with more eggs - any excuse really!  

Your welcome. I use a gentic trait calculator to wotk it out. It's amazing what other colours are hidden in the genetics of some

 

[sjturner79]

Nice info on everyone's avacardo efforts. My best we lost to damp at 3 years old. Congrats on the flowers.

The link for a gentics that I use
http://kippenjungle.nl/kruisingKipFlex.html?DATA=S;Chicken Plug-in Calculator

On the Welsummer. She looks ready to lay, so when the weather suits her, and she happy to food is abundant she will start to squat and then start to lay.

I got 8 eggs from my chooks today, and I think I'm down to 9 hens, 2 of which are still mothering chicks.
That's a pretty good effort. I think I need to find a way to use a few more eggs, as 3 a day is the most I can eat.
The funny thing is mine are the ornimental chooks. The layers in a nearby pen are now at 2 eggs a day from 8 hens.

 

[gourmetgrannies]

Sooooo proud!! Lucy Diamond, our Wyandotte laid her first egg! I'm so eggcited, doing a chicken dance@!! #lucydiamond #gourmet grannies

 

[Fizzybelle]

Hooray Gormetgrannies! It's a day for first eggs, my Araucana Mabel is on the nest as we speak, hopefully laying her first egg too! It's such a proud moment isn't it? Your Lucy is a very pretty girl too

It's also Agnes' trip to the avian vet today to access her eye and see what's going on, and what action to take. Fingers crossed it's fairly easily treatable. She's still in good spirits, the lids have just been getting more swollen, and the antibiotic ointment did nothing unfortunately. Could be uveitis my vet was saying. I'll keep you updated if Mabel laid an egg, and on Aggie too

 

[Fancychooklady]

Hooray Gormetgrannies! It's a day for first eggs, my Araucana Mabel is on the nest as we speak, hopefully laying her first egg too! It's such a proud moment isn't it? Your Lucy is a very pretty girl too

It's also Agnes' trip to the avian vet today to access her eye and see what's going on, and what action to take. Fingers crossed it's fairly easily treatable. She's still in good spirits, the lids have just been getting more swollen, and the antibiotic ointment did nothing unfortunately. Could be uveitis my vet was saying. I'll keep you updated if Mabel laid an egg, and on Aggie too

Good luck at the vet.