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

[Bens-Hens]

What comp was that Ben?

Sorry for the late reply, had a hectic day with our youngest son in hospital for his tonsils and adenoids out. Long day sitting around doing not much and came home more exhausted than after a hard days work in a paddock. I am pretty thick skinned but seeing my little boy held down and gassed until he passes out was hard to watch.

The comp was a very slow moving one hahaha, a DIY incubator comp. They ran a few with brooders and incubators and it seems someone decided to hang out some vouchers. Was cool to win but not sure what I can buy for $20 from the USA.

 

[Fancychooklady]

Eeeh im freaking out!!
Stella starting laying probably a week back and her eggs were lovely shape and size I even made some delicious quiche. But Tuesday morning I noticed an egg in the pond it was soft, I thought because it was laid in water. That afternoon dad found another soft egg and this is a picture of all the eggs after that.

THEY'RE ALL SOFT !!! And they haven't hardened at all the only hard is her first egg which I have kept.

Has anyone ever had this issue before is it her diet? I don't understand if it is her diet why were the other eggs ok? The only thing that I would say has changed is I have introduced her to watermelon but not excessive amounts.
Any advice and help would be great also there aren't many pet stores around us with duck feed the one I bought from our local just says for adult ducks.. I give her and Stanley some of this and fruit and veg daily but they are always finding bugs in the yard, I also have a bowl of shell grit for them. Also in the photo the one that looks the most soft is the latest, it's as if they are getting softer.
Like I said any help much appreciated!!!

I wouldn't worry too much, it often takes a little while for them to settle in to the laying routine. In the early stages of egg laying it is possible to get eggs in many shapes and texture. If this continues then I would be looking at raising your calcium and protein levels. Give her a couple of weeks to get her groove.

 

[satay]

Sorry for the late reply, had a hectic day with our youngest son in hospital for his tonsils and adenoids out. Long day sitting around doing not much and came home more exhausted than after a hard days work in a paddock. I am pretty thick skinned but seeing my little boy held down and gassed until he passes out was hard to watch.

The comp was a very slow moving one hahaha, a DIY incubator comp. They ran a few with brooders and incubators and it seems someone decided to hang out some vouchers. Was cool to win but not sure what I can buy for $20 from the USA.

Know how you feels about your son. I had the same with my now 17 year old when he was 2. Horrid to do but in my sons case worth it in the end. (He didn't have to be held down but still not fun)He used to stop breathing from snoring when he was young. The tonsils and adenoids out has stopped that. Hope your son has a speedy recovery.

 

[satay]

No. The only true pure bred Marans in Australia are French Wheaten Marans and they have the darkest egg here. Any other form whether it be Black copper, blue ect. are created here using the French Wheaten Marans over many generations and usually will not have a dark enough egg to be called a Marans. 

I think that is true in most cases chook but my blue and black marans girls are up there with the fw. I really can't tell much difference. They are very dark eggs,

 

[satay]

I wouldn't worry too much, it often takes a little while for them to settle in to the laying routine. In the early stages of egg laying it is possible to get eggs in many shapes and texture. If this continues then I would be looking at raising your calcium and protein levels. Give her a couple of weeks to get her groove.

x2

 

[Fancychooklady]

Sorry for the late reply, had a hectic day with our youngest son in hospital for his tonsils and adenoids out. Long day sitting around doing not much and came home more exhausted than after a hard days work in a paddock. I am pretty thick skinned but seeing my little boy held down and gassed until he passes out was hard to watch.

The comp was a very slow moving one hahaha, a DIY incubator comp. They ran a few with brooders and incubators and it seems someone decided to hang out some vouchers. Was cool to win but not sure what I can buy for $20 from the USA.

You won't get much for $20 but maybe some leg bands for upcoming hatches and some fancy water cup drinkers.
I had my tonsils removed when I was 4 , I still remember how frightened I was when they put the gas mask on me.
When our daughter was 4 she fell off Rosie, or should I say rolled of Rosie . Dad didn't do the girth up . She dislocated her arm and had to go under general anesthetic so they could pop it back in. My husband insisted on going into theatre with her, scary ! Needless to say I doubled checked every girth from that day on.

 

[TheChookPatch]

I think that is true in most cases chook but my blue and black marans girls are up there with the fw. I really can't tell much difference. They are very dark eggs,

I hear what you are saying satay, I have one laying black copper Marans I have kept, most of the time she lays a 4 but the problem with these new breed variations is when they are mixed in with our wheatens. At least 1 in 12 do not breed true and will throw a Wheaten or other variation. If people are mixing black coppers, blues, silverduckwing etc in with their Wheaten eggs and not documenting the entire hatch, a Wheaten could hatch out of a black copper egg get mistaken/presumed as a Wheaten Marans and bred as such. Hence the feathering problems (colours popping up in feathering that should not be there) and reduced quality of egg colour increasing over the seasons. That's where the quality of wheatens has diminished and now these cross breeds have eggs about the same as most Marans lines. Even my silver duckwings lay darker than most of the Marans eggs I have bought from across australia. I have good hopes for 6 little black copper marans I hatched from Pinky's eggs, I'll post a pic later. They were 3-4's but 2 out of 8 hatched did not breed true. I'm growing one of the sports out to try to work what else they have in them. I think it will be some years before the egg colour creeps back up but only if we can hold onto the darker Wheaten lines here in aus. Or until they magically appear here in someone's luggage Sorry I guess I'm probably a bit cynical with the imports falling through. I would love to see pics of your Blues and blacks eggs though. Here is a pic of the eggs I hatched from Pinky I still have to take photos of the chicks

 

[TheChookPatch]

Congrats on the comp Ben, you are a very clever cookie I just had my son sick in emergency twice in the past 3 weeks... I feel your pain. Hope he had a speedy recovery

 

[GriggerMcGrigg]

I WANT YOUR BIRDS THECHOOKPATCH!!! Yours are getting up to 5

 

[TheChookPatch]

Lol thanks GriggerMcGrigg, my French wheatens sit between 4-5 a few fluke sixs across the years. I was very lucky that my first Marans were from a very dark strain that I have kept as pure as possible. I've hatched 3 other breeders lines this season but still waiting on the pullets to lay. One of those lines had really good colour ranging from 4-5 so I'm hoping to get a bit more blood into another breeding pen. I have a few really nice boys from my line growing out at the moment that I'm hoping to put over them if their eggs are nice.