Euskal Oiloa ( Basque Thread)

[Maggiesdad]

Howdy Folks and Happy New Year!

With 2014 behind us, it's time again for the annual Basque Hen Survey, to help us gauge how the Euskal Oiloa is faring in North America.

Breeders AND Keepers of Basque Hens, please take a moment to fill out the survey by clicking on the link above.

Thanks, and all the best to you and yours in 2015!

PS - Linda keep us posted how those eggs are coming along!

 

[LindaB220]

Howdy Folks and Happy New Year!

With 2014 behind us, it's time again for the annual Basque Hen Survey, to help us gauge how the Euskal Oiloa is faring in North America.

Breeders AND Keepers of Basque Hens, please take a moment to fill out the survey by clicking on the link above.

Thanks, and all the best to you and yours in 2015!

PS - Linda keep us posted how those eggs are coming along!

Well, I won't be taking the survey this year 'cause I'm on day 18 and getting ready to lockdown tomorrow. So pumped about these little babies. I only had one hatch before and she was killed by a weasel. Not gonna happen again. I have a new coop that the 1/2" hardware is going up tomorrow. Woohoo. It's a 12'x12' A frame coop and I'' have plenty of room for these (11 are viable) but 3 of them are Lemon Cukoo Orphingtons. Sent to make up the #'s. I'll be pleased to get 6 or 7 of the Basques. Heck I'd be pleased to get any!!!!
Still waiting to hear from CackleJoy to see if her good ones are laying yet. Hoping to order some of hers soon. I have a La-yer Peep thread buddy that is an hour away from me and also wanting to get some of hers. Between the two of us maybe we can get a good hold on NW La. and get some babies out there.

These babies won't have much time to get lonesome as I'll have 40 ISA Brown pullets coming in the first part of next month from Townline.. Going into the egg business big time. This will give me about 24 dozen a week to sell. I have 6 new subdivisions within 5 min of me and the nearest co-op is an hour away. The closest farmers market is half an hour. People will come to get my eggs and veggies I'll be offering. A dozen organically raised, (without the name of course) eggs and a good assortment of veggies and a loaf of artisan bread delivered to their home for $20 a week. I am ambitious this year.

I probably will have to hire high school help for picking veggies and washing eggs and packing. Hope to God my health holds up.

 

[lauragutknecht]

Well, I won't be taking the survey this year 'cause I'm on day 18 and getting ready to lockdown tomorrow. So pumped about these little babies. I only had one hatch before and she was killed by a weasel. Not gonna happen again. I have a new coop that the 1/2" hardware is going up tomorrow. Woohoo. It's a 12'x12' A frame coop and I'' have plenty of room for these (11 are viable) but 3 of them are Lemon Cukoo Orphingtons. Sent to make up the #'s. I'll be pleased to get 6 or 7 of the Basques. Heck I'd be pleased to get any!!!!
Still waiting to hear from CackleJoy to see if her good ones are laying yet. Hoping to order some of hers soon. I have a La-yer Peep thread buddy that is an hour away from me and also wanting to get some of hers. Between the two of us maybe we can get a good hold on NW La. and get some babies out there.

These babies won't have much time to get lonesome as I'll have 40 ISA Brown pullets coming in the first part of next month from Townline.. Going into the egg business big time. This will give me about 24 dozen a week to sell. I have 6 new subdivisions within 5 min of me and the nearest co-op is an hour away. The closest farmers market is half an hour. People will come to get my eggs and veggies I'll be offering. A dozen organically raised, (without the name of course) eggs and a good assortment of veggies and a loaf of artisan bread delivered to their home for $20 a week. I am ambitious this year.

I probably will have to hire high school help for picking veggies and washing eggs and packing. Hope to God my health holds up.

Good luck on your egg/vegetable/bread project.
It is so easy to amass a large quantity of chickens, isn't it? I have about 250, including juveniles. (That is a lot of feeding, watering, and cleaning!) Our farm used to be far outside the city limits, but now there is a subdivision, across the street, and our formerly narrow country road now is a busy street. I finally had to take down my "Eggs For Sale" sign! I had people coming by at all hours, all day, every day, to buy eggs. And many of them want 6, 8, or 10 dozen a week. I am planning to downsize my flock, and devote less time to farm chores (and more time to grandchildren and hobbies!). I still have all my regular egg customers, but fewer new customers stop in since the sign is down. An acquaintance of mine lives farther out in the country, on a less-traveled road, and she has a hard time selling her eggs, and she charges less than I do. On a few occasions, I have bought some eggs from her just to resell to keep up with my customers' demands.
Anyway, I love the breeds I have, (especially the Basques), so I will keep the breeders and sell some of the yard chickens. People are always stopping by to see if I will sell them some laying hens, too, even though I am not advertising to sell them!
I'm hatching my Marraduna Basques' eggs all year, as well as the Lemon Cuckoo Orpingtons.

 

[Maggiesdad]

@ LindaB That's awesome! Go for it!

Here's hoping you have a great season!

 

[LindaB220]

Good luck on your egg/vegetable/bread project.
It is so easy to amass a large quantity of chickens, isn't it? I have about 250, including juveniles. (That is a lot of feeding, watering, and cleaning!) Our farm used to be far outside the city limits, but now there is a subdivision, across the street, and our formerly narrow country road now is a busy street. I finally had to take down my "Eggs For Sale" sign! I had people coming by at all hours, all day, every day, to buy eggs. And many of them want 6, 8, or 10 dozen a week. I am planning to downsize my flock, and devote less time to farm chores (and more time to grandchildren and hobbies!). I still have all my regular egg customers, but fewer new customers stop in since the sign is down. An acquaintance of mine lives farther out in the country, on a less-traveled road, and she has a hard time selling her eggs, and she charges less than I do. On a few occasions, I have bought some eggs from her just to resell to keep up with my customers' demands.
Anyway, I love the breeds I have, (especially the Basques), so I will keep the breeders and sell some of the yard chickens. People are always stopping by to see if I will sell them some laying hens, too, even though I am not advertising to sell them!
I'm hatching my Marraduna Basques' eggs all year, as well as the Lemon Cuckoo Orpingtons.

Thanks, Laura, I'm really excited about this hatch. Where did you get your original Basques from?. I've forgotten if you told me. You were right, the Orpingtons are all viable I believe. It looks like 3 or 4 are not. but with my experience that is looking good. I don't want to jinks myself but I'm hopeful.

 

[lauragutknecht]

Thanks, Laura, I'm really excited about this hatch. Where did you get your original Basques from?. I've forgotten if you told me. You were right, the Orpingtons are all viable I believe. It looks like 3 or 4 are not. but with my experience that is looking good. I don't want to jinks myself but I'm hopeful.

Linda,

I got my original breeding pair from a man in Belton/Salado area, about 45 minutes east of here. At the time, I was looking for some Coronation Sussex chickens and he had a pair advertised. When I went there to see them, he had this Basque pair as well, and those were the only chickens he owned. He lived in a subdivision so he couldn't keep many at a time. He was selling all the chickens so he could try raising pigeons instead. He made me a deal on the whole bunch, so I left with all of them. Well, as things sometimes go, I was not happy with the Coronation Sussexes at all (got only infertile eggs, and I think the roo was too heavy for the hen so she wasn't having any of that!) so I eventually sold them and kept the EOs. The EOs have been just great from Day 1. I have no idea where they came from before that, but he said they were just a little over a year old at that time.
My Basques have laid very well until just last month, but are not laying well right now in winter, but the LCOs are laying like crazy. My Welsummers are laying well, too, even in the cold dark days of January. There is a lot of demand here for LCO eggs and chicks. Some people who come to buy chickens from me keep wanting to buy my spare grown LCO rooster, but I'm not selling him, of course, in case anything happens to his daddy.
Anyway, I have more EO little pullets up-and-coming, so I can get pickier on the coloring. For a little bit, I got several mille fleur pattern ones (which I'm not breeding, although they are very pretty), but I haven't seen any new mille fleur patterns hatch in a while.

 

[LindaB220]

Linda,

I got my original breeding pair from a man in Belton/Salado area, about 45 minutes east of here. At the time, I was looking for some Coronation Sussex chickens and he had a pair advertised. When I went there to see them, he had this Basque pair as well, and those were the only chickens he owned. He lived in a subdivision so he couldn't keep many at a time. He was selling all the chickens so he could try raising pigeons instead. He made me a deal on the whole bunch, so I left with all of them. Well, as things sometimes go, I was not happy with the Coronation Sussexes at all (got only infertile eggs, and I think the roo was too heavy for the hen so she wasn't having any of that!) so I eventually sold them and kept the EOs. The EOs have been just great from Day 1. I have no idea where they came from before that, but he said they were just a little over a year old at that time.
My Basques have laid very well until just last month, but are not laying well right now in winter, but the LCOs are laying like crazy. My Welsummers are laying well, too, even in the cold dark days of January. There is a lot of demand here for LCO eggs and chicks. Some people who come to buy chickens from me keep wanting to buy my spare grown LCO rooster, but I'm not selling him, of course, in case anything happens to his daddy.
Anyway, I have more EO little pullets up-and-coming, so I can get pickier on the coloring. For a little bit, I got several mille fleur pattern ones (which I'm not breeding, although they are very pretty), but I haven't seen any new mille fleur patterns hatch in a while.

I guess it doesn't really matter where he got them from. They all come from the Canadian batch that were imported to both Greenfire and Skyline. One reason that I want a little more diversity in the line is Meg's birds are imported from Spain. She hand carried them on a plane. La-Peep buddy in Ruston, La., Cody, is wanting for us to get a good start on several resources and breed back and forth. I know that the mille fleur patterns are not the way to go, but I just love them and have no qualms about having them around. Pets, not breeders.

 

[Flat Rock farm]

Good luck with the hatch Linda

I am not hatching until at least April. Has turned bitterly cold here 8F is the high. I hatched in Feb. last year and hated having babies in the basement, big time dust.

 

[cadman05]

Hello,i Have 7 rows and 3 hens, and other assorted breads (21 total). i do agree about there singing and friendliness to humans, over time plan to go 80% Basque .

 

[ronott1]

Hello,i Have 7 rows and 3 hens, and other assorted breads (21 total). i do agree about there singing and friendliness to humans, over time plan to go 80% Basque .

They are a good choice!