Pennsylvania!! Unite!!

[AnneInTheBurbs]

I'm getting nervous about the storm coming our way. I added on to the main coop and turned it into a Woods-style, open-air coop, but I think I'm going to cover the lower part of the open side to prevent drifting into the coop. It's supposed to stay open at all times, but I am afraid of what I will find if I don't.

Anyone else making preparations?

Today a customer emailed me a picture of a "purple" Welsummer egg. Made me think of the pink eggs discussion we were having.

My preparations were buying some hay bales to offer a wind block to my chickens when they hang out on the porch. They have other places to hide too, but they usually end up there. I'm really hoping we will move in the next year or so, so I don't want to invest in a big run setup just yet.

I'm particularly intrigued by the quotes around "purple." Would you be willing to post the picture here? If you're not comfortable sharing someone else's picture that's understandable, I'm just curious.

I finally have all the ducks going into the barn at night. They'd prefer to stay out in their open-air pen but I'm afraid they'd get snowed into their modified rain barrel shelter if they did. The chickens are ok in the coop, and my turkey hen goes in with them. If it gets too bad I'm sure I can put the tom in, too... For those who free range, what's your policy with deeper snows? I'd read that the turkeys fare better in cold weather if they can range (movement/core temperature, etc.) but I don't know how that works with snow. Can you tell that this is my first year with them?

My girls free range in small back yard. Since they usually end up on my porch, I try to make a little fort to block the wind and snow on cold days. I even will put a heat lamp on the days when it's 10 or less, so they can have a little warmth. I know, my girls are spoiled...

 

[dheltzel]

I'm particularly intrigued by the quotes around "purple." Would you be willing to post the picture here? If you're not comfortable sharing someone else's picture that's understandable, I'm just curious.

2 on the right are Welsummers. I think purple is a bit of a stretch, as is pink for a chicken egg. IMO, if you want a pink egg, get a white egg layer and use some easter egg dye.

IDK if this is a one-off event or if the hen is going to lay that color consistently. It does look to me that it just got an excess of the bloom that is on every egg. I wonder if that would wash off giving an egg color like the middle one.

 

[TillyPeeps]

2 on the right are Welsummers. I think purple is a bit of a stretch, as is pink for a chicken egg. IMO, if you want a pink egg, get a white egg layer and use some easter egg dye.

IDK if this is a one-off event or if the hen is going to lay that color consistently. It does look to me that it just got an excess of the bloom that is on every egg. I wonder if that would wash off giving an egg color like the middle one.

That does look purple for me. I guess it's just a nice accident.

I heard the storm will not be too bad in PA. Only 3 inch snow in our area.

 

[brightpennies]

Those are beautiful eggs either way -- I didn't realize Welsummers laid such dark eggs, but that makes sense, as my little olive-egger looks like a Welsummer mix. Thanks for sharing!

Best of luck with the snow, everyone.

 

[bobrut]

My little silkie is doing her best to hatch a golf ball. Does anyone have some fertile eggs, I would love to get some Wyandotte, Orpington or belvedere

 

[dheltzel]

Those are beautiful eggs either way -- I didn't realize Welsummers laid such dark eggs, but that makes sense, as my little olive-egger looks like a Welsummer mix. Thanks for sharing!

Best of luck with the snow, everyone.

Welsummers lay beautiful eggs, and the birds are beautiful too. It's hard to pick a favorite breed, but Welsummers are surely near the very top. Personally, I prefer the middle egg in that pic and love to look at a tray full of those dark eggs ready to be put in to hatch.

Last year the Welsummers didn't hatch as well for me as other breeds. I think this was because of the roos being a bit "inadequate" (never told them that to their face, LOL). The fertility is better so far this year. The still hatch a full day after the Welbars and Legbars. It's kind of wierd how they hatch, in order:
Black Sexlinks (white eggs)
Legbars and Ameraucanas (blue)
Welbars (dark)
Rhodebars (light)
Welsummers (dark)
Marans (dark)
Bielefelders (medium dark)

Last year I hypothesized that the egg color determined the incubation time, and that seems mostly true, but the Welbars and Bielefelders are out of the expected order. My current theory is that the egg color is part of it, but the level of inbreeding is another factor. I believe my stock in the last 4 breeds is much more inbred (to retain the dark shell color). I am doing a RB x BF cross this year to validate that, if I'm right, they should hatch with the Legbars, not their parent breeds.

Some of the chicks I hatch are to make my customers happy and some are to satiate my curiosity. Luckily, I expect to sell the "experiments" easily, the "designer hybrids" have all been exceptional layers, and a lot of people want a good layer with a known egg color, the purity of their genetic heritage is not important.

 

[chiques chicks]

That does look purple for me. I guess it's just a nice accident.

I heard the storm will not be too bad in PA. Only 3 inch snow in our area.

It all depends where in PA. Here they are calling for 14"+. Less north, more south. The southern end of my county is expecting 24"+.

Hopefully everything will be cleared out by the end of the weekend, I have to help my nephew set up for a show at a local theatre.

 

[fisherlady]

It all depends where in PA. Here they are calling for 14"+. Less north, more south. The southern end of my county is expecting 24"+.

Hopefully everything will be cleared out by the end of the weekend, I have to help my nephew set up for a show at a local theatre.

So far it looks like we will get off relatively easy here, though being on a high ridge may add a bit to our accumulation. I hope not too much, we have a bunch of birds to butcher this weekend, we have set up our processing area in a large shed but don't want to have to repeatedly shovel a path to it!

 

[LadyBehir]

I am expecting very little snow because I got a cord of wood and my husband's meds.

First frozen egg. Had a crack in it when I brought it in. Crack seems to have resealed. Any reason I can't eat it or should I feed it back to them?

 

[TillyPeeps]

Welsummers lay beautiful eggs, and the birds are beautiful too. It's hard to pick a favorite breed, but Welsummers are surely near the very top. Personally, I prefer the middle egg in that pic and love to look at a tray full of those dark eggs ready to be put in to hatch.

Last year the Welsummers didn't hatch as well for me as other breeds. I think this was because of the roos being a bit "inadequate" (never told them that to their face, LOL). The fertility is better so far this year. The still hatch a full day after the Welbars and Legbars. It's kind of wierd how they hatch, in order:
Black Sexlinks (white eggs)
Legbars and Ameraucanas (blue)
Welbars (dark)
Rhodebars (light)
Welsummers (dark)
Marans (dark)
Bielefelders (medium dark)

Last year I hypothesized that the egg color determined the incubation time, and that seems mostly true, but the Welbars and Bielefelders are out of the expected order. My current theory is that the egg color is part of it, but the level of inbreeding is another factor. I believe my stock in the last 4 breeds is much more inbred (to retain the dark shell color). I am doing a RB x BF cross this year to validate that, if I'm right, they should hatch with the Legbars, not their parent breeds.

Some of the chicks I hatch are to make my customers happy and some are to satiate my curiosity. Luckily, I expect to sell the "experiments" easily, the "designer hybrids" have all been exceptional layers, and a lot of people want a good layer with a known egg color, the purity of their genetic heritage is not important.

If you breed a Rhodebar roo to a RIR hen, will the female chicks still be Rhodebars? If so, these chickens will add new blood to your flock. Of course, the chicks will not be autosexing, so you have to wait a while to tell who is a girl.

How does this year's new generation of black sexlinks look? Are they easy to sex? Are they flighty? Or it's too early to tell?