Chantecler lays 1st egg - 42 weeks 5 days old! - Picture of mature egg

Date sort Score sort
Montana-Hens

Montana-Hens

Songster
11 Years
Feb 20, 2008
320
15
143
Buxton, Montana
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I was beginning to think that she was never going to lay!! I have had this lady from her hatch, and knew exactly how old she was. She started squatting about 5 days before her first egg. This picture was taken the day she started laying. She has for all practical purposes no waddle and no comb....perfect for a cold Montana winter.

All my other ladies (other breeds) started laying last year...some laid all winter but this one just plugged along eating and not giving me a single gift.

Now that she has started, she seems to drop her eggs where ever she is at the moment when it comes, even though all the other ladies know where the nest boxes are and use them. I find her eggs all over the yard!

I have even taken to putting golf balls out there again so if she doesn't get that the other ladies are laying in the next boxes she can see some eggs. I have also taken to keeping them in the run rather than letting them free range. It is funny b/c I will see a hen racing back to the coop while the rest are heading over to the compost pile to play on the other side of the yard to lay her egg in the right place - nest box.

Anyway wanted to share this picture b/c not many of us have Chantecler and info on maturity and looks are sometimes hard to come by.
 
Congratulations on your patience and your first egg from her!
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She's a beauty!! I LOVE your place. If I could choose a place to live, it would be Montana. I fell in love with it when we did a road trip through it. Back to your chickens, you are wise not to let them (or at least HER) free range for a few days until she gets it through her bird brain where to lay. Do you have a chantecler rooster to make more babies?! Such a cool breed!
 
She very social and has a wonderful sort of purr that she does rather than cluck..

She isn't like a lap dog, but always wants to be around you and follows people no matter who or what.

She can easily be picked up and doesn't misbehaving when being looked over, checked for health, but when you put her down she will not just stand there and be picked up a second or third time right way.

While I was waiting for her to mature, I must have picked her up every other day and looked at her head trying to figure out if it was changing and she was getting close to maturity. As you can see by her head, they are hard to tell.

I hesitated about Chantecler for the same reasons, I didn't really want any skittish aloof birds, but living in MT their winter heartiness was very attractive. Her comb and waddles are better for the climate here than I expected.

Would I purchase one again....yes, but I would make sure she made her first egg before winter set in. I think she did not get started and then just waited until spring to start. I am expecting her to lay more or less all winter. I had two other breeds who did not disappoint me in that area and I am hoping that she will deliver next year. That will be the most telling for me about this so far wonderful breed for the cold northern climates.
 
Well, it's about time! I thought my Chanteclers were slackers at 30/31 weeks.

As for them being skittish, I haven't seen that in any of my birds and I've had Chateclers only for the past 4 years. While this flock doesn't get all the attention my last ones did due to work commitments, they still are comfortable around me and will occasioinally jump up in my lap as I'm sitting outdoors on a summers eve. (Especially if they think I have pizza crusts for them.)

Wayne
 
HI
I ove my CHantelcers. They are friendly and not skittish at all. In fact I have to litterally push them away from the door so I can get in and out. They are all over me
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I'm just one big bag of treats to them
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Mine started laying around 26 weeks and have been laying consistently up until 3 weeks ago.... long story but if you have any insight on it check out my other post ....

I would recommend them!!
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Ok, all you Chantecler experts.....is her comb and waddle normal size for a Chantecler? I was thinking it would be a little more of a comb than she has. I wasn't expecting more in the waddle line.

We just see so little of the around I would like your thoughts on my little Canadian girl's look.

It is time to let the rest of the folks know about this nice breed.
 
My buffs look just like your in the comb and wattle department. (Except for one which looks like a Buff Orp wandered into the Chantecler nursery at the hatchery. I've never seen one like that in the many, many dozen Chantys I've had. )

Even the roosters don't develop much decoration. This makes it hard to tell who is what until pretty late in the game. Still, they are the perfect bird for me in this northern climate.

Wayne
 
What a beautiful girl, Montana! It's cool to see a Chantecler with that incredible backdrop.

I have 12 Partridge Chantecler hens & one rooster. The hens born in June have wattles and comb like hers. But the one I got in March has much larger wattles and a bigger comb (still cushion) - and she developed them at a much earlier age than my other hens are now. We can't figure this out.

The hens started laying by 24 weeks and they have been laying like crazy ever since. We get 9 or 10 eggs a day despite the frigid cold and snow here in upstate NY. We do keep the light on a timer.

Some of the hens are friendly, others are a little offish. Some are meek, others get really offended if you reach under them for eggs. I think as with other breeds, probably the more you handle them the friendlier they get on average. Mine get very affectionate when they think I'm bringing food. They do like to go broody. We've had three serious broody episodes so far.

Other report I wanted to make for Chantecler people is about roosters. We had to eat one of ours - he kept attacking me. But the other one is very gentle and mellow and also very generous about letting the hens eat first. So it seems there aren't any hard & fast rules about personality.

Laura
 

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