Definitely australorps for the first ones. Great birds, and excellent layers. They warm up to you quickly. Give em some cabbage. Also the one with the red feathers looks like our Fireball, she is mixed with a rir, her eggs are even larger than the pure Australorps. So sorry for your loss.
Started with six silkies.. Found out they were all roosters.. Ended up with 17 girls shortly after. Finished coop and run extension number four today also. The five new ameracaunas and plymouth rock bantams gave us some motivation. Chicken math.. It just keeps adding up!
If a dog has a mouth large enough to kill something, it will.. We thankfully don't have to worry about our tiny, short snouted after pinscher.. But we have lost a Guinea and a Sebright to a neighbors little rat terrier that was used to retrieve birds.. If they have the capability, it will...
We have two 2 week EE chics , the bigger one started pecking the Lil ones eyes.. She actually bit her eye ball and we had to separate them. Keep an eye out for that!
Ours started right at 20 weeks.. And she lays every other day.. You're playing egg countdown now. I made sure they had extra nest boxes to help maybe encourage them. Good luck!
Easter eggers, Ameracauna , and Aracauna are great birds. Forgot about our two new girls, we also have a speckled sussex and an aracauna.. Very sweet birds. But, easter eggers so far have been best all around. Lay every other day, doesn't fight, likes to be held.. Our newest EE Gaja...
We haven't had any issues except for cardinal getting in the coop, and being unable to get back out. We have feeders all around, and also multiple waterers for the wild birds.. They should be alright.