9 Months Later, ...

[junior67]

Such a pretty egg!!

I have my CCL from my mid April babies that I am still waiting on. I am dying to see what color blue she lays

 

[Perris]

Finally, long after her hatch sisters from the Easter hatch have been laying, at 9 months old, Nugget has finally graced us with an olive egg.

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So perfectly dull-olive that it's nearly gray.

But I'm not breeding a hen who took 9 months to lay her first egg.

at last!

I wouldn't make any decisions about breeding as yet; I've found the colour may change a bit as her system settles down, and in particular her bloom-making kit matures.

 

[3KillerBs]

at last!

I wouldn't make any decisions about breeding as yet; I've found the colour may change a bit as her system settles down, and in particular her bloom-making kit matures.

The egg is beautiful, but she's out for breeding because of laying at 9 months when the rest of her hatchmate pullets were laying at 5 months.

 

[Perris]

The egg is beautiful, but she's out for breeding because of laying at 9 months when the rest of her hatchmate pullets were laying at 5 months.

I have sometimes found early layers have more issues than later ones, and don't necessarily lay more over the course of the first or subsequent years, so I don't bother about that any more. Having said that, I'm aware that one of my July pullets is not laying when all her sisters have started, so I'm not impervious to it either!

 

[Auntiejessi3]

What a lovely color! Is she a hatchery OE or a mix from your birds?

 

[3KillerBs]

What a lovely color! Is she a hatchery OE or a mix from your birds?

Neither.

I traded eggs with a friend of my brother-in-lay, who had a Marans rooster (unspecified variety), and EE hens. I chose the very bluest of the blue eggs to hatch.

Half of them were either clear or quit and I only got 2 girls from the 7 hatchlings. A hawk got one of the girls and this is the only one I have left.

So, a "Homebrew OE".

 

[3KillerBs]

Finally, long after her hatch sisters from the Easter hatch have been laying, at 9 months old, Nugget has finally graced us with an olive egg.

View attachment 3371807View attachment 3371808View attachment 3371809View attachment 3371810View attachment 3371811

So perfectly dull-olive that it's nearly gray.

But I'm not breeding a hen who took 9 months to lay her first egg.

Well, actually, some of her eggs did end up in the incubator. Chicks for sale.

 

[3KillerBs]

Well, actually, some of her eggs did end up in the incubator. Chicks for sale.

She took forever to lay, but she's a reliable daily egg.

 

[fluffycrow]

She took forever to lay, but she's a reliable daily egg.

I'm curious as to how she looks now. Does she still lay that grey egg?

 

[Egghead_Jr]

Without the addition of winter lighting my birds take a year to lay.