A Bielefelder Thread !

[Ron Skekel]

No eggs yet. I don't expect any for a while. They are getting redder, but not a lot. The roo is also not trying to mate anyone, even my mature layers.
My others are cream legbars and a basque. They are much smaller and eat less. I do find that the bielefelders are good foragers, but I keep mine in the run most of the time due to living within the city limits. I just revamped our coop and run situation and am going to try to grow some rye in unused areas of the run this winter. We will see how well that works...

My rooster has been sexually mature for a month now. My hens aren't their yet. This is funny I have Legbars too.

 

[Junibutt]

I just got in my first batch of Bielefelder Fertile Eggs. I won them on an Ebay auction, which can always be a gamble. So far so good. They were packed pretty well. I can't see any obvious damages but won't know till I have time to unwrapp and candle each egg tonight. I am excited to get these set I just have to wait on the EE (frizzle & smooth) eggs that are due to arrive tomorrow. I have been wantin this breed for a while. Just super bummed I can't have roosters I would love to be able to breed. They are such beautiful birds and the egg color is amazing.

So jealous that you can do so in California weather. Hatching is kind of done here in Chicago

 

[Camp Julsby]

So jealous that you can do so in California weather. Hatching is kind of done here in Chicago

We are truly blessed to have milder winters in Southern California, however I live in the mountains so we do get a few snow days and periods of weather in the teens. My guest bedroom is going to be a brooder room for a few weeks with this hatch and my husband and a neighbor went in on 120 quail eggs together. It never ends. LOL. We do have our garage set up with brooder boxes too but it is not heated so the babies will move up to the garage at about 5 weeks once they are fully feathered. I probably need to set up a grow out pen up there too as these babies won't get integrated to the big girl flock till about April. I'm sure it will be a fun adventure growing out late Fall Chicks.

Our brooder set up in the garage.

The Bielefelder eggs that arrived yesterday. In perfect shape. Some air cells slightly loose but to be expected with shipped eggs. Crossing fingers for a good hatch and lots of pullets.

 

[Junibutt]

We are truly blessed to have milder winters in Southern California, however I live in the mountains so we do get a few snow days and periods of weather in the teens. My guest bedroom is going to be a brooder room for a few weeks with this hatch and my husband and a neighbor went in on 120 quail eggs together. It never ends. LOL. We do have our garage set up with brooder boxes too but it is not heated so the babies will move up to the garage at about 5 weeks once they are fully feathered. I probably need to set up a grow out pen up there too as these babies won't get integrated to the big girl flock till about April. I'm sure it will be a fun adventure growing out late Fall Chicks.

Our brooder set up in the garage.

The Bielefelder eggs that arrived yesterday. In perfect shape. Some air cells slightly loose but to be expected with shipped eggs. Crossing fingers for a good hatch and lots of pullets.

Still jealous! With last years temps, even the garage is not feasible for feathered chicks. I will wait till late January, early February before setting eggs. But then you have that other problem of shipped eggs getting frozen. May have to find local sources.

 

[Going Quackers]

No eggs yet. I don't expect any for a while. They are getting redder, but not a lot. The roo is also not trying to mate anyone, even my mature layers.
My others are cream legbars and a basque. They are much smaller and eat less. I do find that the bielefelders are good foragers, but I keep mine in the run most of the time due to living within the city limits. I just revamped our coop and run situation and am going to try to grow some rye in unused areas of the run this winter. We will see how well that works...

Mine are loose in a very large area... my cockerel is definitely mating and up to bothering the hens, i have Malines in with them too. No eggs yet, but all the ladies are redding up.

 

[texasmomma]

My rooster has been sexually mature for a month now. My hens aren't their yet. This is funny I have Legbars too.

I may have misspoke about my roo. I caught him attempting to mount one of the legbars the other day. He was a bit wobbly, but she can't weigh more than 3.5 pounds and he is close to 8 pounds.

We had three bielefelder Roos with 4 bielefelder hens and my small laying flock of 4 hens. But the laying flock was just merciless in their pecking of the bielefelders, so I separated them. I also culled two of the Roos no then let the roo and his bielefelder girls hang out by themselves for a while. I put the layers back I. With the bielefelders no everything is going swimmingly. I don't know if it is due to only hve one roo in charge, or if the additional maturity of the bieles was needed or what, but this has been an amazingly smooth transition. They aren't a true flock and may never be, but the pecking is way down. In addition, two of the legbars laid quite large eggs yesterday. I was very happy.

It turned cooler today, so I may not see any eggs from the bielefelders until spring now. My dh wants to try hatching some of the legbar eggs to check for fertility. Not sure I want chicks this time of year.

 

[Camp Julsby]

Will a cross between a Bielefelder and Cream Legbar produce autosexing chicks also? I would think so but that was something I was talking to a friend about today that bought my 6 week old pair of Cream Legbars.

 

[DMRippy]

Will a cross between a Bielefelder and Cream Legbar produce autosexing chicks also? I would think so but that was something I was talking to a friend about today that bought my 6 week old pair of Cream Legbars.

I would think so. I have not tried it but both are similar based birds so it should work.

 

[Camp Julsby]

I would think so. I have not tried it but both are similar based birds so it should work.

It would be a fun project to try. Auto sexing Olive Eggers could be fun. It is a shame I can't keep Roos. Darn grumpy Neighbors.

 

[DMRippy]

Quote:
From what I have seen of the eggs the best you could hope for is green not olive.... maybe close with some birds but the eggs I have hatched or seen have been just brown. Olive eggers require DARK egg layers like a Marans.