Most of my hens have stopped for the Winter, I only get 5-9 eggs per day, for the past month or so (out of 30 hens/pullets). Most of his babies have the muffy beards, but they won't be laying until Spring, I assume. They will be 10 months in April for the 1st 2, and 8 months for the 2nd clutch of 5. I have been getting eggs at about 7-10 months old, it seems, tho I hear folks say younger. These will be my first EE's, my 3 Amies started between 6 and 8 months, so I don't really know, yet.
None of the blue, turqouise, or Olive Drab army eggs hatched, so these clutches are from Red Sexlink and a Barred Game hen. We'll see, won't we? I am a bit puzzled as I put 2 OD, 3 Turquoise, and 6 brown eggs in the 'bator (my 1st time using one) and only got 3 hatches, and all from brown eggs. The Turq eggs in my Game Hen clutch didn't hatch, only her egg and the browns that I put under her.
I now have 1 EE (Cog) and 3 Amie Roos all doin' the romancing thing with the girls, so maybe I'll have a better fertilization percentage. This Spring, I am going to build a couple of "Love Tractors" so that I can pair Roos with particular Hens, and know what I get from whom. I have only had chickens for about 2 years, now, and have jumped from 8 to my present 51 chickens due to people offering me "bargains" as they didn't want to winter them. I had 8 chickens last Spring...and have lost about 12, since then. You can see that I am a sucker for someone offering me a "bargain". haha! My wifey gives me some sideways looks, at times, but she knows how my chickens and gardens keep me calm and happy, so she allows it. (S_E'ing grin)
Any advice as to things that I should do, are welcomed. I just like watching them and giving eggs to neighbors, and folks who need a little addittional food due to the depressed state we find ourselves in. Work is hard to find, here, and not everyone has lots of food money, it seems. I do want to move into Sebrights and develop a blue-grey chicken, as I think they're beautiful, but my "colored egg girls" are beautiful, to me, and I love eating "Green eggs and Ham" with my 4 year-old Grandson. He loves "Pop's Army Egg Chickens". They don't even seem to mind him chasing them, tho he isn't very "dangerous" about it. They just scoot away then look at him.
About Cog and the fight: Everybody here scratched their heads, too. Red (an old "Bantee" breeder near me, and an old friend at that) said that he's had a Cock or 2 that had fought predators, but they usually died in the fight. I was lucky as I was home and heard the ruckus and went running with my .45 drawn. I popped off 3-4 rounds and that was what broke up the fight. When Cog lost all of his back, tail, and throat feathers (in the great hen killing week while I was gone), there were no witnesses to what transpired, so I am assuming that he fought the predator. He was so ashamed that he hid in the coop when I would come near the pen, and would walk away from me, when i trried to check out his wounds. He is normally very confident and will stand rigbht by me, and almost let me pet him. He is "The Master" and doesn't want to appear weak, so he won't actually let me pet him, much. After his feathers started coming back, he started acting like normal. It always amazes me how chickens are so personable. He almost seems to try to talk to me, and seems annoyed when I don't do whatever it is that he's trying to get me to do. Every morning, he'll raise all kinds of sand, crowing, bucking, and talking until I open the gate to let them range. Then he stands by me as all of the others come out, and just sort of bucks at me, like he's saying, "It's about time, Duder!" Looking dead into my eyes, the whole time. Chickens are funny, I think, but very interesting to watch.
Man, I can be long-winded on rainy days. Sorry. Bye, ya'all! haha
