Any one want to join me in waiting for eggs, posting and comparing notes?

[USVIyardbird]

Got 2 eggs today. Expected more I heard alot of singing, maybe they were all singing shut-up and lay already. lol. Can't wait to get more when all girls are laying.

 

[Spikes Chooks]

Congratulations to everyone whose had eggs since I last popped by this thread yesterday. FANTASTIC!!! Love the photos.

Quote: You could consider a Silver Campine - a mid-sized chicken with lovely white eggs. My Sylvia gets on well in the mixed flock. They are a bit flighty - she really really really likes to free range and shrieks when I don't let them out. She is also the best flyer and wanted to keep at it when the others simply got too big in the body to bother. All we had to do was trim one wing and she can't get over fences now. The breeder I got her from said they have great personalities - and he is right. She loves to jump onto my lap when I sit down in the coop, and look for any treats. She is very pretty with large black eyes. I can't remember if I posted her photo here before, so apologies if it's a repeat.






I also have tried to get true breeds for longer years of laying, although as you note they will inevitably decline. I figure I will cross that bridge when I come to it - and knew in advance I would not be able to cull. I am in the suburbs of Sydney where we are only allowed five hens, so with my four I will wait for inevitable loss of some kind before I worry about it. There's only DH and I to feed so I figure if you have a few more chickens than you need, it's about right. I also chose my Australorp in part because they should lay well for some years. Only time will tell.



Beetle the Australorp. She is friendly and boisterous - and a great defender of the food from the wild birds here. The sulpher-crested cockatoos are twice her height, though slimmer in build - and she doesn't hesitate to chase them off if they come to the ground to feed close to her. She's only missed 1 or 2 days of laying since she started at 25 weeks old, about 7 weeks ago. Some of them will lay 2-3 eggs a week even when 5 or 6 years old.

I love this forum for how much information there is to learn from - and all the great stories.

Best egg-wishes
Katrina

 

[Melabella]

I have been waiting so long that I forgot I was waiting. I had given up. I have 3 Easter Eggers hatched April 19, a pure bred Americauna hatched in May and 3 bantams also hatched in May. This week one of my hens suddenly started laying. Everyday for the last 4 days she laid small brownish pink eggs. I am stoked and now waiting impatiently for my other hens to lay. Who knew it would take SO LONG. Do you think the ee's will lay brownish eggs? I am planning to get some chicks soon and am thinking about egg colors.

Hi Brynansmommie!

Don't know how you snuck in the door without a warm ol to the group! WOW, you've been waiting since April! You desearve an award for patience! So happy you finally have gotten an egg for all your hard work and waiting! Maybe the smallish eggs were from your bantams. What kind do you have. I am no expert by any means, but to the best of my knowledge, you will get some shade of green/olive or blue eggs from your EE's. I don't think I have ever heard of an EE laying brown eggs. Anyone with them chime in here?

I too am dreaming of eggs of different colors. Black Copper Marans lay the most beautiful dark chocolate brown eggs.. WOW
Hope you come back often, would love some pictures of your girls!

MB

 

[Melabella]

oscar seems like the perfect name! or courtney!(love)

MB, you'll be up to 1ooo posts in no time!

speaking of mystery eggs...
here are my two laying ladies, when we bought the six we were unclear as to what they were. then we thought we knew. then we didn't. then maybe. then no.
so, here we go (rather than me babbling i will just bombard with pictures of my glamour girls) What are they?
a photo-ode to my laying ladies:
mika on the left, paulaR on the right


i am also wondering if you can tell from their chick pics. and why do some chicks have no tail feathers!?


^^^ mika

Celila,,

Has Mika started laying yet? Because her picture reminds me of a Black Copper Maran...Look at this photo of one below

She even has the same green sheen in her body feathers like these do. If she is laying, you would see those very dark brown eggs. Wouldn't that be nice??
What do you think?
MB

 

[Melabella]

Congratulations to everyone whose had eggs since I last popped by this thread yesterday. FANTASTIC!!! Love the photos.

You could consider a Silver Campine - a mid-sized chicken with lovely white eggs. My Sylvia gets on well in the mixed flock. They are a bit flighty - she really really really likes to free range and shrieks when I don't let them out. She is also the best flyer and wanted to keep at it when the others simply got too big in the body to bother. All we had to do was trim one wing and she can't get over fences now. The breeder I got her from said they have great personalities - and he is right. She loves to jump onto my lap when I sit down in the coop, and look for any treats. She is very pretty with large black eyes. I can't remember if I posted her photo here before, so apologies if it's a repeat.






I also have tried to get true breeds for longer years of laying, although as you note they will inevitably decline. I figure I will cross that bridge when I come to it - and knew in advance I would not be able to cull. I am in the suburbs of Sydney where we are only allowed five hens, so with my four I will wait for inevitable loss of some kind before I worry about it. There's only DH and I to feed so I figure if you have a few more chickens than you need, it's about right. I also chose my Australorp in part because they should lay well for some years. Only time will tell.



Beetle the Australorp. She is friendly and boisterous - and a great defender of the food from the wild birds here. The sulpher-crested cockatoos are twice her height, though slimmer in build - and she doesn't hesitate to chase them off if they come to the ground to feed close to her. She's only missed 1 or 2 days of laying since she started at 25 weeks old, about 7 weeks ago. Some of them will lay 2-3 eggs a week even when 5 or 6 years old.

I love this forum for how much information there is to learn from - and all the great stories.

Best egg-wishes
Katrina

Katrina,,, Gosh what a beautiful bird! I did read about this breed but started to steer clear when I heard they can be flighty, and also fly! I have horses, and was thinking the last thing I needed was a flighty chicken when I am riding near them. What a stunner though. How many eggs a week about do you get from her? I also LOVE the picture of your BA. She is beautiful! Looks like they have a beautiful run as well! Gosh, I'm loving seeings everyones birds!

MB

 

[backyardcelia]

mika is the number one layer & those are her eggs, all but 2.


DEFINITELY a look alike to (your?)black copper maran! well... i haven't the foggiest!? that wasn't even one on my list! lol ...so, i think that solves my mystery!! it must be?
in this picture you can see how almost all of her feather have brown in them... and her sister has barely any brown (a bib) and is super blue(more so than green). hmmmm. (this picture, btw is weeks ago...right when she started laying.)


wait, THOSE DARK BROWN eggs? hmmmmm, what are sex linked, a mix? maybe they are something different?
as far as the eggs, i know it is them, i have caught them in the act! hmmmm

 

[Spikes Chooks]

Katrina,,, Gosh what a beautiful bird! I did read about this breed but started to steer clear when I heard they can be flighty, and also fly! I have horses, and was thinking the last thing I needed was a flighty chicken when I am riding near them. What a stunner though. How many eggs a week about do you get from her? I also LOVE the picture of your BA. She is beautiful! Looks like they have a beautiful run as well! Gosh, I'm loving seeings everyones birds!

MB

Sylvia is laying 5 days a week, so fairly good. I think they get used to stuff - certainly she is no more jumpy around Spike the cat than the others. They all fairly much ignore him unless he walks straight at them (he likes to "herd" them off his deck!) then they all just saunter off. Maybe post a question to anyone who has both Silver Campines and horses, to check it out before deciding. The main difference I notice is that she shrieks for an hour tor two before they are let out to free range in the early afternoon. The others just settle down for a rest, waiting for me to come down.

Thank you for appreciating their coop and run. Because it is in our suburban garden and can be seen from the house, we tried to make it as nice looking as possible - as well as practical. Here's other photos:








We have truned the bench seat around now - for chicken watching, of course!

Katrina

 

[Melabella]

mika is the number one layer & those are her eggs, all but 2.


DEFINITELY a look alike to (your?)black copper maran! well... i haven't the foggiest!? that wasn't even one on my list! lol ...so, i think that solves my mystery!! it must be?
in this picture you can see how almost all of her feather have brown in them... and her sister has barely any brown (a bib) and is super blue(more so than green). hmmmm. (this picture, btw is weeks ago...right when she started laying.)


wait, THOSE DARK BROWN eggs? hmmmmm, what are sex linked, a mix? maybe they are something different?
as far as the eggs, i know it is them, i have caught them in the act! hmmmm

Those pics are not my birds... just wanted to show you what one looked like. They lay those crazy dark eggs, so perhaps not. I have one other guess, I'm going to look for pics. Sex links are a mix type chicken, but that brown around her neck is confusing. Where did you get them from again? Maybe they are black sex links of some kind. What color legs does she have, as I think Marans have black legs.
They are very very pretty girls, the picture of health!
MB

 

[Melabella]

Sylvia is laying 5 days a week, so fairly good. I think they get used to stuff - certainly she is no more jumpy around Spike the cat than the others. They all fairly much ignore him unless he walks straight at them (he likes to "herd" them off his deck!) then they all just saunter off. Maybe post a question to anyone who has both Silver Campines and horses, to check it out before deciding. The main difference I notice is that she shrieks for an hour tor two before they are let out to free range in the early afternoon. The others just settle down for a rest, waiting for me to come down.

Thank you for appreciating their coop and run. Because it is in our suburban garden and can be seen from the house, we tried to make it as nice looking as possible - as well as practical. Here's other photos:








We have truned the bench seat around now - for chicken watching, of course!

Katrina

Great! LOVE LOVE LOVE! How does the sand in the run work out for you? I want to get a bench just like that for in front of my run.

 

[Spikes Chooks]

Sand really works well, I recommend it. The area we had to use can get quite boggy when we have rainy periods, so we spread wire mesh on the ground, bolted sleepers together to make the frame and filled with about 8cm of coarse river sand. They love to scratch and dust bathe in it. About two-thirds of it is covered so always stays dry. I use a kitty litter scoop for less than five minutes a day and it is clear of poop. As it's relatively close to the house, I wanted to keep odours and flies down.

I am really pleased with how it has worked out. We are in the second day of heavy rain, with a cyclone passing through and it is still completely dry in there. In fact, I just opened the door to offer the girls free ranging and they said "Thanks but no thanks - we're staying here today!!!" Bright girls.

Katrina