Arkansas Blue egg layers

[caj1985]

They can definitely fly. At one time I had bantam Buttercups, AB's and Sumatras. I had to have a top on every pen. It was sheer chaos for the first few minutes whenever I would let them out to free-range. Thank goodness I had 5 acres for them to use.

Mine always got my blueberries and raspberries before I could.

 

[1muttsfan]

can I candle yet??

 

[Manningjw]

That is very cool. I use plastic baskets, but that looks more efficient

Baskets would be easier, but I didn't really have any that would suit my needs - and I kind of like making things

.

The Maniac nature does not change. I have a plumb tree in the back yard that has bloomed and has fruit. When it was blooming, I saw a bunch of hens out under the tree looking up. Then some blossoms fell to the ground. Sure enough, my two Ark Blue hens were way up in the tree knocking off the blossoms!

Even in subsequent generations! My project birds tend to be fairly docile in nature, one of them flies up and lands on my arm for pets but all 5 of the pullets that I hatched from my birds covered by the U of A cockerel are pretty skittish like full blooded leghorns! My rooster is even more afraid of people than my pure White Leghorn is. He is a bit of a chicken

. I am glad he isn't as rough on the ladies though, I haven't had to suture any closed or isolate a hen that was injured by him like I have with past roosters. And I LOVE that he is so quiet!

 

[caj1985]

Baskets would be easier, but I didn't really have any that would suit my needs - and I kind of like making things

.



Even in subsequent generations! My project birds tend to be fairly docile in nature, one of them flies up and lands on my arm for pets but all 5 of the pullets that I hatched from my birds covered by the U of A cockerel are pretty skittish like full blooded leghorns! My rooster is even more afraid of people than my pure White Leghorn is. He is a bit of a chicken

. I am glad he isn't as rough on the ladies though, I haven't had to suture any closed or isolate a hen that was injured by him like I have with past roosters. And I LOVE that he is so quiet!

My rooster was extremely skittish, but very gentle with the ladies. I never had any bare backs or broken feathering. I also noticed that the splash seem to be more skittish than the blues or blacks. I have no idea why, but that is the way it worked with all of mine. I could walk around (but not touch) all of mine except the splash. They would immediately start cackling alarm and move no matter how much time I spent around them. I also noticed the larger the area they were in, the less skittish to approach. When free ranging they would just casually walk off, but in the pen or coop, it was disastrous.

 

[1muttsfan]

I have also found the roosters to be good with the girls, never hear squawking or see them fussed by masculine attentions.

 

[Manningjw]

My first chicks of the Cinco de Mayo hatch are arriving now!

Out of 37 eggs set, I had 3 infertile and 1 early quitter, leaving me with 33 developing normally even one that I cracked the shell candling by dropping another egg on it! So far 8 have hatched, several more are zipping and I expect them out in the next hour or so. Almost all have pipped so it should be a good hatch!

Here is the first little one out, she arrived at 10 pm last night, about 14 hours earlier than the due time which is right now.

 

[ronott1]

My first chicks of the Cinco de Mayo hatch are arriving now!

Out of 37 eggs set, I had 3 infertile and 1 early quitter, leaving me with 33 developing normally even one that I cracked the shell candling by dropping another egg on it! So far 8 have hatched, several more are zipping and I expect them out in the next hour or so. Almost all have pipped so it should be a good hatch!

Here is the first little one out, she arrived at 10 pm last night, about 14 hours earlier than the due time which is right now.

I hope you have a great hatch!

I have more Ark Blues eggs on the way!

 

[1muttsfan]

Nice! Thanks to Metalla I know have an almost full incubator

 

[Manningjw]

Has anyone had issues with broody hens with this breed(or had any brood at all for that matter)? Seems like they wouldn't have any tendency toward brooding but my primarily leghorn descent hens managed to keep some brooding tendency.

 

[Manningjw]

I hope you have a great hatch!

I have more Ark Blues eggs on the way!

Thanks! I hope my birds end up as good looking and productive as the ones I gave to my parents! All 5 of them look identical and 3 of the 5 have started laying even though they are still quite young. The first one started around 18 weeks old.