Arkansas Blue egg layers

[johnderosa1]

Thank you very much.  My splash rooster did die yesterday.  Luckily I have about a dozen eggs I have collected so far.  They should be fertile for another couple of days which will (barring incubation issues) give me a good start on spring chicks. 

I would keep collecting until you confirm lack of fertility. You'd be surprised how long they will lay fertile eggs after mating . Certainly up to 2 weeks if not more...

 

[enola]

I have collected eggs for as long as 2 and 1/2 weeks after removing a rooster from a breeding pen. Incubate all those eggs until you start getting clears. You might be pleasantly surprised!

 

[caj1985]

I will definitely do that. Thanks! My biggest issue is going to be incubator space leading to mixed hatches with multiple hatch dates. Yuck! Hopefully hatches this spring won't be as bad as last spring when everything drowned because you just couldn't get the humidity low enough. This breed tends to hatch on day 22 and hatch weird anyway. They don't pip & zip. Most of these will pip and just keep increasing the pip hole until they finally burst through. You do not want to do any assisted hatches either. If you have to assist, they aren't going to make it.

I wish everything I had hatched the way the Buttercup Bantams do. Those hatch like quail. Pip, zip and out running.

 

[enola]

I no longer assist with hatches, either. Past assisted hatches ALL ended in disaster. I read on this site that people get their chicks to live, but I think hatching weakness should not be in the gene pool.

Edited to add that any chicks with crooked toes and chicks that are delayed hatchers are culled here too.

 

[caj1985]

I no longer assist with hatches, either. Past assisted hatches ALL ended in disaster. I read on this site that people get their chicks to live, but I think hatching weakness should not be in the gene pool.

Edited to add that any chicks with crooked toes and chicks that are delayed hatchers are culled here too.

I fully agree with you.

 

[1muttsfan]

I have to agree, few of the assisted chicks I've had have turned out well, so I no longer attempt it.

 

[TheKeeper]

I've texted the guy with the roos & i hope to hear soon. I'll keep you updated.

He has 1 still! I will see when I can come catch it since it's free-ranging. I'll let you know how he looks when I get him.
I'll send you pics too.
I can't quarantine him for you before I ship - I'm sorry - I can't have noisy roos.
I guess you'd quarantine him anyways even if I did.
But I will check him for obviously signs of sickness or bugs & treat accordingly & let you know.
Yay! So happy I can keep these great birds' lines going.
I love my pretty, feisty hens - best blue eggs ever.
One day I hope to trade my black hen for a splash hen. I have too much black in my flock pallet.

 

[caj1985]

He has 1 still! I will see when I can come catch it since it's free-ranging. I'll let you know how he looks when I get him.
I'll send you pics too.
I can't quarantine him for you before I ship - I'm sorry - I can't have noisy roos.
I guess you'd quarantine him anyways even if I did.
But I will check him for obviously signs of sickness or bugs & treat accordingly & let you know.
Yay! So happy I can keep these great birds' lines going.
I love my pretty, feisty hens - best blue eggs ever.
One day I hope to trade my black hen for a splash hen. I have too much black in my flock pallet.

Thank you very much. I'm the other way around. I want some black desperately. My only black hen decided not to come back from free-ranging one night and wound up on the losing end of a battle with a raccoon. As soon as I get back up and operating, I will definitely send you more eggs. That way you will definitely get your splash.

 

[enola]

If you breed blue x blue how often do you get blacks?

 

[TheKeeper]

Thank you very much. I'm the other way around. I want some black desperately. My only black hen decided not to come back from free-ranging one night and wound up on the losing end of a battle with a raccoon. As soon as I get back up and operating, I will definitely send you more eggs. That way you will definitely get your splash.

Well, I should send you the splash roo & the black hen together. They'll fit fine in the Horizon box I have.
I can trade the hen for hatching eggs. Is a dozen fair, maybe 18? I have a Brinsea 20 that'll take up to 2 dozen.
And no rush on them. I certainly can wait until you confirm fertility & take of customers already waiting.
I have 4 more weeks until it's empty then i think my husband needs a break already from peepers.
Maybe by then I'll have a couple broodies ready.