Azure Blue

[Stepnout]

The size difference doesn’t look nearly as bad in photos. Im probably just nitpicking.

They are HENS! Congratulations the others will catch up to the other one. My Aures have HUGE Combs that lay over to the side. I believe yours will too. The first bird to lay will be the one with the largest comb. I believe the combs and wattles will even get bigger yet. I;m not a fan of the big comb and wattles but the eggs are lovely.

 

[Stepnout]

I just took these 2 hours ago to show you. Looks like I might see some Frost bite.

 

[Stepnout]

Here are some photos.

See my photos in the previous post.

 

[Bown]

They are HENS! Congratulations the others will catch up to the other one. My Aures have HUGE Combs that lay over to the side. I believe yours will too. The first bird to lay will be the one with the largest comb. I believe the combs and wattles will even get bigger yet. I;m not a fan of the big comb and wattles but the eggs are lovely.

Oh thank goodness! I have a bunch of silkies and a silkie rooster and I was really hoping to avoid another rooster of a different breed.
The large comb may be a problem for me here on the east coast of Canada. We experience lots of freezes and thaws throughout the winter and frost bite is a real problem. I’ve noticed a little dry black spot on the two smaller combed Azure Blues and wondered if it was frostbite or an injury. They roost high up in my greenhouse coop which is well ventilated, whereas the silkies and two broilers pile up in a corner like a pile of warm kittens lol.

 

[Bown]

I just took these 2 hours ago to show you. Looks like I might see some Frost bite.

Oh my goodness their combs are enormous! Definitely going to be a worrisome winter.

 

[Bown]

I finally found a blue egg!!!

While walking through the coop this morning I stepped on a bluish coloured egg hidden in the shavings. And I also walked in on all 14 of my hens having a feast of the other eggs that were waiting for me, they even managed to crack one of the ceramic eggs I use to promote box laying Time to rig up a roll away box.

 

[Stepnout]

I finally found a blue egg!!!

While walking through the coop this morning I stepped on a bluish coloured egg hidden in the shavings. And I also walked in on all 14 of my hens having a feast of the other eggs that were waiting for me, they even managed to crack one of the ceramic eggs I use to promote box laying Time to rig up a roll away box.

Wow too bad about the egg eating. Better put a stop to that. Great idea about a roll away box.
Glad you found a blue egg. They are light blue. I'll post a picture.

 

[Stepnout]

These are from early December

 

[Bown]

These are from early December

Thank you! I didn’t take a photo of the shell to show my kids, but your photo worked perfectly!

The roll away box will hopefully help me with my egg mysteries, the last several weeks I’ve not been getting many eggs and I blamed it on the light this time of year and moulting. Turns out they’ve been eating them.

I actually caught my rooster going into the coop where the girls usually lay and he was digging in the shavings. Until the past 2 weeks I had the girls laying in a little Kent Store coop that they normally brood and raise chicks in, it’s away from my greenhouse coop where they sleep. The rooster never made a habit of going into the Kent coop so I didn’t think he was eating them, he’s been known to eat eggs before.

The azure blues got caught breaking eggs this morning too, I laid an egg down while digging in the shavings to find the others and they went over and broke it for breakfast.

Time to do some roll away box research, I have some ideas to repurpose large flower pots and a plastic fish pan. Let’s hope it works.

 

[Stepnout]

The rooster likely taught them that. Might be time to get a new ROO! I have no experience with egg eating. What I read is it's a bad and hard thing to stop unless you cull. Hopefully the roll away idea works. You should check other threads regarding egg eating. Maybe they need a higher protein feed for the winter.