BYC Café

[ronott1]

In purely financial terms you are probably right, but I love blue and green eggs and one or two in an egg carton of brown eggs really makes the color pop!

I have 4 UofArkansas Blue egg layers growing out. They lay lots of blue eggs

 

[N F C]

Even though she isn't the most productive layer, I do love the Welsummer eggs. They always look a bit different with their dark brown splotches on the brown eggs. Just wish I had more! (Gee, doesn't that sound like just about everyone else on BYC?)

 

[ronott1]

Even though she isn't the most productive layer, I do love the Welsummer eggs. They always look a bit different with their dark brown splotches on the brown eggs. Just wish I had more! (Gee, doesn't that sound like just about everyone else on BYC?)

I used to have partridge penedesencas. They lay very dark brown eggs. I hope to get more again some day

 

[FridayYet]

Your flock sounds similar to mine Friday, lol. I only have 5 girls. 4 of them are blue egg layers and only 1 Welsummer that gives me brown eggs. I've never had a white egg layer either.

If I could somehow get a larger coop, I'd be sorely tempted to add a couple white egg layers and a couple more brown layers.

That's what I'm working towards. Comfortably I can have around 15 chickens, so I can add more in the spring because there are only 13 adults, 2 juvies and 9 babies outside.

Actually I'm processing a couple adult birds in the next few days, the juvies are probably both cockerels and probably half the babies will be boys, too. The 2 old ladies don't count because they are calm, good with youngsters and teach the cockerels manners.

 

[CapricornFarm]

Your flock sounds similar to mine Friday, lol. I only have 5 girls. 4 of them are blue egg layers and only 1 Welsummer that gives me brown eggs. I've never had a white egg layer either.

If I could somehow get a larger coop, I'd be sorely tempted to add a couple white egg layers and a couple more brown layers.

Polish are wonderful white egg layers and great chickens!

 

[Alaskan]

So speaking of gaining weight, I made chocolate brownies with butterscotch chips and pecans on top.
Going to have some right now with a salted caramel hot chocolate sprinkled with cinnamon.

I may have a minor sweet tooth.

spike the hot chocolate and I am hopping on a plane to join in!!

The breeds on the list for next year are currently (but will probably change once a week):
Buckeye, Barred Rock, Easter Eggers
And possible subs: Welsummer, Dorking
could still make the list: Dominque, Chantecler, Java, Maran, Delaware

I would argue for Dominique over Barred Rock

As to the rest of the list, Dorkings and Cuckoo Marans are often great broodies, and of course more meat (especially the Dorkings)


Easter Eggers are usually excellent layers by the way

Right now all I have is blue eggs. Orloffs (cream eggs) aren't laying, my Marans hen isn't laying, and my old ladies that lay green don't lay much at all. Bunch of freeloaders out there. Need some more brown egg layers in spring, and I've never had a hen that lays white eggs.

My favorite breed of all time, if I HAD to have only one, would be my Appenzeller Spitzhauben. Awesome personalities, no aggression from the roosters, and good egg laying. .white. Medium sized eggs though. I got mine from a breeder...so faaaaaaaancy colors. Love them.

My next favorite white egg layer, and the most practical white egg layer...rose comb white leghorn. excellent girls. I haven't even kept a boy though...so not sure about their temperament. However, my dark brown Leghorns are good girls too but FLIGHTY. The dark brown roos have been mostly fine.

 

[Treerooted]

Light level is what gets them not the cold

Oh ya I know, guess I added the "cold" just to set the scene Though I believe I read somewhere that very cold weather still has an impact on lay due to energy being used to stay warm.

In purely financial terms you are probably right, but I love blue and green eggs and one or two in an egg carton of brown eggs really makes the color pop!

For sure! And I definitely wouldn't have my Barnevelders if I were only practical They may not be a breed I keep continually, but I think they'd be fun to try!

 

[Treerooted]

spike the hot chocolate and I am hopping on a plane to join in!!

I would argue for Dominique over Barred Rock

As to the rest of the list, Dorkings and Cuckoo Marans are often great broodies, and of course more meat (especially the Dorkings)

Easter Eggers are usually excellent layers by the way

Ha, I totally did...little bit of Bailey's

So I picked Barred because they're cheaper and would be for egg laying (but roos in the pot). Just so I can up my egg count for a bit.
What do you like about the Dominique?

The Dorkings I want for sure, but was planning to wait until after I for sure have a new coop set up. The Marans were more of a fun bird thought...though I was planning on Welsummers instead.

 

[FridayYet]

Luckily I have a friend in town who had a really good hatch of Welsummers from shipped eggs. I'm hoping to get some pullets from her or maybe trade for a few of my extra EE and Ameraucana babies.

 

[ShrekDawg]

Thanks Keogh. I've never heard of that, but it may just be the solution.

No problem! I'll try to find the thread for you if you want but just look up mama heating pad. It's by Blooie. There's A LOT of reading but you can read first few pages and last few. Be sure to read the later ones or ask questions because there have been modifications since the first pages that make it better but the thread is too old to edit now.

You might even be able to make some sort of cave with just hay or towels or something without an actual heat source.

@KDOGG331 Pictures for sure!

But no worries getting those plans to me. I want to build something along the lines of 10x30 lol. Though I'll be lucky with something even half that size I think .

So do you think I should get Easter Eggers? I like the idea of the colourful eggs; though I feel like it may not be a "responsible" choice for my long term goals of selling eggs . But meh, I figure now is the time to try out breeds anyway. And who knows; maybe it'll be a selling point? I do love the mix of shades we have now.
View attachment 1187008

I am also in the same camp of wanting every breed there is
I also have Wyandotte, Barnevelder and Brahmas

The breeds on the list for next year are currently (but will probably change once a week):
Buckeye, Barred Rock, Easter Eggers
And possible subs: Welsummer, Dorking
could still make the list: Dominque, Chantecler, Java, Maran, Delaware

and there's more of course how do you even decided?

Wow that is a big coop! LOL

And yeah. Honestly I think the EE's might be a selling point!! People love colored eggs. It's fun and unique and not something you can buy in a store. However you do sometimes get the stupid people that think the green ones are "moldy" or something is wrong with the colored eggs... just look at the dumbest things people have said about chickens thread....

And i love all of those breeds.

And honestly my EE's are great layers. One of mine was the first to lay (though a BO laid that day too) and that one has also been an excellent winter layer and molting layer, laying when no one else is or only one or two others. Although right now not a single one of my 8 free loaders is laying!!!!

But anyway, that one lays I would say like medium greenish/almost olive eggs and the other one initially laid Jumbo/XL beautiful light blue eggs. Often double yolks too. They were seriously huge and gorgeous. Never laid smaller than a large. But unfortunately now the shell color is a bit faded and almost white and the eggs are a little smaller. Not really sure what's going on anymore :/ also while I would classify the green ones eggs as a more medium size, I actually did weigh them a few times and I think technically they might be large. They're not that small. Or maybe that was another hen, idk. But yeah, the EE's lay in winter and lay gorgeous big eggs. People say they don't lay well but idk what they are talking about haha

spike the hot chocolate and I am hopping on a plane to join in!!



I would argue for Dominique over Barred Rock

As to the rest of the list, Dorkings and Cuckoo Marans are often great broodies, and of course more meat (especially the Dorkings)


Easter Eggers are usually excellent layers by the way



My favorite breed of all time, if I HAD to have only one, would be my Appenzeller Spitzhauben. Awesome personalities, no aggression from the roosters, and good egg laying. .white. Medium sized eggs though. I got mine from a breeder...so faaaaaaaancy colors. Love them.View attachment 1187081 View attachment 1187078

My next favorite white egg layer, and the most practical white egg layer...rose comb white leghorn. excellent girls. I haven't even kept a boy though...so not sure about their temperament. However, my dark brown Leghorns are good girls too but FLIGHTY. The dark brown roos have been mostly fine.

Oh ya I know, guess I added the "cold" just to set the scene Though I believe I read somewhere that very cold weather still has an impact on lay due to energy being used to stay warm.



For sure! And I definitely wouldn't have my Barnevelders if I were only practical They may not be a breed I keep continually, but I think they'd be fun to try!

Ha, I totally did...little bit of Bailey's

So I picked Barred because they're cheaper and would be for egg laying (but roos in the pot). Just so I can up my egg count for a bit.
What do you like about the Dominique?

The Dorkings I want for sure, but was planning to wait until after I for sure have a new coop set up. The Marans were more of a fun bird thought...though I was planning on Welsummers instead.

Yeah, I too am curious about the Dominique. I love my Barred a lot and would definitely get more but I had also considered the Dominique. They're definitely harder to find, at least quality ones.