California - Northern

[ronott1]

So there is a range of size and other characteristics in the different Penedesencas?

Crele, Wheaten and Partridge are smaller. Black is bigger and is Dual Purpose.

I process the Partridge cockerels and they are a good size--not big like the Pita Pintas, Bresse or Basque but plenty big enough.

 

[Flowers of Abba]

bresse eat a lot too.

My bresse is top hen in the layers coop .we like her with humans but are def concerned about integration this hatching season. She stomped the heck out of a ccl I added to the flock.

From both. Marans are big and are not known to be the best at egg laying. From a production point of view they have poor feed to egg conversion but not terrible like some breeds. Just to compare, and like Lual said the eggs are beautiful, just less of them for more money: Notice that the Marans hen average is 6.5 pounds and the egg laying amount show three egg per week. The Penedesenca has a hne that weighs 4 pounds, 2.5 pounds less yet the average is 4 eggs per hen each week.

My fbcm is laying 4x per week. We like her a lot and LOVE the contrast to the color basket. But perhaps a pen would be a wiser choice.....

530-626-1360 try Greg at the Garden Garnish Bamboo in Placerville he will know others too

So great to know . High altitude gardening is hard for me especially with children lol. Trying not to kill the roses and hydrangea ... Don't know if the star flower vine will be back....

 

[Sylvester017]

Yeah i have some juvies and will have chicks later.
so much eat..... not as much as the marans however. .

I had a Cuckoo Marans that was the laziest forager of any breed I've ever had. She would walk beside a gentle breed and then steal their forage. She was just too dam* lazy to do any work herself yet she ate like a pig at the feeder -- and for all that feed we were lucky to get 2 eggs/week maybe 3 from her of less than stellar size or color. When she viciously attacked one of the gentle breeds she was instantly re-homed. Guess Marans are ok with their own breed flock or with other large dual purpose breeds but I'll never have one again simply because they are so lazy, nippy, and sneaky. My friend had a similar experience with her BCM and also was re-homed.

 

[Sylvester017]

My bresse is top hen in the layers coop .we like her with humans but are def concerned about integration this hatching season. She stomped the heck out of a ccl I added to the flock.

My fbcm is laying 4x per week. We like her a lot and LOVE the contrast to the color basket. But perhaps a pen would be a wiser choice.....

I've come to respect Hangtown Farms regarding their knowledge on temperament and performance about dark layers. Wish I had known about them to consult with before I started my backyard flock!

 

[RooJi]

aww theyre so cute! What color eggs will they lay? Also i found a lot of varying pictures on the internet of what they look like full grown...do you happen to have a picture i can see?

 

[RooJi]

The eggs will be darkest at the beginning of the egg laying cycle(first egg to molt). The color will get lighter over the cycle. For pullets, the eggs get bigger with each set that they lay--3 to 5 eggs, take a day off and then a bit bigger egg and so on. After a couple of months the eggs will settle in to a "normal" size for that hen. Then after the first molt the eggs will usually be a bit bigger.

Congratulations!

The Dominique will lay a smaller egg usually. It's a breed characteristic.

Ok! Thanks so much for your help!!

 

[Sylvester017]

Aww they r
so cute! What colir eggs willthey lay?

The eggs will be darkest at the beginning of the egg laying cycle(first egg to molt). The color will get lighter over the cycle. For pullets, the eggs get bigger with each set that they lay--3 to 5 eggs, take a day off and then a bit bigger egg and so on. After a couple of months the eggs will settle in to a "normal" size for that hen. Then after the first molt the eggs will usually be a bit bigger.

Congratulations!

The Dominique will lay a smaller egg usually. It's a breed characteristic.

Ok! Thanks so much for your help!!

On the following Marans website click about halfway down on their Home page a pdf called A Review of Egg Color that I found interesting about all the colors of eggs chickens lay and what affects the color variations:
http://maranschickenclubusa.com/

 

[chickee]

Most of us do not have chickens to make money so do not really care about feed conversion and etc. Most care about pet qualities(Who does not love to hug a fluffy chicken?). Marans lay very pretty eggs. Penedesencas do not care about me but the Pita Pintas love me! They are the best Large Fowl pet chicken for me so far(they lay a lot of eggs too).

I do not have FBCM because they are one of the breeds that have died at my place in the heat.

Penedesencas are very feed efficient. I think Jason was saying that his are bigger than the average--and I am sure he said that the cockerels are big enough to eat. Black Penedesencas are listed as being Dual Purpose.

Ha! Who makes money on chickens?

All of mine are pets. I am happy if their eggs can pay for their feed. The GCMs are very confident, super vigorous, beautiful to look at and not a bit flighty.

 

[farmhand]

Quote: My intention is not to make money; rather just not lose too much. I view my flock as my pet. But no one bird would be considered so.
"The good of the many outweighs the good of the few."

 

[farmhand]

I'm very happy with these today. The blue comes from Cream Leg Bar over an EE that lays off white eggs. The olive egg comes from Splash Copper Marans over an EE that lays green eggs. And the white is from a California Gray.