At this point, unless one of my girls turns out to be broody, I have to go for pullets that're at least feathered out. No incubator, and with my husband's reaction to the idea of chickens in the garage for a month of quarantine (I'm going to be making a pen that I can take down when I don't need it and keeping chickens in the skinny side yard on the other side of the house from the coop) makes me think that chicks in the garage for twice that wouldn't go over well. And there's not really enough room in there anyway. Though he admits that the chickens are growing on him--especially since we found the first eggs on Saturday. Of course, I could get our daughters (10 and nearly 5) to work on him
I don't remember, but I'm pretty sure Happy Chooks was the one that was talking about it.
I remember you talking about CGs before, but since I can't breed anything, I'd feel bad for taking a rare breed. Unless someone needed to cull for not meeting standards or something...Amy if you don't mind my trying to sell you on a breed and even if you do,The California Grey and the Dorking are my favorites of the white egg layers. Both are calmer than the avg white layer and here are some pros and cons of each.
CA Greys: True CA Greys are found at Privett hatchery. Because they are feather sexing I felt ok ordering them from there. (pullets are much darker) It is hard to find them from breeders. They are NOT a hybrid. They breed true and are derived from Barred Plymouth Rocks and White Leghorns but are far from a simple cross between the two. The originator and his son...The Drydens...didn't have any interest in getting them APA approved so they aren't and there is no standard but I can tell you the following:
* you will get a large bright white egg 5-7 days a week
* you will start to get them at around 16 weeks
* you will get friendly, funny, curious, bold birds
* Good winter layer
* non-setter
* you will be helping to preserve a quality dual purpose American breed that has flown under the radar to the point that it is seriously in danger
* The Dryden lines are available from Privett. So in other words, unlike with most breeds you get quality. I was really happy with all of my Privett chicks. They were/are higher quality than the hatchery chicks I purchased the previous year
My other favorite white/slightly tinted egg layer is the Dorking.
@capayvalleychick and @ronott1 will be able to give you more accurate info on their productivity since I only have one at POL and she has only been doing it for about 5 days but I can tell you about their character
*docile and curious
*A variety of colors. the Silver Grey being the most common in the US
* The make the sweetest chicken sounds
* They are known to go broody and be good mothers
* One of the oldest breeds...maybe the oldest
* High quality gourmet meat
* The coolness of having 5 toes and really short legs
I also have Icelandics and a Dorking Polish X which I like very much but since you are limited in the number you can have I would recommend either of these. If you decide you want the CGs and you are worried about meeting the minimum order from Privett, I found it very easy to sell my extras. People like 6 week olds that don't have to be brooded and chicks don't count in your totals
Stockton's too far away for me
WANT!I got plum colored eggs from a Welsummer/BR cross. With mine, the plum is the egg color and the bloom she puts on it. Still pretty, so I don't care. Some Marans have had plum colors too. Wynette had one that was plum, then you'd wash it and it would turn brown, then it dried and went plum again. She tried to hatch them, but none ever hatched.
Anyhow, here is my black sex link's egg:
And yes, it was Happy Chooks I was thinking of
I pretty much have been in bed since yesderday. The flu sucks and I feel like I have been run over by a truck. Hopefully my kids don't get it. They got vaccinated, but DH and I didn't. DH is on the mend a little, but is still weak and feverish. He was stuck in bed for over 3 days. So much to do and I can barely type laying down. My house is a mess, I have fruit trees to plant, and I need to build some nest boxes and two " rooster coops".. plus a million other things to do. Good thing I loaded up the chickens with food, I can't even make it down to the coops.
that is so funny!
