California - Northern

[Sylvester017]

thats a great Idea, I will check into Pennedesenca's

@Hangtown Farms Hangtown Farms is very knowledgeable and if I were to get a dark egg layer I'd prefer anything over Cuckoo Marans. Our Cuckoo barely layed #4 on the egg color chart and only about 2 eggs per week and occasionally 3. I personally like the Mediterranean class of chickens which IMO are the most prolific of egg layer breeds (Ancona, Andalusian, Empordanesa/Penedesenca (I believe), Sicilian Buttercup, Catalana, Siciliana, Leghorn, Minorca, White Face Black Spanish and all the Castillian breeds. Penes I think don't care for human touch so much but lay a beautiful color. Our Cuckoo Marans turned out to be mean to the gentle breeds in our flock so I don't recommend mixing Marans with docile breeds. It's possible the Penes/Emps might not be the best around timid breeds either? The Penes are a lighterweight bird and probably easier on the feed bill - our Maran was a hefty eater and didn't produce much in return.

Some people like Welsummer but I see so many photos of their eggs that have spots rather than showing a solid brown egg. Of course, it's all a matter of personal preferences.

 

[SilkiesForEver]

Quote: I agree about the Marans. I thought I was getting good bloodlines when I purchased a hen about a year ago, but she ended up only laying about 5 eggs while I had her (which was a while), and they were hardly anything to be excited about.

Welsummers are actually supposed to have a range of "smooth colored" eggs, and "patchy" eggs (for lack of better terms). I personally love the spots on the deep chestnut colored egg my hen lays. So yes, it's all a matter of preference.

 

[h2oratt]

I will let my friend know about the pennedesca 's. She lives in Ione so hang town is pretty close..I am pretty sure she wants the really dark eggs. My cuckoo Maran from mcmurrays lays dark brown eggs but nothing like they had on display at the show. She is a pretty big bird but lays pretty much every day. Isn't that mean but they all grew up together.

 

[Hangtown Farms]

I will let my friend know about the pennedesca 's. She lives in Ione so hang town is pretty close..I am pretty sure she wants the really dark eggs. My cuckoo Maran from mcmurrays lays dark brown eggs but nothing like they had on display at the show. She is a pretty big bird but lays pretty much every day. Isn't that mean but they all grew up together.

thanks all.

I drive right through Ione everyday to work and back to. My blacks are just starting to pick back up. I also sold eggs to someone else in Ione a few times I can try and look up as well if they want eggs right away

 

[Sylvester017]

I will let my friend know about the pennedesca 's. She lives in Ione so hang town is pretty close..I am pretty sure she wants the really dark eggs. My cuckoo Maran from mcmurrays lays dark brown eggs but nothing like they had on display at the show. She is a pretty big bird but lays pretty much every day. Isn't that mean but they all grew up together.

From what I understand in research the #4 egg color is acceptable for Marans but I bought organic brown eggs from the store larger and darker than our Cuckoo's eggs. When my Cuckoo Marans started to lay it was about 4 per week but after molt she started to lay again at 2-3/per week and she was an awfully hefty eater but lazy to forage for herself. She would follow the other chickens on purpose to steal from them. Maybe because she was so heavy she constantly needed to eat? Still, she wouldn't scratch/forage for herself. Chickens understandably have a pecking order but she was strangely a vicious one around flockmates so we just re-homed her to an egg-seller. I would've kept her if she played nice with the others. We have a 2 y/o Ameraucana (my avatar) that is a poor layer (hasn't layed in 6 mos) but we keep her because she is a kind flockmate and as long as chickens play nice we'll continue to give them a forever home.

 

[joydix]

i know what you mean...i have a russian orloff that did not lay for almost a year and when she did the eggs were so thin shelled and sometimes gelatinous...i tried all kinds of supplements...liquid calcium etc...but she is such a love i would NEVER get rid of her and you know what? at yr 3 she started laying a couple weeks ago...strong shelled BEAUTIFUL eggs! who knew!!!!! and i don't really care...i just love her.

 

[h2oratt]

Do you have a picture of her?

 

[NeseO]

Off subject, just grabbed some Trader Joe fertile eggs last weekend and all but 2 are showing development!!! So excited! Hubby asked me if I'd be 'tooting this to everyone'. I laughed and informed him that I don't have a 'tooter' account. Have a great morning

 

[ronott1]

Off subject, just grabbed some Trader Joe fertile eggs last weekend and all but 2 are showing development!!! So excited! Hubby asked me if I'd be 'tooting this to everyone'. I laughed and informed him that I don't have a 'tooter' account. Have a great morning

I hatched these for the New Years Day hatch a long:



I set 45 eggs and hatched 33 chicks. Half are from Whole Foods and the other half are from Trader Joes.

 

[juststruttin]

Hello everyone. I have not been on here in forever... How is everyone doing? Any new cool project people are working on? I have cut way way back on my birds. I am down to 60 birds, and most are 5-6 years old. I actually had to buy eggs this winter. That was painful. I just separated out my breeders and plan to set a hatch on 3/1, but I am not going to get out of hand this year. Now that I put that down in writing, ya'll have to keep me to my word. LOL


@Ronott1, I see you recently had a nice big hatch. It's shocking how well grocery store eggs hatch, but then again.. you are the master hatcher. Congrats!!!