Chicken Breed Focus - Fayoumi

[feather13]

I would love to know how cold hardy they can be. I live in California. The climate is perfect in Los Angeles area. I live more up in the desert. It get HOT in the summer and fall. Winter is brutal cold for a desert. Right now it 37 F degrees outside.

We live in southern California in the "Inland Empire" and EFs are definitely suited to our weather. They are small, skittish, tough, beautiful birds that love to free range. Honestly, though, I would never get them again. We live in the suburbs and imho these birds don't bear confinement well and love to roam all over the neighborhood. One of our neighbors has two very noisy outdoor dogs, yet one of the EFs thought it would be a good idea to jump into their yard. Unfortunately, she was killed. If your neighbors don't mind finding chickens in their yards all the time and don't mind the earsplitting pterodactyl sounds these birds make, then I say go for it! They have tons of personality and are really pretty, but are very independent, noisy (like nothing heard since the Jurassic Era), and flighty. Let us know if you end up getting some!

 

[feather13]

Here is a clip!

LOL... our EF sounds like that. Recordings didn't even do it justice. They are the howler monkeys of the avian world. They are also rebel girls who like to lead their standard breed sisters up over a six foot wall that has a ten foot drop on the other side into a neighbor's yard. And then, for some reason, they like to scream even more when they're down there. And if you've seen James Cameron's Avatar, they act just like the dragons in that film when they swoop down over the wall. It's really not fun sending a ladder over the wall to get the larger chickens who can't make it back up on their own.

EFs are wonderful, sassy, independent birds (and resistant to Marek's if that's in your flock like it is in ours), but I wouldn't recommend for urban/suburban backyards, meat (they really are just skin and bones... my kids named ours Skinny Legend), or if you want to keep your chicken keeping on the down low from neighbors.

 

[BleuSaphir]

LOL... our EF sounds like that. Recordings didn't even do it justice. They are the howler monkeys of the avian world. They are also rebel girls who like to lead their standard breed sisters up over a six foot wall that has a ten foot drop on the other side into a neighbor's yard. And then, for some reason, they like to scream even more when they're down there. And if you've seen James Cameron's Avatar, they act just like the dragons in that film when they swoop down over the wall. It's really not fun sending a ladder over the wall to get the larger chickens who can't make it back up on their own.

EFs are wonderful, sassy, independent birds (and resistant to Marek's if that's in your flock like it is in ours), but I wouldn't recommend for urban/suburban backyards, meat (they really are just skin and bones... my kids named ours Skinny Legend), or if you want to keep your chicken keeping on the down low from neighbors.

Their resilience to marek disease is a great positive feature of this breed.

 

[feather13]

Their resilience to marek disease is a great positive feature of this breed.

Yes! One of our EFs was killed by a neighbor's dog, but the other seem s resistant to Marek's so far (they were both vaccinated, although that doesn't guarantee symptoms won't occur). Maybe EFs get quieter with age?

 

[BleuSaphir]

Yes! One of our EFs was killed by a neighbor's dog, but the other seem s resistant to Marek's so far (they were both vaccinated, although that doesn't guarantee symptoms won't occur). Maybe EFs get quieter with age?

Judging from the video...I say nope! LOL

 

[Cjsgnn]

LOL... our EF sounds like that. Recordings didn't even do it justice. They are the howler monkeys of the avian world. They are also rebel girls who like to lead their standard breed sisters up over a six foot wall that has a ten foot drop on the other side into a neighbor's yard. And then, for some reason, they like to scream even more when they're down there. And if you've seen James Cameron's Avatar, they act just like the dragons in that film when they swoop down over the wall. It's really not fun sending a ladder over the wall to get the larger chickens who can't make it back up on their own.

EFs are wonderful, sassy, independent birds (and resistant to Marek's if that's in your flock like it is in ours), but I wouldn't recommend for urban/suburban backyards, meat (they really are just skin and bones... my kids named ours Skinny Legend), or if you want to keep your chicken keeping on the down low from neighbors.

We are obsessed with her personality Little Bo peep is so animated she rules the rest of the girls, despite her size. I just thought it was the right thing to do.... to warn people about the dinosaur in her and that breed!!!
We really really really are glad to have her and luckily we live on a big yard.

 

[feather13]

We are obsessed with her personality Little Bo peep is so animated she rules the rest of the girls, despite her size. I just thought it was the right thing to do.... to warn people about the dinosaur in her and that breed!!!
We really really really are glad to have her and luckily we live on a big yard.

Little Bo Peep sounds really cute and fun! You are lucky to have a big yard. Does she roam throughout the neighborhood or stick close by? I wish we could have a huge flock of EFs, but would need a giant yard and neighbors who wore earplugs 24/7 lol.

 

[Cjsgnn]

Little Bo Peep sounds really cute and fun! You are lucky to have a big yard. Does she roam throughout the neighborhood or stick close by? I wish we could have a huge flock of EFs, but would need a giant yard and neighbors who wore earplugs 24/7 lol.

I'm actually surprised that she stays around the yard we have one acre and it is surrounded by tall areca palms over 30 ft.. so maybe that's why she doesn't roam out, but she does love to fly.

 

[Krisitne]

I’m getting hatching eggs this spring from a lady in Alberta. I’m also in Canada. It’s -44 there today, and then add the wind chill factor. Her EF’s all seem to do quite well. I free range some of my birds and am hoping these guys will help keep predators away with their noiseless. Lol. Being Merck’s resistant is also a huge plus. I’ve read that pretty much every backyard flock will become exposed to it. That’s a sad thought. I wonder why no one has crossed EF’s with other breeds so that the B6 gene in them that wards off Merck’s would get passed on. Might be an interesting project.

 

[feather13]

I’m getting hatching eggs this spring from a lady in Alberta. I’m also in Canada. It’s -44 there today, and then add the wind chill factor. Her EF’s all seem to do quite well. I free range some of my birds and am hoping these guys will help keep predators away with their noiseless. Lol. Being Merck’s resistant is also a huge plus. I’ve read that pretty much every backyard flock will become exposed to it. That’s a sad thought. I wonder why no one has crossed EF’s with other breeds so that the B6 gene in them that wards off Merck’s would get passed on. Might be an interesting project.

Good luck with your EFs! Hope you'll post photos in the spring. They'll love free ranging and their screeches will make it sound like you live millions of years ago when dinosaurs roamed the earth. If you have close neighbors, be sure to drop off some earplugs and fresh eggs to keep their good will lol.

@microchick is breeding EFs with other resistant breeds to raise Mareks resistant chickens with success. I also think that with good biosecurity, etc., you may never develop Mareks in your flock. Mareks came to our flock through an unethical local breeder who knowingly sold infected chicks.