Does anybody here have any Chanteclers?

[Adri]

I have 5 beautiful Buff Chanteclers, they were hatched on April 29th and I'm wondering when I should expect them to be ready to lay. While they don't really have any combs to speak of, the fleshy bits on their faces are still pink, not red like my Catalanas, ameraucanas and barnevelders. My Buff Catalanas are already laying, but I suspect that my barnevelders, polish, ameraucanas and barred rock will take a bit longer to start laying now that fall is here. I was hoping that this wouldn't be the case for the Chanteclers.

Will their faces turn red? I also wondered if it is true that they keep laying well right through the winter.

Any words of wisdom on Chanteclers?

 

[LynneP]

PM a member named, appropriately

chantecler

 

[tomcio]

A friend of mine has 20 and hers haven't started laying yet. She's had them since March (as chicks).

 

[Adri]

LynneP

thanks for the tip. I'll try to PM him/her.

tomcio, thanks, that does make me think that as a breed they are slow to mature. Mine really look just like they did as chicks, only bigger. I'll try to be patient, but it seems weird to think that they'll start laying in the dead of a Canadian winter.

 

[tomcio]

Adri,
where are you located?

And yes, I don't think you'll see eggs till the spring (that's what me and my friend figured about hers). We also took some roosters at 20 weeks or so, and they were not overly large once all said and done.

Good luck,

Tom

 

[chickenbike]

My girls are 21 weeks old today and no eggs as of yet. They have become more vocal and their comb and wattle area skin does go red off and on throughout the day. I believe they are a breed which is slower to lay.

As for size, the girls are about 5 lbs now, while my rooster is a BIG boy at about 9 lbs. He is easily twice the size of the girls.

 

[Adri]

Thanks for the reassurances! I have 5 pullets, and they are all a good size, a bit larger than my catalanas, ameraucanas and my barred rock, but VERY well feathered. Here is one about a month ago.

And one next to a Catalana. The Catalanas have since reddened up and started laying.

tomcio, I'm in Prince Edward County, not too far from Belleville.

 

[Montana-Hens]

I have one going on 26 weeks old and still nothing that makes me think she is close to laying.

This is my first try with Chanteclers and I thought they were early maturing, but this girl is bring up the rear in the laying arena....

I am hoping some one who has been working with the lovies can give use some idea what they have found the range to be,

 

[BeakSanctuary]

Love the picture of your fluffy, Buff Chantecler, Adri... makes me want to try that breed, too. I previously thought I'd like a Partridge Chantecler - both seem kind of hard to get. Are they friendly enough - not flighty, not rejecting human contact? I think that was one reason I didn't get my heart set on them - I like friendlier birds. Surely nice to look at. The grass looks good too - my birds free-range, but my run is bare these days. (too many birds!)

 

[Adri]

Thanks BeakSanctuary. I do like them. I would like to get some Partridge and White, but until DH builds a second coop, I think we are at our limit.

I was actually surprised by how friendly they are. Nothing I had read said that they were friendly. I really only got them because of the fact that they are the only Canadian breed. I got mine at 2 weeks old and along with our Brown-red Ameraucana rooster, they were our friendliest chicks with lots of personality.

Mine are easy to handle, although they aren't like the Polish which practically ask to be picked up. They give the small children a wide berth! They seem to get along very well with everybody in the flock of 32, somewhere in the middle of the pecking order.

The grass you see in the picture is outside of their run. We were working in the yard the whole day, so they were free-ranging that day. The grass in the yard was holding up well despite 32 foraging chickens, until we had a week of rain and it turned into a mud bowl.