Egyptian Fayoumis Thread!

[floodthelast]

I can't answer about the egglaying, but was wondering if your pullet has stayed friendly as she grew up? That photo of her sitting on your shoulder impressed me. My cockerel that I loved so much wouldn't let me near him.

She doesn't sit on my shoulder anymore but does still hop in my lap or on a knee. She hates being reached for or picked up but does forgive me later. All my birds eat out of my hands too.

 

[wild chick]

I know this is a quiet thread, but anyone with EF Roosters for their free range flock of other breeds? We have Wyandotte hens and at this time a W Rooster who is living on borrowed time. I get along with him and he respects me, but not my 76 year young best friend. She has to carry a stick all the time (chickens are free range). I read that EF's are not human aggressive. I like the idea of the hens having a "leader" and I think the hens do too. I keep reading any rooster of any breed can be aggressive, but maybe the less popular breeds have not been bred so much as to have this trait show up?

 

[microchick]

I can only speak at this time from my experience with non-Fayoumi roosters. Frankly, I think it's two things, luck of the draw and how they are socialized. I had two Welsummer roosters. Both were brooded by me as chicks and both were human aggressive in spite of being handled by both myself and my husband as chicks and in spite of aggression not being tollerated as they matured. Both settled down at the age of 2 and stopped being human aggressive. One bred a rooster that I still have. He was hen raised, not handled much at all by myself and he is a sweetheart having never showed any aggression towards me even as the hormones kicked it.

Either way, you shouldn't have to protect your friends from a rooster with a stick. There are too many nice roosters around in need of good homes.

I have approximately 16 OEGB roosters right now. All are human friendly and not even hard on one another although they hate my 4 standard sized roosters with a screaming red passion and have tried to kill them on numerous occasions.

I'm planning on introducing Fayoumi pullets into my flock next spring with the intention of cross breeding for resistance to Marek's disease which I have on our property. I considered getting a couple of cockerels but with the intollerance my OEGB roosters has shown towards my standards, things will probably go smooter with pullets.

 

[wild chick]

Thanks @microchick - We also raised this rooster with a straight run - 20 Wyandottes and the free chick from the hatchery was an EF. The EF was my very favorite chicken but ironically died of unknown cause at about 5 months. We thought we picked one of the nicest roosters to keep - we culled some early until it got down to two roos, and he was the least aggressive of the two. Since they free range and we are out in the yard (acres) a lot, I know it can't be over crowding. I was careful to be friends with him but not make a pet out of him, or the hens either. Tried all the things I read on BYC regarding intolerance of aggressiveness and it would work for 3 - 4 days then he'd be back to "asking for it". Most of what I read said they'd settle between a year and 18 months - He's now 15 months old and he's quit running at me but he still challenges my friend (she lives here & we have horses, so we are at the barn a lot - she isn't a stranger here). Sneaky %&* always waits til she turns her back or bends down for something. I really miss that EF cockerel - and I'd love to just go out and clean pens, garden, groom the horses etc etc without having to look behind me all the time! Hope someone here can verify that human aggressive EF roosters are few & far between! Since the one I had never grew up and had a flock to himself, I can't say he would have been any better.

 

[microchick]

Time to get this thread active again!

I'm looking for Fayoumi hatching eggs that are ship-able to Missouri, meaning they have to come from an NPIP breeder.

Anybody?

I'd order chicks from M. McM or Cackle but with the 15 chick minimum I'll looking at 100 dollars when all is said and done. I can hatch my own but not without fertile eggs.

Anybody?

 

[Leo1]

How cold is too cold for these guys?

 

[wild chick]

I have one hen hatched early summer '18 in my flock and last winter it was in the single digits 0 - 10 F, highs in the day of 40's - 50's, typical winter here, she did just fine. I got her when I ordered 8 different breeds of day old chicks. Love her to pieces, she free ranges (as all of mine do) all day and they are in a coop at night, not heated. She was the first of the 8 pullets to lay (June chick, began laying in January) and she was the first to molt this fall. She is completely done molting and her comb is starting to turn red, so I expect her first post-molt egg in January again! Very hardy, but not made for the cold. Let us know how yours do, or do you have them yet?

 

[Leo1]

Don't have any yet. A friend and i are thinking of getting them. She's in the western foothills of the OR Cascades; it's not too cold, but it can have the very rare day in the 20s, more often it's in the 40s for winter days. I'll be down lower where it's warmer, still 30s-40s for daytime highs, but not 20s. I don't do cold either! She's leary of getting them; thinks it's too cold. I said, I thought they'd be fine.

 

[wild chick]

I definitely think they would prefer warmer climates, but they seem to be hardy and just take whatever comes... and I can't imagine mine being a cooped up bird. The eggs are very small, but she's quite productive. I admire the EF's and will try to always have 1 or 2 (I like variety!), but I don't recommend them for pets, or being in a small coop/run. She's wild and flighty and I'm afraid if she didn't hang out with "normal" docile birds she'd be even wilder.

 

[Leo1]

Mine will be with some Brahmas, so I've got the influence of docile birds covered It's not cold for long in OR, at least not currently, who knows what the climate will be in 5 years. Thanks!