Euskal Oiloa ( Basque Thread)

[Maggiesdad]

 

[woody743]

I have 11 in the bator and another dozen will be in the mail next week. I can't wait. How soon before I can sex them?

 

[ronott1]

I have 11 in the bator and another dozen will be in the mail next week. I can't wait. How soon before I can sex them?

Congratulations!

At three to six weeks you can tell.

 

[buckabucka]

My birds are so odd. Granted, there are only 2 Basque hens and 2 roosters, the other 9 hens are olive eggers, but they are so skittish.

Yesterday, I decided to give them a bag of leaves in the hoop coop. It was only 2 degrees in the morning, and I thought they might appreciate some dry matter to hunker down in. I set the bag of leaves outside the coop (as to not freak them out) and left the door open. My plan was to sneak the leaves in while they were outside (it was up to 18 degrees by then).

An olive egger started to exit, caught a glimpse of the bag, screamed and flew back and hit the ceiling, which sent everyone hitting the ceiling. I set the bag right inside the door and walked away. I thought maybe once they saw the bag was not moving, they might calm down, but the few minutes I was gone, the roosters were sending out alarm calls.

I dumped the leaves on the ground, despite their terror.

I came back with scratch. I threw it around, some into the leaves, some closer to where they were clustered in the corner, but they did not budge. At that point I left. Later in the day, things appeared calm, and while they were not hanging out in the leaves, I could see a few depressions where someone had been digging, so I think they are okay with it now.

It is like that every time I haul in a bag of feed, a pine bough, a nest box, and the lawn chair was particularly terrifying! . Despite all this, and the cold and dark, I am still getting a couple eggs from these pullets each day. Almost always a Basque egg, along with one egg from the 9 others. The Basques are definitely winning the egg laying contest. I just hope this spring's offspring does not inherit their great fear of everything!

 

[Maggiesdad]

I have 11 in the bator and another dozen will be in the mail next week. I can't wait. How soon before I can sex them?

Mark your darkest chicks (as females) when they are fully fluffed. Just to see what happens. (Won't work on recessive whites).

By 5 weeks , the comb color will have pinked up and wattles will be starting on the males.

Congratulations!

 

[Maggiesdad]

@ bucka -

That's funny! I think that once somebody calls "PANIC NOW!" everybody responds because they have to. It's in the survival instinct. I can drag a bale of pine chips into the coop with 20 hens in there and they just watch me fluff them out, then move in to peck through it and see if there are any goodies in there. And yet if one roo alerts on a hawk, 60 birds in 5 different pens take cover NOW and won't come out for 30 minutes...

 

[buckabucka]

@ bucka -

That's funny! I think that once somebody calls "PANIC NOW!" everybody responds because they have to. It's in the survival instinct. I can drag a bale of pine chips into the coop with 20 hens in there and they just watch me fluff them out, then move in to peck through it and see if there are any goodies in there. And yet if one roo alerts on a hawk, 60 birds in 5 different pens take cover NOW and won't come out for 30 minutes...

It is funny! And I understand that once one panics, it's all over. I talk to them as I approach the coop, just so they know I am coming. But unless I just pour some water and feed, someone always panics. It is like having a flock of psychopathic leghorns!

 

[1muttsfan]

A lot of Ameraucanas, and their crosses, are very flighty. The silvers I used to have were nuts from the beginning, and the wheatens that I have now act like I will eat them at any minute. While my EE's are not a bad, they are very cautious compared to my other birds. Want some social "teachers"? Get a few Speckled Sussex, you can't keep them from under your feet.

 

[buckabucka]

A lot of Ameraucanas, and their crosses, are very flighty. The silvers I used to have were nuts from the beginning, and the wheatens that I have now act like I will eat them at any minute. While my EE's are not a bad, they are very cautious compared to my other birds. Want some social "teachers"? Get a few Speckled Sussex, you can't keep them from under your feet.

I think they are all individuals, really, with some tendencies by breed. We have 1 speckled Sussex, the other died. Ours never stood out as friendlier than the other breeds (we have quite a mix here), but they are nice birds.
Our friendliest hen is a cross-beak EE. She's managed to survive and lay an occasional egg for 2 1/2 years. If she's hungry, she let's us know. She always flies over the fence and comes right up to the door. Of course, we spoil her. My second friendliest are the Buff Chanteclers, but they are broody about 7 months of the year!

 

[punk-a-doodle]

On average, what do you all get egg number wise per week from one hen? How many years do they tend to stay productive egg wise? how long do your "egg strikes" usually last for? Thanks.