Euskal Oiloa ( Basque Thread)

[Maggiesdad]

I do understand that, but even with my extolling their virtues there is no interest.

Oh well...

Their loss.

Ya know, EOs and Dorkings are on the Slow Food's ark of taste... I didn't see dorkings winning any popularity contests, so it was EO's for me! Besides, dorking just sounds wrong.

So that's me, just hatching along having a gold old time and eating the also rans.

My big girl laid a 72.7gram egg today. - My buddy keeps extolling FF and telling me how it makes the girls lay huge eggs. I'm scared to try it, I'm afraid the girls will rip something.

 

[mzstre]

I have my buckets ready...mixing up my first batch of FF tonight!

 

[ronott1]

Quote:
around here, some Breeder are giving them up! I think it has to do with Green Fire not selling them any more. They aren't the hot thing anymore.

Oddly, here in Northern CA they would be perfect since it gets very hot and Marraduna do not need more than shade in the heat here.

 

[Maggiesdad]

around here, some Breeder are giving them up! I think it has to do with Green Fire not selling them any more. They aren't the hot thing anymore.

Oddly, here in Northern CA they would be perfect since it gets very hot and Marraduna do not need more than shade in the heat here.

I think you nailed it, Ron. Many folks that initially got them aren't committed to years of dedicated breeding. Bob B. talks about that a lot in his tread.

 

[OR4-hmom]

Finally finished reading this thread.

I know alot of these girls are young and new pictures of hens are coming but, I'm looking at tail widths. How are they looking as they age? I would rather have an off colored leg than pinched tails.

I'm thinking I may add this as a replacement to the hatchery sexlinks we use for our layer flock.

 

[Maggiesdad]

Here is an overhead shot of my hens... they are 16 months old... the brownest girl laid the 72.7gr egg. Hers are typically over 70.

What do you see as far as tails and back width?




The rest of my girls are still pullets. At 200-220 epy , ( if they do that), they cant compete with hatchery sexlinks. But the Canada folk that have had these birds for years say they are still laying well into their 4th year...

Remember, too, that this is a Dual purpose fowl, bred for meat and eggs.

 

[OR4-hmom]

Thank you for the overhead pocture, they are wider than they appeared to me in the side shots.

The egg numbers are not the most important to me, yes I want them to lay but vigor is important to me also. I prefer to keep my ladies and start with bigger eggs in the spring. We get hot here in the summer and since the MB handle it better than most that is another plus. Getting a broody or two is a work saver for me.

I've never eaten one of my chickens, I guess if didn't name them it would be easier, they tend to get names so we know which one we are talking about.

 

[FROMWHITEDOGHILL]

MD.....your hen that layed the big egg...does she do it consistently? Is she a larger hen than the others? Mine is a large hen....and brown like yours. Yours came from Skyline didn't she.......mine came from GFF!!!??? Mike

 

[HaplessRunner]

Well, my EOs hatched last weekend. I had nine eggs in the incubator of which 5 have hatched and are running around the brooder.

I must say because the EO eggs shells were very thick. So thick that the chicks had a tough time getting out. I lost one that had pipped the shell and could not get any farther. With that loss, I opted for intervention. By intervening and playing midwife to these chicks, I saved three of them from failing. 2/3 were chirping in the shell and were unable to pip. I had some others in the incubator that I also lost by not intervening sooner. So I will not hesitate to intervene if it is needed in the future. I really hate the unnecessary loss of life at the very end.

 

[ronott1]

Well, my EOs hatched last weekend. I had nine eggs in the incubator of which 5 have hatched and are running around the brooder.

I must say because the EO eggs shells were very thick. So thick that the chicks had a tough time getting out. I lost one that had pipped the shell and could not get any farther. With that loss, I opted for intervention. By intervening and playing midwife to these chicks, I saved three of them from failing. 2/3 were chirping in the shell and were unable to pip. I had some others in the incubator that I also lost by not intervening sooner. So I will not hesitate to intervene if it is needed in the future. I really hate the unnecessary loss of life at the very end.

If it has been 24 hours since the first one pipped and the others have not pipped, poke a little hole in the big end of the egg with a push pen. Often that is enough to get them zipping. I try to intervene as little as possible and if I do, I do it very slowly and as little as possible.