Faverolles Thread

[elizmartin]

Thanks for replying elizmartin. I don't have supplimental light, and I considered that might be the problem. The only thing is that Faverolles aren't supposed to shut down in winter (or at least my research led me to believe this is the case when I was considering them), and they stopped laying before October.

It's completely baffling. I'm almost at the point of just giving up on owning Faverolles. I mean they're pretty and all, but I don't intend to eat them, and I don't have space to breed them. So if they don't ever lay, there's not much point to owning them.

Right now even with supplemental lighting the only ones laying for me are my bantam Salmon Favs and my one pet cochin( I also have LF Favs. Barnys, Ameracauna, Ancona,Buckeye, and a few other misc.) Another breed you may wish to try would be Rhode Is. Red, its the only one that i have had in the past that also layed like crazy....But there are other reasons that may affect laying needs too..... comfortability of the coup/nesting box, diet, parasites, molting/broodiness,,,,,change....Are they young or older?

Anything different from before October when they were laying and after they stopped?????? eliz

 

[bruceha2000]

Right now even with supplemental lighting the only ones laying for me are my bantam Salmon Favs and my one pet cochin ( I also have LF Favs. Barnys, Ameracauna, Ancona,Buckeye, and a few other misc.)

Well that just isn't right!

MPC says Ameraucana, Ancona, Barnevelder, Buckeye and Faverolle (along with my Australorp, Chantecler, Cubalaya and Easter Egger) are GOOD winter layers.

Maybe you should show the girls the MPC breed selection page!

Bruce

 

[Pele]

Right now even with supplemental lighting the only ones laying for me are my bantam Salmon Favs and my one pet cochin( I also have LF Favs. Barnys, Ameracauna, Ancona,Buckeye, and a few other misc.) Another breed you may wish to try would be Rhode Is. Red, its the only one that i have had in the past that also layed like crazy....But there are other reasons that may affect laying needs too..... comfortability of the coup/nesting box, diet, parasites, molting/broodiness,,,,,change....Are they young or older?

Anything different from before October when they were laying and after they stopped?????? eliz

That's the thing, I've wormed them and dusted them in case it's parasites. No changes to their environment for at least 4 to 6 months, no signs of moulting, they have the same diet as the other hens that are merrily laying away, they show no signs of broodiness, and they are now 11 months old and should be in laying prime (they were for a while, an egg a day).

I have other breeds that lay just fine, and I knew that the Favs wouldn't be high production birds, I just didn't know they'd be NO production birds after 6 to 7 months of age. The only thing I can think of that changed in their lives was intergrating them into the flock, but they laid for a couple of months after settling in, so I don't think it's related.

Arg!

 

[hcammack]

Here's my little lacy, she's a real sweetheart and OMG can she talk.

Funny girl. Yeah faverolles are big talkers in my experience. They also make some weird squeaking noises that most of my other hens don't make sometimes.

 

[hcammack]

That's the thing, I've wormed them and dusted them in case it's parasites. No changes to their environment for at least 4 to 6 months, no signs of moulting, they have the same diet as the other hens that are merrily laying away, they show no signs of broodiness, and they are now 11 months old and should be in laying prime (they were for a while, an egg a day).

I have other breeds that lay just fine, and I knew that the Favs wouldn't be high production birds, I just didn't know they'd be NO production birds after 6 to 7 months of age. The only thing I can think of that changed in their lives was intergrating them into the flock, but they laid for a couple of months after settling in, so I don't think it's related.

Arg!

Huh I guess its just the change in daylight and temperature that is throwing them off. My Barred Rock, Austrolorp, Rhode Island, and Easter Egger are still laying. Unfortunately my one Marans and Faverolles haven't taken it upon themselves to contribute. The Faverolles are still young get and I don't expect much from them until spring.

 

[alisar]

Lacy looks like she's ready for winter with that cowl neck!

I come bringing pics. 5 Week old Ideal poultry. Girl or boy? Her/his comb and wattles just got really red this week. I already had to cull about half of the "pullets" in my order

 

[hcammack]

Lacy looks like she's ready for winter with that cowl neck!

I come bringing pics. 5 Week old Ideal poultry. Girl or boy? Her/his comb and wattles just got really red this week. I already had to cull about half of the "pullets" in my order

In my opinion it looks like a really poorly colored pullet. The comb doesn't look to big or red for a pullet that age to me. But I guess it could still be a boy.

 

[n8ivetxn]

I think Henry's right, it's a pullet!

 

[alisar]

I hope so! I know, the color is definitely not salmon, but it blends in really nice with the bark in the other part of the yard. Hope it's a girl!

 

[bruceha2000]

I'll go with Henry and Rita. I don't see a pink comb, I see yellow. Not different from my 2 Fav pullets at that age. And as I posted earlier, my limited experience with Ideal (one order, only chickens I've ever had) says "may not conform to the color standard". Both of my Salmon Favs are brown splotches, not a smooth light brown shading like Henry's and others' you see here.

If you got a 50%/50% pullet/roo mix in a presumed all pullet order from Ideal I think I should have bought a lottery ticket the same day I got my dozen chicks. They were all supposed to be pullets and they ARE, though I sweated for some time over a few of them.

- One of my Blue-red Cubalayas is a red splash. Apparently that is an expected color in a percentage of the birds based on genetics but as a new chicken person, I was afraid that them being so differently colored meant one was a roo.
- One of the Australorps has been much bigger than the other starting when they were about 3 weeks old. So, OF COURSE, I was afraid one was a roo. The bigger one is my current avatar. I thought she looked all stately but I found the Australorp thread recently and by the book, the curve from beak to tip of tail should be one smooth line. She is too flat looking along the back then the tail is pretty upright. She and the two EEs (which Ideal insists are Ameraucana) are the biggest birds I have. The Chanteclers, Favs, Anconas and the other Australorp are all about the same size. Then there are the two little Cubalayas. They are about half the size of the big girls though they all hatched the same day.
- One of the Anconas started showing a bigger comb that started to grow a bit and get pink well before the other. Then it got red and started to curve over a bit a couple of weeks before the other, so again, I was breaking a sweat I had a roo. Then the other kicked it into high gear about a week ago and her comb is now probably 25% larger than the first and it was she who was screaming the egg song like Ethel Merman singing "There's no business like show business" and checking out the nest box Sunday (we are still waiting for that egg you were singing about Uwe .....)

Point being, as I have learned here and from limited personal experience, don't judge a factory bird's gender based only on odd coloring or size. Look for the pointy hackle and saddle feathers (I almost sound like I know what the heck I am talking about

so a disclaimer - I have NO idea what a little roo looks like from first hand experience (and I am NOT unhappy about that

)


Bruce