First Egg Countdown

[ronott1]

Quote: I read that it is a good idea to get cheap local eggs to practice hatching with, so I found a person close to me that had hatching eggs for a dollar each. She said marans and EEs, so I drove to the Feed store that she works out of and picked out a dozen. She said she was working on egg laying, so I did not expect them to be beautiful too. Miranda is also very friendly. After I get my current bunch of chickens settled and some off to new homes, I might go and get some more of the Blue Marans hatching eggs from her.

Quote: Miranda laid an egg on Sunday and Monday too! That is 5 days straight for a Marans

. Her hatch mate Chipmunk the EE is still not regular in laying...

Ron

 

[Pele]

Yay! So what breed is Butterscotch again?

CONGRATULATIONS! I am so excited for you!!!!!

Thanks GertrudeLover01! It never gets less thrilling to get that first egg

Butterscotch is a fancypants Faverolle. She is 23 weeks old this week, and her sister Luna isn't even pinking up in the face, so she's obviously not going to be laying anytime soon. Here are the two troublemakers below, don't mind Luna's dirty beard. Butterscotch is in the back:

 

[ronott1]

Quote: Congratulations

Beautiful chickens your Butterscotch and Luna. I just read that they are winter layers too.

I may have to get some of those..

Ron

 

[Pele]

Congratulations

Beautiful chickens your Butterscotch and Luna. I just read that they are winter layers too.

I may have to get some of those..

Ron

Thanks Ron

They are pretty awesome, I fell in love with the breed when I ran across the Faverolle breeder's thread in the Breeds forum. Their extra crypt-keeper toes are hilarious, and they always remind me of victorian English ladies in their bloomers, strolling across the lawn on the way to tea.

The only drawback to them is that they are docile. Ridiculously so. Hatchery quality ones arn't so bad, and can be mixed with other chickens, but not purebreds; they need seperate housing. Something I only learned after going out of my way to find purebreds

. My two girls won't even dare to try to sneak food or water when the other hens are around. They'll just literally bury their heads in a corner and spend the day that way. Seriously, who does that? *sigh* Oh well, they're cuddly at least.

 

[Happy Chooks]

Congrats Pele!

A few of mine are squawking and squatting, but nuthin' yet. They are coming up on 20 weeks.

I'm also on my 3rd broody this year, so lots more babies to wait for eggs on. I had a dilemma with my current broody, as if I set eggs under her, the babies would hatch a few days before we leave on vacation for a week. She's darn serious about it too (and has been sitting for a week already) so I didn't want to break her. A friend of mine has some Isbar eggs due to hatch Sunday, so I'm going to pick up 4 eggs for her to hatch. Problem solved!

 

[Danielle27]

Omg Butterscotch FINALLY shut up and put up! I thought I was in for several more weeks of her complaining about nothing at the top of her lungs

I think that's bedding stuck to the shell. I am stuck at work, that's my fiance's hand. When I asked him what was on the shell, his answer was "uh..." so we'll see when I get home .

Congrats!!!

 

[Danielle27]

Congrats on the eggs guys and gals

My 7 girls left are not really showing any interest in laying yet.. 17-19 weeks in varried ages and breeds.. I have 2 black sex links that are almost 19 weeks and one more gold sex link that is 18 weeks. I have a 17 week old silver laced wyandotte who had turned beet red in the wattles but still has no real comb. Has anyone had a SLW lay before 20 weeks?

How are the girls doing?

 

[destinidawn]

How are the girls doing?

The rest of the girls are doing great. My other gold sex link was making tons of noise yesterday and has started squatting as well as one of the black sex links. None of them have shown any signs of illness they finished their antibiotics on Friday Hopefully eggs soon.

 

[Pele]

Thanks Happy Chooks and Danielle27. I'll cross my fingers for your broody Happy Chooks, but she'll probably do fine. I have no idea why, but I love to pet broody hens, especially the little banty cochins that my friend owns. They are SO funny when they growl! I reassure them that I am very frightened, and and they are in no way adorable.

I'm really glad to hear your girls are doing better Destinidawn! You're doing a great job with them!

 

[HappyHenMama]

My little 18 month old Bantam Roo (Sal), that's him in my avatar with my broody girl Goldie who hatched out 1 chick 4 weeks ago...anyway, I digress, he has been going into the nesting boxes and cooing ever so sweetly. It is so fun to watch. I went out to check on everyone earlier, they are all free ranging right now, and he was in one of the boxes cooing and sitting there like a hen would; as if to say "This is how you do it!" He is just the best. I put out some free choice oyster shell for my young girls given his signs that he thinks they may be close. We'll see. My oldest adolesent girls are only 15 weeks old, so I don't know how soon we will be expecting our first egg from them, but

, it will be soon!