Future plans for 2025! Breeding for large meaties, barring, lacing and EE

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Bantam EE has stopped being broody. Her nails got pretty long so now she can finally wear them down doing normal chicken stuff. Got another light brown pullet egg, not sure who it’s from but the barred rock and buckeye were both seen checking out the nest boxes recently. Frizzle is getting most of her feathers back, finally. Several older hens are molting and slowing on egg production.

Blue clean legged pullet (either LF or grey OE daughter) lays a light brown egg. If I can confirm the other blue lays a green egg then I’ll know who their mothers are.

Lastly I’m a little worried about the 2 bresse daughters. The mostly white one lays just fine but the spotted one has laid several soft shelled eggs that are already broken, possibly inside her. She seems a little unwell. I planned to sell the white one but now I’m thinking I best keep her as a backup.

 

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Silver OE daughter is confirmed to lay one of the darker olive eggs. Has small white spots where I assume the pores are.

 

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Looks like I was wrong about the sapphire sky pullet. Watched her pop out an olive green egg. Right is the black EE X BJG who I though laid brown eggs but seems I was wrong about that too.

The goldish green ones may actually be from the feather legged blue, who I believe is from the grey OE. So many of them lay nearly the same shade of green now I’m having a hard time keeping them straight! I need to figure out who is laying what so I don’t accidentally sell off one of the better birds.

 

[DemeterAD9]

More new layers and I’m having a hard time keeping track! A lot of brown all look about the same. I keep missing whoever’s laying the golden green eggs, the mystery olive egg, and a spotted brown egg. I’ve selected 10 pullets to sell and I want to make sure I don’t accidentally get rid of the pullets laying unique eggs. My current mystery eggs.

Goldie, the brown OE’s daughter lays a similar shade to her mom. Her first egg was covered in spots but they are now a solid goldish color.

Saw the dark brahma daughter who has nice penciling pop out a massive double yolk egg. Hers is the middle, large fowl on the left and normal sized pullet egg on the right.

SLW and brown OE have stopped laying likely for the molt. Pretty much all the older birds are dropping feather. I’ve switched them back to starter mash along with flock raiser pellets and a side of layer pellets.

 

[DemeterAD9]

Down to 49. Culled Chunky, one banded BJG hen, SLW’s son, EE son and Pretty Boy’s son. I was going to do the SLW hen too but I may be able to sell her with some pullets. The cockerels were getting rowdy, I have a nice bruise from where the EE boy bit my arm. I also realized my fish scale goes by fractions of pounds, not pounds and ounces.

The two 17 week old cockerels for future reference.

Weights live —> processed
Blue/gold EE 5.22lbs—>3.17lbs (plucked)
SLW son 5.71—> 3.47 (skinned)
Chunky 15.25—> 11.56 (plucked)
BJG hen 5.64—> 2.78 (skinned)
Maran son 5.26—> 3.14 (plucked)

BJG on right, SLW’s (25 weeks) son on left.

Yellow skin is the EE

Chunky, 25 weeks

The SLW’s son would have made a good rooster, he was fleshy and decently wide unlike his dad was. I sorta feel bad about him as he had really calmed down as of late and didn’t really resist when I caught him. At least he has a son from Chunky who I plan to use for spring breeding.

 

[DemeterAD9]

I have not been keeping up on who lays what, been using Flockstar for that. So far at least 22 are laying, only 11 more to go. The broody raised pullets are starting to get red combs and waddles so they will be next.

Been getting some heavy blooms on what I believe are from the blue and dark penciled brahma X girls, both daughters of the dark brahma. This egg was so dark it looks almost plum/lavender.

I think the barnevelder and the golden cuckoo are laying these two eggs. Not sure yet though.

And both the broody bantam and legbar X seem to be back to laying after molting. SLW has been in the next box but no egg yet. Light brahma is now broody, sitting on a gold ball and a fake egg. I can only hope these broody hens decide to want babies around the same time I do next spring.

 

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Comparison photos.
Left to right, black penciled DB X, blue DB X, spotted bresse X. Second row is GLW, BBSW, barred rock. Dark is golden cuckoo maran.

Colored eggs. Left to right.
Top- Batam EE, CCL, legbar X, diamomd duchess, black EE X.
Bottom- sapphire sky, grey OE, silver OE, feather legged blue, black EE. Dark is golden OE.

Still can’t tell which is which with my few other brown layers including the blue LF X, black brahma X, the two barred/laced daughters and the buckeye. The broody raised pullets should lay soon too and all but one could lay colored eggs.

 

[DemeterAD9]

New brown layers, guessing the barnevelder for the speckled one and no clue for the other medium brown one.

Waiting for some more colored ones to show up from the broody raised pullets. Their combs are red but I haven’t seen them showing much interest in the nest boxes.

Light brahma is still broody, I need to break her of it if she doesn’t give up on her own. It’s been over a month now. She will be a great mom if I let her raise chicks in the spring/summer. Bonus points for her being nice to me and not trying to rip my fingers off like the bantam EE.

Cream puff is nearly through the molt, Curly is looking pristine too. Barred/laced girl is having a rough time and spends most the time in the coop, much like the brown OE did. Large fowl mix is rough looking and has stopped laying. Just waiting on the brown EE, grey OE and the light brahma to go through it. Of course Pretty Boy is still molting but he’s taking his time.

 

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Another new layer in the form of a tiny light cream egg. Betting it’s one of the bantam EE’s daughters. Barnevelder is definitely laying, caught her in the box a few times but there was always multiple eggs by the time I went back to check. I’m thinking the broody raised girls are gonna all start around the same time too as a few odd balls have popped up.

Speaking of broody raised, her’s a couple of the pretty pullets.
Light brahma daughter

Either legbar X or grey OE daughter.

Cream Puff’s son who is actually a pretty good size. I’ll keep him through winter and as a backup, some of the girls seem to like him.

 

[DemeterAD9]

I believe the second bantam daughter has started laying, about the same as the first but more rounded than pointy at the narrow end, also very shiny.
Top row-black EE, brown OE, Goldie (daughter or brown OE)
Bottom row, Blk DBx penciled, blue LFx, buckeye, 2 mystery pullets (guessing bantam daughters).

With some girls taking longer breaks between laying due to the shorter days,I’m struggling to keep track of who is laying what and what could be new eggs. I think the barred/laced has returned to laying but can’t say for sure yet. The original OE is laying again as is the buff brahma. Last ones of the original flock to stop laying and molt will be the brown EE and grey OE who just keeps on trucking along.