Hamburg thread!

[Chick-Chick Mom]

Sorry for taking so long to post on here. Shortly after my last post, we found out hubby's cancer had returned. He's doing relatively well...we're about half way through chemo...looks very promising Anyhow...enough of that.

Here's my beautiful Bernadette. This picture was taken about a month ago as her tail feathers were becoming more prominent. We ended up loosing Claudette not long after we brought them home. I passed in front of their then cage she was fine, less than a minute later I passed their cage again and Claudette had died. It was devasting! I always try to find good in a bad situation. Let me tell you, it was really hard with this one but I will say this...I think Bernadette is better for it. After Claudette's death, Bernadette "attached" herself to our other Lil Chick-chicks and became "less flighty". Bernadette is my favorite chicken by far! She has so much personality. She IS hard to catch. From time to time, I will "catch her" with a towel. I will then sit with her on my lap and she will stay as long as I want her to stay. She's even fallen asleep on me once or twice.

My Lils have started laying. I haven't quite identified who lays what color egg but the closest I've come to catching Bernadette in the act, the egg was a medium-dark brown egg color. Everything I've read indicates she should be laying white eggs. I don't have a white egg in the bunch. Oh, by the way, Bernadette is the oldest of the Lil Chick-chick flock so if anyone is laying, I would suspect it's her.

 

[islandgirl82]

Sorry for taking so long to post on here. Shortly after my last post, we found out hubby's cancer had returned. He's doing relatively well...we're about half way through chemo...looks very promising Anyhow...enough of that. Here's my beautiful Bernadette. This picture was taken about a month ago as her tail feathers were becoming more prominent. We ended up loosing Claudette not long after we brought them home. I passed in front of their then cage she was fine, less than a minute later I passed their cage again and Claudette had died. It was devasting! I always try to find good in a bad situation. Let me tell you, it was really hard with this one but I will say this...I think Bernadette is better for it. After Claudette's death, Bernadette "attached" herself to our other Lil Chick-chicks and became "less flighty". Bernadette is my favorite chicken by far! She has so much personality. She IS hard to catch. From time to time, I will "catch her" with a towel. I will then sit with her on my lap and she will stay as long as I want her to stay. She's even fallen asleep on me once or twice. My Lils have started laying. I haven't quite identified who lays what color egg but the closest I've come to catching Bernadette in the act, the egg was a medium-dark brown egg color. Everything I've read indicates she should be laying white eggs. I don't have a white egg in the bunch. Oh, by the way, Bernadette is the oldest of the Lil Chick-chick flock so if anyone is laying, I would suspect it's her.

Sorry to hear about what you and your husband are going through with his cancer but im glad things are looking up. Everything I had read said white/cream colored eggs from the Hamburg's as well but someone here mentioned some of theirs are brown. I also thought my Amelia would be the first of my pullets to start laying but both of my EE's who are the same age as Amelia started between 1 and 3 weeks ago. Every source I've come across says that Hamburgs love hiding their eggs though, so maybe yours is laying elsewhere. How old is she now? It's nice to see another GSH too! They don't seem to be as popular as the silvers.

 

[Chick-Chick Mom]

No they don't! But everyone that meets her is enamored with her. Every day I go around our property looking for hidden eggs. Nothing so far lol Bernadette is just a few days shy of 6 months.

 

[islandgirl82]

No they don't!  But everyone that meets her is enamored with her.  Every day I go around our property looking for hidden eggs.  Nothing so far lol   Bernadette is just a few days shy of 6 months. 

I've been doing the same thing but haven't found any hidden eggs and other than her swollen comb, she shows no signs either. Your Bernadette is certainly old enough. Amelia is around 26 weeks so I know she should be close.

I find the same thing when people see her, they are just as taken with her as I was when I first saw her. I'm seriously considering getting a GSH roo and breeding them but I worry about her becoming disconnected. From what I gather, you had 2 GSH's but found that being down to just the one helped ground her a bit? I'm glad to have just the one for the same reason. I don't try to catch her but she will eat from my hands and she follows me all over, comes when she's called and if she finds I've left the door open she'll venture in the house to find me. I don't want her becoming distant if I were to add other GSH's. I also read in another thread that the Hamburg hens don't take kindly to newcomers (to the point of ganging up and pecking newbies to death) and I believe it considering how fearlessly she goes after anything including my neighbor's 2 Australian shepards.

 

[islandgirl82]

My two watch dogs; Willie the newfoundland and Amelia the GSH

 

[Chick-Chick Mom]

Turns out my Bernadette IS a white egg layer!! Our first Bernadette egg :-D I never thought she could lay still in one spot long enough to drop an egg, yet alone in a nest box! LOL!

 

[Alaskan]

Yeah for first eggies!

 

[islandgirl82]

I am SO excited to have found my Amelia's first egg this morning and in the nesting box no less! She even shared the nest with one of my other new layers during the big event and man, did they sing it! Photos do this petite beauty no justice in showing off it's pearly shine.


My egg bowl just got even more beautiful

 

[chicksurreal]

Congratulations! They are very pretty eggs, aren't they? That ones a beauty!

 

[Chick-Chick Mom]

Our girls must be about the same age :-D Congratulations!!!

Love all the beautiful colors!!! I'm jealous! I've already warned hubby that I will be added green and blue layers to our flock ;-)