Illinois...

[MeepBeep]

Anyone every used artificial turf for nesting boxes? I'm not talking the low pile stuff like you might see on a boat or patio, I'm talking more along the lines of fake grass looking...

I have been happy using woof flakes in the nesting boxes until this year, this year several of my guinea fowl have taken to actually using the nesting boxes and when they go in there they toss the wood flakes around like confetti and end up burying any eggs in there, it's become a moderate choir every day to sift through the wood chips and locate the mystery eggs hiding in the corners...

My original idea was to get some of the fake grass welcome mats that I remembered as a child, but those things are about $10 a pop nowadays, so way too costly...

So today I was at Menards today and saw this stuff https://www.menards.com/main/floori...r-carpet-12ft-wide/p-1444431469892-c-6542.htm

I need to take some measurements and see how much I need but, I might very well be giving this stuff a try... My biggest concern is some bored chickens plucking and trying to eat it....

 

[ChicagoClucker]

I am just so torn on which Cockrel I should keep to go with my beautiful little blue pullet. The black has better foot feathering and body feathering, so he should be the obvious pic. The splash is so sweet but feathering isn't as heavy. Perhaps he will fill out in time.

 

[MeepBeep]

Perhaps he will fill out in time.

So much can change and happen between the initial feather out and the 2nd year feather out that you just never know...

 

[MeepBeep]

I know I'm late to the game for incubation this year, but either way I just set my first batch of eggs last night...

My White Sport Cream Legbar hen just started to lay this last week, she is in with two roosters that 'might' carry the white sport gene, so although I would like to let her get more into the laying game, I'm going to incubate the early pullet sized eggs to see if any whites appear, if not I will move her over to some other roosters that 'might' carry the gene... And if that doesn't work I will have her siblings for line breeding come late fall that I know carry the gene...

Also set some blue layer eggs using my bluest egg laying mutt that is finally done with her abstinence period and is now under a CL roo...

I still need to get to work building out the breeding pens, this up and down weather is killing me and we are already into the mowing game that kills many hours of time each week...

My Blue Cucko Marans, Whting True Blues and Welsummers chicks from McMurray are all growing out well and thriving... They should add some more colors to the egg mix...

 

[ChicagoClucker]

I know I'm late to the game for incubation this year, but either way I just set my first batch of eggs last night...

My White Sport Cream Legbar hen just started to lay this last week, she is in with two roosters that 'might' carry the white sport gene, so although I would like to let her get more into the laying game, I'm going to incubate the early pullet sized eggs to see if any whites appear, if not I will move her over to some other roosters that 'might' carry the gene... And if that doesn't work I will have her siblings for line breeding come late fall that I know carry the gene...

Also set some blue layer eggs using my bluest egg laying mutt that is finally done with her abstinence period and is now under a CL roo...

I still need to get to work building out the breeding pens, this up and down weather is killing me and we are already into the mowing game that kills many hours of time each week...

My Blue Cucko Marans, Whting True Blues and Welsummers chicks from McMurray are all growing out well and thriving... They should add some more colors to the egg mix...

Good luck on the gene pool search and I sooooo want to see pics of the Blue Cuckoo Marans.

I bet they will be beautiful!!!

 

[chickendreams24]

I want to see pics of all of them! and pics of your bluest mutt's eggs too please and of your white sport! Oh heck if it flaps and clucks or quacks of if it comes out of those things and has a hook inside it take pictures lol

I would love to see pics of your white sport though and your other legbars I have fallen so deeply in love with the pullet I got from Junibutt that I haven't even named her yet BC nothing is pretty enough for her. Lol I really really want to add more legbars both white sport(or carriers) and non carriers plus I want more blue eggs I love blue/green eggs but I get those from my EEs. I would love to find a really bright blue perhaps from an Ameracauna. Idk.

 

[MeepBeep]

Good luck on the gene pool search and I sooooo want to see pics of the Blue Cuckoo Marans. I bet they will be beautiful!!!

I think I had blue on the mind due to the Whiting's when I typed that as they should just be normal Cuckoo Marans as blue isn't really an official color... For me it's more about getting some darker brown tones into my egg basket...

I want to see pics of all of them! and pics of your bluest mutt's eggs too please and of your white sport! Oh heck if it flaps and clucks or quacks of if it comes out of those things and has a hook inside it take pictures lol

I might get more pictures as summer comes along, they really only look 'good' when they are isolated for a bit, out in the general population the roosters ruffle the hens feathers daily and the guineas like removing the tail feathers of the roosters... Although thus far even though my rooster population is once again too high from last years hatching the new batch of roosters is no where near as rough on the hens as the previous roosters... Last year many of my hens needed wigs...

[/quote]I would love to see pics of your white sport though and your other legbars I have fallen so deeply in love with the pullet I got from Junibutt that I haven't even named her yet BC nothing is pretty enough for her. Lol I really really want to add more legbars both white sport(or carriers) and non carriers plus I want more blue eggs I love blue/green eggs but I get those from my EEs. I would love to find a really bright blue perhaps from an Ameracauna. Idk.[/quote]

I really want some more 'blue' colored eggs as well, and I hope to work towards that with the Whiting True Blues and whatever else I obtain down the line that lays blue, the slight mint green tones of the CL in the US annoys me, I really wish someone would import a line with a more blue eggs even if they are not ;'show quality' because truth be said a vast majority of the existing US stock isn't even all that great yet... I'm sure in time though the US breeders will be able to breed out some more true blue CL layers, but I do realize for most breeders egg color is not their primary goal or concern... This is where I tend to want to head with my White Sport CL, since I won't have to worry about feather colors, I can focus more on egg production, egg size and and egg color...

It's all years away since I'm just getting started with the project...

 

[mothergoose]

I want to see pics of all of them!

and pics of your bluest mutt's eggs too please and of your white sport! Oh heck if it flaps and clucks or quacks of if it comes out of those things and has a hook inside it take pictures

lol

I would love to see pics of your white sport though and your other legbars I have fallen so deeply in love with the pullet I got from Junibutt that I haven't even named her yet BC nothing is pretty enough for her. Lol I really really want to add more legbars both white sport(or carriers) and non carriers plus I want more blue eggs I love blue/green eggs but I get those from my EEs. I would love to find a really bright blue perhaps from an Ameracauna. Idk.

I love my ameraucanas blue eggs!

 

[Junibutt]

I know I'm late to the game for incubation this year, but either way I just set my first batch of eggs last night...

My White Sport Cream Legbar hen just started to lay this last week, she is in with two roosters that 'might' carry the white sport gene, so although I would like to let her get more into the laying game, I'm going to incubate the early pullet sized eggs to see if any whites appear, if not I will move her over to some other roosters that 'might' carry the gene... And if that doesn't work I will have her siblings for line breeding come late fall that I know carry the gene...

Also set some blue layer eggs using my bluest egg laying mutt that is finally done with her abstinence period and is now under a CL roo...

I still need to get to work building out the breeding pens, this up and down weather is killing me and we are already into the mowing game that kills many hours of time each week...

My Blue Cucko Marans, Whting True Blues and Welsummers chicks from McMurray are all growing out well and thriving... They should add some more colors to the egg mix...

If you are not successful, I have some White Legbar hen x known carrier rooster eggs available.

 

[Faraday40]

If you are not successful, I have some White Legbar hen x known carrier rooster eggs available.

Such an enabler!