You never know. My Easter-eggers usually eat each other's beards as well. Beard envy?
These birds are crazy sometimes!
I just noticed a few days ago that one of my EEs looked bald under the beak! She's the most beautiful, but I must admit she's the dumbest in the flock. I wasn't sure what happened. Beard envy could explain it! My Cream Crested Legbars & other EEs are fine.
Yeah, I have one particular girl that especially likes to eat the others' beards out. I usually end up with the same two or three EE girls clean shaved every year.
Others don't get messed with and keep their full beards year round. I don't know what makes them decide to let it happen.
ETA forgot to comment! They never last that long here, I can eat 3-4 eggs myself, and I love eggs and toast for breakfast. If I get more than 4 dozen I sell or add to the hog bucket. This year I expect around 3 dozen a day, have enough 1 year olds to see it. Some birds are more prone to feather pecking, I have a midget white hen that is constantly picking at someone. Some birds allow it, and "go bald"
She is fat, and healthy, no clue why she does it. Her tom taps her head and she stops.
Yeah, we aren't too big on eggs, so most of our eggs are either given away or used in baked goods. Usually before they start to dehydrate, but sometimes one keeps rolling to the bottom of the bucket and doesn't get used for too long. I usually only toss them if they're noticeably lighter than the others of the same size.
And yeah, some birds just have a taste for feathers.
Mine get worse, though, when they can't free-range.
Oh my goodness, look at these cuties!!
Forgot to share one of the weirder things that happened today: My black Australorp was visiting on the windowsill today and decided to lay an egg while up there! I look over and something falls, my daughter says "It's an egg" and the rest of the girls pounce on it like they've never seen an egg before and start a combo of pecking/ chicken soccer. Wierd. It didn't break!
Haha, I guess she felt safe there! Maybe it was a 'special delivery'?
They will go for eggs like nobody's business, especially if they do break. EVERYTHING eats eggs, and chickens, as an omnivorous species, are no exception. There are a lot of good nutrients in eggs, after all.
Gosh these buy it now and 24 hour auction threads are killing me! Lol. I just bought some Mille Fluer Cochin eggs!
[COLOR=8B4513]Oooh They will be pretty! And yes, I do plan to return merchandise "Mixed-up Order" to you. lol The only reason I plan on returning the two green egg laying girls is to make more room. They are beautiful, good layers, and very personable although they've been picking each others tail-feathers. I think it's that jealous sister thing. As soon as the weather warms up and I don't need them to help keep little Monday warm, I'll let you know when I'm heading your way. And no, I don't think I need any Emu hatching eggs! haha You have so many exciting things going on![/COLOR] [rule]
Uck, it quoted weird again! And I don't remember why I quoted this post, because it deleted part of the text.
EDIT: Hm, there were a couple things... I'm not going to go into the whole commercial farming thing, except to say that I've seen it over and over again and have made the decision to only get my chicken (as well as other meats) more locally. I keep telling myself I want to raise meat birds, but I know I don't have the heart to process them and I'm not sure if I could feel any better sending them off to someone else. :/ I think I've said my peace with the Araucana / Ameraucana thing below as well. UGH! On Rouens, all I know about them is that they are like giant, fat Mallards. I can't say anything from experience, however, so maybe someone else can chime in there. Gee, I usually at least
feel like I have something meaningful to reply when I quote things...
This link has great article on the Ameraucana breeders website for anyone interested:
http://ameraucana.org/forum/index.php?topic=957.0 under "additional notes" at the bottom it says "These people are not necessarily being deceptive, rather uneducated about the breed." I'd like to believe this is true more than they are purposefully being deceptive.
For the consumer (and retailer), I do give the benefit of the doubt - after all, they are just going by what they have been told by their source. The hatchery, though, knows full well and I believe the whole wink and nod approach they take in how they world their descriptions of the birds proves that.
This. Hatcheries have no excuses. The fact that they keep insisting that they have pure birds when there are so many resources on the internet now that prove them otherwise is
despicable.
I can't see them losing any money for changing the name, either, so I have no idea
why they keep insisting. To me it makes them seem
less reputable as a result! There are some hatcheries that are getting the memo, though, like Meyer Hatchery, which now has their Easter-eggers actually labelled as such! Hopefully, others will take the hint as well!
