"Louisiana "La-yers" Peeps"

[kuntrygirl]

Garilyn, how is your husband doing?

x2

 

[kuntrygirl]

hi all! i did put a tiny coop together. the cats discovered it prior to my getting the run set up. soooooooooooooooooo, i may end up building another coop and letting the cats keep their playhouse. will kitties sitting in the coop prior to chickens, had any adverse germ effects? they pretty much just sat on the ground (didn't climb in it at all) and smelled the walls, because cats like to sit in "boxes". i guess i'm looking for a maran for chocolate eggs.. ameracauna or easter egger for blue or green eggs... and whatever chicken does well down here that does pink eggs? :)

If you are looking to a good color variety I would suggest: Easter Eggers (any chicken mixed with Araucana or Ameraucana), the two aforementioned pure bred birds, Olive Egger (a brown egg laying breed like Marans crossed with a blue egg layer), and perhaps a Marans for the dark chocolatey eggs. For reference as to what you "might" get out of an Easter Egger chicken: Out of my Olive and Easter Eggers, I have one hen that lays a lavender colored egg, one that has a peach hue to it, and one that is the color of cardboard, and of course blue, green, and olive green. The lavender hued one is in the center, olive top left and cardboard brown right of center on the bottom row. The really blue eggs and a couple of the smaller light greens are from my Ameraucanas. As to your coop, the cats will not have hurt it by simply going in and sniffing around. As long as it is VERY secure and nothing will be able to get the birds once they are shut in, you are good to go with some larger juveniles, or adult birds. Good luck.

Beautiful eggs!

 

[1MrsMagoo]

Beautiful eggs!

Thanks for that and the thought on the ducklings!

So, for those that have them....do Muscovy ducks REALLY help with flies, or not? That is the main reason we want to get them. Well, that and the boys would like to try eating duck, but my daughter has classified out current ducks as her pets and therefore OFF Limits for butchering.
Opinions and any tid bits of information that would help a Newbie properly care for them would be greatly apprecaited!

 

[LAchickenMESS]

My Buff Orpington lays pinkish eggs. She also the only hen that consistently laid eggs all winter long - the two Ameraucanas quit Nov/ Dec. I'm hoping the Barred Rocks and White Rock start laying soon. They should have light brown eggs. I'm interested to see the diff between theirs and the BO. The one in the back is a brown store egg for reference.

 

[kuntrygirl]

Beautiful eggs!

Thanks for that and the thought on the ducklings!

So, for those that have them....do Muscovy ducks REALLY help with flies, or not? That is the main reason we want to get them. Well, that and the boys would like to try eating duck, but my daughter has classified out current ducks as her pets and therefore OFF Limits for butchering.
Opinions and any tid bits of information that would help a Newbie properly care for them would be greatly apprecaited!

Pros
1. Quiet
2. Love to eat insects (flies, skeeters, etc.)
3. They lay A LOT of eggs
4. EXCELLENT mothers
5. The drakes taste great!
6. They love to free range
7. Do very well confined within a secured area
8. Very tame, very docile
9. Duck eggs are great for baking
10. People with chicken egg allergies will seek out duck owners for duck eggs.
11. Bakers love using duck eggs to cook with.
12. Minimal to no illnesses but can contract botulism if they get ahold to something dead or drink contaminated water. Can be deadly if a person does not know how to treat it. Can die within 24 - 72 hours. (This is a con though).
13. Can make a little extra change selling ducks, ducklings and adults.


Cons
1. Will dig A LOT of holes in your yard
2. Will muddy up ANY and EVERY open pan, dishpan, tub that is filled with water. Clean water doesn't have a chance with a duck.
3. Will go broody if 2 pecans fall out of a tree and they think the 2 pecans are eggs
4. Love to fly overhead
5. Have no sense of danger (car) and will try to walk across the street into danger if not confined within a fence or secured area.
6. Too many drakes will stress out the hens and decrease egg production
7. Fresh water is required daily . ( I have a lot of kiddie pools)
8. Drakes can be kinda rough on the females. Could possibly break their neck while breeding or drown them.
9. Too much protein can cause angel wing
10. Are VERY smart and will lay eggs in hidden places and then bring home a busload of ducklings. Well at least they know to bring them home. How would I know that?????????)

11. Muscovy are seasonal layers. They don't lay year round.
12. Hard to scramble a duck egg.
13. Brooding babies is a wet and dirty job. NOT FUN AT ALL! Bedding should be changed several times a day.
14. They multiply like times tables.

I hope this helps. Let me know if you have any other questions.

 

[chickenbelle]

this will show my ignorance -- say i have one chicken... is it going to lay (basically) the same colour eggs every time? or if it's a breed that CAN do greenish-bluish range of colours, will her eggs be any of those colours and the next one a different, etc?

It will lay basically the same color egg. Marans start their laying darkest and lighten as the laying season progresses. Most others are in a similar hue.


Garilyn--How is the hubby? And yes, that cockerel you knew about didn't make it with the bronchitis. I did manage to tet the heritage RIR back to good health, but I'm still keeping him quarantined. It's been about 6 weeks now. I may let him around my girls in another two to three weeks if there is no relapse.

 

[La Mike]

Will go broody if 2 pecans fall out of a tree and they think the 2 pecans are eggs

 

[kuntrygirl]

Will go broody if 2 pecans fall out of a tree and they think the 2 pecans are eggs

You're so silly Mike.

 

[PrimroseMom1]

Will go broody if 2 pecans fall out of a tree and they think the 2 pecans are eggs

X2. The people at work wondered what was SO funny. Gosh, I love this group.

 

[La Mike]

Hahaha I can see it going that way Julie

Last year 1 of mine was sure she could hatch a rock. Sat on that rock until I finally broke and gave her some eggs