Maine

[joanie_maine]

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I'm not a duck person

But I did notice the increased numbers of ducks entered at Maine Shows this year!

Call ducks seem to be the favorites, but sometimes it's better to be the new kids in town

 

[buckabucka]

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How about some kind of Marans? You'll want to make sure it is good quality, though, at least in my experience.

I bought a black copper Marans from a hatchery. She never really laid eggs! I do remember getting her first egg, as it was fairly dark. A few lighter eggs followed, and that was it, except for some tiny "fairy eggs".

Then I bought some hatching eggs that were supposed to be olive-eggers. The seller crossed her Marans with an Ameraucana hen. Some of the resulting offspring was crossed back to the Marans rooster. One of the hens that hatched (only 2 of 9 were hens, unfortunately) looked just like a black copper Marans, and it lays a beautiful dark egg at least 5 days a week! I was very pleased, since I didn't have a hen like that, and I was able to hatch out an olive egger using my own cross.

 

[buckabucka]

Has anyone ever bought feed at the mill in Detroit? I didn't even know it was there until I read about it on the forum. I think it will be a good 45 minute drive for me, but that is how long it takes me to get to the feed store in New Sharon. When I am feeling lazy, I get Purina in Waterville or Skowhegan.

I think I will check it out this week. It seems like there should be a cost savings since they manufacture it right there. Anyone been there?

 

[kinsey228]

I haven't been there, but Whitewater farms on Rt. 2 in New Sharon has really good quality feed. I think it is around $15 for 55lbs. It also comes in 80 pound bags.

 

[TinyChickenLady]

Does anyone know when any of the TSCs start doing their chick sale? I've never been to one but have heard about it and want some this spring.

 

[kinsey228]

My Dad works at the one in Skowhegan, and says they'll start getting them near the middle of March. Most of my flock came from TSC as chicks, and they were all healthy. They are 6-7 months old now and lay great.

 

[kinsey228]

If you cross a blue egg layer w/ a white egg layer, will you get blue ? Also, if you cross a blue layer w/ a brown, do you get brown, green, or what ?

 

[buckabucka]

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Don't quote me on this, but my understanding is that blue is dominant. So I think if you cross blue with white you will get at least half blue layers (and half white layers). And if you cross blue with brown, you will get half green layers, half brown layers. Cross blue with dark brown, and you get olive. All eggs are either blue or white. Brown is just white eggs with pigment on them, and green/olive are just blue with brown pigment.

Hopefully someone with more knowledge will chime in here, since I'm not sure about all this!

 

[Coldweatherbirds]

My ameraucana roo x leghorn hen chicks are laying very pale pastel blue eggs. My ameraucana roo x golden comet and new hampshire red hens are laying various shades of olive eggs. I do not have anything laying a true white egg or a true brown egg from crossing my ameraucana roo. This spring my roo is a blue copper maran... crossing with my blue, olive and original brown layers... we will see what his chicks end up laying next fall!

(My leghorn was taken by a hawk, so no white layers to cross him with.)

 

[buckabucka]

So I guess it would make sense that blue is dominant.

I'm hoping to do some of my own crossing experiments this spring. My rooster came in the olive-egger hatch I did, so his background is somewhat of a mystery. It is definitely fun waiting for those first eggs when you don't know what color you will get!