Meyer Hatchery Chicken pics anyone??

[christine9]

WooHoo!!!   How's your OE looking?  I think it was you that got one the same week as me right?  Mine has had a nice sized comb and red for a few weeks but no signs of laying.  She's 16 weeks also. She is def. a cross of CCL and something else. Clean legged.  Fingers crossed for olive eggs!   I have a few other that are 17 weeks and one of my GB squatted for me today!!   But her comb/wattles are still small.  I'm getting impatient.  

I don't have an OE yet, but have one on order Can't wait to see your eggs from her! My cuckoo marans is very red every day. I usually don't switch pullets to layer pellets this early, but she looks ready. I guess Peppy agrees lol!

 

[NotableNancy]

I don't have an OE yet, but have one on order

Can't wait to see your eggs from her! My cuckoo marans is very red every day. I usually don't switch pullets to layer pellets this early, but she looks ready. I guess Peppy agrees lol!

Sorry... I was getting you mixed up with @Melabella

That's another plus to having a rooster... seeing them mate means eggs soon!!!

 

[NotableNancy]

They are out in their run all day, but it's not a real "free range" situation - like they aren't running around the yard. They have a fenced in run that they play in during light hours from 7 am - 8:30 pm every day. I ferment their feed; give sprouts; give a flock block with backstrap molasses in it once every 2 weeks; do daily probiotics; and give a handful of dried meal worms at least once a week. Yeah, they are a little spoiled. Since it has gotten cold, I've been giving some scratch grains in the evenings - about 1/4 cup for 9 hens...not enough to get them fat, but just enough to make them work for their treat.

I think well rounded, good nutrition is more of a key to good yolk color than anything.

I do most of that except fermenting feed. I'm giving them a bit more scratch though on cold nights.

My mom came over today and said "do you know your two black hens are in the yard?" And I'm like yes. "You let them run around all day like that?" YES. "Doesn't the caT try to eat them?" Um no, she knows they'd kick her butt! Lol

So funny.... I thought the same thing when you posted the pic of your cat with the chicks!!

Lovely eggs! My friend's leghorn has laid an egg the last couple days and my BA squat for me today. No one has squatted since they stopped laying. I'm going to clean out the nest boxes tomorrow since the young ones have taken to sleeping in there when it got cold, and put in fresh straw. Hopefully they'll all start laying again!

Fingers crossed!!! I'm working on curtains for a few nests to hopefully make it less stressful for when the little girls start laying.

 

[COChix]

20/23 is excellent!  I would expect many of the girls to skip a day or two a week, so it sounds like they are all regular.  Only our Golden Buff lays every day.  The other girls charts look more like lay two days, skip one, lay three days skip one or even lay one day, skip one, except for Morgaine who has now skipped 6 days in a row and she sure isn't broody.  The only one of our girls who is inclined to be broody is Baby or Buff Orp, but as soon as I take her off the nest she doesn't go back.  It helps that there are no extra eggs in the nest boxes for her to sit on but with only 2-5 eggs a day laid in different boxes there's no real temptation.  But I understand being curious.

Thanks, we have been happy with their production all without supplemental light in the coop. I kinda figured as much, as far as not everyone laying everyday. We have 3-4 broody girls right now, a BR, dark Cornish, EE and can't remember who else. The cornish is the worst, she puffs up and hisses at me as soon as I open the nest box lid. I swear every couple hours I am doing egg checks and movin the broody girls off the nests. I try to not let the eggs they lay sit in the nest boxes too long. I am being able to see now who might be good little moms and might let a couple do some sitting on eggs next spring.

Peppy is just starting to mate with the younger girls. They are 16 weeks so it won't be too much longer....

Yeah! That is always a good indication as to POL, should be soon. Our roosters started mating with our BR weeks before she laid, but she was the fiirst to lay and the first to mate with the roosters.

Lovely eggs! My friend's leghorn has laid an egg the last couple days and my BA squat for me today. No one has squatted since they stopped laying. I'm going to clean out the nest boxes tomorrow since the young ones have taken to sleeping in there when it got cold, and put in fresh straw. Hopefully they'll all start laying again!

I am sure you have...but have you considered upping everyone's protein to see if they will lay? I just bought a 50# bag of feed that is 20% protein, I am mixing it with their regular feed which is 17%. I already noticed a difference in their coats,more sheen and less scruffy looking. The ones that are molting looked a little better this am already, after one day of increased protein.

@rnchick74 - like the yolk color of your eggs, I miss the darker yolks. Definitely noticed a difference since I am no longer fermenting. Nice routine you got there, so you add additional probiotics even when you ferment? I ask because my understanding is that fermented feed is full of probiotics and micronutrients. For the micronutrients,I give black strap molasses a couple times a week and kale a few times a week as well. Also the feed we get has kelp, molasses and all the good beneficial bacteria.

Took some egg shots the other day, here is a collection of blue/green eggs all from our Meyer EE. Funny how the color changes depending on the background.

Pretty happy with our "egg basket" colors even withouth a BCM or a white layer. The darkest eggs are laid by our Welsummer's and one of our Delawares. The lightest is from a dark Cornish (somebody said she might be a GLW, don't know for sure). She has white earlobes.

Speckled egg from one of our Welsummer's.

Dark Cornish or GLW - what do y'all think?

Here are a couple of her flock mates for comparison.

 

[trsturself]

Thanks, we have been happy with their production all without supplemental light in the coop. I kinda figured as much, as far as not everyone laying everyday. We have 3-4 broody girls right now, a BR, dark Cornish, EE and can't remember who else. The cornish is the worst, she puffs up and hisses at me as soon as I open the nest box lid. I swear every couple hours I am doing egg checks and movin the broody girls off the nests. I try to not let the eggs they lay sit in the nest boxes too long. I am being able to see now who might be good little moms and might let a couple do some sitting on eggs next spring.
Yeah! That is always a good indication as to POL, should be soon. Our roosters started mating with our BR weeks before she laid, but she was the fiirst to lay and the first to mate with the roosters.

I am sure you have...but have you considered upping everyone's protein to see if they will lay? I just bought a 50# bag of feed that is 20% protein, I am mixing it with their regular feed which is 17%. I already noticed a difference in their coats,more sheen and less scruffy looking. The ones that are molting looked a little better this am already, after one day of increased protein.

@rnchick74 - like the yolk color of your eggs, I miss the darker yolks. Definitely noticed a difference since I am no longer fermenting. Nice routine you got there, so you add additional probiotics even when you ferment? I ask because my understanding is that fermented feed is full of probiotics and micronutrients. For the micronutrients,I give black strap molasses a couple times a week and kale a few times a week as well. Also the feed we get has kelp, molasses and all the good beneficial bacteria.

Yes, I upped their protein awhile ago. The older girls all went through a heavy molt and that's when I upped the protein. They are all looking beautiful now. I had forgotten how lovely their feathers were. Right before they molted they were all sun bleached and ragged looking. Even our EE that got badly injured is finally looking normal again. I'll have to get a pic of her soon. I'm pretty sure it was a mix of worms and lice that lowered their immune systems which caused them to catch a cold after cold. Their poops look good now, no more runny noses, so hopefully we'll be seeing a few egg soon. It's so hard to throw out the couple that we have gotten but we have until Tuesday for the withdrawal time to be done. Next time we have really wet weather for an extended time I'm going to prepare in advance and put more stuff down (mulch, straw, etc) in their run to help them stay drier. That was tough on them. We have never had a problem with stuff like that before.The DE and squash seeds were always enough.

 

[konachicks]

@NotableNancy
My cat is 13 years old lol she knows the chickens could probably put up a better fight

plus with the babies, I'd bring her by us in the yard when they were tiny so she could see they were "friends not food"
She's wonderful with them and most time comes to nap where they're playing and keeps watch over them

 

[autumnhearth]

Speckled egg from one of our Welsummer's.



Dark Cornish or GLW - what do y'all think?



Here are a couple of her flock mates for comparison.

Love the Welsummer egg! The first girl looks more like Barnevelder, not a GLW but still could be a Cornish. The second definitely looks like a Cornish. What kind of comb does the first have? Looks like a small bunched up single comb or a big pea comb.

 

[COChix]

Love the Welsummer egg!  The first girl looks more like Barnevelder, not a GLW but still could be a Cornish.  The second definitely looks like a Cornish.  What kind of comb does the first have?  Looks like a small bunched up single comb or a big pea comb.

Yes we get speckled eggs from one of them,some days they have a lot and others none. Here is a shot of her comb, she definitely looks different from her flock mates that are Dark Cornish. Here is a shot of her comb, I believe it's single and not pea...

 

[Beer can]

Love the Welsummer egg! The first girl looks more like Barnevelder, not a GLW but still could be a Cornish. The second definitely looks like a Cornish. What kind of comb does the first have? Looks like a small bunched up single comb or a big pea comb.

Awesome egg! Hopefully my wellie lays them like that!
I had a pullet from meyers that looked just like that. I debated back and forth barnevelder, or dark cornish. It had the pretty lacing of a barnevelder, but with the red skin around the eyes, I'm pretty sure it was a dark cornish, had the body shape of one. Mine was eaten by a predator

.
The more I look at your pics, I can't tell for sure,

 

[trsturself]

Yes we get speckled eggs from one of them,some days they have a lot and others none. Here is a shot of her comb, she definitely looks different from her flock mates that are Dark Cornish. Here is a shot of her comb, I believe it's single and not pea...

I'm throwing my guess in as Barnevelder. Totally just a guess based on pics though, no personal experience with either breed.