MPC Super blue egg layer eggs

[kie4]

Our girl "Chuck" (named by her 2 year old owner) is 16 weeks old today. Very adventurous, was first to jump out of the brooder, caught sleeping in a tree once after dark, very friendly loves to be picked up and petted, jumps up for treats. Just as friendly as our Buff Orpington. For the record we also have not so friendly BCM and NH Red who were just as equally petted growing up.

It's hard to believe the stories I've read on this thread about hostile SBELs.

Also most of the females I've seen on here look lovely and preened, our "Chuck" in comparison is dirty from all the free ranging, and has a big pair of muffs.

@MyPetChicken, Chuck was hatched on June the 27th. Does that make her an F1, F2 or F3? I've read all the comments on this thread, and based on them I'm starting to realize that SBELs are really Super White "if you look really closely there might be a faint shade of light blue" Egg Layers. (SWELs)

We love her whatever colour she lays because she a top lass, but now I have more hope for our 5 week old Crested Cream Legbar we bought nearby in the blue egg colour department. We saw the eggs laid by her relatives and they were a really nice strong shade of blue. I hear they take many weeks to start laying though.

 

[Shezadandy]

Our girl "Chuck" (named by her 2 year old owner) is 16 weeks old today. Very adventurous, was first to jump out of the brooder, caught sleeping in a tree once after dark, very friendly loves to be picked up and petted, jumps up for treats. Just as friendly as our Buff Orpington. For the record we also have not so friendly BCM and NH Red who were just as equally petted growing up.

It's hard to believe the stories I've read on this thread about hostile SBELs.

Also most of the females I've seen on here look lovely and preened, our "Chuck" in comparison is dirty from all the free ranging, and has a big pair of muffs.

@MyPetChicken, Chuck was hatched on June the 27th. Does that make her an F1, F2 or F3? I've read all the comments on this thread, and based on them I'm starting to realize that SBELs are really Super White "if you look really closely there might be a faint shade of light blue" Egg Layers. (SWELs)

We love her whatever colour she lays because she a top lass, but now I have more hope for our 5 week old Crested Cream Legbar we bought nearby in the blue egg colour department. We saw the eggs laid by her relatives and they were a really nice strong shade of blue. I hear they take many weeks to start laying though.

The SBELs are a mix of breeds to produce blu(ish) eggs as opposed to a breed. I'm betting the difference in personality you're seeing is some of that Ameraucana blood (thus, the adorable muffs), luck of the draw. My pullets look much more like white leghorns, and based on what I've read, act more like the average leghorn.

I'm in the reverse position, lucky to have my SBEL roo (who basically looks like a gray Ameraucana) being a nice boy to have around - complete with muffs, beard and pea comb -- whereas most with aggressive SBEL roos report their birds resemble (again) white leghorns with large straight combs.

So, it seems to be more about what your individual bird's makeup is as opposed to SBELS as a group-- unfortunately we have no control over which chicks get put in the box.

 

[kie4]

The SBELs are a mix of breeds to produce blu(ish) eggs as opposed to a breed.  I'm betting the difference in personality you're seeing is some of that Ameraucana blood (thus, the adorable muffs), luck of the draw.  My pullets look much more like white leghorns, and based on what I've read, act more like the average leghorn.

I'm in the reverse position, lucky to have my SBEL roo (who basically looks like a gray Ameraucana) being a nice boy to have around - complete with muffs, beard and pea comb -- whereas most with aggressive SBEL roos report their birds resemble (again) white leghorns with large straight combs.

So, it seems to be more about what your individual bird's makeup is as opposed to SBELS as a group-- unfortunately we have no control over which chicks get put in the box.

Does showing muffs mean her DNA will be closer to Ameraucana and we will probably get bluer Ameraucana looking eggs without the production frequency trait of the leghorn? Or does it just mean she holds the trait for muffs?

 

[MiniHorses]

ADORABLE chicks. Congrats.

There just isn't much more exciting & fun to watch than a hen & her chicks. It is the best way to raise them! My BOs were broody this year and I did hatch some from one of them. Next year I hope to have 3-4 broody again and I plan to load each of them up! Those MPCs do not seem interested in setting....but, have eggs & a surrogate or two.

Watch the chicks for pea combs. Now we get to wait 6 months for them to lay THAT egg.

 

[Shezadandy]

Does showing muffs mean her DNA will be closer to Ameraucana and we will probably get bluer Ameraucana looking eggs without the production frequency trait of the leghorn? Or does it just mean she holds the trait for muffs?

The muffs show that she's got some Ameraucana- and from my understanding, if a parent has muffs it shows up in the offspring. I wouldn't want to speculate on any color differences or production differences- once she's laid her first egg, do post it!!!

If you'd like to compare notes once she's gotten a good start, I keep records of each hen along with size of egg etc.

 

[Shezadandy]

ADORABLE chicks. Congrats.

There just isn't much more exciting & fun to watch than a hen & her chicks. It is the best way to raise them! My BOs were broody this year and I did hatch some from one of them. Next year I hope to have 3-4 broody again and I plan to load each of them up! Those MPCs do not seem interested in setting....but, have eggs & a surrogate or two.

Watch the chicks for pea combs. Now we get to wait 6 months for them to lay THAT egg.

Thanks!


I guess I got pretty lucky- so far two of my MPC girls- a barred rock and an Australorp- have each gone broody in their first year, and both have done a really good job with setting, hatching and raising the babies. I'm sure I've said this before on this thread- sticking to broody hens- if I bought an incubator there would be a chick hanging out in every crevice.

It will be interesting.... yeah, just 6 short months before we get those eggs ... sigh.

After the June chicks grew up, I went through peep squad withdrawl !! There is something utterly charming about a troop of chicks peeping away and sticking together wherever they go after mama weans them.

Thank goodness they've all got different feet. There are a couple I would never tell apart easily if it wasn't for the distinctly different toes. =)

 

[kie4]

The muffs show that she's got some Ameraucana- and from my understanding, if a parent has muffs it shows up in the offspring. I wouldn't want to speculate on any color differences or production differences- once she's laid her first egg, do post it!!!

If you'd like to compare notes once she's gotten a good start, I keep records of each hen along with size of egg etc.

Thanks @Shezadandy ! She must have Ameraucana and Leghorn in her then? I'll post my first egg, let's compare notes! I understand you don't want to get my hopes up on blue-ness. My expectations are very low after reading through others experiences on BYC. She's in a first egg race with her New Hampshire sibling. Who will lay first!? The BO and BCM I know are later starters and still have pink combs. No squatting yet.

 

[Shezadandy]

Thanks @Shezadandy ! She must have Ameraucana and Leghorn in her then? I'll post my first egg, let's compare notes! I understand you don't want to get my hopes up on blue-ness. My expectations are very low after reading through others experiences on BYC. She's in a first egg race with her New Hampshire sibling. Who will lay first!? The BO and BCM I know are later starters and still have pink combs. No squatting yet.

That's all part of the great mystery! (what they're "made" off) I'm also looking forward to what I get when I cross the SBEL pullet(s) with the SBEL roo. Currently I don't know which one it is. I suspect, but don't know. And the one I suspect is the only one that doesn't have clear muffs (yet) and maybe looks to have a straight comb. My luck, that'll be the only chick of the 8 that came from the Welsummer roo. But, next time ... next time-- because the Welsummer found a new home with his own ladies this weekend ...

The difference between my two shades of blue is substantial enough that I can tell across the room- I'll be waiting with baited breath to see what you get!

Someone did get a really nice color-- check out the picture from this thread I started just for posting pictures of the SBEL eggs themselves--- in post #13, the top left egg:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/1128926/pictures-of-mpc-super-blue-egg-layer-sbel-eggs/

 

[kie4]

That's all part of the great mystery! (what they're "made" off) I'm also looking forward to what I get when I cross the SBEL pullet(s) with the SBEL roo. Currently I don't know which one it is. I suspect, but don't know. And the one I suspect is the only one that doesn't have clear muffs (yet) and maybe looks to have a straight comb. My luck, that'll be the only chick of the 8 that came from the Welsummer roo. But, next time ... next time-- because the Welsummer found a new home with his own ladies this weekend ...

The difference between my two shades of blue is substantial enough that I can tell across the room- I'll be waiting with baited breath to see what you get!

Someone did get a really nice color-- check out the picture from this thread I started just for posting pictures of the SBEL eggs themselves--- in post #13, the top left egg:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/1128926/pictures-of-mpc-super-blue-egg-layer-sbel-eggs/

That is an amazing shade of blue @Shezadandy !
I will keep you updated on any eggs that are laid. She's red in the face compared to our other 16 weekers. She's 16 weeks and 2 days old according to my FlockPlenty app. She's also the boss.

 

[Shezadandy]

That is an amazing shade of blue @Shezadandy !
I will keep you updated on any eggs that are laid. She's red in the face compared to our other 16 weekers. She's 16 weeks and 2 days old according to my FlockPlenty app. She's also the boss.

Nice!! Both of our SBELs laid in Week 19, one at 19 weeks and 4 days, the other at 19 weeks and 6 days.
So, I'm guessing you don't have much longer to wait!

Today we had our first broody-hatched-egg (some kind of cream crested legbar mix) lay her first egg at 18 weeks and 6 days- well, the first time I've caught her in the act, but it can't have been much earlier .. maybe growing up in the summer makes for earlier egg laying??