My Little Flock - EE's and Silkies - after 7 weeks :) And lots of Questions!

[lilpeepers]

Hi All!
Just wanted to post an update on my peepers! I have kept them alive for 7 weeks, lol! They are a happy group of 12 that free range in our fenced yard during the day, and are happy in their sandy coop at night.
Six are blue Silkies, and six are EE's...I have read so much on this forum, I can see that they are not Araucanas, as they were sold, but some kind of EE. They are very tame and love to hop up on my shoulders and back while I work on whatever they need.
They were a straight run, and they are old enough that I believe I've got at least 3 roosters...so I'm already dreaming up the bachelor pad for my beloved boys (of course they had to be my favorites when they were little, lol).

I do have some questions for you wise ones out there...
Poop: I have noticed that there is about 25% of very dark brown, runny poops that are incredibly hard to clean. I have read all the poop forums and haven't seen anything that describes this type exactly. It's like a little puddle of fudge - same consistency, very sticky, and when it dries, forget about cleaning it up, it's like tar. If anyone knows if this is a bad sign, please tell me! Otherwise, it's just been inconvenient.

Social: I've got a very scary Silkie! His name is Beaker (from the Muppets) because he is always terrified of what I might do to him. I'm just worried because he won't come near the coop if I'm trying to put everyone to bed at night, and so it's a pain. I would try to tame him, but I can't tell who he is during the day when he's mixed in with all the other grey Silkies, he just reveals himself every night as the scaredy cat who won't go to bed.

Breeding: Am I right to assume that there could be problems if a EE male mates with a Silkie female - wouldn't the Silkie's egg be too big for her? Or is egg size the same no matter what? For that reason, I'm thinking that the roosters (EE's especially) have to be separate from the Silkies before they come of age. Anyone that would answer that would be much appreciated!

I have learned SO MUCH from this forum, thank you all! Each and every one of us makes it great. I read almost every day, and love this place!

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

Caecal poos are normal and are about every 8th poo...they are liquid. This may be what you are seeing.

The hen's egg size is related to protein intake and genetics (and other nutrition of course). So the rooster won't change the egg size. The only thing you need to be concerned about is that a rooster isn't so large as to damage a tiny hen by standing on her back. Or if a rooster is hurting the hens when mating by drawing blood or something. I leave the cockerels in with the pullets as they grow up. Everyone has a different perspective- some do take the cockerels out when they try to mate the pullets who aren't ready yet.