Nevadans?

[chickee]

Chickee- These two girls are from you. Great girls and awesome mothers.

Hi Molly

Those hens are gorgeous! The Ameraucana hen is definitely show quality. I love her! I added some new lines last year and I'm close to separating out my best birds to breed together.

Do you still have some of the golden cuckoo Marans? They certainly have been a challenge!! I only kept the 4 that lay the darkest eggs, but in their 2nd year they start laying lighter eggs. Very baffling. Maybe Sunny has some input on this?

I have spring fever and two incubators full of eggs! Ameraucanas, Marans, Silkies and d'Anvers.
I sold hatching eggs and one of my porcelain Catdance Silkie roosters to Sheri Minkner a few weeks back. I am going to get hatching eggs out of that rooster and her porcelain hen that won at the Stockton Nationals in payment for the rooster. Maybe some blacks for my lavender hen. On top of that I just heard back from Pete Ovalle and will be getting some wheaten Marans eggs soon. I was supposed to downsize . . Hahaha!

 

[SunnyDawn]

Yes unfortunately Marans pullets usually lay the darkest eggs. Lightening up as they get older. They also usually lay darker eggs for the first 2 weeks after their winter rest. Although, once in a while, they lay lighter eggs at first then their "spray ducts" seem to kick in.

Marans are a challenging breed to work with. The good news is the eggs always have that lil extra creamy, buttery flavor (compared to most fresh eggs), and their ability to stay fresh longer, no matter their color. The dark egg color is just eye candy.

 

[SunnyDawn]

Chickee, I may want to get some ams from you about mid spring. I'm especially interested in egg color. What breed seems to give you the best egg color?

 

[kmollyhughes]

Ha! Down sizing. Lol Been there. I'm up to 8 pens I think now...and could really use a couple more to separate more breeds.

I do still have your GCMs Chickee. Two roosters and maybe 6-7 hens. Some are daughters of the original eggs I hatched from you. I can't remember how dark they originally laid. Lol They aren't super dark now but they have nice speckles, so doesn't bother me.

I would totally buy more Am eggs from you. I only have my one splash rooster and I think 6-7 hens from you and Lark Rise. I really should put them in their own pen. Ha!

Sheri Minkers birds are super nice. I bought a bunch from her a few years ago. Loved them.

How dark are the Wheaton Marans eggs? Between my BCM and GCM, I've got a good range of dark eggs. I love Marans. Big calm birds. Not flighty like some other breeds. Like Sunny said, the roosters are fantastic. They bring calmness and security to the property. Most days our chickens are free on about 2 acres of our property with 3 Marans, 1 Am, and 3 Legbar roosters watching over everything. Between them and my dogs, we've had no predator issues. Thankfully.

 

[chickee]

Yes unfortunately Marans pullets usually lay the darkest eggs. Lightening up as they get older. They also usually lay darker eggs for the first 2 weeks after their winter rest. Although, once in a while, they lay lighter eggs at first then their "spray ducts" seem to kick in.

Marans are a challenging breed to work with. The good news is the eggs always have that lil extra creamy, buttery flavor (compared to most fresh eggs), and their ability to stay fresh longer, no matter their color. The dark egg color is just eye candy.

Thank-you Sunny. The lighter eggs are still pretty, especially the speckled ones. Problem is, when people are buying eggs they want them the darkest. I had one 2 year old golden cuckoo hen who laid a beautiful dark egg that never lightened her whole laying season. I kept two of her daughters who laid a dark egg that held its color all season also, but this year their eggs have lightened. Boy do my eating egg customers love those Marans eggs!

Ha! Down sizing. Lol Been there. I'm up to 8 pens I think now...and could really use a couple more to separate more breeds.

I do still have your GCMs Chickee. Two roosters and maybe 6-7 hens. Some are daughters of the original eggs I hatched from you. I can't remember how dark they originally laid. Lol They aren't super dark now but they have nice speckles, so doesn't bother me.

I would totally buy more Am eggs from you. I only have my one splash rooster and I think 6-7 hens from you and Lark Rise. I really should put them in their own pen. Ha!

Sheri Minkers birds are super nice. I bought a bunch from her a few years ago. Loved them.

How dark are the Wheaton Marans eggs? Between my BCM and GCM, I've got a good range of dark eggs. I love Marans. Big calm birds. Not flighty like some other breeds. Like Sunny said, the roosters are fantastic. They bring calmness and security to the property. Most days our chickens are free on about 2 acres of our property with 3 Marans, 1 Am, and 3 Legbar roosters watching over everything. Between them and my dogs, we've had no predator issues. Thankfully.

Well, whenever your ready for eggs I will collect some. The wheaten Marans eggs are pretty dark. I imagine not as dark as the black coppers, but impressive. I have some golden cuckoo x wheaten Marans eggs in the incubator. They will make pretty egg layers. I also love my Marans roosters! Big, beautiful birds!

 

[chickee]

Chickee, I may want to get some ams from you about mid spring. I'm especially interested in egg color. What breed seems to give you the best egg color?

I would be happy to sell you some Ameraucana eggs. My Cree blue wheatens lay a beautiful blue green egg, but need a lot of work. My Smith x Pips&Peeps girls lay a lighter true blue egg. I have a pullet (only one to hatch from shipped eggs) that lays a darker blue egg that I am working on hatching a rooster from for breeding that is Pips&Peeps x Wayne Meredith. Right now I have a good hen line (Paul Smith) but need to get back my rooster line, which is the Pips&Peeps line.

This picture is of the eggs I am getting from my Ameraucanas (greenish eggs are a new line that is from show winners, but egg color has suffered. My Smith xPips&Peeps rooster bred to a green egg layers offspring lays a gorgeous turquoise egg. Hoping it will work with this pullet) The others eggs are from my Marans, Silkies and d'Anvers.

 

[SunnyDawn]

Wow chickee! Some of those blue eggs are really stunning. I have a plethora of green and green blue eggs but, yeah I'd love some clear or pale blue layers.

I know, everyone wants the stunning blues, just like everyone want the darkest marans' eggs. Sometimes I think that's why we treasure them so... cause they're hard to come by. :/

And you're right. The lighter eggs are in crazy demand for eating so I don't mind if most of my girls lay 5s to 7s instead of 8s. They are just as delicious!

 

[chickee]

Wow chickee! Some of those blue eggs are really stunning. I have a plethora of green and green blue eggs but, yeah I'd love some clear or pale blue layers.

I know, everyone wants the stunning blues, just like everyone want the darkest marans' eggs. Sometimes I think that's why we treasure them so... cause they're hard to come by. :/

And you're right. The lighter eggs are in crazy demand for eating so I don't mind if most of my girls lay 5s to 7s instead of 8s. They are just as delicious!

Today I sent my last extra Ameraucana rooster off to his new home, so I was able to go out tonight and sort the hens and roosters in the two pens to make the best babies. By the time your ready for eggs they should produce some very nice chicks.

I am going down next Saturday to pick-up the wheaten Marans eggs from Pete Ovalle. I was thinking of getting some of his black coppers, but none available until April. I have really fallen for the wheatens. I would like to add blue wheatens at some point.

 

[chickee]

Picture the breeder in Arkansas sent me of the egg entry win at the Arkansas Nationals. It is cute how they took one of the eggs and made a trophy of sorts out of it.


This is the wheaten Ameraucana hen the Arizona breeder hatched from my eggs that won best variety and reserve breed.

 

[SunnyDawn]

Today I sent my last extra Ameraucana rooster off to his new home, so I was able to go out tonight and sort the hens and roosters in the two pens to make the best babies. By the time your ready for eggs they should produce some very nice chicks.

I am going down next Saturday to pick-up the wheaten Marans eggs from Pete Ovalle. I was thinking of getting some of his black coppers, but none available until April. I have really fallen for the wheatens. I would like to add blue wheatens at some point.

I've never seen Wheaton Marans. I'd love to see a pic sometime. Pete Ovalle has some lovely birds! He is very picky about his breeding program too. Plus he's such a nice guy.

Love the award! So cute!
Thank you chickee. I'm looking forward to getting more ameraucanas when you're ready.