newbie with a few ?s

[sab]

Just a few ?s to get me up to speed. Scenario - 3 chickens and a duck - peking duck. Raised together. Duck thinks she is a chicken.

1. Free range - what constitutes free range? Does a couple of hours out of the pen qualify? As is, they can't be out all day --- too many neighbor dogs, and the birds have found the house.... need I say more?

2. Easter Eggers - So when I look at people's pictures of their "easter eggers" -- I see what looks sorta like mine but a lot of them don't look like mine. Is that just a category of birds more than a breed?

3. Laying - and why the heck won't that Easter egger lay?? The other 2 (Plymouth rocks) lay almost regulary an egg a day. All the birds were gotten at Easter time by my neice. They ended up here. The 'twins' (Harriett and Hazel, the Plymouth rocks) began laying within 2 months of each other. That darn Hateful (Easter Egger) hasn't laid squat. I take that back - she lays a lot of 'squat' just no eggs.

4. Are duck eggs white? Always white??? Duck-Duck hasn't laid anything yet either but that's ok. She's just too darn cute....

Thanks in advance.

Sally in WV

 

[poultrycrazy]

1. i am pretty sure free ranging is any time they get to spend outside in the run or yard?
2. Easter Eggers are mutts most of the time or an ameraucana that doesnt have a standard color. Most of the time Easter Eggers lay green or blue eggs but sometimes will lay brown or other colors.
3. Sometimes it can take a while for some chickens to lay. You just have to be very patient. Plymouth rocks are really good layers and tend to start around 20 weeks. Leghorns can start as early as 18 weeks. Some breeds wont start to lay till the next spring. Easter eggers are usually really good layers so when she does start to lay she should lay quite a bit of eggs.
4. I dont really know about what color duck eggs can be but i have to females of different breeds and they both lay greenish eggs.

I hope all this info i gave you is right and if it isnt hopefully someone will tell you (and me). Good Luck and enjoy the chickens!

 

[sab]

Thanks
Yes - helpful.
So easter eggers can lay brown eggs?? This AM I found a huge egg - I mean HUGE -- by comparison to what I have been getting from Harriett and Hazel. I have never seen Duck-Duck go up the ladder to the where the ladies roost. But there was that egg. If Ducks lay brown eggs (and I don't think they do) I'd have thought it was Duck-Duck's. Maybe Hateful laid that huge egg. Are Easter Eggers (mine's an Ameraucana variety) BIG egg layers - I'm talking size.

 

[teach1rusl]

1) To me, true free ranging means your chickens or ducks are out (or given the choice to be out) wandering from dawn till dusk, but in general it's allowing them out in a yard or your property even for a few hours.
2) Yeah, easter eggers have 101 different looks, since they're mixed. And besides the colors mentioned, eggs can be kind of pinkish too.
3) Many report their EEs to be late layers, although mine started by 20 weeks. But could some of your brown eggs actually be theirs??? Or really, this is not the time of year for new layers to start laying IF it's around that time. It's possible they may not lay until early spring, when temps warm up and daylight hours lengthen.
4) I know nothing of duck eggs, sorry.