Our introduction to keeping chickens, the high's, the lows and pics of our journey.

[cwrite]

Wrightx4 - at least you can camp close enough to get home twice a day. We have a strip of bush over our back fence so even though it's a small property I probably won't free range in Spring to Autumn when the snakes are hunting & fast.
We had our third bird start laying while we were off hiking & I've now identified who it is. We got our biggest egg today at 53g & it looks huge compared to the others. Our long lays biggest is 36g's & our Austrolorp's biggest is 47g. I'm not convinced that the smaller egg layers are going to increase by that much overall seeing how slowly the size is going up so I'm taking notes on the breeds of the big egg sizes you are getting there Ben. Have you had any hens go from 31g's (our long lay & most prolific egg layer) to much bigger than that?

 

[CB and CG]

Hi cwrite,
I find that egg size doesn't reach it's full size until the hen is about 2 years old. I have had Australorps pullets start laying a 40g egg and by the time they are two years old they are laying a consistent 60g+ egg.
Thought this pic might give you hope. An Australorp Hen of ours laid this monster a couple of years ago. To be fair she is 4.5kg herself and to her credit she laid this after having a near fatal prolapse on her first egg. This was her 'thank you' present after $300 at the vets for surgery...But she was well worth it. It turned out to be an egg inside an egg and she has laid laid 3 like this ranging from 160g - 174g

 

[Bens-Hens]

Vehve- have you ever cut yourself with a really sharp knife, so sharp you didn't really feel it?

That's the thinking behind a sharp knife and a single cut to the neck. The wound is mortal but by the time they feel it they're just really sleepy.

Some think that knife cuts to both sides and the crush of shears to the spine induces much more pain until the bird looses consciousness.

Of course I can't be sure what the chicken actually feels. But I can tell you from experience that I believe it is possible to deliver a cut that is painless. I've done it to myself ;-)

I agree, and so that's the method I use. The term 'slippery sharp' comes to mind. If only I can stop my good knife being used for other things! I should buy a new one with a scabbard and keep it separate.

Wrightx4 - at least you can camp close enough to get home twice a day. We have a strip of bush over our back fence so even though it's a small property I probably won't free range in Spring to Autumn when the snakes are hunting & fast.
We had our third bird start laying while we were off hiking & I've now identified who it is. We got our biggest egg today at 53g & it looks huge compared to the others. Our long lays biggest is 36g's & our Austrolorp's biggest is 47g. I'm not convinced that the smaller egg layers are going to increase by that much overall seeing how slowly the size is going up so I'm taking notes on the breeds of the big egg sizes you are getting there Ben. Have you had any hens go from 31g's (our long lay & most prolific egg layer) to much bigger than that?

I went back to try find the weights of our first eggs, but we did not have suitable scales then. I did keep the first egg and the first blue egg and blow them out. pics below.

They were really quite small, I think our first Ara eggs incubated were 31-37g, and they certainly started out smaller than that.I just weighed one from last week (same Ara hen) and it was 47g at the start of her 2nd season.

I weighed two pullet eggs, one Welsummer and one FWM and one was 58g and the other 60g and pretty sure they started their season in the high 40's. None of ours are much older than 1 year so I expect them to get a bit bigger by the end of the next laying season.

I would think depending on the breed, your's should gain in size as they lay more and more, as well as throw a couple of double yolkers along the way.

Might best easiest to show the comparisons.
Curly (Barnevelder) early egg at the start of her first pullet season.


Same bird at the start of her second season (after her moult and 'hen' birthday) 60g


Our two first laid eggs, kept and blown out. Sorry no weights. Sunny is a LS and was laying 60+g most days a week before going into moult.

Hi cwrite,
I find that egg size doesn't reach it's full size until the hen is about 2 years old. I have had Australorps pullets start laying a 40g egg and by the time they are two years old they are laying a consistent 60g+ egg.
Thought this pic might give you hope. An Australorp Hen of ours laid this monster a couple of years ago. To be fair she is 4.5kg herself and to her credit she laid this after having a near fatal prolapse on her first egg. This was her 'thank you' present after $300 at the vets for surgery...But she was well worth it. It turned out to be an egg inside an egg and she has laid laid 3 like this ranging from 160g - 174g

My my, I have watched the egg inside and egg video's. That must REALLY be uncomfortable to lay.

I was thinking of you this morning CB, I plan to get some chick pics today and I was hoping you could weigh in with your thoughts on a Blue 'lorp we have.....have a stab at the gender. I have mu suspicions but would love to hear your more experienced thoughts. Pics will come later today.

 

[cwrite]

Thanks CB&CG & Ben. That sounds promising for our future egg sizes.

 

[CB and CG]

My my, I have watched the egg inside and egg video's. That must REALLY be uncomfortable to lay.

I was thinking of you this morning CB, I plan to get some chick pics today and I was hoping you could weigh in with your thoughts on a Blue 'lorp we have.....have a stab at the gender. I have mu suspicions but would love to hear your more experienced thoughts. Pics will come later today.

Sure no problem Ben

 

[vehve]

Katbriar, yeah, I'm very familiar with that kind of cuts, they turn up from nowhere on my hands. But the knife method requires precision and determination to be painless. It would be the most hygienic way though.

CB & CG That's a monster, probably not a pleasant feeling when she plopped that out.

Ben, scalpels and boxcutters can be handy sometimes.

Cwrite, Veera has gained 2-3g in 2 weeks, so it's slow going.

 

[Bens-Hens]

If I was to suggest an average growth number for our flock in their first6-8 months of laying, I would say 12g. Some were a bit more, some a bit less but up until moult that is about what we had. Also, bigger birds are laying bigger eggs, but the Barnevelder and Welsummer are laying very impressive sized eggs given they are smaller than our Australorp and Sussex.

Now, Week 3 pics of the chicks (tomorrow is Day 1 of Week 3)

I fear a sea of boys.

Silkie. Unable to guess sex, but it's behaviour seems female. I will most likely be wrong.



best I could get of the comb


Wylkie. Again, not confident to guess gender, but am leaning toward female based on behaviour. Least likely to stand tall from the crowd.


Nice colour, definitely a smooth feather


Best comb shot I could muster


Peachy legs with the extra toe. Light feathering just coming in.


Cochin. Gender guess is an uncertain male. Acts quite boyish, will stand tall and hold it ground but only for an instant before taking off. Comb is not as developed as others and seems most advanced in feathering which casts doubt on my gender guess.






The Palomino New Hampshire. Pretty confident if was not a frizzle (seller said it may or may not) Quite confident it's a male. Comb comparison shows quite large. Quite a bold chick, first to poop on me and only chick brave enough to make a break for it off the towel during the shoot.


Had to hold him for the comb shot as he was brave enough to dart away!


Our fabled unicorn chicken. The blue Australorp pullet....that I am confident is another roo. Only doubts comes from being timid and is feathering in differently to ALL the other males we have raised both black and blue. Could be too early to call on the comb, but it does look quite wide at the base. Will leave the judgement call to CB (I am pretty sure I know what he will say though)








Happy to take people suggestions or people guesses based on these pics. Another lot next week. If the sun comes back out they can spend some time outside during the day.

 

[CB and CG]

I am very sorry to say it Ben but you have another boy on your hands. Is it a very very dark blue or black? The photos make it appear black to me however photographs can be deceptive.
One day you will get a BLUE Australorp PULLET however I don't think today is that day unfortunately.
Probably a little too young for me to take a guess on the others as I haven't kept those breeds before. I will say though that the Cochin is looking girly however I'm inexperienced with the breed.

 

[vehve]

Well Ben, looks like you need to fire up the trusty incubator once more, and load it with unicorn eggs. Or then you could look into noise cancelling speaker systems, and keep the little roo.

Fancy, we took a look at your uploaded images with Karin, Inlet Farm seems like a wonderful place to live.

 

[Bens-Hens]

I am very sorry to say it Ben but you have another boy on your hands. Is it a very very dark blue or black? The photos make it appear black to me however photographs can be deceptive.
One day you will get a BLUE Australorp PULLET however I don't think today is that day unfortunately.
Probably a little too young for me to take a guess on the others as I haven't kept those breeds before. I will say though that the Cochin is looking girly however I'm inexperienced with the breed.

I am inclined to agree. It had very dark blue down, Katt assured it was a blue, but as it feathers out I have doubts. I also suspected it was a male. I should become a profession male Australorp hatcher!

Well Ben, looks like you need to fire up the trusty incubator once more, and load it with unicorn eggs. Or then you could look into noise cancelling speaker systems, and keep the little roo.

Fancy, we took a look at your uploaded images with Karin, Inlet Farm seems like a wonderful place to live.

Yes on both counts Felix. Although, I don't think we will hatch anymore for a while. Maybe next year after our hens decline in laying, but for now we should have more than we can keep up with once the weather turns warm again.

Inlet Farm looks stunning hey!