Pennsylvania!! Unite!!

[dheltzel]

Dennis, both Boo and Dragon turned out to be Oliver eggers. Boo just laid her first egg today and it’s green too. They looks very similar and are different from Winnie-the-Pooh the legbar. Left to right: Boo, Dragon, and Winnie-the-Pooh. Is that possible your Welbar roo had affaire with legbars?

It is possible the eggs got mis-labeled, or the chicks got mixed. An Olive Egger is indeed the result of a Welbar roo and a Legbar hen. Though the cross works the other way also, I find blue eggs easier to incubate and hatch.

 

[LadyBehir]

I really really hope the 2 lav chicks are female. And the Marans. She (if it is a her) will be named Donna BellaDonna. The 3 (sorry, Dennis, between dogs and random deaths, I had a crappy survival rate) from Dennis are Donna, un-named yet with the reddish chest/head, and Hazel, the one on the left. What are they? Marans and ??

 

[TillyPeeps]

It is possible the eggs got mis-labeled, or the chicks got mixed. An Olive Egger is indeed the result of a Welbar roo and a Legbar hen. Though the cross works the other way also, I find blue eggs easier to incubate and hatch.

I thought you would do the opposite way, since Welbars are very good layers so you can get more chicks. Blue Bear lays for 5 days and takes one day break; Henny lays for 4 days and takes one day break. Blue Bear's eggs are really dark, Henny's eggs are always dark on the smaller side and lighter on the larger side.

 

[dheltzel]

I thought you would do the opposite way, since Welbars are very good layers so you can get more chicks. Blue Bear lays for 5 days and takes one day break; Henny lays for 4 days and takes one day break. Blue Bear's eggs are really dark, Henny's eggs are always dark on the smaller side and lighter on the larger side.

My Legbars seem to lay better than Welbars in late winter and spring, then the Welbars take off in late spring and summer. Both are laying well for me now, but I am especially impressed with the Legbars laying now, since they started earlier in the year and most are 4 years old now!

 

[dheltzel]

But the bigger reason is that Legbar eggs are MUCH easier to candle. I have to wait at least 12 days to pull infertile Welbar eggs because of their very dark shells. Legbars candle easily at 6 or 7 days, allowing me to reuse the incubator space earlier.
For the first few years, my Welbars also laid a lot of round eggs that needed help to hatch, or failed to hatch at all. I still generally get a higher percentage of chicks from the Legbars than the Welbars.

 

[feliciadawn]

Well they look innocent enough, but they are little extortionists. Adam (back right), the one cockerel, knowing that I am not allowed a rooster, crows repeatedly whenever I go outside, stopping only when I give him and the girls some treats. This is the ONLY time he crows, so I know it is intentional.

I blame the breeder (That’s you, Dennis.). These chickens are way too smart.

 

[dheltzel]

Well they look innocent enough, but they are little extortionists. Adam (back right), the one cockerel, knowing that I am not allowed a rooster, crows repeatedly whenever I go outside, stopping only when I give him and the girls some treats. This is the ONLY time he crows, so I know it is intentional.

I blame the breeder (That’s you, Dennis.). These chickens are way too smart.

They are a fine looking crew! It is tough to be a rooster and have to keep the favor of the hens. He just found a way to provide for them that they can't do themselves.
Does he call them over to the treats but not eat much himself? That is the mark of a Gentleman Rooster, the best kind. I really appreciate most of my roosters, they are all about the safety and comfort of their hens. They exude confidence and manage to keep the loyalty of their hens (in most cases).

 

[TillyPeeps]

Well they look innocent enough, but they are little extortionists. Adam (back right), the one cockerel, knowing that I am not allowed a rooster, crows repeatedly whenever I go outside, stopping only when I give him and the girls some treats. This is the ONLY time he crows, so I know it is intentional.


View attachment 2316163


I blame the breeder (That’s you, Dennis.). These chickens are way too smart.

He is such a handsome boy! I really like your legbar's color. She knows she is beautiful.

 

[TillyPeeps]

My Legbars seem to lay better than Welbars in late winter and spring, then the Welbars take off in late spring and summer. Both are laying well for me now, but I am especially impressed with the Legbars laying now, since they started earlier in the year and most are 4 years old now!

I'm curious about hwo many eggs Winnie-the-Pooh will lay now. She is on the small side, so I don't expect that she becomes a good layer. But we will see. She hasn't start to squat down for me yet.

 

[TillyPeeps]

OneMountainAcres, Sun laid her first egg today! I was shocked. As a silkie and polish mix, I don’t expect her to lay in a month or two, since she is only about 20weeks old. But she Is the only one lays creamy eggs. It is only 24g.