Ribh's D'Coopage

[Ribh]

This is Myth. She's the second eldest hen here now. It's taken me a long time to appreciate all her good points because of her one bad point and that is she kills her chicks.
In all other respects, if you wanted a steady hen who lays regularly, can be handled if necessary and keeps tight to her rooster she's a dream. She is also rather pretty I think.
She's the daughter of Mini Minx and I think her father was Major (Marans).
She's a bantam in most respects. She's big for a bantam here but the other bantams seem to think she belongs with them in some strange way. She did live with the bantams for a while but Blue Spot threw her out. Myth ended up with Tribe 3 because her half sister Gedit was the top hen and closest living relative. Myth and Gedit used to get on well and given the large difference in size (Gedit was Marans size but with identical colouring to Myth) they made a funny looking pair. I don't think Myth has ever laid an egg away from a coop and she will try to sit two or three times a year.
View attachment 2303054

She's a pretty looking hen but chick killing doesn't endear her.

 

[Shadrach]

Killing babies could be a downside but I assume you no longer let her set. She is quite beautiful. Any idea what could motivate a hen to kill her chicks? Just crazy?

I don't know Bob. Some hens here will peck at their chicks if they get out from underneath them and in front of them when they hatch. The hen knows the chick shouldn't be there. With the others when I see this I just tuck the chick back in under the hens bum and they're fine. It's possible that this is what has happened with Myth but I wasn't there in time to tuck the chicks back.
Madness isn't an excuse here. There are plenty of other nutters who don't kill their chicks.

 

[rjohns39]

Good morning folks

Angry clouds from this afternoon...

did you see the face?

 

[Ribh]

It's been hovering around 7 degrees celcius this morning & the girls were a little slow to get out of the coop. The westerly, which was blowing a steady 25~30k yesterday, has dropped out & we now have a diamante day of hard brilliant sunshine & cold blue sea. It should be lovely later on but for now the fire is blazing & everyone is warmly wrapped up. The girls have been fed & the cats have found a sunshiny patch.

 

[Ribh]

Good morning folks

Angry clouds from this afternoon...

View attachment 2303127

did you see the face?

Yes, I found the face.

 

[Ribh]

I have been waiting, with what patience I might, to contact my Campine breeder & see how we are situated for this breeding season. As her girls are only just starting to lay now we are some way off acquiring any but assuming she gets some fertile eggs I will be adding more screamers & fliers to the flock later in Spring. This will put my flock @ maximum capacity I think. So far my older girls are showing no signs of slowing down their laying & we are certainly getting swamped with eggs just now, but juggling that new/old layer dynamic is hard for me to judge.
While I will probably always have a slightly mixed flock I do want to have my favourites dominate & for all their nuttiness Campines fall into the timid & gentle bracket & are the birds I enjoy the most. With the BRs leading & mostly so called timid breeds now dominating the flock it is a very relaxed calm flock.

 

[MaryJanet]

I have been waiting, with what patience I might, to contact my Campine breeder & see how we are situated for this breeding season. As her girls are only just starting to lay now we are some way off acquiring any but assuming she gets some fertile eggs I will be adding more screamers & fliers to the flock later in Spring. This will put my flock @ maximum capacity I think. So far my older girls are showing no signs of slowing down their laying & we are certainly getting swamped with eggs just now, but juggling that new/old layer dynamic is hard for me to judge.
While I will probably always have a slightly mixed flock I do want to have my favourites dominate & for all their nuttiness Campines fall into the timid & gentle bracket & are the birds I enjoy the most. With the BRs leading & mostly so called timid breeds now dominating the flock it is a very relaxed calm flock.

Would you prefer gold or silver this time?

 

[Ribh]

Would you prefer gold or silver this time?

My breeder only does Golds. Gold is what the man wants. Both are striking & personality wise there's nothing to choose between them so I don't mind. I am considering some standard silver laced Wyandotte to trial. The bantams have been such a good fit with the Campines I don't see why their larger sisters wouldn't be just as good. I haven't had any dominance issues with Wyandottes so I'm prepared to try.

 

[MaryJanet]

My breeder only does Golds. Gold is what the man wants. Both are striking & personality wise there's nothing to choose between them so I don't mind. I am considering some standard silver laced Wyandotte to trial. The bantams have been such a good fit with the Campines I don't see why their larger sisters wouldn't be just as good. I haven't had any dominance issues with Wyandottes so I'm prepared to try.

I can't wait to meet your new ones when the time comes

 

[Ribh]

I can't wait to meet your new ones when the time comes

Thanks, MJ. I'm lucky to be able to keep so many birds & the smaller girls take up so little space a few extra doesn't seem to make much difference. The BIG girls are another matter entirely & a consideration when it comes to adding numbers. I love Lavender but I couldn't keep a flock of standard frizzles. I could only have 5 or 6 birds & I actually enjoy the lager flock dynamics. Personality wise I'm very much a Campine girl. All the things that could be a negative is what I like about them. Yep, even the screaming ,escaping , run around the run shenanigans. Dull they are not.