Rooster or...

[Michael OShay]

Here he is with the other two Pullets born the same day... (5/18)

Cute chicks. Looks like you also have an Easter Egger and a Black Ausralorp (although I can't see the black one real well). I love your BSL hen. BSLs are my personal favorites as they are very friendly and hardy, egg laying machines. My BSLs have been my best layers over the years, consistently churning out more than 300 large, brown eggs per hen per year.

 

[SoORchick73]

Michael, the other two were hatched from either BSL/RIR/EE/Barnevelder eggs - with my EE rooster. The little black one does look like an austrolorp but I guess she's just now an EE. Thank you! Your BSL lay better than your RIRs? I don't quite know how to differentiate my RIR eggs and BSL eggs (barnevelder and EE eggs are obvious). I want to keep my best layers, and wondered which of those two were responsible for the big brown eggs (must be the BSL).

 

[Michael OShay]

Michael, the other two were hatched from either BSL/RIR/EE/Barnevelder eggs - with my EE rooster. The little black one does look like an austrolorp but I guess she's just now an EE. Thank you! Your BSL lay better than your RIRs? I don't quite know how to differentiate my RIR eggs and BSL eggs (barnevelder and EE eggs are obvious). I want to keep my best layers, and wondered which of those two were responsible for the big brown eggs (must be the BSL).

I just couldn't see the black one well enough in the photo to tell for sure what it was. I've done some meticulous egg counts in the past and my BSLs typically layed 40-50 more eggs per year than my RIRs. In addition, the BSL eggs tended to run larger. In fact the biggest eggs I've had have been from BSLs with double yolks not being uncommon, so I suspect that your big brown eggs are coming from your BSL.

 

[SoORchick73]

Thank you, this definitely helps me decide which ladies to keep next year and which to rehome. Those eggs are so big. I'd like to turn the flock and add some new breeds next year but that means rehoming a few, so it'll likely be my EE/RIRs (4-6 of them). That's a lot of eggs per year, wow.

 

[Michael OShay]

Thank you, this definitely helps me decide which ladies to keep next year and which to rehome. Those eggs are so big. I'd like to turn the flock and add some new breeds next year but that means rehoming a few, so it'll likely be my EE/RIRs (4-6 of them). That's a lot of eggs per year, wow.

You're welcome.