Show off your Delawares! *PIC HEAVY*

[Yard full o' rocks]

Cyn...is Dutch letting Issac run with him and his girls in the laying flock? I thought he was not much into "sharing"??

 

[speckledhen]

Dutch was removed from the main laying flock about a month ago. He is in Ike's former coop with 10 ladies (5 BRs, 4 Ameraucanas and my banty Cochin). Ike is with the layers and we put the five oldest Del ladies in the Firetower. Every few days, we'll put Isaac in with them so the eggs continue to be fertile, but pull him out after he chases them all down. Every morning, the girls are trying more to get away from his friskiness than any other time, so they shouldn't get much opportunity to pick at him. You're right, Dutch will not share woman with any other rooster. I think he and Ike would get into a fight to the death over those women if they got together somehow.

 

[kathyinmo]

Quote:
Oh yea, just look at her .... you can see she is thinkin' about something! She looks red in the face, ready to lay! How old is she?

 

[joletabey]

You Go, Gracie!!!!!

Fattie and Cannonball- think purple!!!!

 

[joletabey]

By the way, Gracie looks GOOD!!!!

 

[speckledhen]

I think she's about 22 weeks old. Would have to count on the calendar. She was hatched July 20. Riley was a 4th of July chick, is very red in the face, squatting for Isaac and still no green egg from her.

 

[joletabey]

I think Riley is waiting for Christmas- look out if it's a green egg with a little red bow on it! Or you need to tell her you have the ham, and are waiting on her.

Are hens a bit slower to start when the first egg is due during colder weather?

 

[Cetawin]

I have spoken to my Dellie girls and now have them repeating their new mantra every 2 minutes

"I will lay purple eggs; I must lay purple eggs; all eggs are purple"

 

[joletabey]

Cetawin, it's not too early for them to start broadcasting that to my little darlings-

 

[speckledhen]

I'm not sure if cold weather has that much to do with a first egg. Gracie was caught standing over one of the RIR's eggs in the nest. She just stood there, straddling that egg, and looking like she knew there was something she was supposed to do, like sit on it, but she couldn't quite get there. So, no egg today from Grace, but it's coming. Bet it will be Saturday when I'm not here most of the day.