Silence Is Not Golden Here

[Zinjifrah]

Ash finally got around to producing. Hers is the blue egg on the right - the white on the left is an 'Extra Large' store egg. Not bad for her first egg. A few calcium spots, a tiny bit of blood smear, otherwise perfect. I haven't checked to see if it has a yolk. 39 grams.

I was going to get a photo of the EE mix chick... but she was orgiastically enjoying a dirt bath under a pile of other similarly engaged chicks, so I decided to go back and take a photo of her later, rather than interrupt the fun.

 

[Cyprus]

Hello all. Still up at 12:49 local.
Time zone difference is KILLING me.
I still cannot sleep at nighttime here.
Ich vermisse meine Freunden aus Amerika und Kanada.

"I miss my friends in America and Canada"

 

[Zinjifrah]

@honanbm Here we go. A friend just gave the injured EE/Cochin mix chick 'her' name... Waffle. She's improving rapidly;

And a group shot of all eight muttly chicks. Waffle is on the far right, next to It, the chick with the tag on his/her jaw;

 

[BellePoule]

I got my first egg today!!! It only took 19 weeks! I have no idea who laid it, though. I saw one pullet sitting on it (at least I think she was. She was sitting where we later found it) and my niece saw another pullet sitting on it. But here it is!
in situ

in hand

And compared to a large store bought egg

 

[Zinjifrah]

I got my first egg today!!! It only took 19 weeks! I have no idea who laid it, though. I saw one pullet sitting on it (at least I think she was. She was sitting where we later found it) and my niece saw another pullet sitting on it. But here it is!
in situ
View attachment 1487513
in hand
View attachment 1487516
And compared to a large store bought egg
View attachment 1487523

Seems we have synced pullets... though I've no idea how old Ash is! I believe there's a butt check you can do to get an idea of who laid, but if you have multiple close to that point I don't know how much good it would do... Ash has looked like she should be spitting out buttfruit for a few weeks now.

 

[Conan]

@honanbm Here we go. A friend just gave the injured EE/Cochin mix chick 'her' name... Waffle. She's improving rapidly;
View attachment 1487346

And a group shot of all eight muttly chicks. Waffle is on the far right, next to It, the chick with the tag on his/her jaw;
View attachment 1487347

Woohoo! Thanks for the pic. I look forward to watching her grow!
The gal who gave me my Bantam Cochin (and a pile of eggs) is coming by to get a couple of my EE eggs to hatch out. She got cleaned out by a weasel after a move. Should be neat. I'm excited to see how they turn out.

 

[Zinjifrah]

Woohoo! Thanks for the pic. I look forward to watching her grow!

I could wish for different coloration... but I'm just happy that she's doing well and healing. Amusingly, buff and red are my least favorite chicken colors!

The gal who gave me my Bantam Cochin (and a pile of eggs) is coming by to get a couple of my EE eggs to hatch out. She got cleaned out by a weasel after a move. Should be neat. I'm excited to see how they turn out.

Nice! I won't deny, if I thought there was any chance of Ash's first egg being fertile I'd be arguing with myself over setting the incubator back up and saving up her next few to stick in... but I really don't think Copper's gotten that job done yet. He's still figuring things out. But he's doing amazingly well for a young cockerel (He'll be sixteen weeks on the 1st), in other areas...

He chaperoned her the entire time she was fussing around trying to figure out how to lay her first egg, crooning and clucking, preening her, fluffing the nest spots she seemed to like... showing her some he thought were good ideas... and he sang the egg song with her. So did every other chicken out there - including the chicks! I had egg song in chorus. Nobody else is laying yet.

 

[Conan]

I could wish for different coloration... but I'm just happy that she's doing well and healing. Amusingly, buff and red are my least favorite chicken colors!




Nice! I won't deny, if I thought there was any chance of Ash's first egg being fertile I'd be arguing with myself over setting the incubator back up and saving up her next few to stick in... but I really don't think Copper's gotten that job done yet. He's still figuring things out. But he's doing amazingly well for a young cockerel (He'll be sixteen weeks on the 1st), in other areas...

He chaperoned her the entire time she was fussing around trying to figure out how to lay her first egg, crooning and clucking, preening her, fluffing the nest spots she seemed to like... showing her some he thought were good ideas... and he sang the egg song with her. So did every other chicken out there - including the chicks! I had egg song in chorus. Nobody else is laying yet.

I do love the egg chorus - it's kinda like a crescendo, especially when the rooster joins in!
I do worry that pullet eggs may not be the best to hatch out, but they're all I've got and I have heard many stories of folks just letting the chickens do their thing and for the most part, things turn out just fine. Plus, I will be interested to see the color patterns that emerge from the cross.
The EE hen that lays the blue egg is a darker buff with pale gray undertones and a dark gray head. The other EE is a rich black laced brown with a black head. They're pretty, but nothing fancy. Marilyn is a Mottled Bantam Cochin tending more towards black and rust with little mottling, but he's got a fantastic demeanor and I find that far more important than looks. I'm betting the resulting chicks will be a medium sized bird with feathered legs. I have zero guesses on coloring. I will definitely be requesting pics if they hatch!

 

[Zinjifrah]

I do love the egg chorus - it's kinda like a crescendo, especially when the rooster joins in!
I do worry that pullet eggs may not be the best to hatch out, but they're all I've got and I have heard many stories of folks just letting the chickens do their thing and for the most part, things turn out just fine. Plus, I will be interested to see the color patterns that emerge from the cross.
The EE hen that lays the blue egg is a darker buff with pale gray undertones and a dark gray head. The other EE is a rich black laced brown with a black head. They're pretty, but nothing fancy. Marilyn is a Mottled Bantam Cochin tending more towards black and rust with little mottling, but he's got a fantastic demeanor and I find that far more important than looks. I'm betting the resulting chicks will be a medium sized bird with feathered legs. I have zero guesses on coloring. I will definitely be requesting pics if they hatch!

I have absolutely no idea what would happen if I hatched an egg from Ash and Copper...

Because, well... here's Ash:

And here's Copper.....

Utterly and completely different. Ash looks like... well, a muddy blue Colombian... and Copper's sort of chocolate partridge-ish. I think I'd get a mystery.


When I say I don't think Copper's gotten the job done... I mean just that. He's got the 'hop on the back' part down well enough, now, but every time he tries to get back near her tail he falls off and she wanders off in disgust.

 

[Conan]

I have absolutely no idea what would happen if I hatched an egg from Ash and Copper...

Because, well... here's Ash:
View attachment 1487719

And here's Copper.....
View attachment 1487718

Utterly and completely different. Ash looks like... well, a muddy blue Colombian... and Copper's sort of chocolate partridge-ish. I think I'd get a mystery.

I sure hope you find out one day! That would be a crazy cross and I, for one, would love to see it.