Spitzhaubens

[Faraday40]

@SueT
I like your photo better, but perhaps my Sebright, Trouble, can be a back-up dancer. (She was in mid-flight.)

 

[SueT]

@SueT
I like your photo better, but perhaps my Sebright, Trouble, can be a back-up dancer. (She was in mid-flight.)

When they are flying, or just flapping wings, I didn't know that the wings touch in front....but these photos show it does....

 

[SueT]

What age did your Spitzhauben pullets begin laying eggs> @Faraday40 , @Alaskan

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I"ve been putting Flugel out to free range each day as he's getting rough w the pullets and won't let them be. Fritz chases the older hens some, they say no way Jose, and he behaves. So far he has a better temperament.

 

[Alaskan]

I can't remember such things.. sorry... and I have a big flock too... so no way to know which one is laying.

 

[BreezyBre]

Are they as flighty as I've read ? I really wanted one of those but I feared them flying over the fence into a dog on my neighbors side :S Lovely birds

 

[Alaskan]

Any light bodied bird will easily fly over a fence.

 

[BreezyBre]

That makes sense lol I just remember that stood out in my mind when I read the breed profile

 

[Faraday40]

What age did your Spitzhauben pullets begin laying eggs> @Faraday40 , @Alaskan

~~~~~~~~
I"ve been putting Flugel out to free range each day as he's getting rough w the pullets and won't let them be. Fritz chases the older hens some, they say no way Jose, and he behaves. So far he has a better temperament.

Poof-Poof Hatched = April 15th, 2017
1st egg = Dec 27th (She's my only white egg layer, so I know it was hers. Supplemental light was added in early Nov, but I'm not sure if it actually helped.)

We had another very pretty pullet "Spitzie" in 2016. She hatched in March & began laying in Sept. Stopped in Nov to molt, and then was killed by a hawk in Dec.

 

[SueT]

What is happening here is that Flugel, relegated to free ranging, is pacing around the outside of the run, round and round. The 2 Spitz pullets, on the inside, mostly follow him. He finds a treat and calls them and they rush to be as close as they can get. When he's in there, he will grab them and forcefully mate w them. But they still like him? Fritz is in with them, but they only have eyes for Flugel. Should I let this happen? Only Flugel is crowing. Fritz keeps silent.
They were hatched 2/4, so are not even 4 months old, but their wattles/faces are getting red., esp Heidi. And she's the one he's most interested in.
First is Heidi, then Greta

 

[Faraday40]

Are they as flighty as I've read ? I really wanted one of those but I feared them flying over the fence into a dog on my neighbors side :S Lovely birds

Mine CAN fly over our 4' chain link fence; however, the rest of the flock cannot. (They are big, fat, English Orpingtons.) Because our "Poof-Poof" likes to be with the flock she usually stays in the yard. She sometimes will fly over. I make sure to bring out some treats to reward the orps for staying put. Poof-Poof goes crazy trying to fly back home.

Although a spitzhauben is fast & light, I can't really call ours skittish. All of the spitzes we had always flew "to" us - not away from us. Poof-Poof will fly right up to and land on something near me just to get a treat or a brief pet. She even flies up into a tree when my son is climbing it or up into his swingset fort above the slide just to hang out with him. They are not "cuddling" birds like an orp, but very, very social. They prefer not to be restrained, but rather follow us by their own choice.

Our male "Drumsticks" was great and not aggressive when mating. He was always the 1st to greet me because he'd fly over the chicken fence and run to meet me at the backdoor. LOL He'd then follow me back inside the fenced chicken area. He was smart too & quickly learned that he could fly to the top of the garage to eat the mulberries on the roof. Just what we needed - a living weather vane to show everyone in the neighborhood that we have chickens! Sadly, we sold him but fortunately we sold him before he could teach the others how to get up onto the roof.