Spitzhaubens

[Faraday40]

I know our Sebright goes broody about 2xs per year. She's very intense about it too!

Do Spitzes go broody? Poof Poof was acting broody this afternoon. I'm hoping it's just the heat or perhaps she's just laying in an egg late in the day. I pulled her off the nest & she was flattened - like a broody. A boyfriend is coming in a couple days & would be useless if she goes broody at this moment.

 

[Finnie]

If he's going to pull her feathers or keep all the treats for himself, then he's not allowed to date my Poof Poof!

Not only is this an adorable story, but just think of what wonderful life lessons he is learning from raising chickens. He already knows it's important to treat a date well. His future girlfriend(s) father(s) will like him. (And the girlfriends, too, no doubt! )

A boyfriend is coming in a couple days & would be useless if she goes broody at this moment.

I'm not sure if chickens are anything like turkeys in this regard, but my turkeys have a set pattern: Mate, lay eggs, go broody, something breaks the broodiness, wait a few days (usually less than a week), mate again, start laying again.

I don't usually bother to break my broody chickens like I do the turkeys. So I'm not sure how quickly they would mate and resume laying. But I have a feeling that if you went ahead with your dog crate plan, that would break her. And having nothing else to do, it seems probable that she would mate with the rooster. Not sure how readily that would lead to fertile eggs, but it seems like it's worth a try.

I'm not up on the Spitz standard, but to me she seems quite nice looking. You'll have to post photos of the roo when he arrives.

 

[Finnie]

speaking of photos, I need to try to get new ones of my chicks. I'm afraid I may have all four cockerels on my hands. There is only one that I'm (sort of) confidant might be a girl.

Edit:
I found some photos from 2 weeks ago. I think it's the same two birds in both photos. To me it looks like sickle feathers are coming in. As of yesterday, all but one seem to be getting those.

(Please excuse the Post-modern chicken art on the walls)

 

[Faraday40]

Not only is this an adorable story, but just think of what wonderful life lessons he is learning from raising chickens. He already knows it's important to treat a date well. His future girlfriend(s) father(s) will like him. (And the girlfriends, too, no doubt! )

He has a sister, so he hears DH saying, "No boy's good enough for my little girl" all the time. DS just changed the dialogue to suit chicken courtship. He has grown up with chickens, has his favorite hens, and is pretty responsible about caring for them. He also has such cute observational sense of humor.

As far as the girls, he's only 8 and already they're calling him. Wherever we go, little girls come running up to him to say "Hello." He also hangs around with his older sister & all her friends.

 

[SueT]

The Spitzes enjoying their 'pool' on a sweltering day in MO, and next pic is a Spitz pullet egg next to a leghorn egg:

will their eggs be as big as the leghorns eventually? Or a bit smaller?

 

[Alaskan]

a bit smaller than leghorns, but they will get bigger than they are now.

 

[Faraday40]

Our spitz roo visitor was a gentleman toward our hen but crowed too much for a neighborhood. So, the pair had to stay inside the garage all week. Of course our hen didn't like to be confined, so several mornings we discovered the pair roaming free throughout the garage. Today we arrived home after returning the roo to his farm and found our hen helping herself to some scratch. The escapes were not his fault - They were HERS. I guess the cage was a lot more bearable with the rooster in it because she escaped another 3xs since! I want to keep her away from my orps until I'm done collecting eggs. Maybe she'll get some tractor time tomorrow.

 

[SueT]

Here is a Spitzhuaben egg on left, next to a Sebright egg. The Spitz egg is smaller than the bantam egg! ( Our little Sebright lays really big eggs for her size.) I'm getting these tiny Spitz eggs every other day.

 

[Alaskan]

That is funny.

The Spitz eggs should get bigger over time.

 

[Faraday40]

Here is a Spitzhuaben egg on left, next to a Sebright egg. The Spitz egg is smaller than the bantam egg! ( Our little Sebright lays really big eggs for her size.) I'm getting these tiny Spitz eggs every other day.
View attachment 1460724

Oh My! That's a huge Sebright egg!
...... I'm sure the Spitz egg will grow in time.