Sumatra Thread!

[Sumatra503]

Congrats you guys ont he eggs! There are more Sumatras to come!

 

[Liamm_1]

3 eggs in 3 days now! She's a trooper

 

[Liamm_1]

Quote:
I'm wondering, at what point in a hen's laying life would you consider trying to incubate eggs? mine just started, I'm assuming giver her time, right? the eggs are still very small. Is there a standard for this? I understand most hens don't go broody until after a year?

 

[Boggy Bottom Bantams]

egg #1 in her life will be fertile, incubate all of them. No need to wait, if for some reason it didnt get fertilised, you'll be able to tell in 4 days, just toss it them.

 

[Liamm_1]

Wow, thanks! We're going to enjoy eating the first 'milestone' eggs though

We'll incubate when we have too many to eat. At this size, need to get about 7 to have a meal lol

 

[Liamm_1]

Quote:
Upon opening her first 4 eggs, none appeared to be fertile. Will keep checking.
What is a typical egg size for a 23 week old pullet that just started laying? Hers are quite small, smaller than a 'small' egg you'd buy in the store. A 2nd pullet has been visiting the nest box lately too, although no eggs yet. I'm thinking maybe tomorrow

 

[Boggy Bottom Bantams]

The egg ou had pics of on the previous page is about the size my bantam hens lay, but yours look to be standards. If so, yeah they are a little small for them, should be about the size of that brown egg on large fowl sumatras. But if it has a yolk, it has the potential to be fertile. They should beef up in the coming days for you, it's just her first few eggs in her laying cycle

 

[Liamm_1]

Quote:
Does anyone know the results of crossing a Sumatra roo over RIR, PBR or EE hens? Any chance for sex links? In about a month, my younger pullets will get mixed in with my older Sumatras. I'm looking forward to it, because the 2 roos are too much for 3 Sumatra pullets. The younger pullets will be about 16 weeks by then, is that about the correct age to expose them to naughty cocks? The cocks are eyeing them like candy already, lol

 

[Liamm_1]

Quote:
The lady I got my Sumatra chicks from, I seem to recall she told me these chickens had a grandpa that was a bantam, I forget exactly. These were our first chickens, so I really don't know much to compare their sizes. I can't weigh them since they wouldn't stand still for that, but when I put my hand around their bodies, to pick them up, I'd estimate they are about the size of a small football maybe? My younger pullets, RIR, PBR, BSL and EE, which are 11 weeks old now, are basically about the same size as my Sumatra pullets, which are 25 weeks old. Does that sound like bantams?

 

[Boggy Bottom Bantams]

sounds like they are bantam or bantam large fowl size crosses. Pure large fowl would be pretty big. The bantam size are about 2 pounds, several time smaller than large fowl sumatras.

On that mix you mentioned, you'd most likely get just some funky looking mutts out of them.