The Sugar Cookie Project

[E flowers]

I've started liking Lacy's gold face.

 

[E flowers]

I finally got to compare egg weight as well. Their momma Cookie had a new egg that weighed 55grams and theirs weighed around 30grams. So I'll definitely be breeding out their small pelvis. That should bring their egg size back up.

 

[E flowers]

Sketched out revised barn, coops, and breeding pens.

 

[E flowers]

Would I have too much difficulty hatching any of the new girls eggs because they're so much smaller than their similar sized mothers eggs? 55g vs 30g eggs

If so is it worth it to even bother breeding them back to Sampson or any other roosters?

I do plan on moving cookie in with them after I move Bruce from the barn coop so she can be bred back to Sampson.

 

[NatJ]

Would I have too much difficulty hatching any of the new girls eggs because they're so much smaller than their similar sized mothers eggs? 55g vs 30g eggs

If so is it worth it to even bother breeding them back to Sampson or any other roosters?

Pullets usually start out laying small eggs, and over time they progress to laying bigger eggs.

If the pullets only recently started to lay, I would probably wait a month or two and see if their eggs are a better size. Chicks from tiny pullet eggs can have a harder time than chicks from the same pullet after she is a little older and her eggs are bigger (same genetics but more space to grow before hatching.)

If the pullets have already been laying for a few months, and the eggs are not getting any bigger, then it's up to you whether to include them in the breeding program, based on how many of their traits you do or don't want. Egg size is definitely one trait to consider, but try not to focus on any one single trait unless you have decided that particular trait really is the most important.

 

[E flowers]

Pullets usually start out laying small eggs, and over time they progress to laying bigger eggs.

If the pullets only recently started to lay, I would probably wait a month or two and see if their eggs are a better size. Chicks from tiny pullet eggs can have a harder time than chicks from the same pullet after she is a little older and her eggs are bigger (same genetics but more space to grow before hatching.)

If the pullets have already been laying for a few months, and the eggs are not getting any bigger, then it's up to you whether to include them in the breeding program, based on how many of their traits you do or don't want. Egg size is definitely one trait to consider, but try not to focus on any one single trait unless you have decided that particular trait really is the most important.

January 29th was the first one laid by them. They've stayed pretty consistent.

 

[NatJ]

January 29th was the first one laid by them. They've stayed pretty consistent.

If they've been consistent for that long, you might as well decide to either hatch them or not. I doubt they will get enough bigger to matter, in any reasonable length of time.

 

[E flowers]

If they've been consistent for that long, you might as well decide to either hatch them or not. I doubt they will get enough bigger to matter, in any reasonable length of time.

Do you think any chicks produced by them crossed back to Sampson would have a better chance at producing bigger offspring themselves as well as bigger eggs?
I assume with them coming from somewhat smaller birds and smaller eggs will make them smaller too even if they're Sampson's offspring.

 

[NatJ]

Do you think any chicks produced by them crossed back to Sampson would have a better chance at producing bigger offspring themselves as well as bigger eggs?
I assume with them coming from somewhat smaller birds and smaller eggs will make them smaller too even if they're Sampson's offspring.

I'm sorry, I don't know.

 

[E flowers]

Do you think any chicks produced by them crossed back to Sampson would have a better chance at producing bigger offspring themselves as well as bigger eggs?
I assume with them coming from somewhat smaller birds and smaller eggs will make them smaller too even if they're Sampson's

I suppose I could weigh the eggs and take the heaviest for the incubator. I'll need to pull Bruce out of their pen and swap in cookie so they'll all be bred by Sampson.