What the heck have I brought home? ***picture heavy***

[Back2MyRoots]

What in the world would I breed her with to try to keep the colors?

 

[Back2MyRoots]

And thanks for the comments about how pretty they are. I adore them and am so proud they are in my little flock.

 

[ll]

I thought of your pretty birds today, and came rushing back to byc to compare photos.
Sicilian Buttercups - not the same -shrugs-
but your 2 are so nice they certainly made a space in my memory, especially the lighter one.

 

[Back2MyRoots]

I thought of your pretty birds today, and came rushing back to byc to compare photos.
Sicilian Buttercups - not the same -shrugs-
but your 2 are so nice they certainly made a space in my memory, especially the lighter one.

And I tend to gravitate to the darker one. Someone sent me a pm and told me that the dark face is called gypsy markings! I am so excited to be figuring some things out about them!

 

[donrae]

What in the world would I breed her with to try to keep the colors?

I'd try her under a solid colored bird. My first thought is put her under a nice buff orpington rooster.

 

[snowpetals907]

or a black australorp maybe. experiment! i bet theyd be so cool looking

 

[Back2MyRoots]

Not a bad idea..... I hate the idea of a rooster though. I loooooove sleeping in! I do have some 5 week-old chicks in the brooder right now and I for sure have at least one buff roo............

 

[WalkingOnSunshine]

I've about decided that they probably won't lay until the spring since the days are getting shorter and the temperatures are dropping.

Unfortunately, that might happen. I did have three dark brown Leghorns that hatched in May and decided not to lay even one egg until May of the next year. I listed them for free on Craigslist and very honestly said that they'd never laid an egg. A very nice lady came to get them and said she just wanted them as companions for her rooster, since a raccoon had taken all his hens and he was sad. Lucky lady, I found a pullet egg in the crate where I'd put them the night before. She very nicely said that she wouldn't take them since they'd started to lay, but I just told her it was her lucky day and sent them off.

 

[Eggcessive]

They really can start laying soon. I have a lot of hatchery birds and they seem to start about 21-23 weeks. If you want to keep them laying all winter (which the should since this next year will be their biggest for laying,) you can put a 40 watt bulb on a timer in their coop. Twelve hours of daylight is all they need--mine goes on at 5am and off at 5pm on the shortest days of winter.

 

[Back2MyRoots]

I don't worry about them laying or not. The hens that I have that are laying are producing enough eggs for me and my mom, brother and sister's families. Though I REALLY want to see what color they will lay. Gosh I wish it's be blue or green!