Easter Egger club!

[Sylvester017]

Well, I'm still not a fan of red hens but they really do make great egg-layers! My friend's broody Buff Orp was kinda mean - I think it goes with being broody but she was also top of the pecking order. We have been having so much fun with our Silkies the past 5 years and have had to re-home so many bully heritage/dual purpose birds that we're kinda thinking to stay with Silkies. For a broody breed they still lay a lot of eggs up to 4-5/week at 1.25 oz consistently. And we don't have to deal with the political flock drama of the LF heritage breeds. We love our Ameraucana and our friend loves her EEs because they are non-combative flockmates but not really good layers after their pullet year. Surprisingly our 5-yr-old Silkies have out-produced our 2-yr-old Ameraucana!

@chick rookie Yep, I know flock politics happen. It's just that over the 5 years of having different breeds I realized I never needed to go through meaner heritage breeds to have good egg layers. The Silkies have out-produced my LF. The only LF we had that out-produced any other breed was the White Leghorn but they get assertive to downright cannibalistic and sometimes as young as a year old and I don't need aggressive breeds in my flock of gentles. Hey, Silkies works for us! Our Blue Wheaten Ameraucana continues to be a dud for eggs (3 eggs only this year) but we keep her for her non-combative spirit - She's such a klutz when she lays eggs it's probably better she isn't laying. She's so hyper to get out of the nestbox that the egg gets damaged by her big feet and, no, no one is pecking at her eggs - she's just a klutz kicking the egg. Our new Breda pullet is a hoot. She loves to test the waters for her place in the pecking order but the matriarch Silkie keeps her in her place. So far I'm lovin' the Breda - her eggs are about 1.5 oz but the breeder said they'll eventually go up in weight. All my hens are laying except for the free-loading Ameraucana - ugh! The Ameraucanas, Araucanas, EEs, and CCLs with the blue egg gene have been reporting inconsistent to poor layers so no more blue egg-layers for me - they're great as pullet layers and then drop considerably their 2nd year. I understand the Russian Orloffs have the same reputation.

 

[Sylvester017]

Sly- you were lucky to be able to watch a video. Wish we could have, this thing is driving both of us to cuss... will be sooo very glad when it is finished!!!! We worked on it Sunday from 9 am till 1 am, used 3 big work lights after it got dark, I know the neighbors must have thought us nuts!! We were trying to get it done before this darn rain started. We didn't make it, we still have to put the roof and doors on. then we get to start on the inside, but that will be much easier, and faster!!

yesterday DSS came and helped me clean the garage out, man I didn't think we had that much JUNK in there, we are going to have to have another roll off brought in, this one is full and only got 1/2 in it.
I have been dealing with being sick on top of all this and I just cant shake it!! Get to relax today, but back to business tomorrow .
I got all but the shed coop ready for winter, the barn is ready for the babies to come next mth ( I hope I'm off on my due dates ) December babies are so hard to deal with. Maybe I will get lucky and have warm days when they go into labor.... yeah right!!.
I will have to last of the hay needed for this winter by the end of the week, waiting on the rain to stop so we can have it delivered.
Looks like ol'man winter is not going to sneak up on me this year!!

Yep, the video was very helpful - especially when the contractor got to the wheel package and noticed it was dislocated during shipping but the video helped him see how it needed to be re-positioned. I don't know why Made In China bothers to include illustrations - they're always missing parts or the drawing is missing steps, etc etc etc. I only wish Tuff Shed's only chicken coop design fit our needs because they will come on location to build it for you.

Rain caught me unawares too. We were only supposed to get sprinkles and buckets poured instead. Had to scoop up the 4 hens, toss 'em in the coop, cover the coop with tarp, then go inside the house to get out of drenched clothing. My hair got washed whether I wanted it or not! My Ameraucana was the only one that jumped into the coop on her own - very independent, she likes to do things her ownself.

Don't talk about garages! Everything that was in our renovated yard is either on the front porch, back sidewalk (including the new coop), or in the garage. 4 Jumbo doghouses for the chickens filled half the garage space. Had to take one house back outside for the chickens to use.

I'm assuming your December babies are goats? I would think any mammal offspring is hard to deal with. My folks had a cow that calved and they were chewing their fingernails the whole time she was moaning.

Had to "did" my root canal a couple hours ago. Wonder how much it'll hurt after the novacaine wears off!

Smiles - Syl

 

[chickenlickin8]

Wow! She's gorgeous! Is that a recent picture? I have three pullets the same age and I wasn't so sure they would start laying this late in the year and that their combs would need to be much redder and pronounced. You've given me hope!

Thanks for the comment. Here's a pic of Jasmine from Nov 14th laying another beautiful egg

 

[chickenlickin8]

Here is Violet a blue splash Ameraucana. She hasn't laid yet. Hoping she will lay a blue egg.

 

[chick rookie]

Yep, the video was very helpful - especially when the contractor got to the wheel package and noticed it was dislocated during shipping but the video helped him see how it needed to be re-positioned. I don't know why Made In China bothers to include illustrations - they're always missing parts or the drawing is missing steps, etc etc etc. I only wish Tuff Shed's only chicken coop design fit our needs because they will come on location to build it for you.

Rain caught me unawares too. We were only supposed to get sprinkles and buckets poured instead. Had to scoop up the 4 hens, toss 'em in the coop, cover the coop with tarp, then go inside the house to get out of drenched clothing. My hair got washed whether I wanted it or not! My Ameraucana was the only one that jumped into the coop on her own - very independent, she likes to do things her ownself.

Don't talk about garages! Everything that was in our renovated yard is either on the front porch, back sidewalk (including the new coop), or in the garage. 4 Jumbo doghouses for the chickens filled half the garage space. Had to take one house back outside for the chickens to use.

I'm assuming your December babies are goats? I would think any mammal offspring is hard to deal with. My folks had a cow that calved and they were chewing their fingernails the whole time she was moaning.

Had to "did" my root canal a couple hours ago. Wonder how much it'll hurt after the novacaine wears off!

Smiles - Syl

Ok, NO more talk about garages... lol
Yeppers, the December babies are goats. I prefer Feb - March babies but our billy got in with the does and decided different!! The butt head!!!
Hope your not in too much pain. Did they give ya any pain killers?

Thanks for the comment. Here's a pic of Jasmine from Nov 14th laying another beautiful egg

Here is Violet a blue splash Ameraucana. She hasn't laid yet. Hoping she will lay a blue egg.

Very pretty birds!! AM's lay Blue eggs so if they are true AM's you will get pretty blue eggs. I love my blue eggs, and the dark eggs I get from the BCM's the best out of all the colors I get, My granddaughter says the pink eggs are the best... lol

 

[Peep-Chicken]

My new EE, Abigail de la Cluck. Not the greatest picture, but she's still adjusting to life as a house chicken. Or rather, a travel trailer chicken. She's going to be going over the road with me, to tons of events and festivals. I bought a short while ago, and I just adore her. She's already proven to be a funny gal. I wasn't expecting her to do some of the things she does. Like shamelessly hoping onto the counter and stealing my toaster strudel. The dog almost got scolded for it, until I saw a bit of icing and fruit filling on her beak.

Very pretty chicken! But judging by that comb, Abigail may be male... Seems pretty big to me for a female EE.

 

[RunningRabbit]

Don't mind the mess. I was dong some renovations on my camper, and let her take over the unfinished bathroom. Abby is a bit of a messy eater.
Now wouldn't that be a hoot? Abby is actually pretty small, and weighs maybe 4 pounds at most. I was told when I purchased her, that she'd already been laying. Abby is going through a minor molt, so until I hear early morning crowing or see an egg, I guess Abigail is a girl until proven otherwise

Should probably add that Abby definitely isn't a pure breed. She's an Ameraucana x Barnyard mix.

 

[Peep-Chicken]

Don't mind the mess. I was dong some renovations on my camper, and let her take over the unfinished bathroom. Abby is a bit of a messy eater.
Now wouldn't that be a hoot? Abby is actually pretty small, and weighs maybe 4 pounds at most. I was told when I purchased her, that she'd already been laying. Abby is going through a minor molt, so until I hear early morning crowing or see an egg, I guess Abigail is a girl until proven otherwise

Should probably add that Abby definitely isn't a pure breed. She's an Ameraucana x Barnyard mix.

If that's the case that she isn't totally EE, I don't see any saddle feathers. So now she seems female. Sorry about that.

She is very pretty though!

 

[RunningRabbit]

I was told she was laying light green eggs. Is there any other breeds that lay Easter Egger kinds of eggs? Or is it just an umbrella term that incorporates chickens that lay colored eggs, besides brown or white? I've only had seramas, so this is all pretty new to me. She kinda has the chipmunk looking cheeks, on a smaller scale. She is only 9 months old, so I'm wondering if she still has a ways to go, before she gets her adult looks in?

 

[mymilliefleur]

I was told she was laying light green eggs. Is there any other breeds that lay Easter Egger kinds of eggs? Or is it just an umbrella term that incorporates chickens that lay colored eggs, besides brown or white? I've only had seramas, so this is all pretty new to me. She kinda has the chipmunk looking cheeks, on a smaller scale. She is only 9 months old, so I'm wondering if she still has a ways to go, before she gets her adult looks in?

Abby is a very pretty hen.

There are three breeds that lay colored eggs: Ameruacanas, Aruacanas, and Cream Legbars. Anything that lays colored eggs other than those three breeds is an EE. At nine months old, she already has her adult feathers in, she may change slightly everytime she molts, but she will probably stay that color for the rest of her life.