I'm obsessing over dark egg colors and chickens. There is room to comfortably add 5 more hens. Marans are high on my list but so many of the pictures show scratches on the egg color. I also love the dark speckles on the Welsummer eggs and was thinking of a Maran/Welsummer cross but have no idea if that is even done. Some of the other site boards are so fierce about protecting the breed(s) so I didn't ask. There are Hatcheries that have both the Welsummer and Marans, and I could get them sexed, BIG PLUS. I'm not interested in breeding that cross, just having more chickens to play with and that beautiful egg color. Choose one or the other? Any suggestions?
Oh, I have my first Broody! For some reason I didn't think they went broody so soon after they started to lay. She is VERY cranky about being moved off the nest, especially when I move her for the 120th time that day.
Egg Dilemma
I think it would be interesting to make the Marans - Welsummer cross. I don't think either breed is considered endangered so you wouldn't be "wasting their genes".
Displaced broodys are really funny. Mine tend to attack the first living thing that crosses their path - one of our puppies is now afraid of chickens thanks to a young broody Buff Orpington pullet.
I read somewhere someone trying the Marans Welsummer cross. I would think it would make a nice dark egg layer but I don't see how the cross breed hen would be better than either a pure Marans or Welsummer. Anyway, I don't think there are chicks available (or hatching eggs either) of such a cross. But then maybe it was a Welsummer/Barnvelder cross that I am thinking of, I can't be sure.
But if you are going to buy hatchery stock I think you will end up disappointed. Rarely get the really dark egg color that those breeds are famous for from the hatcheries.
The problem is that I can't have roos here. Buying from a Breeder would mean straight run. Although I have read that Welsummers are easier to sex by coloring. I would rather support a Breeder than buy from a Hatchery. Have also read that some Hatcheries have better breeding stock than others. Just don't know which ones! A Marans/Welsummer cross still sounds like such a good idea LOL
You can't have roosters and I CERTAINLY can't have roosters. Or I should say can't keep roosters. Myself I would rather hatch eggs than get straight run chicks. The advantage of chicks is to be able to get only girls. If you have to take straight run and get boys and girls then I think its only good for people who are more interested in growing the males out for eating purposes.
Rita, would you stop it! You have me looking at incubators and hatching eggs on line again LOL. I'm wondering if my EE will stay broody... hmmmmm. This is a bad time of year for a Broody too, Mom and babies would have to stay in the garage for most of the winter. She is really dedicated, even though it's only day 5 for her, she was on the nest and defending it when I checked at 6:30 this morning.
I actually this year at fair got a breeding trio of both marans and Welsummers. I am looking forward to the wonderful color of eggs they will lay. But I really like my Green layers...
MissJ- Buying locally like you did and getting exactly what you wanted is great for you guys in more local areas. There are no fairs around here. Many years ago I went to a what seemed to me big fair upstate and I remember there was much livesock for sale. I don't remember chickens exactly but I remember friends buying some goats. Then at another time went to a REALLY big fair around Tampa in Florida and that had everything! But for me at this time it is best not to have local because I want to start with only little ones anyway and raise them out myself.
Annie- Don't you have some silkies? I read that they make the best broodies. I do know that this might not the best time to be hatching (either under a broody or incubator) as one has to deal with chicks when its getting cold. But for me, I am going to keep going until I have sucess. But not much variety available in hatching eggs now and I was told on another thread here that there are tons of listings in the spring. Makes sence as this time of years hens have slowed down but come spring, everyone has eggs.
I don't honestly know what the best solution is for you as I know you would get so attached even to those roosters that it is hard to find them new homes. Not a problem for me emotionally getting rid of any roosters. They don't fit in my needs as useful therefore they will be gone.
Yes, I do have one very sweet buff Silkie. So far she isn't interested in doing more than eating and laying two eggs a week. However, I do hope she'll go broody in the spring! I'm still amazed that the EE is broody at such a young age. I've looked at every hatching egg on ebay at least 3 times now LOL
Monday the chickens are going to be NPIP and AI tested. I don't know if it's necessary or not but for $35 I figured what the heck. There is a Vet in the area, not sure which one yet, but they will necropsy any chicken that dies of an unknown cause free of charge if you are NPIP.
If your not planning on breeding and selling or selling hatching eggs, then what is the benefit of NPIP testing?
I just keep reading about what great broodies Silkies are. Yours might just be too young yet? Or maybe they have to find eggs lying around in order to want to get started? I don't know anything about those kinds of things LOL!
HA to the looking at e-bay hatching egg auctions. I keep looking and looking and looking at them all also. The looking and looking at the ebay auctions are what finially made me go out and buy the incubator. I just knew I had to do it. But now the selection is not the greatest.
One thing I wanted to tell you that I think might be VERY important. Since your flock is all Mareks vacinated from the hatchery (at least I think you said it was) then you would have to vaccinate any chicks hatched yourself immeditly upon hatching. Something I decided not to do myself as the vaccine comes in big vials for a thousand birds and I have no chickens here.
The major benefit of NPIP, for me, is the necropsy if a chicken dies of an unknown cause. It's probably something I would have done anyway at my own expense. Also, I'm concerned, I want to know if my chickens have anything icky. I give the eggs away to family and friends. There is no rooster and even if there was one, I have hatchery chickens. As much as I adore my beautiful Girl's I see no reason to add to the population and then worry if they're in a good home or not. It's highly unlikely that a good Breeder of Marans or Welsummers is going to sell me, a non show/breeder person, a good chicken.
Yup, all my chickens are Mareks vac'd. That's too bad it's only sell it in big vials. The company could make more money if they sold it in backyard flock size bottles.
How are your eggs doing? Are you talking to them yet? LOL
I don't see why a breeder wouldn't sell you a nice Marans or Welsummer just because you don't breed. Ok, not their very best one but then unless your breeding your not going to need the very best one anyway.
Personally, I decided that I could have far nicer stock (even if they are for eating eggs) by hatching out my own eggs. Most of the breeders seem to sell hatching eggs in season and as long as one pays I don't see how they are going to care about a breeding or non breeding situation for the resulting chicks.
Soon it will be time to candle the eggs and then we will see what we can learn.
Annie Call your local extension office and see if they cant direct you to a local breeder( I think you have one) .. I sell to who ever wants one, dont care if they will breed or not.
Newyorkrita, does your local high school have a 4H or FFA program? I am all for supporting kids first... they might be able to point you in the right direction.
Ha, ha. You have got to be kidding. No 4H in this city. They don't want anyone to have chickens here.
Hey thanks, that's a good idea to call the extension office!
I'm just interested in a nice calm chicken that lays beautiful dark eggs. I suppose it might be possible to get a breeders culls since I don't care about undesirable/disqualifying markings. The only thing that keeps me buying hatching eggs is the rooster factor!
4H and FFA is just not for chickens, 4H even has homemaking skills, photography and rocket science to name a few. FFA is mostly geared toward all animals..
Annie my last hatch had 5 roo's out of 11... Thankfully have sold all but Buffy and red who I will keep. If I had not sold them, they would be in the freezer for stew this winter... Buffy will NEVER go anywhere he wont breed has a genetic issue I dont want to pass on, but we love him just the same. Red will be going into one of the big girl pens, he is a Rhode Island Red and he will be in with some other and another hen of his same breed.
I'd love to have one rooster even though we aren't allowed to have them here. It's just finding a breed that is calm and friendly, which seems to be luck of the draw in any breed. I miss the crowing!
Hatching eggs and getting a lot of roosters to find homes for is not something I want to do. It makes me ill the way some people mistreat & neglect their animals. I helped someone get chicks and it was a complete disaster. So, if I end up with hatching eggs to get what I want then I'd better toughen up and learn to put the roos in the freezer!
I have waaay too many roos. 8 are free ranging and will go in the pot when I am hungry. 1 is my yard roo. A BIG EE named Gumbo. I have 1 bantam roo named Trey who is too pretty for words. He has 2 hens. 1 game cock named Gigilo. He is a brown legged hatch. 1 game stag named Eaggie. He is a grey legged hatch. 3 younger game stags. 1 is named Scar. The other 2 have no names. They are William MaCrea Roundhead crosses. I'd like to sell all the games. also have 2 hens and 2 pullets. The crowing starts here well before daylight and it doesn't stop until well after dark. On a full moon it doesn't stop at all.
Can I jump in here with a question? I have 9 baby chickens who are 7 weeks old. I'm pretty sure a couple are roosters. I observed two of them going head to head yesterday like they wanted to fight or something. They were butting heads. I figured that was a male behavior. My question is how old are roosters when they become sexually mature and start mating with the hens? I want to give the roosters away to the neighbor down the road. He said he'd raise them for meat birds. I want to make sure they are roosters first. At what age can you really tell or when do they start crowing/mating etc.?
You ought to be able to identify the roosters from their combs and waddles before they are old enough to actually mate. The roosters will also be taller and longer legged than the pullets. I don't think roosters are fertile before 5 1/2 or 6 months.
Oh Annie, if you can't even eat the eggs from your girls like on your famous egg thread post, I just can't see how you could possibly manage to eat the roosters. Even if you had someone else actually do what is necessary to get those roosters into the freezer.
Then there is the issue of the neighbors. You may miss the crowing but I bet your neighbors certainly don't miss it. Have a rooster to wake those nieghbors up each morning at some unholy hour each morning and they may start to feel very differently about liking your chickens.
Haha, Rita, I didn't say "I" would put them in the freezer. Someone else can and they can eat them too!
When we had a rooster he didn't crow during the night, since he was the only one maybe he didn't feel the need to compete?
I knew you just couldn't actually eat them LOL!
I only know what I read about roosters crowing. Night time, day time, whatever time. I guess its up to the rooster but they just must have that built in need to crow.
Annie you have been on Cubits. org have you not? Melissa who owns that poultry cubit is a friend and she raises Black Copper Marans and she lives in Ohio. Contact her and see what you can work out. She is a great gal and I think she'd be pleased to help you out. P.S. Annie I have raised both welsummers, and BCM,s and I had a hard time decideding which I liked best...Hay
Annie, are you eating the eggs yet?
Good for you Annie to be NPIP tested! Two big thumbs up for taking that on. I think it's great, and if I were sure I could continue, I had plans to do the same. I am all for everyone taking all the steps we can to improve the breeds and take all the precautions.
Thanks ZZ. They made it so easy and worked around my hectic schedule. For $35 they did the usual tests plus AI at no charge. The paperwork was returned in about a week. When I first called I thought they might not come out for only 15 chickens but they said they would come if I had 1 chicken or 1,000. The Tester was such a nice person and spent a lot of time answering my questions. She said I could call her anytime if I had problems too. Great experience! And, I'm pretty proud of my Girl's and the NPIP certification and am thinking of framing it LOL
Way to go...
Thank you!
Ok Annie, no giggles now..., I traded 7 Ducks and 5 geese for two Turkin hens to be delivered tomorrow for Billy...LOLOL I understand they are Brown layers, and although they may look strange, they are suppose to be pretty calm...
And when they are laying, I get use of the Rooster for a few weeks to visit... then we can have baby turkins...
Turkins? Is that the breed with a naked neck? I could never have those, I'd want to keep medicating the area so it would grow feathers LOL
Pictures of Billy with the new chicks are needed! He is so lucky to have you, you're making a life time of great memories for him. Bravo!
MsJ be careful putting naked necks in with regular flock. I did that and had her neck sliced open by the roo... Their necks are just so "out there"..
Not a hard and fast rule.. just something I experienced.. a 4" rip is ugly and scary...
Hope it works for you. I love naked necks! They are great birds. :)
I was wondering that, I did see a scratch on her yesterday dont know if that came from us or her old home. I posted pictures on a new thread... Maybe I should consider building a new coop for them... OHHH heavens I have new coops on my list already.