|
|
Post by Shirls on Mar 3, 2015 12:54:43 GMT
They haven't been on here for a while, and while Bea was trying to lay an egg this morning, I caught this picture. But...... when I first noticed, Bea was in the basket first and Georgie was trying to muscle in. Georgie must have won, cos she is now at the back and Bea at the front. Bea did eventually get her way and was in the back on her own and hence laid the egg. They are just beginning to moult, so I suppose the production of eggs will slow down and eventually stop for a while. Looking forward to May/June when I get three more!!! Got to think of some new names for them!  They are both having great fun at the moment as there is lots of garden work going on at the bottom of the garden, so there are quite a few worms and bugs to be had.   |
|
|
|
Post by OP on Mar 3, 2015 13:13:07 GMT
They certainly look well in the pics. Do they always follow each other around?
|
|
Mar 1, 2015 10:37:17 GMT
porthos
Normal Violet
Posts: 213 
|
Post by porthos on Mar 3, 2015 13:22:28 GMT
those are great piccies! happy chickens  |
|
|
|
Post by starlingqueen on Mar 3, 2015 14:38:06 GMT
How are you planning to introduce your new ones? I had the garden divided and separate coop for the night time. They could see each other all day through the divide and we let them gradually meet for short periods after a week. There was a lot of fighting, it was quite distressing at times. We had bruised combs and there was some nasty flying kicks and pinning down. It eventually got less and less. Took about 6 months of slowly allowing more time together before they eventually settled. We started to put them in the same shed at night and separate them during the day after about 3 months.
|
|
|
|
Post by milliej on Mar 3, 2015 16:16:35 GMT
They remind me of old Victorian ladies with their bustles  |
|
|
|
Post by Shirls on Mar 3, 2015 16:28:04 GMT
They certainly look well in the pics. Do they always follow each other around? They do more or less OP. Flock instincts and all that! They are well, (fingers crossed still). When I weighed Georgie the other week (Feb 9th to be precise) she was over 9 1/2lbs and Bea was just over 7lbs. These are really good weights after such poor beginnings. I hope we don't have that problem starlingqueen. Buff Orpingtons are very placid creatures, but the new ones will be kept in a separate coupe and sleeping compartment, but they all will be able to see one another. I will only let them all out together when I can supervise to start with anyway. Fun times ahead methinks! This is why I bought four of them in the beginning as I didn't want 'introductions' later on. I do however think it may be a bit of a culture shock to the originl two, as they will have had the run of the garden for a whole year. |
|
|
|
Post by starlingqueen on Mar 3, 2015 16:33:07 GMT
There is one way to get more without introductions and that is to hatch some fertilised eggs or get some chicks. The only problem there is that you have a 50 50 chance of getting a cockerel. I have considered do it myself but I just couldn't have a cockerel, my neighbours might complain a bit.  |
|
|
|
Post by Shirls on Mar 3, 2015 16:34:13 GMT
There is one way to get more without introductions and that is to hatch some fertilised eggs or get some chicks. The only problem there is that you have a 50 50 chance of getting a cockerel. I have considered do it myself but I just couldn't have a cockerel, my neighbours might complain a bit. That is the one and only reason why I don't breed, 50/50 is to higher ratio for me and I couldn't even have one cockerel. |
|
|
|
Post by starlingqueen on Mar 3, 2015 16:45:33 GMT
There is one way to get more without introductions and that is to hatch some fertilised eggs or get some chicks. The only problem there is that you have a 50 50 chance of getting a cockerel. I have considered doing it myself but I just couldn't have a cockerel, my neighbours might complain a bit. |
|
|
|
Post by OP on Mar 3, 2015 16:46:53 GMT
I was lead to believe that cockerels couldn't crow if the couldn't raise there heads. If that is true then letting them out after dawn they shouldn't crow and annoy the neighbours.
|
|
|
|
Post by skysmum on Mar 3, 2015 17:12:59 GMT
These girls are sooo beautiful shirls  , fluffy ladies . Now call me thick but i never knew chooks layed blue eggs , my daughter showed me a box of half a dozen collected from her sister-in-laws chooks. 2 were blue, 2 were white and 2 were brown. Different coloured chooks apparently, you learn something new every day. I dont eat them myself and just get some now and then for the buds and just go for the blacktail eggs. Do the shops sell blue chook eggs, i suppose they must do  . |
|
|
|
Post by starlingqueen on Mar 3, 2015 18:18:11 GMT
I was lead to believe that cockerels couldn't crow if the couldn't raise there heads. If that is true then letting them out after dawn they shouldn't crow and annoy the neighbours. They crow any time of day OP. I live near farmland and hear them all day long. Not close enough to be a problem but it's all day every day. |
|
|
|
Post by OP on Mar 3, 2015 18:33:02 GMT
Thank you for that Starlingqueen. I've learnt something else. I was under the impression they crowed at dawn.
|
|
|
|
Post by Shirls on Mar 4, 2015 8:07:09 GMT
You can buy blue eggs skysmum, but they are usually sold in farm shops (usually signs on the side of the road type places) where they keep the different varieties of chickens that lay different colour eggs. Welsummers lay brown spotted eggs and Marans lay dark brown eggs, lots of breeds lay white or pale eggs. I can't remember which breed lays the blue ones. Must research that! |
|
|
|
Post by OP on Mar 4, 2015 8:09:38 GMT
It's probably against EU rules to sell coloured eggs in Supermarkets. |
|
, fluffy ladies 
.