[Ag-eq] Choosing Hens
Susan Roe
dogwoodfarm at verizon.net
Thu Nov 8 04:31:33 UTC 2012
Nella,
I believe there is at least one more breed that lays the dark brown eggs.
My problem is the hatcheries either only ship firtal eggs or day old chicks.
Neither of which I have the facilities to handle because I do not have power
to any of my coops. That is why I only take chicks between 4 and 8 weeks
old, which also means I pay more than day old chick prices.
We are considering stripping out our 10 by 20 foot garage/storage building
for chicks and/or a small egg incubater since there is power in there. The
building has never had a vehicle in it, it has a cement floor, 4 electric
plugs, inside and outside light and is right next to the cabin. There would
be no heat or air and there are no windows, but that would not be necessary
because the chicks would be confined to a rectangle pin, open at the top,
with a heat lamp on and hanging on one end while the other end would give
the chicks enough room to cool off away from the heat lamp. Like I said, it
is just another option we are tossing around to expand our chicken breeds
because we are very limited when we buy older chicks.
Time will tell!
I have to tell you a funny. We have an elderly lady just down the road in
her upper 80's and her name is MS. Ruby. She has been getting eggs from us
for quite some time. She called and left a message that she wanted a dozen
eggs and if possible, she wanted 2 dozen eggs. Well, this is the time our
hens stop laying and I'm lucky to get 3 eggs in 7 days, but we happened to
have just 1 dozen ready. We had also stopped selling for the year and were
just keeping the eggs for ourselves. I told Matt just to take them on to
MS. Ruby, but let her know there would be no more eggs this year. He did
just that, but when he came in the cabin, he was laughing and told me that
Ms. Ruby said for him to go and tell our hens that this was no time to stop
laying because she had too much holiday baking to do, so get busy and start
laying. You just have to smile at Ms. Ruby, she's such a doll!
Susan
dogwoodfarm at verizon.net
----- Original Message -----
From: <nfoster at extremezone.com>
To: "Agricultural and Equestrean Division List" <ag-eq at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Wednesday, November 07, 2012 10:35 AM
Subject: Re: [Ag-eq] Choosing Hens
>
>
> Susan:
>
> Isn't there another breed that lay the really dark brown eggs?
>
> I thought I read about one, but will have to look for the information
> again.
>
> Like you, I don't like paying to much for my hens.
>
> Nella
> Quoting Susan Roe <dogwoodfarm at verizon.net>:
>
>> Nella,
>>
>> I am seriously thinking about the Americana and Aricana hens that lay the
>> colored eggs, but I'm not sure of the egg size. I believe they lay
>> medium
>> to large eggs. All of my hens lay verrying shades of brown eggs because
>> that is all my customers want. LOL There is a breed called Welsamer
>> that
>> lays chocolate brown eggs. I'd like to try them out, but they are
>> classified as rare here in the U.S., but plentiful in the Netherlands
>> area.
>> For a trio, two adult hens and one adult rooster, they have been selling
>> for
>> $75.00. I don't think so!
>>
>> Susan
>> dogwoodfarm at verizon.net
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: <nfoster at extremezone.com>
>> To: "Agricultural and Equestrean Division List" <ag-eq at nfbnet.org>
>> Sent: Monday, November 05, 2012 5:44 AM
>> Subject: Re: [Ag-eq] Choosing Hens
>>
>>
>> > Susan:
>> >
>> > Thanks for the information about the different breeds. I really like
>> > my
>> > Barred
>> > Rocks; they are very gentle and good layers. I will have to see about
>> > getting
>> > some of the Black Stars.
>> >
>> > Have you ever had any of the breeds that lay colored eggs?
>> >
>> > Do all of your hens lay brown eggs?
>> >
>> > I recently read about a breed called Mini Pearls or White Pearls; they
>> > are
>> > small
>> > white hens that lay white eggs. They are suppose to handle the heat
>> > well
>> > and be
>> > good layers. I can't remember what breeds are crossed to make them.
>> >
>> > There are so many breeds of chickens that sound like they would be fun
>> > to
>> > have,
>> > that I have to control myself or I would have to many! My property is
>> > in
>> > the
>> > city limits, so I can only have up to 18.
>> >
>> > Nella
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > Quoting Susan Roe <dogwoodfarm at verizon.net>:
>> >
>> >> Hi Nella,
>> >
>> >>
>> >> I have not tried the Red Stars before, but maybe you should try the
>> >> Black
>> > `> Stars because they are smaller than the Red Stars. Below is the
>> > write
>> > ups
>> >> that comes from Eden Farms where I get my chickens.
>> >>
>> >> I already have the following hens from them:
>> >> Barred Rock
>> >> Buff Orpington
>> >> 1 loan Black Australorp
>> >>
>> >> Barred Rock
>> >> Barred Rocks are a hardy American breed with a striking black & white
>> >> feather pattern. They are good layers of light brown eggs, and will
>> >> occasionally decide
>> >> to "set" (hatch) their eggs. The hens have bold personalities and tend
>> >> to
>> >> rule the roost. Males are sometimes aggressive but very beautiful,
>> >> with
>> >> more
>> >> white in their feather patterns than the females. Quite bright and
>> >> adventuresome, Barred Rocks make excellent foragers and are one of our
>> >> favorite breeds.
>> >>
>> >> Buff Orpington
>> >> A calm, laid-back English breed that loves hatching eggs and taking
>> >> care
>> >> of
>> >> the chicks. Hens are a soft golden color and lay large, light brown
>> >> eggs.
>> >> Roosters
>> >> are a brilliant, shiny gold with flowing tails and lovely crowing
>> >> voices,
>> >> and are almost never aggressive. If a sweet, live-and-let-live
>> >> temperament
>> >> is
>> >> important to you, this breed tops the list!
>> >>
>> >> Red Star
>> >> This is a hybrid breed, with Rhode Island Red and White Leghorn
>> >> parentage.
>> >> Hens are light auburn in color, with some white or gold highlights.
>> >> They
>> >> are
>> >> excellent layers of big brown eggs, and have friendly temperaments.
>> >> Roosters
>> >> are mostly white, with a dark red "saddle" mark on their backs.
>> >> Because
>> >> they
>> >> are hybrids, a male and female Red Star will not hatch Red Star
>> >> chicks,
>> >> so
>> >> most people choose this breed strictly for their exceptional
>> >> egg-laying
>> >> ability.
>> >>
>> >> Ameraucana
>> >> Often called the "Easter Egg Chicken", because these attractive hens
>> >> lay
>> >> eggs in pastel shades of blue, green, and olive. The eggs are darker
>> >> colored
>> >> when
>> >> the hens first start laying, and lighten gradually as the birds age.
>> >> The
>> >> yolk and white are normal color and taste just like other eggs,
>> >> although
>> >> some
>> >> of our customers say they can tell a difference. The birds themselves
>> >> come
>> >> in a beautiful array of patterns and colors, including solid white,
>> >> but
>> >> their
>> >> legs and feet are always olive green or blue. Most Ameraucanas have
>> >> muffy
>> >> little beards that make them look like Muppets. Ameraucanas do not
>> >> typically
>> >> hatch their eggs, but there are exceptions. These chickens are lots of
>> >> fun
>> >> for kids, and perfect for anyone who wants something different.
>> >>
>> >> Black Star
>> >> This is a hybrid breed, with Rhode Island Red and Barred Rock
>> >> parentage.
>> >> Their color can range from completely black to varying degrees of a
>> >> pretty
>> >> golden
>> >> lace pattern (up to approximately half gold), with a beautiful
>> >> green/purple
>> >> iridescence on the darker feathers. They are curious, people-oriented
>> >> chickens
>> >> and excellent layers of big brown eggs, but do not usually decide to
>> >> incubate their eggs and hatch chicks. Black Stars are one of the
>> >> smallest
>> >> breeds listed
>> >> here, although they are considerably larger than bantams. Because they
>> >> are
>> >> hybrids, a Black Star hen and rooster will not produce Black Star
>> >> chicks.
>> >>
>> >> Rhode Island Red
>> >> A well-known American heritage breed that is one of our most popular
>> >> types.
>> >> These calm, full-size hens are good layers of big, brown eggs. The
>> >> hens
>> >> are
>> >> not known for being good setters or mothers, but there are occasional
>> >> exceptions. Rhode Island Red roosters are a dark, shiny mahogany color
>> >> with
>> >> a beautiful
>> >> green iridescence on their tails. Unfortunately, many males of this
>> >> breed
>> >> have aggressive tendencies.
>> >>
>> >> Blue Marans
>> >> This French breed is relatively new to America, and is still quite
>> >> rare.
>> >> Marans lay eggs that vary from very dark brown to lighter brown with
>> >> dark
>> >> brown
>> >> speckles, and belong to a class of poultry known as the "Chocolate
>> >> Eggers".
>> >> The eggs are the darkest in color when the hens have first started
>> >> laying
>> >> (around
>> >> the age of 6 to 7 months), and gradually lighten in color until the
>> >> birds
>> >> take a short break from laying. When the eggs resume, they will again
>> >> be
>> >> a
>> >> very
>> >> dark color. The varieties we have are blue, which is a lovely smoky
>> >> gray,
>> >> and Blue Splash, which is white with flecks of bluish gray. Hens are
>> >> quiet,
>> >> well-mannered,
>> >> and make very good setters. Marans are a large breed; hens weigh 6 to
>> >> 7
>> >> pounds, and roosters top out at 9 to 10 pounds. Due to their extreme
>> >> size,
>> >> Maran
>> >> roosters (although gentle and mild-mannered) should not be kept with
>> >> smaller
>> >> breeds of hens. Because of their rarity in Virginia, as well as our
>> >> limited
>> >> supply, Marans cost about twice as much as most of the other breeds of
>> >> chickens we have for sale, but for the collector or serious hobbyist,
>> >> a
>> >> couple of
>> >> these stately hens are a fun and beautiful addition to the flock.
>> >>
>> >>
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>> >
>> >
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