Famine To Feast

[dinosaw]

In January for the first time we were on the brink of having to buy eggs while owning chickens, 10 of last years hatch hadn't started laying and the 7 ex batts were producing only a single egg a day between them, not a very good return 1 egg from 17 chickens is it. In the last week however they have decided that spring has sprung and it's time to start laying, we are getting 10 a day now and I know that not all of the Thuringians and Sussex have come into lay yet. Here are the different types of eggs we are now getting. From left to right they are Ex batt, Araucana, Silver Sussex, Thuringian. While the Sussex are 50% heavier birds than the ex batts their eggs are actually 50% lighter because they are in their first laying season while the ex batts are starting their third. The ex batts are averaging about 75g per egg with the Sussex and Araucana in the low 50s and high 40s and the Thuringians in the mid 30's. You can see why you get better results hatching chicks from birds in their second year and beyond, so much more room for a chick to grow.

 

[rick]

Good enough for the Tate Modern, on a walnut surface too!

 

[valeriebutterley]

Or is it bird's eye maple?

Well done those girls, anyway!

 

[dinosaw]

Or birds egg maple :lol: . The official veneer adjudicator (that's me) says it is indeed Burr Walnut though I can see why it might be confused with Maple as it looks lighter on the photo than it really is.

 

[Marigold]

Shows the advantage of having several different breeds, though. Not only do those eggs look pretty, but you can tell who has laid what (or not, as the case may be.)
Dear Marigold (Buff Sussex, of blessed memory, RIP) was a large lady with an appetite to match, but she always laid very puny-sized eggs. I think all that food went towards maintaining her stately frame and foliage. Her eggs were paper white, so I was surprised that your Silver Sussex is producing pale brown ones. I didn't realise different colours of Sussex produce variously coloured eggs - is yours a purebred? My best layer at the moment is a tiny, scruffy Chalk Hill hybrid who never managed to finish her moult and still has some thin patches over her back, but who produces a good- sized greenish egg most days nevertheless.

 

[dinosaw]

As far as I know they are purberbreeds Marigold, the breed do have red ears which as you know means brown eggs, I presume whatever crossing goes on to get the black colouring introduces the brown egg strain.

 

[dinosaw]

Here are some of the Silver Sussex

 

[Icemaiden]

My utility Light Sussex from Chalk Hill lays pinkish eggs, compared to the ex-batts' brown ones...

 

[dinosaw]

I just looked up the blurb on Sussex eggs and it says they lay cream to light brown eggs and a pinky hue is quite common.

 

[MrsBiscuit]

Indeed, both my red and my white sussex would lay pale brown eggs, the same as your silver sussex, they called tinted I believe. They were the same colour as the orps, and all in all, quite boring to me as I couldn't tell one layer from another. On the other hand, your thuringian eggs could be mistaken for a poland egg, same colour, same shape. Lovely photo

 

[dinosaw]

I'm getting two types of Thuringian eggs at the moment, ones like that and ones that are like bullets, probably just one bird laying them by the number but quite a few of the hatching eggs were bullet shaped. Thuringians look like they are going to be egg every other day type birds which would tie in with what I had read about them, wouldn't matter if they didn't lay any they are just so much fun to be around.

 

[chickenfan]

They look lovely young girls Dinosaw - and what a gorgeous shade of egg your Araucana lays.