Future plans for 2025! Breeding for large meaties, barring, lacing and EE

[casportpony]

Nice looking eggs!

 

[DemeterAD9]

I am incredibly impatient so I keep going over my plans. Originally I intended to only set 24 eggs, now I am thinking of vertically incubating them in egg cartons to squeeze in a few more (up to 34). There are just too many hens I’d like to hatch eggs from but I have my top picks for meat and egg color already set in stone. Really there are three main categories, meat, egg color, and feather patterns/color/autosexing. Then there’s the subcategory of possible roo replacement, one that is more cold hardy. These are my current notes for egg selection

These are the colored eggs I would be setting from, I’m hoping the other EE comes into lay as her eggs are bigger and bluer than the current layer. The bantam isn’t laying either but if she happens to lay some soon I just might try a couple.

I’ve gotten a couple eggs in the last few days that I am unsure who they came from. Hoping the dark brahma is one of them but it’s hard to say just yet. The lightest one is quite small but could be from the bresse?

I checked fertility in 3 eggs, one BJG, the EE, and the grey OE. All looked to be good. Will continue to check eggs from girls I want to hatch from up until egg collection day.

 

[DemeterAD9]

Today’s current collection. Top left to right, buff brahma, barred/laced, grey OE, LF mix, bresse, BJG, light brahma. The bresse is laying tiny eggs, like pullet sized 48g. They used to be a bit bigger.

Saw the blue copper maran on the dark brahma today so maybe she will/has been laying one of the mystery eggs.

 

[DemeterAD9]

Might have a new contender for largest egger, pretty sure the middle egg is from the dark brahma. Left is large fowl mix, right is bresse.

And here are the birds eye balling me while I asses their eggs. Filthy window thanks to the dogs.

 

[DemeterAD9]

Got 12 eggs yesterday, waiting for that magical 12+ a day but it may be a while yet. Bantam, frizzle, prairie BB and one EE or not laying right now. I think one of the BJG isn’t either.

Brown eggs top left to right, LF, bresse, SLW, barred/laced. Bottom row is dark, buff and 2 light brahmas, end is the one banded BJG. Missing an egg from the un-banded BJG but I ate is last night.

I gave the coop a clean and freshened up the nest boxes. Didn’t take long for one to come and sit in the ever popular first box. I need to add a top for the row of boxes to prevent the dropping at night. Also want to add another roost bar and a couple tarps to catch the droppings for easy clean up. Maybe this weekend.

And here we have a line of ladies waiting to lay their eggs because heaven forbid they lay in one of the other nest boxes/cites.