How did you decide what breeds to get? And are any of these considered ‘endangered’ breeds?
I wanted a colorful egg basket 
The marans lay dark chocolate colored eggs, the isbars are green, the legbars are blue and the faverolles are kind of pinkish to tan. The faverolles are on the conservation list. I think they all have kind of interesting history!
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Here’s the “boy”
[IMG]https://i.imgur.com/Ht56FBy.jpg)
And one of the “girls”
[IMG]https://i.imgur.com/pTngwZx.jpg)
The little black birchen marans continues to be my BEST BUD. He’s such a character!
[IMG]https://i.imgur.com/nNsixyL.jpg)
[IMG]https://i.imgur.com/BhPwzuS.jpg)
And I think the other two birchens are both pullets…
[IMG]https://i.imgur.com/NuaDwYo.jpg)
[IMG]https://i.imgur.com/Jeqs2Ia.jpg)
And this little Isbar is just the prettiest dove grey color. These are neat little birds and I have had ZERO hints as to who is a boy and who is a girl. Waiting and seeing.
[IMG]https://i.imgur.com/l49xq5E.jpg)
I finally got them eating out of my hand with some grit–which they loooove–and now they’re happily eating treats, too. Well, most of them. Easy to see who is brave and who is not, that’s for sure!
Candling the crested cream legbar eggs that are in the incubator tomorrow, and will try with the marans on Saturday. The marans have SUCH a dark shell, but I’ll try! :lol:
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That one before last is a beauty!
Cute all around, will be interesting to see what they look like once grown.
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She should look something like this when she’s grown
[IMG]https://greenfirefarms.com/images/product/blue_birchen_hen4.jpg)
Drama queen is a good description. My Faverolles, Puff, is VERY docile and friendly. She likes to hop up into the roosting area while I’m cleaning it or collecting eggs and tell me ALL about her day. Lol. But she is LOUD and opinionated! Heaven help the entire neighborhood if I’m five minutes late opening the door into the run in one morning!
Ch
The Isbars should be starting annnnnny day. The birchen marans will probably take a little longer. And I have four more CCLs that hatched first week in May, so guessing they’ll start up in about a month. The black copper marans will probably be the last to get going–May hatch, and they’re slow to the party. But eggs should be beautiful! How fun!
I managed to SELL (FOR MONEY!) a dozen cockerels. Butchered four. Was really very surprised at the positive response and demand for them.
Scrolling up, I have to laugh. All the faverolles were boys. The pretty dove grey Isbar was a boy. The black birchen marans is a hen, along with the light blue one. The darker blue one is a boy and now the main man in the coop–he’s super pretty!
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OOOHHH so jealous! I wanted blue eggs but the Easter Egger I added to my flock turned out to be a roo! I added a Cuckoo Maran and a Silver Lace wing with that bunch as well. I currently have a Black Austrolop, a Buff Orphington, a Black Leghorn and a white hen of unknown breeding and origin that a friend gave me who was getting out of chickens.
Your roo is lovely! I had a Welsummer roo last year that is now at a friends house watching their flock because he and my boyfriend had a serious altercation and one of them had to go. Loved Dwight but love the boyfriend more!
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ooohhh pretty green speckled eggs! Ok! I definitely will be adding the crested cream legbar and the Isbar. I will try a couple more Easter Eggers as well. Thanks for the enabling there Simkie LOL 5 months is really good. I am still waiting on my Lace Wing and my Maran. They are just 6 months now. But it can’t be long because the roo from the same group has started crowing. I moved to a place where I can expand my flock. Chickens are like potato chips. You get some and want more LOL
THREE e
[IMG]https://i.imgur.com/chagRVu.jpg)
@imapepper the isbars lay very pretty eggs, and I’m told they are good at laying through the winter when others have stopped. They’re not very big birds, and the boys are quite pretty (if you’d like to keep a cockerel.) The girlies are not terribly friendly, IMO, but they are handleable. The shipped eggs I hatched had excellent fertility…unsure if that’s a breed characteristic or just the breeder I ordered from. They’re hard to sex young–it took me quite a while before I knew who was who. Isbars are still pretty rare and I’m not sure if any hatcheries have them yet to sell sexed.
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[IMG]https://i.imgur.com/chagRVu.jpg)
@imapepper the isbars lay very pretty eggs, and I’m told they are good at laying through the winter when others have stopped. They’re not very big birds, and the boys are quite pretty (if you’d like to keep a cockerel.) The girlies are not terribly friendly, IMO, but they are handleable. The shipped eggs I hatched had excellent fertility…unsure if that’s a breed characteristic or just the breeder I ordered from. They’re hard to sex young–it took me quite a while before I knew who was who. Isbars are still pretty rare and I’m not sure if any hatcheries have them yet to sell sexed.
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I will definitely add some next spring if i can find some. That’s when I’ve had the best luck with getting them integrated with my flock. If i can’t find them, i will add some more Easter eggers. And hope i don’t get more roosters. If you want friendly chickens, add Buff Orphingtons. My Buff, Dolly (country singers were the theme that year) is super sweet.
