Ebony and Flame have really surprised me with what good egg layers they are. Since we got them in July I haven’t had to buy any eggs. In October Ebony laid 21 eggs and Flame laid 20. In October Dandelion has laid 6 eggs and Cinnamon has laid 5.
I thought that I would include a front facing photo of Ebony and Fame as they look quite funny like this and quite different from each other.
Ebony
Ebony’s face and comb is so different from what Emerald’s was like. Emerald had such a sweet face and the tiniest comb ever. Ebony has the same sort of chunky comb and wattles as the wyandotte she is crossed with and also the same solid shape. Ebony is a sturdy, chunky, girl.
Flame
Flame has retained the game bird shape but has the gold colour of the wyandotte. Both girls look quite fierce when face on although they aren’t in reality.
Because they are still laying so late in the year I am now wondering if they are younger girls than I had thought. I have started to wonder if this is their first year as chickens lay through their first winter and don’t moult. During their second and subsequent years they stop laying and moult.
If they continue to lay I will know that this is the case and will therefore be able to age them more accurately. This would be a good thing because if they are first year birds I could potentially have them for longer.
I just assumed they were older girls as Toffee and Emerald were. The farmer may not have been certain of their age if he had a mix of older and younger girls. He keeps the game girls as his broodies for his wyandottes so doesn’t sell them unless someone like me wants them.
Toffee and Emerald stopped laying at the end of June in the first year that I had them which meant that they were at least two years old and possibly more. When I expressed surprise to the farmer that Ebony and Flame were still laying later on in the year he said that very often if they have been broody and raised chicks, which Ebony had, they will lay a bit longer into the year.
This also intimates that he wasn’t quite sure how old they are. It will be interesting to see if they continue to lay in November which will give me a better idea if they are first year girls. Either way they are very good egg layers so far and any eggs beyond this time of year are a bonus.
Click here to see the history of my flock.
Oh I didn’t realise that they were crossed with wyandottes. They do look quite large although any bantam does next to seramas – if they were purely game girls would they be smaller? They are both beautiful by the way and it’s fantastic that you’re are still getting eggs. I haven’t had any for nearly a week. xx
When I had Toffee and Emerald I think they only had a little of the cross in them but over the years they have obviously become more crossed. Wyndottes are actually smaller than game birds, not so tall but chunkier. I don’t think they are very large bantams it’s just as you say against seramas anything seems large. They are chunkier than Speckles though.
They have such lovely faces, so much personality! And the colour on Flame’s chest is wonderful. Such an apt name!
Tx
Front on Ebony’s face makes her look a bit of a thug! I too love the colour of Flame’s chest. I always choose descriptive names for my girls hence Ebony and Flame to describe their colour. Glad you think Flame’s name is suited to her. x
They do have very different faces, but both lovely girls, how nice if they do lay through
the winter.
It will be amazing if we get eggs through the winter. I think it is a possibility because they both laid again today.