Carol's Chickens

Happy new Year to everyone. We have started New Year’s Day with an egg from Ebony, Smoke and Marmite. Marmite’s third egg is a much bigger size than her first two. It is what I would consider as a normal size.

New Years Day’s eggs

This morning’s eggs plus Marmite’s last egg for size comparison. On the left is Marmite’s last egg followed by her egg laid today. Next is Smoke’s egg and on the right Ebony’s egg.

I am amazed that although there has been a huge change over of girls coming and going this year the egg total is very similar to last years.

Last year we had 439 eggs and this year we have had 431 eggs.

Sadly only Speckles, Dandelion and Cinnamon have completed the year and I can hardly really count Speckles as she is such a poor layer.

Speckles laid 12 eggs in 4 months giving her an average of 3 eggs a month.

Dandelion laid 61 eggs in 7 months giving her an average of 9 eggs a month.

Cinnamon laid 78 eggs in 9 months giving her an average of 9 eggs a month.

Sadly we lost Apricot in April before she had started laying.

Sadly we also lost Freckles in June. Freckles laid 38 eggs in 4 months giving her an average of 10 eggs a month.

I was heartbroken to lose Emerald in July but she was one of the few girls that we had got to old age. Emerald laid 24 eggs in 3 months giving her an average of 8 eggs a month.

We got Ebony in July. She must be in her first year as she is still laying and hasn’t moulted. Ebony has laid 106 eggs in 18 months giving her an average of 18 eggs a month.

We got Flame a week after Ebony in July. She stopped laying at the end of November and started to moult heavily so we think she may be 2 years old. Flame laid 97 eggs in  in 5 months giving her an average of 19 eggs a month.

We got the two silky girls at the end of May and they haven’t started laying yet. Silky feathered girls mature slower than girls with frizzle or straight feathers. We think they are about 9 months old.

We got the five amigos at the end of August. We think they are about 6 months old as some of them are just starting to lay.

Smoke has laid 16 eggs in 1 month so has laid an average of 16 eggs a month.

Marmite has only just started laying and has laid 2 eggs in 4 days so I can’t give her a monthly average yet. Her first 2 eggs were the tiniest eggs we have ever seen.

We have 3 of the amigos yet to start laying. Yet to lay are Sienna, Jasmine, (silky girls), Vanilla, Spangle and Salmon (amigos).

It will be interesting to see how many eggs we get this year when all twelve girls are laying. I am anticipating some dramas over the nest boxes too, despite having 3 nest boxes, plus the chicken shed.

So to conclude – Speckles is hopeless at laying  (3 per month) and has laid half the eggs she laid the year before. Speckles is about 4 years old.

Freckles, while we had her, Dandelion and Cinnamon were/are better layers (9/10 per month). Dandelion and Cinnamon are 2 years old.

Ebony and Flame are excellent layers (18/19 per month). We think Ebony is 1 year old and Flame is 2 years old.

Then we come to Smoke. Although I put her average at 16 eggs per month (because I had only one month to count) she actually started laying a week into the month so her average will be higher. In reality she laid 16 eggs in 21 days so her possible average could be higher. She was laying 5 eggs per week so could potentially average 20 per month. Only time will tell but this is amazing for a serama in my experience up to now.

The silky girls and the five amigos are from a different breeder to my previous seramas so it will be interesting to see if they are all good layers or if Smoke is exceptional.

However it turns out I feel very lucky to be getting eggs at this time of year and with twelve girls laying later this year there should always be plenty of eggs and no need to buy any which will be lovely.

Well done to all my girlies.

I have recently posted about each of the amigos except for salmon. First I did a post on how much Vanilla had changed since we first got her. I then did a post on Smoke starting to lay. I did another on Marmite starting to lay and then one on how much Spangle has changed since we got her. I thought it only fair to do a post on Salmon.

Salmon actually hasn’t changed at all since we first got her. She has kept the same pretty markings she has always had, the salmon colour that she was named for and has remained the smallest of the amigos. She is similar in size to Cinnamon who is our smallest girl. Salmon is just a little bigger than Cinnamon but smaller than all the other seramas.

Salmon is so pretty

Salmon

Salmon’s markings from above

Salmon also has a very sweet nature. I am glad she has stayed just the same.

I would like to take this opportunity to wish all my readers a Very Happy New Year!

Yesterday afternoon I knew that Marmite was about to lay her second egg. It was only the day after her first one but she was very vocal and then after trying out all the nest boxes she settled herself in the middle one.

Ebony and Smoke had both laid in the middle nest box that morning so this is obviously the current favourite. This time Marmite was out after about half an hour. I checked the nest box and had to smile. There was another tiny egg.

It was slightly bigger than the first one and this time it was egg shaped instead of round and smooth instead of having a calcium blob on it.

As a comparison I am showing her first egg again before the second egg.

Marmite’s first egg sat on a pound coin

Marmite’s second egg sat on a pound coin

And second egg next to a pound coin

And on an egg roller

Marmite’s second egg on the left, Smoke’s in the middle and Ebony’s egg on the right. So it’s a three egg day of sorts!

She has done well to lay two days running and I am imagining that they will get a bit bigger each day. Once again I am interested to see what the next one is like.

I did a post a while back about how much Vanilla had changed since we first got her. She started out vanilla in colour with a few honeycomb spots and has ended up mostly honeycomb coloured.

Spangle has also changed just as dramatically but it’s the other way round. She started out mostly brown and black with a white breast. I thought she looked like a turnstone and the breeder described her as looking like a penguin because of her white breast and dark back.

Spangle is now mostly white with just dark spots and her once all white breast also has some dark spots. I actually think she is much prettier now. She also has a magnificent wide tail (much like Freckles had) which is all white but with one dark top feather.

The five amigos when we first got them with Spangle on the right

Spangle at the front of the group

Notice Spangle has an all white breast and almost all dark back.

Spangle has an amazing tail

Spangle is now dotted with dark colour

Her breast now has dark spots too

Her back is now mostly white with dark splodges

I think she has grown more beautiful as I like seeing more white and it shows up her unusual dark spots. It is funny how Vanilla and Spangle have changed so completely whereas Smoke, Marmite and Salmon have stayed the same as they were as chicks.

Marmite finally got her first egg laid today a week after she first started practising. She had been sitting in the nest box for almost an hour so I was sure that today was going to be the day.

What a surprise her first egg was. It is the tiniest egg we have ever seen.

Marmite is determined to get her first egg laid

Marmite’s first egg

Ebony’s egg is on the left, Smoke’s egg is in the middle and Marmite’s teeny, tiny, egg is on the right next to a pound coin for size comparison.

Marmite’s first egg sat on a pound coin

And next to a pound coin

It has a calcium blob on the top.

Marmite’s perfectly formed, teeny, tiny, first egg

These tiny first eggs are often called “wind eggs” because sometimes they are empty or just have white in them but this one has a tiny yolk surrounded by white.

I am amazed that after a week of trying to lay Marmite has laid such a tiny egg. It will be interesting to see what her next egg is like. Well done Marmite!

I haven’t so far received any chicken related gifts for Christmas although not all our family gift exchanging has been completed yet.

I did however receive this gift as a thank you for feeding youngest son’s and fiancee’s rabbits while they were on holiday shortly before Christmas.

Cute little fella

Cockerel

Strictly speaking I would say he is a cockerel due to the large comb and wattles although what variety I couldn’t say. I was really pleased with him. He is such a cutie!

Smoke and Ebony both laid a Christmas day egg in the morning. I think this may be the first time we have have had eggs on Christmas day.

Mid morning I took the girls their fish treat in six little dishes.

Christmas day in the chicken run

A fish treat for the girls

By lunch time all the fish had gone

Ebony is out of shot because she is close to me. I thought the fish would last most of the day but it went very quickly. I think the girls enjoyed their Christmas day treat.

I would like to wish seasons greetings to all my readers and good health to you and all your girls.

Today I have dug the run over, swept the chicken patio, washed all the food and water dishes and made sure that everything is ready for the girls for Christmas day even though it doesn’t matter to them. It matters to me!

I have fish for their Christmas day treat.

Dandelion’s head looks like a porcupine with all the pins and Flame still looks very tatty but I think they are through the worst of their moult. Ebony and Smoke continue to lay but Marmite hasn’t quite managed her first egg yet.

Dandelion looks like a porcupine

Flame looks very tatty

There is only an occasional sneeze now so once more we have safely come through the myco but I will remain ever vigilant.

Tomorrow morning we will have smoked salmon and scrambled eggs for breakfast with our girl’s eggs so thank you girlies!

I felt sure that Marmite would lay her first egg today. She must be near to laying. She sat in the middle nest box for a while then moved to the nest box nearest the shed. She was in there for about an hour so when she came out I checked the nest box and nothing. It seems she is just practising.

Marmite practising

Some girls need more practice than others. Maybe tomorrow.

I decided to try the smaller pellet dish without the tray as I figured the dish is too small for Smoke to stand and the dish would be easier to reach without the tray. Once I had established that this was working and no pellets were being flicked out I had another light bulb moment. I decided to use two small dishes.

Solving the pellet dish problem

Look, no mess!

This means I can put out twice the amount of pellets and the girls have twice the space to get to them and there is still no mess. Hurrah!

Notice Dandelion’s head feathers are filling in at last.