This year's hatching eggs (2014) are
* pale blue eggs from the purebred Lavender Araucanas
* eggs from various crosses, which will hatch into birds laying greenish eggs in different tones
* caramel toned eggs from the Brahma and Marans cross, mated again with the Copper Black Marans rooster.
This year's rooster no. 1, the Lavender Araucana.
The hens whose hatching eggs I collect:
* Lavender Araucanas
Pale blue eggs. What I like about Araucana hens is that they are small, peaceable and good layers, and their eggs have a good strong shell. If the room is very cold they will probably lay less often. At the moment, though, I have a small heater in the hens' room and even in winter it stays at a minimum of 7 to 8 C. Last year my Araucana's laying rhythm was: 9 days laying, 1 day off. Quite wonderful. The Araucanas started laying in their 7th month.
* Araucana crosses
Black hens laying dark olive green eggs, last year's offspring of a Lavender Araucana hen and a Black Copper Marans rooster.
This year, crossed again with the Araucana rooster, the present dark olive colour will gain a blue tone. These hens' eggs have kept the beautiful, strong, even, smooth shell typical of Araucanas. Egg size 54 to 63 g (size M). They started laying in the second half of their 5th month. Modestly at first, but very well indeed after a few months. Hatch rate 90 to 100%.
* The grey hen laying olive green eggs, the hen with the big comb. Last year she laid pale blue eggs, and I crossed her with the Marans rooster. She is the only one who did not take the black plumage colour from the Marans rooster but kept her grey (so called blue) plumage. This hen is bigger than the Araucanas and just as good a layer. She started laying at the beginning of her 5th month. Eggs are size L.
This year's rooster no. 2, the Copper Black Marans.
Hatching eggs:
* The Brahma cross. This hen currently lays caramel coloured eggs, the middle eggs in the egg box in the picture. She is the hen obtained last year by crossing a Brahma with the Marans rooster. Now I have decided to cross her with the Marans rooster once again, and the result is splendid black chicks with feathered legs. This hen's advantages are her feathered legs and her hardiness in the cold. She has also kept the strong brooding instinct typical of the Brahma. In winter she brooded for 3 months straight before deciding to start laying again. Eggs are size L.
In May a couple of factory hens will join us, so as to get good laying offspring that lay dark brown eggs.
