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Red Pile Chickens

I'll have to see if I can get a couple pics of my Aracaunas for you....yeah, the "ears" aren't huge, but definitely noticeable.

I used to breed for certain characteristics and such, had a fancy setup to keep them divided into breeding groups at least during the initial part of laying season when I was going to be incubating and selling...but now, the birds I have left just run around the farm where I can watch and enjoy them, and they just do their thing, lol. They still lay either in the chicken pen inside the building, or in one of a couple spots in the barn.
 
It laid another small blue/green egg today. I find it odd though that it's eggs are smaller than the barred-rock because the barred-rock is smaller.

I also wanted to know if it is safe to introduce new hens to a group of hens and one rooster?

By the way, I appreciate all of the time and patients!
 
Introducing new hens should be no problem, in fact the other hens will probably be relieved at someone else getting some of the rooster's "attention", lol.

Maybe the hen you have that is laying the colored eggs is actually an Aracauna cross? Some crosses will still retain some of the "ear" feathering....does she have a pea comb? (Sorry, I think I mistakenly called it a rose comb earlier) The pea comb doesn't tend to stay nearly as small in crosses. I just wonder, because every Aracauna I have had produced very nice, large eggs.

And no problem....it's fun to find someone with an interest in chickens beyond the fried kind. ;)
 
Don't get me wrong I am very interested in the fried variety! I just wouldn't like to see any of mine converted to that. haha

I looked at some pictures and I'm still not exactly sure of what a pea comb is. From the pictures I am guessing this is somewhat of a small, flattened comb?
 
Alright, if I am right, my barred-rock has a rose comb and my chicken in question has a pea comb. The barred-rock has a comb that sticks up a bit, almost enough to sag to the side, while the one in question has one that barely protrudes.
 
A comb that stands up enough to fall over is usually just called a "single comb". A pea comb is a very small, almost roundish comb that tapers just slightly toward the beak. A rose comb is similar to a pea comb, but larger, and tapering in the opposite direction as the pea comb. Neither the pea comb or rose comb have the protrusions that stick up beyond the base of the comb, like you would see on a leghorn.

I wish I could just get out my crayons and draw you a picture, it would be easier than trying to explain it, lol.
 
Alright, once again another question. I don't have any funds anymore, so I've decided to make do with the chickens I have. Right now I have both my araucana and my barred-rock with my redpyle rooster and they have 8 eggs laid. I was wondering if I switched them to my orange rooster if he would start breeding immediately so they would keep filling the nest with fertile eggs or if this would throw the laying off? Thanks a bunch!

The hens would be staying in the same pen with roosters switched out.
 
I'm sure he would start breeding right away if moved, and if you don't move the hens, their laying shouldn't be thrown off, I wouldn't think.
 
Well, it seems I was too late for that, my araucana is on the nest today, unless she was laying. She seemed ill, but I guess I'll know for sure when I get home from school. Will she start laying right after the eggs hatch? If so and she is setting already I guess I will just wait until next month and switch out the roosters, let each rooster have a full nest of eggs. If she isn't setting I'll switch them out this evening.
 
I just made an interesteing find. I didn't know they would do this, but both hens are on the same nest right now setting. You ever have 'em do that? haha.
 
Now I'm just confused.. the rooster is setting on the nest with the two hens now...

Maybe this is an effort to keep himself warm?
 
Yep, I have hens who share nests all of the time. I've had hen chickens try to share nests with hen ducks (which causes problems because duck eggs take a week longer to hatch than chicken eggs)....and I've had a hen chicken actually hatch baby ducks. I used to have one hen that was a very poor layer herself, but would seem to wait until another hen had a full nest, and then boot her off and sit on it, lol....but she was an excellent Mom, so I kept her around. She could keep a group of 15 chicks all together and raise them. My hen turkeys always share a common nest.

But the rooster on the nest, well.....that's just weird. LOL.
 
Ha, thats pretty interesting. I wouldn't have thought a chicken would hatch a ducks eggs. Yeah, the rooster wasn't on there this morning when I checked. I had bad timing on letting them hatch a nest, it is so cold here right now. I thought the cold weather was over, but it came back strong this weekend.
 
You'd be amazed at how well those hens keep the eggs warm....if they are sitting on the nest, it has to get mighty cold to hurt the eggs. If my hens can hatch out spring babies here in Iowa, you should have no problem in NC.

Somewhere, I have some pics of one of my hens with baby ducks under her....I didn't worry about her raising ducklings, but a Mama duck raising chicks is another story....chicks don't take well to swimming, lol.
 
Chris Steele said:
Haha, have you had a duck try to take chicks swimming?
Click to expand...

Yep, had it happen once, it didn't turn out well for the chicks. They don't know any better, and the poor mama duck was utterly confused....my daughter came running in the house after trying to rescue the chicks and getting attacked by the mama duck, lol. I think we ended up saving 3 of the chicks, and raising them under a brooder.
 
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