4m x 3m Omlet pen, cube, new auto door still boxed and coop light

[Lindy Loo]

I know that there have been several posrings about blue egg laying hens however I can't seem to locate them now!

 

I am hoping to get a blue egg layer and I am not having a great deal of success with Good Life Poultry or their agents so may give up on the idea of a Sapphire. Is there anyone out there with a blue egg layer of a different breed and, if so, what is the breed you have? I have a cream Legbar and a Fenton Blue and although they are gorgeous, unfortunately they did not read the instuction book that said they were predominantly green/blue egg layers and they both lay beautiful light cream eggs .

 

I think I read on the forum somewhere that Meadowsweet Poultry (or similar supplier) have introduced a blue egg layer but it may be me just having a "Briget Jones moment" as I can't find the posting anywhere.

 

...Help!

[Aunty e]

OOh. I want a fenton blue. If you want guaranteed blue eggs I should bite the bullet and get an araucana. They're nice compact little birds, and ours lays five to six eggs a week. There are lots of them around and they aren't as expensive as legbars I think. Mine was £25, although she came (with myco) from goodlife. You generally pick them up for around £10-£20. Look on practical poultry forum for breeders.

[Cinnamon]

Hi Lindy Loo

 

The Medowsweet blue layer is the Heritage Skyline - if you get the current Practical Poultry there is a small article about them in there.

 

They look like a very pretty hen,& the blue eggs would be a nice bonus

One or two of those are certainly on my wish list at the moment

 

Apparantly it is a gifferent bird to the Fenton Blue,which Good Life sell under the name Jasmine.

I don't have much experience of Good Life,but I know a few others have had problems getting their orders fulfilled.......

 

 

Look here to see another posters new Heritage Skyline

Edited August 3, 2006 by Guest

[Egluntyne]

I was lusting after a Meadowsweet Heritage Skyline but according to the Practical Poultry forum people have been disappointed because there is only a75% likelihood that they will produce blue eggs. One poor soul bought 2 and they both lay white eggs!

 

At £20 per hen, I would want better odds than this.

 

Cream legbars and Araucanas lay blue eggs.

[AnnieP]

Cream legbars and Araucanas lay blue eggs.

Lindy Loo's cream legbar doesn't!

[Lesley]

We've just bought three Skyline Heritage but they aren't laying yet. We were told that there is a 70% chance of blue eggs and 30% chance of blue/green.

 

Our Cream Legbar lays a blue/green egg - we were hoping it would be sky blue The duck lays blue/green eggs

 

We ordered Sapphires from Good Life poultry in February and have just cancelled the order becasue they don't deliver or reply to emails or answer phone calls There is a topic called Good Life poultry in Nesting Box

[chocchick]

Maybe you have to see eggs from the breeder's hens

Although the cockeral could mess things up. Surprised about the cream legbar

[melcotton]

bantam araucanas are a good bet and they are lovely birds. I don't know where you are located but I know someone in the midlands who is trying to sell 2 at £10 each.

 

Mel

 

PS PM me if you want any more details.

[Cinnamon]

Looks like I forgot to put the link on my last post...D'oh!

 

http://club.omlet.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=6249

[loopy12]

We got our cream legbar as a one year old being retired from her professional laying career -so she was cheaper than a POL hen and we knew for sure she'd be laying blue eggs...

[Lindy Loo]

Maybe you have to see eggs from the breeder's hens

Although the cockeral could mess things up. Surprised about the cream legbar

 

Yes, I was suprised by the cream legbar too especially as I had spoken to the breeder a number of times and had driven all the way to the Cotswolds to get her. The breeder was lovely (Legbars of Broadway) and spent lots of time choosing both the hens I eventually took. But hey-ho she is a beautiful girl despite laying cream eggs!

[Lindy Loo]

bantam araucanas are a good bet and they are lovely birds. I don't know where you are located but I know someone in the midlands who is trying to sell 2 at £10 each.

 

Mel

 

PS PM me if you want any more details.

 

Thanks Mel. I live near Guildford in Surrey and although I have been known to drive miles on the quest for chooks, usually blue layers, I think the Midlands is a bit too far even for me! As it is my OH and to a lesser extent my 3 boys, 1 or 2 of them usually join me on these "chicken choosing forays" have begun to think it's a little excessive!

[melcotton]

well - the lengths we will go to

[The Dogmother]

I have an Araucana/Poland cross (see link to my album below) Dolly lays beautiful turquoise eggs. I got her from a friend near Oxford and she was already laying, so I was assured the coloured eggs.

 

Have a look at the ads in the back of the practical poultry mag, or browse their forum and also the pekinbantams.com forum. I have definitely seen some white araucanas for sale on the latter site.

[The Managing Director]

hi Lindy loo, we have a heritage skyline a cream legbar and a cotswold legbar

 

here is Sorrel, newly arrived saturday ,

 

 

and here is her first egg laid wednesday with another today

 

 

 

she was from a meadowsweet supplier, they had 3 heritage skylines two were ever so like our legbars and one had much more the look of a Rhode star or a meadowsweet ranger, we actually rang on monday to see if she was still there but she'd been sold, I wonder though if she might not have laid blue eggs as she really did look quite different

 

Sorrel is lovely (although a bit shy compared with Daisy the Sussex star we got at the same time ) she looks pretty much like a cross between Briar the cotswold legbar and Jasmine the cream legbar

 

here is Briar

 

 

Briar is a good layer although in fits and starts, she had laid about 15 eggs a month since we had her in april

 

here is Jasmine

 

Jasmine is beautiful but I have to say not particularly into egg laying, she did produce a few eggs (9) in april but not a thing since then!!

 

both she and Briar do lay very blue eggs though

here is an example

 

 

they are all lovely but a few people seem to have problems with broody legbars so I think we will stick with the hybrids in future

[The Dogmother]

That blue egg really is stunning MD

[Lindy Loo]

Fantastic photo's MD and I'm ever so jealous of the blue eggs!

 

I'm getting a little bit closer in my quest - one of Good Life's agents (David Gray in Newbury) is so helpful and has some Jasmines. He has said that when they start laying he will separate one or two of them so that I can get a dead cert blue layer. Hope spings eternal.

 

 

Also making enquires about heritage skylines and araucunas...

[The Dogmother]

Good luck Lindy.

[Elaine C]

I was also after a heritage skyline but have change my mind since I visited a meadowsweet agent in Bordon. Apparrently as mentioned earlier in this it's a bit random as to whether blue eggs are produced. They told me that they have had some returned to them because they laid white eggs. The other thing that put me off was that they were not particularly friendly in fact they would not even approach with the lure of food and all just huddled in a corner when approached. So I've decided to opt for friendliness rather than blue eggs. Have an amber star and copper moran (very dark eggs for the different egg colour)/or speckedly in mind when they get their next delivery at the end of August.

 

I'd be interested in The Managing Directors experience of the Heritage though, both with humans and other chooks. Maybe the breeders just had a particurly unsocialble bunch of skyliners! May change my mind back again I was also looking for a white egg layer too! They are lovely looking girls though.

 

E

[Cinnamon]

Elaine,how about a White Star?

My Lily is a beautiful girl,nice & friendly,full of character & lays really lovely pure white eggs.

They would certainly make a contrast with your dark brown ones

[Elaine C]

Hi Sarah

 

I did think about a white star but have been advised by lots of people that they are very flighty and difficult to contain. Do you have any problems with this?

Have to say, I'm finding choosing a couple of new chickens very difficult and keep changing my mind. There's so many I'd love to have but not enough space!

 

E

[Guest]

I've got a White Star, and although she lays the most beautiful white eggs, and was the only one to lay right through the winter last year, she IS a flighty, unfriendly bird - she won't feed from our hands and is impossible to pick up - I think I've only picked her up a handful of times since we got her a year ago.

[Cinnamon]

My Lily isn't too bad- we have just given her antibiotics for a week,& once we got the catching her thing down it was fine.

She seems to have an excess of character,Lily.She is terribly nosey,& can run like the clappers if a fly is spotted in the pen

She has a gorgeous rudder like tail too,& even though I know you shouldn't have favourites,Lily is EVERYONES favourite hen

 

I cannot stress how beautiful the pure white eggs are too,& she has only missed a couple of days lay since we got her (once laying twice in one day )

 

I just think that with the normal farmyard eggs you will have from the Amberstar,the deep brown ones from the Copper Moran, the white ones will be lovely

[Elaine C]

I just think that with the normal farmyard eggs you will have from the Amberstar,the deep brown ones from the Copper Moran, the white ones will be lovely

 

Yes, that does sound good but alas I only have room for two more chooks to go with my gingernut and pepperpot so a hard choice to make! I had mentioned another eglu to OH (in passing, like you do!) but as he has wobbled over the last few weeks with getting two more chooks and has just relented again, so I think I'd be pushing that a bit!!

 

Had a bit of a worry with Cleo, the gingernut today who seemed to be under the weather. All prepared to take her to the vets but she has just laid 2 eggs in the run. 1 soft shell and 1 normal shell but paler than usual. I'm hoping that has been the problem but she's looking pretty shocked and dazed at the moment so keeping an eye on her and see how she goes. She's my favourate!

 

E

[Eyren]

[sig]

Ella (formally Miss P)

Cleo (formally Miss G)

[/sig]

 

Ella Fitzgerald and Cleo Laine, by any chance? If so, do you like their namesakes' singing (how can one not like Ella?) or is it tongue-in-cheek?