Squizzle Posted September 20, 2011 Share Posted September 20, 2011 Hi all New to posting, does anyone have any experience of these Chickens, I know they lay blue/green eggs but am not sure if the make good garden hens or not. I have an eglu and 2 Pepperpots at the moment and am looking to add 2 chickens. The other ones that I have looked at are the Copper Stars. Many thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted September 20, 2011 Share Posted September 20, 2011 Looking at photos of hens of that name, it would appear that they are (what we know as) Skylines by another name. Slightly smaller than your average hybrid and with a tendency to be a bit scatty, but lovely hens which are 'likely' to lay blue/green eggs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redwing Posted September 20, 2011 Share Posted September 20, 2011 They sound like they are a hybrid. If they are then they'll have a max of 80% chance of a blue or green egg only the rest will lay cream/tinted eggs A couple of producers claim a 90 or even 100% chance of a blue/green egg hybrid but I havent seen anything concrete that gives those hens a higher chance than the others That aside most of these blue/green egg laying hybrids are based on the Cream Legbar or Araucana both of which are light and quite flighty birds although nearly all chooks will become quite tame if given enough attention and treats so I wouldnt let that put you off. They may become frustrated in a small run though (I assume your run is big enough for two more hens?) The copper egg laying hybrids again are not guaranteed to lay dark eggs, it depends on the colour eggs laid in the strain used to create them, these are usually a chunkier hybrid and normally pretty calm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
squiffs Posted September 20, 2011 Share Posted September 20, 2011 (edited) I have a skyline, she hasn't come into lay yet, so I'm not sure what colour her eggs will be. I would say of all of them she's the flightiest, which can be annoying if you want to get them back in the run. She ducks down very low and tears about in any direction, we've nicknamed her 'roadrunner' She's a beautiful bird, and she is always first to snaffle up any treats from my hand, just not so keen on being caught yet. Once she's older she'll tame up, especially if we keep handling her as much as we do. I would say if you have your heart set on one, get one, but be prepared to be very patient with her and don't take her readiness to run away too personally Edited September 20, 2011 by Guest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted September 20, 2011 Share Posted September 20, 2011 I had 4 blue egg laying hybrids a couple of years ago. They were very noisy and flighty and not robust at all ....although they did lay gorgeous eggs. They all died within 2 years ... all succumbing to tumours of one sort or another. I now have 3 cream legbars, which seem much more vigorous. I'd say go for one of those instead tbh, although you will get fewer eggs from them, especially over winter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Squizzle Posted September 20, 2011 Author Share Posted September 20, 2011 Thanks for all your help and photos, pretty looking hen. I have a run on the eglu suitable for 4 chickens but they are out on the veg plot most of the day. May egg my bets and get one of each! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
squiffs Posted September 20, 2011 Share Posted September 20, 2011 Thanks for all your help and photos, pretty looking hen. I have a run on the eglu suitable for 4 chickens but they are out on the veg plot most of the day. May egg my bets and get one of each! Definitely mix and match if you can! I've got 9 chickens and only 2 are the same breed (sister silkies from the same hatch), I think it gives you more opportunity to get to know the breeds and then if you love them you can get more at a later date! I think a mix of breeds gives you a nice mix of chicken personalities too - they seem to balance well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lewis Posted September 20, 2011 Share Posted September 20, 2011 Different to Squiffs, I work in 2's so have 2 of most the breeds in my flock! My 2 Cream Legbars are great and lay really nice eggs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
squiffs Posted September 20, 2011 Share Posted September 20, 2011 Different to Squiffs, I work in 2's so have 2 of most the breeds in my flock! My 2 Cream Legbars are great and lay really nice eggs I may choose to specialise (in Silkies ) when these girls come to the end of their lives, but for now I'm having fun seeing what breeds I like best Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mollie333 Posted September 20, 2011 Share Posted September 20, 2011 I know Pages Poultry sells 'Needwood Blue's' why not e-mail her and ask what breed mixes are in there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
squiffs Posted September 20, 2011 Share Posted September 20, 2011 I know Pages Poultry sells 'Needwood Blue's' When I googled 'needwood blue' that was the only seller that came up in results Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted September 20, 2011 Share Posted September 20, 2011 I've always had a couple of araucanas in my flock; mad as hatters but great layers of lovely blue eggs and really hardy too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redwing Posted September 20, 2011 Share Posted September 20, 2011 Places will give the same type of bird 'brand' names sometimes after their property name or business name Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laurmurf Posted September 20, 2011 Share Posted September 20, 2011 go for Araucanas - you'll get a blue egg and you'll get a nice pure breed too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
