A note on breeds, and a double-standard

Being the sceptical type, my automatic response has always been to scoff at the notion that the commercial breeds (Hyline and Shaver) lay well in their first year or two but don't have the laying longevity of the more traditional breeds. However this year for the first time in my chicken-owning history I have a number of two year old hens - Hylines and Araucanas.  Though the Hylines still lay more and go broody a damn sight less, the quality of their eggs is well down on their first season, while the Araucanas' eggs are fine and dandy. The issue is not the number of eggs laid - which is still prodigious, but the enormous size of the Hyline eggs in their second season - large eggs have thinner shells and are more prone to breaking in the nest or while being handled. They have a greater proportion of eggwhite to yolk, so the yolks (still beautifully orange from all the free-ranging) get diluted and my eggy dishes aren't so stupendously brightly coloured. I also have to adjust the quantities of other ingredients in baking because the big eggs add too much liquid. And the egg cartons don't close properly over the outsize eggs - I've carted eggs all over town to deliver to friends and workmates and worried that the large thin-shelled eggs are going to break all over someone's dry-clean-only work clothes. It hasn't actually happened, but I need something to worry about. In short, really big eggs are really annoying.

I concede that my observations are still fairly new and not tested yet across all my breeds, however I've come to the controversial conclusion (controversial in my family anyway - this isn't yet getting much support from my fellow chicken-dispatcher) that I am going to be utterly ruthless every year about getting a new batch of Hylines, and letting the others move on to a happier place. I appreciate them for their egginess, and their placidity, and their chickeny pottering about the garden. However I don't love being irritated by yet another smashed up egg in the nesting box. The "breed" chickens can live with me for as many years as they remain healthy and lay reasonably well, simply because they offer so much variety in their character and eggs. Well, and they're pretty.

Flock catch-up - Light Sussex

Light Sussex chick, 5 days old

A year later we set fertile eggs once again under Gretel (she goes broody so reliably you could set your annual calendar by her) and she duly hatched out two Light Sussex chicks. This time one proved a cockerel and one a pullet - and by golly they've grown up to be magnificent looking birds.

Half-grown Light Sussex cockerel

We found a home for the boy with Nicky down south, where he lords it over a bunch of shavers and is crowing his head off every day. He survived babyhood to lead this life of unadulterated roosterish joy only because we were prepared to pay an outrageous sum (given his value, which could generously be stated as nil) to send him south with a pet courier. If nothing else, we learned from this that there is such a service as a pet courier - who knew? We kept his sister, Kitty, and she lays smallish pale cream eggs. I don't suppose she qualifies as a very economic converter of feed to eggs - she must weigh twice what the brown commercial varieties weigh, and her eggs are smaller - but we love her. Not least because although she's enormous, she's...well... a bit of a chicken, and allows the others to boss her around.

Flock catch-up - Araucanas

Hyline, bantam and Araucana eggs

Bantam with Araucana chicks

The flock has changed membership again - we set some fertile eggs under broody Gretel in October 2009 and she hatched us three Araucana chicks - two pullets and one cockerel. We gave the boy away to a workmate of Colin's (I'm pretty sure he was for the pot) and kept Polly and Frieda, who do a lovely job of laying us pretty eggs with a green-tinted shell. They're rather gorgeous. The eggs that is; the hens are kind of weird looking. Polly and Frieda are slightly inclined to broodiness, but nothing like the bonkers bantams.

Not-an-apology

It seems customary to start off a new post after a big break by offering a self-conscious apology for one's utter slack-arsedness. So of course I'm not going to. Pttthhhhth (that's a raspberry).