Newbie hatcher... 1 egg hatching at day 20

[alabaster cheeks]

cyril bason is nr craven arms toooo

[benboy]

Thanks alabaster cheeks.

I phoned Wernlas and they don't have any Cuckoo Maran chicks available but they do have :

Buff Wyandottes
RIR
Auraucana
Exchequer Leghorns


I'm going to go with a couple of Excequer Leghorns, they look great and have a black and white theme like the Cuckoo Maran . That will bring my flock to a total of 6, which I must stop at!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Good job I bought a second coop!

I'm going to visit Wernlas tomorrow. Any good tips on how to sex a few day old Exchequer Leghorn very welcome.... Please!!!!!

[Gallina Blanca]

That will bring my flock to a total of 6, which I must stop at!!!!!!!!!!!!!

How very controlled of you. Just six, and stopping there.

Why can't we all be like benboy?

[benboy]

That will bring my flock to a total of 6, which I must stop at!!!!!!!!!!!!!

How very controlled of you. Just six, and stopping there.

Why can't we all be like benboy?

Because I was meant to stop at three!

I was also meant to use my shed as a coop, so little expense, I now have two coops and 32ft of my garden devoted to three hens

[benboy]

Been to Wernlas today. What a great place!

The guy there said they can't sex Exchequer Leghorns so early. They had some autosexing breeds available as a few days old chicks. Came away with 1 Cream Legbar and Wernlas' own breed... Wernlas Olive, which lays green eggs. Thought it better than to take the risk of a possible cockerel Very pretty chicks, hard to tell apart. Big wings compared to my Maran. Have looked up the adult hens and they are very attractive indeed!

They charge £3.00 per adult to visit, but no charge for me as I was just there to buy a couple of chicks and had phoned in advance. Their birds are not cheap, mind! It's worth a visit! Church Stretton nearby is a very nice town to visit too.

Thanks for the suggestion Henwife!

[Henwife]

Glad to hear you've got some chicks. I always do a round of their pens when I go there - usually hatching eggs now, but my first visit was for day old cream legbar foundation stock. An expensive mistake meant a fox got the lot at point of lay.

[benboy]

Glad to hear you've got some chicks. I always do a round of their pens when I go there - usually hatching eggs now, but my first visit was for day old cream legbar foundation stock. An expensive mistake meant a fox got the lot at point of lay.

Yes, and sexed ones too! I never thought that Legbars were so nice! The chicks are very calm and easy to handle. My CM chick shows signs of being quite defensive towards my fingers when I put them into the brooder...... maybe it's a Cockerel It has an upright stance quite a lot. Although mostly dark when out of the infra red light, Shaun at Wernlas said colour at an early age is an unreliable way to sex them.

Didn't have much time to look around much as they gave me the chicks and I wanted to get them home quick. Do they usually charge you when you visit or is it just for parties of people who don't buy?

You are welcome to call in for a cuppa when you pass through Alsager!

[laffinfowl]

Well done Benboy,glad you got some buddies for that lonely little chick,best of luck with them,fingers crossed they are all pullets.

[benboy]

Well done Benboy,glad you got some buddies for that lonely little chick,best of luck with them,fingers crossed they are all pullets.

Thanks lf At least two will be. If the Maran isn't then I will just have to see how he behaves

[kim]

aww how cute is ur cm! bit late now but creag mhor does day old chicks onwards.

[benboy]

aww how cute is ur cm! bit late now but creag mhor does day old chicks onwards.

Yeah, I will try to get some pics on here of the three of them. I considered Creag Mhor, but wanted an excuse to visit Wernlas I think Creag Mhor only does Hybrids, not that I'm a snob or anything

[benboy]

Sorry, pics are not great as lighting was not good.

[Fairfax]

Adorable.

[benboy]

Thanks Faifax.

The Legbars look like big bumble bees under those wings, with their stripes The Legbars' wings are very well developed, nothing like the Cuckoo Maran's wings, although it is a bit older than these pics now and it has proper black and white feathers developing at the end of it's wings now. Do all Marans have stumpy wings? It has a larger comb than the Legbars now!

[Fairfax]

My 6 week old cuckoo marans has a larger comb than my 6 week old cream legbars. I was not 100% certain that they were all actually 6 weeks old as the cream legbars are all feathered and the cuckoo marans is still very fluffy. But reading what you have put makes me think that they all must develop in slightly different timescales.