[darkbrowneggs]

Thought you might all like to see some piccies of my Appenzeller Spitzhauben
 
Lovely little birds and really reliable layers of pearly white eggs      
 

[mentalmilly]

Lovely birds and so unusual.

[Cheviot]

Hi,
Good to know that someone else appreciates them  , I've kept them for a number of years now, and I really enjoy them, I've never kept Silver spangleds, just Gold spangleds, and then quite by chance I bred some Citroen spangleds, which are apparently extremely rare, they are a sort of lemon colour with black spangles.
Regards
Sue

[Marches Farmer]

I kept these a couple of years ago and one turned out to be an excellent broody, which I didn't expect. I see you're running a cockerel - are you likely to have any hatching eggs available this year?

[darkbrowneggs]

Hi Marches Farmer
Yes fertility is excellent at present.  £1 an egg collected from Worcestershire borders just by Bromyard or can post. 
 
 

[HesterF]

Do you free range them? They are lovely and I'm tempted because of the Swiss connection (we used to live there and loved Appenzeller) but I've gathered they're quite flighty and liable to roost in the trees which would be far too stressful for me! Is that right?

H

[darkbrowneggs]

The last few years I have had too much trouble with daytime foxes to allow total free ranging anymore, which is annoying as I have loads of lovely space.  The breeding groups have large runs fenced with electric poultry netting and the Appenzellers would easily clear that.  And as I have several different breeds I daren't risk them jumping into the other pens and crossing, so although they have a 45 ft long x 6 ft wide run plus their indoor house they can't free range.
 
I know that people do free range them and probably if you reared them from chicks and spent a bit of extra time with them they would be fine.  I think the trick is to make sure that roosting in the house is well established before letting them out.  They are certainly very well behaved about laying in the nest boxes
 
Of course the other trick is to train them with a special call which they associate with live mealworms......no birds seem to be able to resist them so you could get them in at nights with that.
 
Birds reared from babies are always easier when it comes to handling.  And if they associate you with good things they are that much easier again. 

[Brijjy]

I've got the Gold Spangled and one rogue Silver spangled hen. They are mad birds but really really pretty to watch. Mine can fly like a really flyey thing! I'm just putting half a dozen eggs of theirs in the incy to check out the fertility. I know the cockeral has been jumping on the girls.

[Marches Farmer]

We'll be setting the incubators once lambing is over (mid-April) - I'll be in touch!

[darkbrowneggs]

Look forward to hearing from you - and good luck with the lambing     Hopefully the weather will be a bit more clement by then and they'll get a bit of sun on their backs