Post by seedywen on May 26, 2010 18:34:53 GMT -5
When seeing your photos, Johno, for an instant, thought I'd been 'chicken-rustled'!
'Cause I've got 24, mixed purebred Rhode Island Reds, Barred Rocks plus a bunch of hybrid chicks about the same stage of maturity.
My breeding goal this spring was obtain purebred non-production Rhode Island and R.I.R chickens in order to be able to sex-link next seasons chicks. (Tired of raising more than 50% roosters for months, before I can determine their 'roosterness'.
Had several broody chickens sit, purebred Barred Rock eggs from my neighbour, plus a clutch of our own mixed 'Rocks' (Barred, Partridge, Buff...)
Then I took an hour and a half ferry ride to Vancouver Island where exchanged two dozen purebreed Appleyard Duck eggs for two dozen purebred Rhode Island Red eggs plus another dozen eggs from his already hydrid layers. In the parking lot:)
As I had to catch the next ferry back home, or risk an overnight hotel stay.
The kindergarden teacher from the local Catholic elementary school, met me in the ferry parking lot, where I gave here the two dozen R.I.R. eggs plus the hybrid eggs plus a dozen of my own mixed, 'Rocks' plus a dozen Silver Appleyard duck eggs.
A month later, the above teacher came with the kindergarden class plus an almost same number of adults for a farm visit, bring back the 24 chicks. The ducklings arrived from the same incubation experiment arrived two weeks later. After two weeks of classroom, 'love'.
However back on the homestead, the other hens/ducks hatching the purebred Barred Rock chicks(failure) etc. have largely met with less than stellar results.
It's a spring time ballet.
Babies been born nearly every week, since late March, goat kids, rabbits, ducks, chicks...life...death...plenty of both.
'Cause I've got 24, mixed purebred Rhode Island Reds, Barred Rocks plus a bunch of hybrid chicks about the same stage of maturity.
My breeding goal this spring was obtain purebred non-production Rhode Island and R.I.R chickens in order to be able to sex-link next seasons chicks. (Tired of raising more than 50% roosters for months, before I can determine their 'roosterness'.
Had several broody chickens sit, purebred Barred Rock eggs from my neighbour, plus a clutch of our own mixed 'Rocks' (Barred, Partridge, Buff...)
Then I took an hour and a half ferry ride to Vancouver Island where exchanged two dozen purebreed Appleyard Duck eggs for two dozen purebred Rhode Island Red eggs plus another dozen eggs from his already hydrid layers. In the parking lot:)
As I had to catch the next ferry back home, or risk an overnight hotel stay.
The kindergarden teacher from the local Catholic elementary school, met me in the ferry parking lot, where I gave here the two dozen R.I.R. eggs plus the hybrid eggs plus a dozen of my own mixed, 'Rocks' plus a dozen Silver Appleyard duck eggs.
A month later, the above teacher came with the kindergarden class plus an almost same number of adults for a farm visit, bring back the 24 chicks. The ducklings arrived from the same incubation experiment arrived two weeks later. After two weeks of classroom, 'love'.
However back on the homestead, the other hens/ducks hatching the purebred Barred Rock chicks(failure) etc. have largely met with less than stellar results.
It's a spring time ballet.
Babies been born nearly every week, since late March, goat kids, rabbits, ducks, chicks...life...death...plenty of both.
They're gonna make a nice looking flock. Please take a pic of the Maran when it's grown. I want to compare the feather pattern to one of my birds. Its either a cuckoo maran or a really bad strain of barred rock. I am pretty sure one of my hens is a red sex link. She's only a medium sized bird, but lays an extra lg, dark brown egg. You'd never think such a little bird could lay such a big egg. lol
But that makes sense, since they are reliable layers.
The rest are doing fine.