Barred Holland breed of chickens

We have Fertility! Now if more than one pullet will lay, lol.
I had a couple of my LF chocolate Orp/Ameraucana hens in the pen with them giving the girls a break while these youngsters mature and I have a couple of their eggs in the bator now that are fertile too.....I finally saw him breeding today. Wasn't really certain till now. My see a bunch all at once soon. I've found that cockerels usually don't breed pullets until they're mature enough to lay. I only saw him breed one pullet so that may be the one laying now. I'll update if I get any chicks hatched.
I moved the chocolate hens (they lay blue eggs) out to the grow out pen, I think they have had a little break at least. Their cockerel chicks will all carry chocolate, that could be pretty interesting, chocolate barred breed that lays blue eggs.

Not Barred Holland chicks but I hatched 3 chicks by my Barred Holland cockerel today. The hens are large fowl Chocolate Orpington/Black Ameraucana crosses and I wanted to verify fertility using these 2 older hens. Well, he's fertile and a very active breeder. I still only have 2 pullets laying. The others could be as much as a month younger than the oldest so I just have to wait but I do have a few fertile BH eggs in the bator now. I think one may be just a little bit whiter than the other. I sure wish these other girls would start laying but then I remind myself that patience is a virtue

I'll find out with these first chicks if my cockerel is heterozygous or homozygous for barring. He "should" be homozygous so the chicks "should" be barred. One is larger and lighter colored than the other 2, almost looks bluish but because there is nothing here that is blue, I'm certain it's not blue so my guess is that this big chick is a cockerel. Because the hens are chocolate, the cockerel will carry chocolate and because they lay blue eggs, any chicks with a pea comb will lay blue eggs.

Now to get on with hatching some Hollands. Once I have a couple more laying and I can confirm fertility, I'll be offering hatching eggs for sale and because hatching from shipped eggs is so difficult, I will plan to hatch some chicks and once they're well started, the hatching eggs will be sold with a couple of chicks (a cockerel and pullet if I can manage) and the eggs will be packed in with them, faster delivery and less rough handling and better hatch rates from my experience.

smoothmule said:

Not Barred Holland chicks but I hatched 3 chicks by my Barred Holland cockerel today.    The hens are large fowl Chocolate Orpington/Black Ameraucana crosses and I wanted to verify fertility using these 2 older hens.  Well, he's fertile and a very active breeder.  I still only have 2 pullets laying.  The others could be as much as a month younger than the oldest so I just have to wait but I do have a few fertile BH eggs in the bator now.  I think one may be just a little bit whiter than the other.  I sure wish these other girls would start laying but then I remind myself that patience is a virtue.

Now to get on with hatching some Hollands.  Once I have a couple more laying and I can confirm fertility, I'll be offering hatching eggs for sale and because hatching from shipped eggs is so difficult, I will plan to hatch some chicks and once they're well started, the hatching eggs will be sold with a couple of chicks (a cockerel and pullet if I can manage) and the eggs will be packed in with them, faster delivery and less rough handling and better hatch rates from my experience.

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Awesome, sounds good! I am impatiently waiting for eggs from my girls too.

I too, am also starting to get an egg every day or two. It's a very exciting time. I have started to think about the thing I dread the most which is the culling process. I have a period of time before I need to think about culling my second/younger group of BH but it is getting to be about time for the older group. I currently have 1 cock and 2 pullets that are considerably smaller then the rest in the older group and a couple of pullets in the younger group that are also a lot smaller than the rest. From everything I've read I should consider size over first. If that is the case, then the candidates for culling are obvious. If any of you have advice to offer I'd definitely welcome it.

mhollow said:

I too, am also starting to get an egg every day or two. It's a very exciting time. I have started to think about the thing I dread the most which is the culling process. I have a period of time before I need to think about culling my second/younger group of BH but it is getting to be about time for the older group. I currently have 1 cock and 2 pullets that are considerably smaller then the rest in the older group and a couple of pullets in the younger group that are also a lot smaller than the rest. From everything I've read I should consider size over first. If that is the case, then the candidates for culling are obvious. If any of you have advice to offer I'd definitely welcome it.

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I have no advice, I'd not heard of choosing size over anything.

Here's an piece that I found to be very informative.
http://poultrykeeper.com/poultry-br...d-how-to-introduce-fresh-blood-when-necessary

After 32 years of city life I'm headed back to our family farm in Tallahassee where I'm planning to start breeding rare breed chickens, goats and sheep. In the chicken department, my choice was an easy one. My mother kept Rhode Island Reds, but I've decided on Barred Hollands. To me, they're what a chicken is supposed to look like. At least in a painting.
One problem. I have no idea where to start. It all seemed so simple-get some chicks and start breeding. But after joining this group I see there is clearly a great deal more to it than that. I breed and show Bernese Mountain Dogs, but it never occurred to me that there would be breed standards for chickens. Oh the bliss of ignorance.
So here I am. Ready to learn from all of you. I'm so glad I found you.


P.S. I went to the website posted above by mhollow and after reading the article, I clicked on the "Breeds of Chickens" link. There are a number of breeds that are listed as rare, but the Barred Holland isn't listed at all. It has just strengthened my resolve to try to help this beautiful breed.
http://poultrykeeper.com/chicken-breeds

Cross Creek,
Welcome to our little group (and I do mean little). As you have found or are about to find out, there are not many of us. Some have been at this longer than others but all seem to have the same resolve. I am sure that you will find people on this thread willing to help you source chick and or eggs. I myself have picked up two different lines of BH and I currently have 9 from each line. In total, 5 roos and 13 pullets. All of this has caused me to double the size of my coup! I hope your experience turns out to be as rewarding as mine.
Mhollow

mhollow said:

Cross Creek,
Welcome to our little group (and I do mean little).  As you have found or are about to find out, there are not many of us.  Some have been at this longer than others but all seem to have the same resolve.  I am sure that you will find people on this thread willing to help you source chick and or eggs.  I myself have picked up two different lines of BH and I currently have 9 from each line.  In total, 5 roos and 13 pullets.  All of this has caused me to double the size of my coup!  I hope your experience turns out to be as rewarding as mine.
Mhollow

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I'll second that! Welcome Cross Creek. I will be happy to help with eggs as soon as mine mature enough to start laying. Should be any day now! I am already thinking of future hatches such as the NYD hatch! Can't wait for an incubator full of BH eggs! Welcome too the addiction!

I am so thankful for Barred Holland fans! I have been trying to contact everyone I see associated with Hollands and tracking where eggs and chicks have come from and where they are going so I can tell where to look next for the qualities I need. If you haven't done so, I encourage you to contact the ALBC and get added to the Hollands group being monitored for census taking, etc. I will look up the specific name and post it.