Barnevelder breeders lets work together and improve the breed

[WillowTreeFarm]

Really?! All pullets? Wow! Don't people end up with more cockerels than they want? I hope I get one rooster... oh well, just means I'll have to get more eggs

Unless someone needs to give a roo a home!

Thanks!

 

[skylinepoultry]

Quote:
They are supposed to be a really dark brown. But in the US they are brown - those of us working with the breed are trying to improve the egg color.

How long have you been working with the Barnvelders Happy Chooks? And how is egg color coming along?

 

[Happy Chooks]

Quote:
They are supposed to be a really dark brown. But in the US they are brown - those of us working with the breed are trying to improve the egg color.

How long have you been working with the Barnvelders Happy Chooks? And how is egg color coming along?

I've only just begun. My girls are laying now and I've chosen my cockerel. I have a cockerel to cull and once that's done, I have to wait a month to do any hatching. Improving egg color is one of the reasons I chose the breed though.

I hatched some of my stock from Trisha (tls_ranch), and her eggs were the darkest of all the breeders I received eggs from. But they are supposed to be dark like Marans - something to work towards.

 

[Tailfeathers]

Actually, if I'm not mistaken, Barnie eggs were never as dark as Marans. More like Welsummers but with a more "copper" tint to them. That's what I'm striving for.

God Bless,

 

[Happy Chooks]

Royce, not as red as Marans for sure. I'm going off of Paul Healy's post here about egg color - he has barnevelder lines from pre WWII :
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?pid=6687550#p6687550

Referring to this picture:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?pid=4720418#p4720418

 

[Tailfeathers]

HC, took a look at those two links. Hadn't seen them before so thanks for posting them.

I had to look up some of the colors (or colours) Paul listed in that post as I haven't even heard the term "burnt sienna" or "burnt umber" since watching that painting show with the guy who had the big red afro - Ross somebody or sombody Ross. Then there was that other painting show with the German guy and his "mighty brush" or the gal that did the flowers. Anyways, I digress.

It sounds like Paul is basically describing a Welsummer egg. Although the "nankeen" has a bit of a copperish tint I suppose. I would have to say my Barnie eggs are about the same color as the ones shown in that half dozen.

The question I have now is does anyone know if he (or anyone else) elaborated on why the dark egg color would disappear as one strives to improve the double-lacing?

God Bless,

 

[Happy Chooks]

Royce - I don't know about the lacing and egg color. I asked a couple posts down from the first link, but didn't get a response. Paul is certainly a wealth of information with his experience with the breed.

And about the Ross guy, I remember him. Happy colors!

 

[Tailfeathers]

Hey HC, so you watched Ross too huh? Isn't it funny (like as in WEIRD) that I could sit down and watch a guy paint???? That should tell you something about how exciting my life is!

Hopefully Paul or someone will see the post and respond on the lacing/egg issue.

God Bless,

 

[Happy Chooks]

Quote:
His paintings were so amazing, that he was easy to watch. He'd start to add something, and I'd think - oh, he just messed up the whole painting - but when he was done, it looked fantastic. He made it look way too easy.

 

[enggass]

Funny thing, well not funny really, was that he was such a mellow dude, yet he died from a massive coronary apparently...