Bielefelder thread!!!!

[BlueBaby]

I have had the above info stored on my computer as a document since Nov. 26, 2021.

 

[GreenJay]

Yeah, not sure when that lobes on the second one went white, could've sworn both had brown lobes couple weeks ago.
As long as they both lay eggs and don't crow I'm happy

 

[Sally PB]

Def looks off and comb is big for a Biel pullet. Do you know what the mystery chick was? Here’s a pic of mine at 5 weeks (perched on my legs): male, 2 females.

Uh oh. I think only one of mine has a comb that small right now.

It is a warm day, in a warm (well ventilated) coop. I don't know if that changes anything.

This is Sunny (the Brave, the Smart) who is smart enough to perch on top of the nice cool water jar mom just brought in.

This is Robin. Both of these chicks are more reddish than the other two. Pictures are for their feet color.

The other two have very similar markings, but their color has always been more blonde/dun. Not a lot, but enough to see a difference.

When I was just out there, I *thought* (hoped?!) that their feet looked less green than the feet in question, so *maybe* it's the lighting or my iphone SE (haha!) camera.

I would expect a place like Mt Healthy to have quality birds... yes? Not show quality, but better than TSC hatchery stock...?

Someone (it's always "someone") on another thread said that Mt Healthy sends an extra of the breed you ordered. I ordered 3 Biel pullets, and 1 Blue Australorp pullet. I got what I thought (until today) were 4 Biels and 1 Aussie, all pullets.

All had the chipmunk markings, none were the blond with white headspot.

The chick that started this conversation is Pip, who is one of the blonde/dun colored ones, is the smallest. Again, not by a lot, but enough to say, that one is slightly smaller.

Reading through the standard, I notice that their eyes are orange-red. Is that something that develops later? My 4 have greenish-greyish-bluish eyes.

Thanks for all the help/comments. I hope I'm worried about nothing, as far as gender goes. I have a rooster, he isn't leaving -- I promised the person I got him from. He's a Chantecler, so any eggs hatched are mutts. I'm not planning to hatch for at least 1-2 years, but have given fertile eggs to my neighbor.

 

[BlueBaby]

Uh oh. I think only one of mine has a comb that small right now.

It is a warm day, in a warm (well ventilated) coop. I don't know if that changes anything.
View attachment 3549717
This is Sunny (the Brave, the Smart) who is smart enough to perch on top of the nice cool water jar mom just brought in.

View attachment 3549724
This is Robin. Both of these chicks are more reddish than the other two. Pictures are for their feet color.

The other two have very similar markings, but their color has always been more blonde/dun. Not a lot, but enough to see a difference.

When I was just out there, I *thought* (hoped?!) that their feet looked less green than the feet in question, so *maybe* it's the lighting or my iphone SE (haha!) camera.

I would expect a place like Mt Healthy to have quality birds... yes? Not show quality, but better than TSC hatchery stock...?

Someone (it's always "someone") on another thread said that Mt Healthy sends an extra of the breed you ordered. I ordered 3 Biel pullets, and 1 Blue Australorp pullet. I got what I thought (until today) were 4 Biels and 1 Aussie, all pullets.

All had the chipmunk markings, none were the blond with white headspot.

The chick that started this conversation is Pip, who is one of the blonde/dun colored ones, is the smallest. Again, not by a lot, but enough to say, that one is slightly smaller.

Reading through the standard, I notice that their eyes are orange-red. Is that something that develops later? My 4 have greenish-greyish-bluish eyes.

Thanks for all the help/comments. I hope I'm worried about nothing, as far as gender goes. I have a rooster, he isn't leaving -- I promised the person I got him from. He's a Chantecler, so any eggs hatched are mutts. I'm not planning to hatch for at least 1-2 years, but have given fertile eggs to my neighbor.

Well, if you are only planning on hatching mutt's, then the standard shouldn't matter to you then.

 

[Sally PB]

Well, if you are only planning on hatching mutt's, then the standard shouldn't matter to you then.

Sorry, I didn't explain my thoughts well. Right now, they'd only be mutts. Eventually, I'd like to have a single breed flock, and I was thinking Biels, with all their "checks the boxes" traits, might be exactly what I'm looking for. This is a few years down the road.

I have Australorps, and like them. I've been unsure about my Blues... I love the color, but the feather quality is poor. Lots of shredding. That's why I ordered 1 Blue from Mt Healthy, to see if it's better than the ones I got from another breeder.

Everyone has Black Australorps. Yeah, I like them. Yeah, they're pretty.

When I read about the auto-sexing of Biels, my heart said, "This could be the breed you want!!!" So I wanted to start with 3 pullets, and see if I like everything else about them.

I have a Jubilee Orpington hen (pretty, also goes broody) and a Chantecler rooster. Those two were chance additions to my flock. I'm not looking to do anything with either breed.

I'm not looking to breed show quality birds, but I don't want to "water down" the genetics of what I think is a really nice breed, even if they're for my flock only.

I have to say, Sunny has stolen my heart... She's the bird in this picture:

Gotta go visit my chicks again... 5th time today!

 

[BlueBaby]

Sorry, I didn't explain my thoughts well. Right now, they'd only be mutts. Eventually, I'd like to have a single breed flock, and I was thinking Biels, with all their "checks the boxes" traits, might be exactly what I'm looking for. This is a few years down the road.

I have Australorps, and like them. I've been unsure about my Blues... I love the color, but the feather quality is poor. Lots of shredding. That's why I ordered 1 Blue from Mt Healthy, to see if it's better than the ones I got from another breeder.

Everyone has Black Australorps. Yeah, I like them. Yeah, they're pretty.

When I read about the auto-sexing of Biels, my heart said, "This could be the breed you want!!!" So I wanted to start with 3 pullets, and see if I like everything else about them.

I have a Jubilee Orpington hen (pretty, also goes broody) and a Chantecler rooster. Those two were chance additions to my flock. I'm not looking to do anything with either breed.

I'm not looking to breed show quality birds, but I don't want to "water down" the genetics of what I think is a really nice breed, even if they're for my flock only.

I have to say, Sunny has stolen my heart... She's the bird in this picture:
View attachment 3549781
Gotta go visit my chicks again... 5th time today!

Yes, it took me sometime to learn to straighten up on the mess I was creating before. I was mixing everything for those different colored egg's before and breeding them into the Naked Neck's too. I rehomed all of those and I'm just doing these Bielefelder's and want to do right with them. I also hatched out some of those Welsh Harlequin duck's for the same sexability at hatch quality, plus they are pretty.

 

[NorthwoodsChick]

Yes, it took me sometime to learn to straighten up on the mess I was creating before. I was mixing everything for those different colored egg's before and breeding them into the Naked Neck's too. I rehomed all of those and I'm just doing these Bielefelder's and want to do right with them. I also hatched out some of those Welsh Harlequin duck's for the same sexability at hatch quality, plus they are pretty.

I have wanted to cross Bielefelder with one of my Lemon Cuckoo Niederrhieners for a while. I have one chick that hatched yesterday, and one more in the incubator, plus a pure Biel in bator from a hen with rich dark eggs. No white spot but the grey ring around neck is odd. Looks similar to the Niederrheiner mother as a chick- nieds are supposted to be auto sexing but its based on light vs buff.

 

[Sally PB]

I was mixing everything for those different colored egg's before and breeding them into the Naked Neck's too. I rehomed all of those and I'm just doing these Bielefelder's and want to do right with them.

I certainly understand the curiosity of "what will it look like if I breed X over Y?" I can't wait to see what hatches out of the fertile eggs I gave my neighbor for her broody hen.

I'd love to have blue eggs... just because they look cool. I'm ok with all brown eggs, and they don't have to look like chocolate. I have to enjoy the pretty egg baskets I see here on BYC, knowing I won't have one.

But, what you said, exactly: I want to do right with whatever breed I settle on.

 

[Sally PB]

I bet people on this thread would know this easier than I could ask google.

What breeds of chickens have the chipmunk striping at hatch for males (or both sexes)?

I'm trying to figure out what Pip might be if (s)he is not a Biel.

 

[BlueBaby]

I certainly understand the curiosity of "what will it look like if I breed X over Y?" I can't wait to see what hatches out of the fertile eggs I gave my neighbor for her broody hen.

I'd love to have blue eggs... just because they look cool. I'm ok with all brown eggs, and they don't have to look like chocolate. I have to enjoy the pretty egg baskets I see here on BYC, knowing I won't have one.

But, what you said, exactly: I want to do right with whatever breed I settle on.

Whatever one breed that you decide to settle and stay with is a good thing, even if it may not be the Bielefelder's. I just hope to still be able to see some pure breed's still around that have not been crossed 5 years from now.