Catskill Homesteader Breeding Project

[GabrielBane]

Loving the variations of barring I'm seeing throughout!

 

[draye]

It didn't show up on my end. Sometimes I've accidentally hit the "like page" button twice & it likes it, then un-likes. Anyways, thanks for checking out my page.

The other day, I was thinking about what directions to go in 2017. I have many ideas, but just waiting for winter to be not as cold b4 setting up breeding groups etc. A few of the breeding groups I'd like to set up:
1. blue & green egg layers - most likely more than one breeding group;
2. mottling, using SFH crosses
3. barring/cuckoo plus patterns (like Bielefelders, CCL, etc) - but with the goal of small combs (pea, rose, etc)
4.blues/blacks - many of whom also have "pattern" genes
5. crested - using Spitzhauben & SFH
6. "Mini Flowers" - bantam/part large fowl group - 1 group that carries mottling I may cross back to large fowl again - perhaps with the SFH rooster (may do as one group with large fowl hens as bantams laying smaller eggs; 2nd group with blue roo w/ orange leakage & 1 copy of barring gene x black cochin/Silkie hens

Looks like some good choices for breeding groups too me.

 

[myfivegirls]

Loving the variations of barring I'm seeing throughout!  

I have a few pure & some 1/2 Bielefelder hens that are gorgeous, leftovers from when I tried some "pure breeding" & decided it was too complicated for me! Lol
I don't know how to accurately describe the patterns, but I often refer to them as "multi-colored barred". They're one of my favorites. I'd love if eventually I could get the barred ones to be "auto sexing" - but with all the different genetics, it'd take many generations & lots of culling, most likely ending with a more "uniform" pattern which is NOT a goal! The Bielefelders were like clones of each other & while gorgeous, I prefer a little variety so there's "no two exactly alike". But, I also have Legbar/EE crosses (totally unrelated to anyone in my flock) that are displaying barred genes, so if anything it's fun to play with - yet without the "rules" of a "standard breed".

 

[yyz0yyz0]

I love what you are attempting to do here. I wish I had seen this thread two weeks ago before I picked up a rooster so I could have fertile eggs for when my broody is ready. DOH!

I still may pickup some hatching eggs from you later on this spring if things come together correctly.

Going to be following your project with interest.

 

[myfivegirls]

I love what you are attempting to do here. I wish I had seen this thread two weeks ago before I picked up a rooster so I could have fertile eggs for when my broody is ready. DOH!

I still may pickup some hatching eggs from you later on this spring if things come together correctly.

Going to be following your project with interest.

Welcome! Thanks for following,

That's ok, it's good to have a rooster anyways. And if you decide to get hatching eggs, I'd be happy to supply!

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I was going through photos & these are from Nov. 22, 2016

 

[pioneerchick816]

I'll follow along. Love to watch progression & all the variations. I'm actually trying to stay off FB. This is my new thang

 

[myfivegirls]

I'll follow along. Love to watch progression & all the variations. I'm actually trying to stay off FB. This is my new thang

Welcome, and thanks for joining this journey!
Yes, BYC is great place to hang out! There's some good FB chicken groups too, but I think BYC is the best!

 

[myfivegirls]

Quick update: set 70 eggs last night as a test hatch of fertility since it don't have my breeding groups set up yet. The main winter flock has 3 roosters but way over 30 hens.

 

[yyz0yyz0]

So, how did your hatch turn out? Good fertility in the eggs ?

 

[myfivegirls]

So, how did your hatch turn out? Good fertility in the eggs ?

It was ok, considering breeder pens hadn't been set up yet. Started up 70 eggs, 13 eggs were infertile, 55 went into lockdown & 45 chicks hatched.
So, that equals out to 81% fertility, and of the eggs that went into lockdown, 82% hatched. But, the total hatched vs total set was only 64%.