Golden Laced Wyandotte Thread!

[backyard2104621]

9 months old


Your winter with your silver and gold wyandotte probably passed. My silver and gold chick had been more than a week of below negative 15F in severely cold last year in Montana. They did fine and still healthy. Only thing I felt bad for them was I covered their coop with plastic sheet and they were in the coop the whole time with the dark. I only visited them a few times a day to gave them treat and play. There were plenty of feed and liquid water(heat water bowl)

 

[faery69]

My new little brood got the last 9 pullets at the feed store meant to only get 8 but when I went in only 9 were left and I couldn't leave just one behind

So she came free with purchase of a 4# bag of feed lol

 

[NorahFina]

Hi Everyone! This is my baby, Stella. She is the first chicken I raised from a chick, and I have had her for three years. I am in 4-H and I use her for showmanship. She is the sweetest chicken! I love her so much!

 

[VistaSRJ]

Question: does anyone on this thread raise PURE Gold Laced Wyandottes? I'm talking about a bloodline that is not from hatchery stock, and also has not been crossed at some time with the Black Laced Red progeny of Blue Laced Red birds. While all GLW are beautiful regardless of where they come from- and I've had my fair share of hatchery stock - I'm curious how many people are breeding the true, original birds. Thanks for any feedback!

 

[ChuskaMtns]

Question: does anyone on this thread raise PURE Gold Laced Wyandottes? I'm talking about a bloodline that is not from hatchery stock, and also has not been crossed at some time with the Black Laced Red progeny of Blue Laced Red birds. While all GLW are beautiful regardless of where they come from- and I've had my fair share of hatchery stock -  I'm curious how many people are breeding the true, original birds. Thanks for any feedback!

My foundation stock came directly from Duane Urch and are not out of BLRWs.

 

[wild chick]

Can you tell us of the benefits of non-hatchery chickens? I'm a newbie and have Silver & Golds from McMurray. Silvers are a bit slim/not as round as they should be. Golds look good to me, but I'm a newbie with no chicken background. Recently noted comments that my hatchery hens may seldom if ever go broody, due to hatcheries needing more eggs than broodies.... comments?

 

[CuzChickens]

Hatchery stock seems to be less broody, a lot lighter, and they just aren't usually SQ. I know that, but I don't know a ton.

 

[wild chick]

Sorry, what is SQ? Yup. Mine are lighter than what the standards say. I'm not raising them for show or anything, and I don't really care except I believe in utility, that's why we chose a heritage breed. They are here for eggs & meat, and will need to reproduce. We raised day-old hatchery chicks to maturity and had great success, but I swore the hens would raise the next batch! I thought hens + roo = little chicks, but now I'm reading that these hatchery ladies don't often go broody. And the cockerel, well he has zero problems wanting to get fertile eggs. I'm curious if treading the feathers off was a problem 50 years ago, or if that is another thing that has been passed into hatchery chicks because of aggressive/high drive roosters. I have 1 cockerel to 8 pullets and 6 are wearing saddles. Finally locked the boy up to give the girls a break. They turn a year old in June, have plenty of space - 5 acres free range all day, etc etc. - I have a friend in her 70's who had chickens in her younger years and she said she never ever saw this rooster treading problem & she never had to micro manage balding pullets or outfit them with saddles. Curious to know if hatchery disregard is behind this too?

 

[CuzChickens]

SQ=Show Quality.

With my hatchery birds I have certainly had treading issues. How old is your rooster? I feel like it is not as much hatchery stock as just annoying rooster. Mine just turned a year old and are calming down.

 

[ChuskaMtns]

Hatchery stock tends to be focused on production layers. You'll find stock from private breeders to be significantly heavier in body, fluffier feathers, a big difference in conformation (tail set, length of back,etc), correct eye color. Not to say you won't hatch out culls, every chick is not going to be SQ so cull hard and breed the best. Hatcheries don't do that, it's all about the numbers.