INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[Faraday40]

I caught Oopsie enjoying her 4th of July with a good dirt bath.

Brick, being our perfect roo, stood guard as the girls relaxed. He even fanned Bubbles to keep his girls cool. LOL

 

[Faraday40]

Happy July 4th!

 

[Finnie]

Several months back, someone new was looking for New Hapmshire Red breeding stock. Since the "search this thread" function doesn't work on mobile anymore, I can't go back and find out who that was. But in case they are still subscribed, I found a NH rooster on Craigslist:
https://indianapolis.craigslist.org/grd/6203809100.html

I am at my PC now and able to search the thread, and I see that it was @Andrew10

 

[hbrown322]

I had my first egg bound hen today. I'm not sure what could have caused it. Her diet hasn't changed at all.
I quickly put together an epsom salt bath and she passed the egg almost immediately. I wasn't prepared for what to do if the salt bath didn't work. So I just ordered some supplies off Amazon.

 

[Indyshent]

https://indianapolis.craigslist.org/grd/6203809100.html

@Andrew10 Are you still looking for that New Hampshire rooster?

Btw, I don't think you're breed idea offers anything to make it noteworthy enough to warrant making a "breed" out of it. Basically, it would be a barnyard mix of several of the most produced backyard breeds. Just another straight comb dual purpose brown laying breed in a veritable sea of American breeds which do and have those features. It doesn't offer anything interesting though, so I don't think the idea is going to fly, when it really comes down to what's required to truly start a breed and popularize it.

If you want to start a breed, look for a niche which isn't so well exploited and try to fill it. For instance, coveted qualities for poultry breeds fall into seven basic types: yard candy (ornamental value); egg laying prowess by number, size and color; feed conversion (for meat and/or eggs), ease of sexing at hatch, fighting ability (illegal to test here but still a factor of historical breed value), temperament, and suitability to a given environment.

All of the breeds you listed to cross fill the exact same niche so why not--if one insists on creating an all new breed given historical difficulty of creating and popularizing new breeds relative to the risk associated with improving a breed which already exists and could use the help--find a relatively unexplored niche for markets here in the States?

What are the *hot* items in the market, and will those trends continue? Maybe, maybe not with some features, but know that it takes a lot of time to develop a breed and that even if a breed is exceptionally hot now, it might not be later (reference the chicken bubble of the 1800s). Some traits stay regardless of trends, however, and those traits are the best bets for breed survivability. Food value is always going to be the best bet for breed survivability because people will always need to eat and will always want the best value for their money. Gourmet breeds tend to suffer in economic downturns, but a thrifty animal which feeds the most people on a diet of the smallest value will always be in high demand. Leghorns lay a phenomenal number of large eggs on the smallest dollar value of feed--and they're flighty enough to free range and make that dollar investment even smaller. The Cornish cross and broad breasted white turkey gain the most amount of meat for the smallest amount of feed but cannot free range well over large areas enough to really supplement their diets.

Purely ornamental or fighting breeds are difficult to make and keep afloat here--people want them as investments for shows (but new breeds and even newer colors of older breeds aren't show able so you can't bank on these buyers) or in hopes of cashing in on the latest trends (like the several thousand dollar a pair Ayam Cemani from a couple years ago). Ornamental qualities in a multipurpose bird, however, are highly valued. Wyandottes are a great example of a dual purpose breed which is pretty and unique enough to stand out in a sea of single combed dual purpose brown layers due to their stylish, cold hardy rose combs, pleasant rounded shape and myriad of recognized, showable colors--plus more varieties like the blue laced red which aren't yet recognized.

Many popular breeds are only recognized or easily found in one color--especially American breeds for some reason. Buckeye, Rhode Island Reds, Rhode Island Whites, New Hampshire Reds, Delaware, and Dominique all come in only one color. Plymouth Rock come in several but are difficult to find in anything but barred, white or sometimes partridge. According to some versions of their lineage, Brahmas are American too, but it's often difficult to find anything but light specimens and most are woefully poor quality. Most popular breeds as a matter of fact are often popularized and mass produced in only one color and, due to husbandry, typically of very poor type. Unless a breed may be any color (like Swedish Flower Hens, a land race), each color of a breed needs to be standardized, almost as if it's a separate breed, which is a difficult and time consuming task. However, other breeders are likely to take on the task of perfecting new colors if you design a breed which is amazing enough to warrant that effort. Coming in a variety of colors allows a breed to stand out among other breeds of limited variety, and this is especially important for backyard poultry keepers who are often limited in how many birds they can keep and don't want a coop full of birds that all look the same yet might entertain the idea of breeding them at some point and, therefore, don't want to be breeding mutts.

So, what's the best recipe for a breed to take off and stay alive? While a dual purpose breed was the model of excellence a hundred years ago, most people don't have what it takes to slaughter birds anymore, in my experience, so a breed is probably better off as strictly egg because it won't hurt anyone's conscience to pick up an egg (eggs are the biggest reason people get into chickens, after all). Best layers all have the Mediterranean body type, but that type is best suited for hot environments. Leghorns are generally cold tolerant, however, and can be found in several colors and even as rose combs. The Penedescenca is the only breed with that body type to lay a color other than white (stunning eggs!) but they're hard to find and not cold hardy. The cream Legbar was founded using Leghorns, is autosexing, is often crested (ooo, ornamental!), and lays blue eggs, so it's going to be tough to beat... except that it still has a large single comb (frostbite risk), comes in only one color (like all autosexing breeds), and only lays one color egg. To build a better Legbar, give it a smaller comb primarily, but maybe tweak its egg color or feather colors.

They're aren't any official breeds which are supposed to lay multiple colors of egg, but strains of birds have been developed to do this (like Easter Eggers). Lots of backyard keepers value a basket of egg colors, and as the recent craze over Marans and olive eggers illustrates, unusual egg colors are in high demand. Colors I would advise shooting for reliably: avocado, lilac, pink. Anything reliably unusual is a great thing to shoot for. Brahmas are known to sometimes give pink eggs, and some Langshans lay lilac eggs.

 

[Indyshent]

Several months back, someone new was looking for New Hapmshire Red breeding stock. Since the "search this thread" function doesn't work on mobile anymore, I can't go back and find out who that was. But in case they are still subscribed, I found a NH rooster on Craigslist:
https://indianapolis.craigslist.org/grd/6203809100.html

HAHAHAHA! If I hadn't written that above book too (on MOBILE no less!), mine might have been posted first. Great minds think alike, maybe? If Andrew 10 hadn't PMed me, I might have forgotten who'd been looking for them, too!

New Hampshires could use the patronage, I think. It's hard to find good quality birds of most breeds, when it comes down to it so most breeds can use all the help they can get.

 

[racinchickins]

Starting to not like the 4th of July. Enjoyed the day and the cookout. But in the evenings every firework sets off my Peacock, Horace. He starts screaming which sets off his girls and my guinea hens. They start screaming and then my chickens join in. We had people setting off fireworks until 12:30 in the morning (Who does that???). Add in a couple hundred pounds of dogs cowering in our bed and sleep was in short supply for everyone!

 

[kanina]

Starting to not like the 4th of July. Enjoyed the day and the cookout. But in the evenings every firework sets off my Peacock, Horace. He starts screaming which sets off his girls and my guinea hens. They start screaming and then my chickens join in. We had people setting off fireworks until 12:30 in the morning (Who does that???). Add in a couple hundred pounds of dogs cowering in our bed and sleep was in short supply for everyone!

I would have called the cops on any idiots setting off fire works after midnight. That's just plain rude and "illegal" (against ordinances) in the two counties I've lived in.

 

[akorte]

https://indianapolis.craigslist.org/grd/6203809100.html

@Andrew10 Are you still looking for that New Hampshire rooster?

Btw, I don't think you're breed idea offers anything to make it noteworthy enough to warrant making a "breed" out of it. Basically, it would be a barnyard mix of several of the most produced backyard breeds. Just another straight comb dual purpose brown laying breed in a veritable sea of American breeds which do and have those features. It doesn't offer anything interesting though, so I don't think the idea is going to fly, when it really comes down to what's required to truly start a breed and popularize it.

If you want to start a breed, look for a niche which isn't so well exploited and try to fill it. For instance, coveted qualities for poultry breeds fall into seven basic types: yard candy (ornamental value); egg laying prowess by number, size and color; feed conversion (for meat and/or eggs), ease of sexing at hatch, fighting ability (illegal to test here but still a factor of historical breed value), temperament, and suitability to a given environment.

All of the breeds you listed to cross fill the exact same niche so why not--if one insists on creating an all new breed given historical difficulty of creating and popularizing new breeds relative to the risk associated with improving a breed which already exists and could use the help--find a relatively unexplored niche for markets here in the States?

What are the *hot* items in the market, and will those trends continue? Maybe, maybe not with some features, but know that it takes a lot of time to develop a breed and that even if a breed is exceptionally hot now, it might not be later (reference the chicken bubble of the 1800s). Some traits stay regardless of trends, however, and those traits are the best bets for breed survivability. Food value is always going to be the best bet for breed survivability because people will always need to eat and will always want the best value for their money. Gourmet breeds tend to suffer in economic downturns, but a thrifty animal which feeds the most people on a diet of the smallest value will always be in high demand. Leghorns lay a phenomenal number of large eggs on the smallest dollar value of feed--and they're flighty enough to free range and make that dollar investment even smaller. The Cornish cross and broad breasted white turkey gain the most amount of meat for the smallest amount of feed but cannot free range well over large areas enough to really supplement their diets.

Purely ornamental or fighting breeds are difficult to make and keep afloat here--people want them as investments for shows (but new breeds and even newer colors of older breeds aren't show able so you can't bank on these buyers) or in hopes of cashing in on the latest trends (like the several thousand dollar a pair Ayam Cemani from a couple years ago). Ornamental qualities in a multipurpose bird, however, are highly valued. Wyandottes are a great example of a dual purpose breed which is pretty and unique enough to stand out in a sea of single combed dual purpose brown layers due to their stylish, cold hardy rose combs, pleasant rounded shape and myriad of recognized, showable colors--plus more varieties like the blue laced red which aren't yet recognized.

Many popular breeds are only recognized or easily found in one color--especially American breeds for some reason. Buckeye, Rhode Island Reds, Rhode Island Whites, New Hampshire Reds, Delaware, and Dominique all come in only one color. Plymouth Rock come in several but are difficult to find in anything but barred, white or sometimes partridge. According to some versions of their lineage, Brahmas are American too, but it's often difficult to find anything but light specimens and most are woefully poor quality. Most popular breeds as a matter of fact are often popularized and mass produced in only one color and, due to husbandry, typically of very poor type. Unless a breed may be any color (like Swedish Flower Hens, a land race), each color of a breed needs to be standardized, almost as if it's a separate breed, which is a difficult and time consuming task. However, other breeders are likely to take on the task of perfecting new colors if you design a breed which is amazing enough to warrant that effort. Coming in a variety of colors allows a breed to stand out among other breeds of limited variety, and this is especially important for backyard poultry keepers who are often limited in how many birds they can keep and don't want a coop full of birds that all look the same yet might entertain the idea of breeding them at some point and, therefore, don't want to be breeding mutts.

So, what's the best recipe for a breed to take off and stay alive? While a dual purpose breed was the model of excellence a hundred years ago, most people don't have what it takes to slaughter birds anymore, in my experience, so a breed is probably better off as strictly egg because it won't hurt anyone's conscience to pick up an egg (eggs are the biggest reason people get into chickens, after all). Best layers all have the Mediterranean body type, but that type is best suited for hot environments. Leghorns are generally cold tolerant, however, and can be found in several colors and even as rose combs. The Penedescenca is the only breed with that body type to lay a color other than white (stunning eggs!) but they're hard to find and not cold hardy. The cream Legbar was founded using Leghorns, is autosexing, is often crested (ooo, ornamental!), and lays blue eggs, so it's going to be tough to beat... except that it still has a large single comb (frostbite risk), comes in only one color (like all autosexing breeds), and only lays one color egg. To build a better Legbar, give it a smaller comb primarily, but maybe tweak its egg color or feather colors.

They're aren't any official breeds which are supposed to lay multiple colors of egg, but strains of birds have been developed to do this (like Easter Eggers). Lots of backyard keepers value a basket of egg colors, and as the recent craze over Marans and olive eggers illustrates, unusual egg colors are in high demand. Colors I would advise shooting for reliably: avocado, lilac, pink. Anything reliably unusual is a great thing to shoot for. Brahmas are known to sometimes give pink eggs, and some Langshans lay lilac eggs.

I want to hear more about the chicken bubble of the 1800's!

 

[kanina]

Let's Sex!

I have two Partridge Cochins. My husband wants to name them Laverne and Shirley, but I think we have a Sonny and Cher.

Birthday is 5/31, which puts them at 5 weeks today.

Partridge One

Partridge Two