Should I focus on a different breed?

[alexisrambles]

So my Creves are giving me trouble. First my rooster has a defect or two I'm not sure I want to pass on. Now one of my two Creve hens is dead. Probably raccoon since her head was gone and she was all eaten. Or a mink. So now I have one good Creve hen and an aggressive less than perfect rooster. I'm not sure if I should try another breed or get some more Creves and try again. They're hilarious birds and I did love the girl that bit it today. But I'm just not sure what to do.

It's conflicting because I'm making changes to prevent further deaths. But it's still disappointing that two of my three Creve hens have died and I'll probably have to scuttle the roo. Not sure if I have the excitement to try again. My girl had laid her first egg two days ago too....

Opinions?

 

[Brahma Chicken5000]

Hatch as many chicks as you can from them this season and then pick the best chicks to add to your breeding flock.

 

[Folly's place]

So sorry! Venting is good, hope it's helping!
If you love them, try again, with more chicks in spring. On the other hand, there are so many interesting breeds to try...
Mary

 

[ChocolateMouse]

I feel your pain. I ordered some wheaten ameraucana chicks a while back and the next month all my easter egger hens and my wheaten am rooster got et by a coon, the whole flock. Then those "purebred" chicks started laying me BROWN eggs later that year! >( >( I wanted to throw the whole batch out.

But I decided to stick to it and try again so I hatched all the eggs I had from my wheaten crosses, kept the crummy chicks (hens and one roo) and now I'm gonna hatch some over the winter and get me some more chicks from another source in the spring and just keep the best and work from there. I know it's always good to start with good stock but sometimes you just have to work with what you have...!

If it's worth doing once it's worth doing again IMO.

 

[Folly's place]

I feel you pain too. This year my own dog killed many of my birds, and then we had a very poor hatch rate from the few survivors. I will grit my teeth, get more chicks, and move on this coming spring. Swearing helps too!
Mary

 

[aart]

Opinions?

What are your goals for having chickens...and this breed in particular??

 

[alexisrambles]

What are your goals for having chickens...and this breed in particular??

Well my goal with the Creves was twofold. One they're a breed on the conservation list and I like the idea of helping.
I also loved their unique appearance. Once I had a flock set up with good quality chicks I was going to start selling them.

But. Not sure if that's a good choice for me at this level of experience. I'm not sure I didn't jump the gun.

On a personal level I want chickens for company, eggs, and interesting scenery! But I don't like the idea of them not paying any of their way so they would need to support themselves a little.

 

[50-45-1]

i love that you chose to further help an endangered type of chicken. they are beautiful. loosing chickens can be very disheartening and discouraging.
i would advise you to not give up but focus on what went wrong, fix your coop setup until you are confident its safe and try again.
i agree with the comment above to hatch some of those eggs while you can.
if you lived close to me, i would definitely be interested in purchasing some of this breed from you.
good luck!

 

[Ted_Harrell]

Mrs. Alexis, don't give up on what you want, ever. While Crevecours are an unusual breed, what you are having is second thoughts. I get this all the time and have frequently talked myself out of things I wanted and could have done easily enough. In the chicken world there will be disappointment. If it helps, I believe in you and I know you can do it. You just have to pull up your granny pants and try again. Let us know what you are going to do next. If the same breed or another. We will be with you all the way...

 

[aart]

Well my goal with the Creves was twofold. One they're a breed on the conservation list and I like the idea of helping.
I also loved their unique appearance. Once I had a flock set up with good quality chicks I was going to start selling them.

But. Not sure if that's a good choice for me at this level of experience. I'm not sure I didn't jump the gun.

Do you have a separate(from your layer flock) set up for these birds?
That would be the way to go, IMO, and finding good stock to start with.