The Calico/Aloha/Mottled Naked Neck Thread

[Phill98]

Thanks! She is definitely one of the most attractive in body. That new rooster that I borrowed is not too shabby, I really like his wide chest. A couple of the NN Alohas are pretty weedy, because I used a super colorful (but sadly lacking in body type) rooster on my first cross to start this bloodline. I knew that rooster was going to bring down the body type, but his color was AMAZING and I had a lot of faith in that NN hen to help offset his weakness. That Turken gal did a great job helping out the Aloha boy's color. Here's a pic of the first generation cross to start this breeding line. ALL of the chickens here with NN's are from this original cross, although many are now grand-chicks! This new pen will feature some great-grand-chicks from these two, so it's getting more expanded in bloodline now: Anyway, that's where I started! With just those hens and that one scrawny roo. Roo had some of the best color I've seen in an Aloha, ever, but awful type. LOL. Regardless of color I think I'll see some good size and type in the chicks. I'll be test hatching the eggs all the way up to the Ebay auction, to make sure fertility is good, and I'll make sure I keep some chicks or give to my NN-loving buddies so we can see how the "kids" from this pen grow out.

That rooster has the best color ever! Crazy!

 

[Phill98]

That very well could be mottling. The only way to know for sure would be to breed her to a mottled rooster, and if any of the chicks turn out mottled then it would be mottling.

And if I breed her to non-mottled rooster I should get around 50% mottle carriers. If I get a roo that carries mottle and breed him back to his mother, I shoul get around 25% mottles and 50% mottle carriers, am I right? I just think that they would have poor mottling in that girst generation..

 

[Phill98]

Part of me really wants to get some of these eggs - but I've never hatched before, and I worry that I'll mess it up (natural reaction when you've never done something before, I suppose). I will be getting an incubator for my own eggs, though. Maybe I'll wait and try to get some eggs from you later on, can't decide... I'm also torn between aloha and Fm project ideas. Apparently I can never keep things simple...

(I already have Speckled Sussex girls to put with my big black-tailed red NN boy Tank. But they're pretty small so far - about 2-2.25 lbs at 12 weeks, so your sizes are tempting.)

- Ant Farm

I think that you shouldn't be afraid of hatching because I remember you keeping track on your naked necks this past year. You did an awsome job and I just think you would do it again.

And I am here in the same situation about hatching, I have never hatched anything, but will be trying this spring with broodies

 

[draye]

And if I breed her to non-mottled rooster I should get around 50% mottle carriers. If I get a roo that carries mottle and breed him back to his mother, I shoul get around 25% mottles and 50% mottle carriers, am I right? I just think that they would have poor mottling in that girst generation..

That sounds about right. I'm not rally good at remembering the numbers you get from those type of matings.

 

[alohachickens]

For the record, your experience level isn't going to matter too much on shipped eggs, it's a crapshoot either way when the post office is done with them. LOL.

But seriously, I have tried shipped eggs YEARS ago (when I was just starting out) and hand turning in a $25 still air 'bator and had 3-4 per dozen hatch. Fast forward seven years, and I bought two shipments of Speckled Sussex eggs from across the country on Ebay this last year for $30 per dozen (after shipping.)

The first batch arrived with a huge dent in the corner of the box and several eggs smashed. The remaining eggs did not hatch.

The second dozen arrived with box in good shape and 3 chicks hatched. (I think 5 or 6 developed but only that many actually hatched.) Sadly, they did not end up very spotty like the ones in the Ebay auction. It's possible the Ebay seller's Speckled Sussex were maybe a few years old, and perhaps that is why they showed so much white? (White spotting increases with age.) At any rate, it was a bust!

However, if you end up with just one spotty rooster, and pair with black-tail Buff hens, or black tailed red hens, it would give you the genes you need to work with for a few years. It's very hard to get a flock started 100% with shipped eggs. I think shipped eggs work best if you are looking to improve or add to an existing flock. Especially if you have a group of hens already, and are looking to add a rooster.

My best experience with shipped eggs was a dozen ordered from one state over. Got 6 of the dozen to hatch and their grand-chicks and great-grandchicks are in my flock today. Nice birds! Very happy with that. So it can work, but I think the biggest factor is just getting lucky with the Post Office and having a smooth trip to your house. More so than any special incubation skills.

 

[alohachickens]

If anyone on here has any "trucker friends" I'm located right off the I-10 in Phoenix. There are several truck stops right by my house. So if anyone is heading out of L.A. and going east, it would be possible to meet up at my local truck stop with eggs. That is by far the best way to get eggs to hatch! Driving seems to work fine - every time I take a road trip I always check Craigslist to see if there are any fun breeds in that area that I can pick up eggs from. Have a couple cute Calico Cochins at a friend's flock, thanks to a trip to San Diego a couple years ago. LOL.

 

[Fire Ant Farm]

If anyone on here has any "trucker friends" I'm located right off the I-10 in Phoenix. There are several truck stops right by my house. So if anyone is heading out of L.A. and going east, it would be possible to meet up at my local truck stop with eggs. That is by far the best way to get eggs to hatch! Driving seems to work fine - every time I take a road trip I always check Craigslist to see if there are any fun breeds in that area that I can pick up eggs from. Have a couple cute Calico Cochins at a friend's flock, thanks to a trip to San Diego a couple years ago. LOL.

I have to say - road trip is very tempting...

- Ant Farm

 

[alohachickens]

I have to say - road trip is very tempting...

You'd still get some to hatch with shipping, Draye had decent results. But if someone is like, driving to Disneyland or something, I'm right off the main interstate leading out of CA! Also a majority of the "made in China" goods arrive at the Los Angeles port, which means this is a very major truck route by me. So if anyone has professional trucker friends, they pass by here I'm sure on the way to the midwest.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Draye as requested these are the ones I have. This is the Buff Rock rooster's first year with them so I don't have any chicks from him yet but obviously none of the first generation will be mottled.

As I mentioned, the "white" one was a regular black mottled until her first adult molt at two years. One of the reds came back more blotchy after her molt also but not nearly as much. Some of last year's chicks with a different rooster started out fairly blotchy.

Something I don't fully understand, some of my chicks that were red at hatch feathered out black. They look like black mottled chicks with red leakage. I think it is a melanizer of some kind but don't know where it came from.

 

[draye]

Draye as requested these are the ones I have. This is the Buff Rock rooster's first year with them so I don't have any chicks from him yet but obviously none of the first generation will be mottled.

As I mentioned, the "white" one was a regular black mottled until her first adult molt at two years. One of the reds came back more blotchy after her molt also but not nearly as much. Some of last year's chicks with a different rooster started out fairly blotchy.

Something I don't fully understand, some of my chicks that were red at hatch feathered out black. They look like black mottled chicks with red leakage. I think it is a melanizer of some kind but don't know where it came from.

Thanks. I think they'd definitely work. Even if not for this project I still am slowly working on the Green Egger NN's. They may work with both projects. I'll get with you later on some eggs.