A Bielefelder Thread !

[Faraday40]

That is SO good to hear!!! We have a wonderful, kind Biele roo we would just love to have mate with our bantam faverolles, but we were wondering if that would physically be possible (or if the pullets might get squashed

)

We're also wondering (I know this sounds silly) if there's a risk that the hens would start producing eggs too big for them to lay safely? I mean, imagine a bantam fav hen trying to lay a biele-sized egg?

And would the offspring size be an average of the two breeds, somewhere in the middle?

So many questions! We're just so excited to have found someone that has done a Biele/bantam cross

My big orpington roo can't mate with my bantam orp. Her eggs have never been fertile but I believe the roo may have tried to mate. I usually hear a squawk & see her running away. She's a trouble-maker & always snatching food from the bigger, slower chickens, so it's also possible she got a well-deserved peck instead of a mating attempt. If they ever did successfully mate, I believe the chick would start out small - due to the bantam egg size. It may grow bigger than mom, but will not be huge like the dad. The hens egg size should remain the same no matter the dad. It's the actual mating & chance of injury that causes more concern. it's best if you have a "gentleman" roo who dances but does not mate unless the hen squats for him.

 

[DesertChic]

That is SO good to hear!!! We have a wonderful, kind Biele roo we would just love to have mate with our bantam faverolles, but we were wondering if that would physically be possible (or if the pullets might get squashed

)

We're also wondering (I know this sounds silly) if there's a risk that the hens would start producing eggs too big for them to lay safely? I mean, imagine a bantam fav hen trying to lay a biele-sized egg?

And would the offspring size be an average of the two breeds, somewhere in the middle?

So many questions! We're just so excited to have found someone that has done a Biele/bantam cross

My little Silkie/Biel eggs were standard size for a Silkie, but these chicks were very eager to hatch. All four pipped on day 18 and hatched on day 19, which wasn't too surprising given how cramped those little chicks looked at last candling. They had progressed much more quickly than all of the larger eggs. I'll be performing the one-week-old weigh-ins this weekend to determine weight differences, but those little bantams are very hardy and growing fast! And I noticed that their first wing feathers look more Biel than Silkie.

My previous large breed over bantam cross resulted in larger than bantam but smaller than large breed birds. The cockerel runs closer in size to the large breed, while my little pullet is closer to bantam. Genetics are fascinating!

 

[DesertChic]

My big orpington roo can't mate with my bantam orp. Her eggs have never been fertile but I believe the roo may have tried to mate. I usually hear a squawk & see her running away. She's a trouble-maker & always snatching food from the bigger, slower chickens, so it's also possible she got a well-deserved peck instead of a mating attempt. If they ever did successfully mate, I believe the chick would start out small - due to the bantam egg size. It may grow bigger than mom, but will not be huge like the dad. The hens egg size should remain the same no matter the dad. It's the actual mating & chance of injury that causes more concern. it's best if you have a "gentleman" roo who dances but does not mate unless the hen squats for him.

This is VERY true! The Biel that mated with my Silkie was the smaller and more gentle of the two. When my very large breeder Biel attempted to mount her she screamed bloody murder and nearly disappeared from sight beneath his massive bulk. Right now she's fending off advances from my Ameraucana cockerel who's a bit smaller, but young and experienced. I've actually housed my little girl in a separate pen all her own so she can avoid all these amorous boys. The boys all want her and the other hens seem jealous of or annoyed by her.

 

[eyralis]

That's wonderful to hear! Thank you so much guys. I'll post photos of the babies we get (we're going to try Biele x Faverolles and Biele x Olandsk)

 

[DesertChic]

My Bielefelder over Silkie chicks are a week old today, and they're feathering out more like the Biels than Silkie. They also have a much calmer and sweeter disposition than any of my past Silkies have.

 

[stryker]

Those chicks look like they are almost colored with a dye. They are sure cute.

 

[Faraday40]

My Bielefelder over Silkie chicks are a week old today, and they're feathering out more like the Biels than Silkie. They also have a much calmer and sweeter disposition than any of my past Silkies have.

Very interesting chicks! 5 toes, fuzzy shanks, & great coloring on beak & feathers. Please keep posting pics so we may see how they feather out.

 

[DesertChic]

Those chicks look like they are almost colored with a dye. They are sure cute.

LOL! No color dying...they're just this gorgeous deep golden color. I'm love the contrast of that golden fluff with the black shanks and feet.

 

[otakalhasas]

REALLY pretty! This will be an interesting pairing - ditto on the photos! Keep 'em coming!!!

 

[mamidei]

My Bielefelder over Silkie chicks are a week old today, and they're feathering out more like the Biels than Silkie. They also have a much calmer and sweeter disposition than any of my past Silkies have.

I love them!!