Arizona Chickens

[Hamburg]

Absolutely! I don't put up with rude roosters at all. I like a happy flock. My boys are good to me, all their hens, and even the little chicks that i let the broodies raise in with them. If they aren't safe enough for all of that I don't want them.
I like black and haven't had any problems with black naked necks in our heat, but have found that almost all the black birds I get turn out small/lean and i'm breeding for sustainable meat birds. The chicks from Dunlap hatchery are all different fun colors, though, so you might like one of them later on. I won't be holding onto extras past 5-6 months old, though.

@BlueBaby I can't say about any clean necked roos, like I said before it seems I'm getting mostly big bib chicks, so I don't know if I'll have any available or not. I'm still not sure what I'm gonna do with the Ameraucana, but the breeder I got her from will have first dibs before she goes anywhere else.

Dunlap sales there NN as meat birds, I expect they will be better than any other hatchery. I know in France NN are used and regulated very specifically as a meat cross with something similar to red rangers here. Let me know when you are about ready to cull. if you don't mind I would like to take a look at what you have.

 

[BlueBaby]

Absolutely! I don't put up with rude roosters at all. I like a happy flock. My boys are good to me, all their hens, and even the little chicks that i let the broodies raise in with them. If they aren't safe enough for all of that I don't want them.
I like black and haven't had any problems with black naked necks in our heat, but have found that almost all the black birds I get turn out small/lean and i'm breeding for sustainable meat birds. The chicks from Dunlap hatchery are all different fun colors, though, so you might like one of them later on. I won't be holding onto extras past 5-6 months old, though.

@BlueBaby I can't say about any clean necked roos, like I said before it seems I'm getting mostly big bib chicks, so I don't know if I'll have any available or not. I'm still not sure what I'm gonna do with the Ameraucana, but the breeder I got her from will have first dibs before she goes anywhere else.

Well, if I can't have that Ameraucana, then do you know where I can get some of the blue hatching egg's then?

 

[cactusrota]

Well, if I can't have that Ameraucana, then do you know where I can get some of the blue hatching egg's then?

The blue hatching eggs for what?
Or I guess I mean from what? Are you wanting blue hatching eggs from NN's that lay blue, or will any blue egg layers do? I can mail you some eggs from my Ameraucana, but the offspring will only carry one copy of the blue egg gene as she's under a Bresse cross rooster. I've offered eggs from her before though, and you didn't want them.

 

[igorsMistress]

Good morning AZ

I saw a couple of littles out on the patio this morning. They're brave little things. A couple have some owies so I'm going to dab a little blu kote on tonight. Not sure what happened but I might move them to the big house roost because I suspect ants. Going to check their coop this morning.

A few of the girls are relaxing in the cool dirt, Fugs is tidbitting Scarlett out by the compost pile and the quail are chasing each other in the aviary. It's a beautiful morning, cool and overcast here.

Enjoy your day everyone

 

[cactusrota]

Just for anyone curious on how the NN gene works.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/naked-necks-anyone.1284364/page-15#post-21357487

 

[cactusrota]

Good morning AZ

I saw a couple of littles out on the patio this morning. They're brave little things. A couple have some owies so I'm going to dab a little blu kote on tonight. Not sure what happened but I might move them to the big house roost because I suspect ants. Going to check their coop this morning.

A few of the girls are relaxing in the cool dirt, Fugs is tidbitting Scarlett out by the compost pile and the quail are chasing each other in the aviary. It's a beautiful morning, cool and overcast here.

Enjoy your day everyone

What a lovely way to start your morning! I love going out when I first get up to see how the feather butts are doing! I just reintroduced some chicks to a broody momma last night and was worried she wouldn't take them. I had given her a chick that hatched out a couple days before hers were due, and she ended up giving him priority and abandoned her eggs so I had to move them into the incubator. But she seems to have accepted the chicks and is being very protective of them. Warms my heart to see good mommas doing their jobs.

 

[igorsMistress]

What a lovely way to start your morning! I love going out when I first get up to see how the feather butts are doing! I just reintroduced some chicks to a broody momma last night and was worried she wouldn't take them. I had given her a chick that hatched out a couple days before hers were due, and she ended up giving him priority and abandoned her eggs so I had to move them into the incubator. But she seems to have accepted the chicks and is being very protective of them. Warms my heart to see good mommas doing their jobs.

That's great news! I'm so glad it's going smoothly for you.

Thanks for the NN gene explanation too. That's helpful for future breeding plans.

You mentioned earlier that black NN pullets are on the small side in your experience. So does that mean typically the lighter colors are what you end up keeping for breeding meat birds?

 

[FeatherPugs]

Good Morning!! Girls are happy with the cooler morning but the dew point must be up as I feel the humidity!! @Hamburg Welcome! I too like eye candy. I got NN eye candy from @DesertChic last year and have enjoyed every one of them, although I think I have a broody - or maybe she just wanted out of the wind and in a nest last night - not like the wind gets in their coop! hahaha.... No new chicks for me until maybe September - I have 30 girls now ranging of ages 1 to 7/8. Not many of the older girls but enough. I'm going to check out the raising of chicks in the cooler months. I've had broody girls all spring. I have one now in the broody breaker that might spend her whole 21 days in the breaker! She is just not breaking. Let her out this morning and she didn't even eat - just up to the nest. She's back in the breaker. Hate that during heat. Have a great day everyone!

 

[cactusrota]

That's great news! I'm so glad it's going smoothly for you.

Thanks for the NN gene explanation too. That's helpful for future breeding plans.

You mentioned earlier that black NN pullets are on the small side in your experience. So does that mean typically the lighter colors are what you end up keeping for breeding meat birds?

That's how it's been so far! That's why I ended up rehoming all but one of my black Transylvnia girls. I'm trying to cross Jersey Giant into my line for size, but they are still somewhat lean and boney, like basketball players. So my plan was to bring up size with them, and then bulk them out with heavy light-colored bird. Like my Bresse crosses and these Dunlap birds.
Of these chicks I got from Dunlap, I got 4 black ones. All smaller than the rest, and 3 of them died of "failure to thrive" within days after getting them. No pasty butt or anything, just withered away and died. I only have one left, a very melanistic little pullet, and she is way smaller than the rest of them. The biggest chicks are all either red, buff, or something that looks like a silver partridge/pencilled.

 

[igorsMistress]

That's how it's been so far! That's why I ended up rehoming all but one of my black Transylvnia girls. I'm trying to cross Jersey Giant into my line for size, but they are still somewhat lean and boney, like basketball players. So my plan was to bring up size with them, and then bulk them out with heavy light-colored bird. Like my Bresse crosses and these Dunlap birds.
Of these chicks I got from Dunlap, I got 4 black ones. All smaller than the rest, and 3 of them died of "failure to thrive" within days after getting them. No pasty butt or anything, just withered away and died. I only have one left, a very melanistic little pullet, and she is way smaller than the rest of them. The biggest chicks are all either red, buff, or something that looks like a silver partridge/pencilled.

Ironically, that's the case with most of my chicks! Some of the lighter ones are a bit small, but they're still bigger than the majority of those that are mostly black.

There are a few out there that are huge compared to the rest and I'm crossing my fingers they'll be pullets. Combs are bit large, but tails are long too.