Arkansas Blue egg layers

[tntchix]

DH called and the birds are quite happily settled in drinking and apparently Houdini is crowing his head off. LOL

thank goodness

Then he's a late crower. I have three that think 3:00 AM is the time to start. Thank goodness I'm fairly rural with neighbors that don't mind.

I have one that goes off at midnight like clockwork, silly bird.

 

[1muttsfan]

Thank heavens! ee

 

[1muttsfan]

Caj how are the newcomers settling in?

 

[enola]

How are your eggs doing that you set after the disaster?

 

[caj1985]

Caj how are the newcomers settling in?

They are doing great. She laid the first day, but didn't after that. It will take a few days to get her back on track. The cold hasn't bothered them which is good since I have open coops.

 

[caj1985]

How are your eggs doing that you set after the disaster?

Nothing hatched. I have a set that I sold that didn't hatch either which I will replace as soon as the new guy gets put into the permanent coop and fertility is checked. I'm guessing that since the old rooster was 5 that he was suffering from reduced fertility prior to that.

 

[ronott1]

Nothing hatched. I have a set that I sold that didn't hatch either which I will replace as soon as the new guy gets put into the permanent coop and fertility is checked. I'm guessing that since the old rooster was 5 that he was suffering from reduced fertility prior to that.

It is great that he made it that long!

 

[1muttsfan]

I gave some eggs yesterday to another BYCer to use in a hatching project for work - she's a librarian, and uses her chickens in reading programs. Hopefully my guy is fertile, I have seen him breeding the hens. Can't wait until spring and hatching season!

 

[1muttsfan]

With the sex linking of the Barring gene if you cross a AB rooster over CL(barred) hens you should get non-barred hens, and only barred roosters because the barring resides on the Z chromosome and not the W chromosome. Roosters of this cross will have one barred Z chromosome and one non-barred. Females will have only 1 non-barred Z chromosome.

Keep in mind, this would only be sex linked in the F1 cross, just like Black Sex Link chickens because it uses the same principle. I also have no clue what the offspring would look like to tell them apart, and with the bluing genetics from the AB, there would be two variations of each sex making day old sexing a bit more complicated - that is unless you use either a splash rooster or a black rooster.

So right now I now have 4 CL hens and one recessive white AB hen, and one splash AB rooster. When weather and incubator space allow I will be putting eggs from these girls in. I am hoping to get a pea-combed, blue egg layer that is clearly sexable at hatch. The cold this winter was quite hard on my CL's combs, they are the only hens I had that got frostbite. I will be taking lots of pictures. Using a splash roo should make it easier, if you use a blue you get barred males and non-barred females, but each in 2 genetic types that may appear a little different. Anyone doing anything like this now, with some suggestions on what to look for in the offspring?

Next project is to increase the AB flock, and add a few more CL's to use next year for the cross.

 

[farmhand]

So right now I now have 4 CL hens and one recessive white AB hen, and one splash AB rooster. When weather and incubator space allow I will be putting eggs from these girls in. I am hoping to get a pea-combed, blue egg layer that is clearly sexable at hatch. The cold this winter was quite hard on my CL's combs, they are the only hens I had that got frostbite. I will be taking lots of pictures. Using a splash roo should make it easier, if you use a blue you get barred males and non-barred females, but each in 2 genetic types that may appear a little different. Anyone doing anything like this now, with some suggestions on what to look for in the offspring?

Next project is to increase the AB flock, and add a few more CL's to use next year for the cross.

I'm planning to breed AB over California Gray this spring. California Gray is barred, a very good white egg producer, and a calm bird. I planning on sex-linked chicks for the first generation and not sure what I'll do after that. I'm still not clear on what to expect regarding the OO or Oo blue egg gene and also barring particularly if I breed back to AB for the next generation. Please enlighten me.