Barnevelder breeders lets work together and improve the breed

[Tailfeathers]

Nice pics folks!

The sun actually came out for a bit today. Hopefully the snow will all be gone by the weekend. Got my new camera and I can't wait to get out and start taking some pics of my birds. The birds aren't wondering too far from the coop yet but I did see them outside today - which is the first time in over a week! Now, with all the mud there's gonna be, I just have to hope I can get some nicely composed pics. Probably wind up having to do it in a few months but gotta give it a try.

Trish, your projects are all looking really nice. I'm envious!

God Bless,

 

[mountainvieworchards]

Hi Trisha

I was looking at the pictures of your chicks and I thought you were using a black double laced Barnevelder rooster on blue pullets in your blue project. Maybe I didn't see it in your earlier posts. You must be using a blue on blue paring or a blue and splash paring in order to get splash chicks. What did you mate to get two splash chicks?

Thanks

Andy

 

[tls_ranch]

Andy,
This time I'm using my blue roo over black/barnevelder hens. The splash chick was a "test" hatch. It was a sibling mating from crossing one of the blue pullets to the blue cockerel. I only set a few eggs from that cross and only got one splash chick.

By this fall I should have a pen with a 3rd gen blue roo (and maybe a splash too) over my pure hens. I'll also have a pen with my pure Barnevelder roo over my blue hens/pullets. The resulting chicks will be 4th generation. Splashes are great, but to avoid too much inbreeding (sibling to sibling) I'd rather wait until the 4th generation and mate the blues from each pen together to get more splashes.

Trisha

 

[pinkchick]

Some of the misfits that should be laying. Couldn't get #32's photo tonight as she was being very standoffish today. She is my favorite and I am pondering the idea of taking her and one of the other pullets and Ugg boy to a show this year.
Also will have to get an updated photo of Stoo, the project blue laced boy. He is changing so fast.

The head misfit, Stephanie.


The pullet that was bantam size forever is the pullet in the back...she is finally catching up.


Another slacker


Himself....complete with a little fluff that he didn't have prior to this most recent molt. He is going to be 2.5 years old pretty soon. He is a tank.



Mug shot.

 

[tls_ranch]

Flood warning for second half of the week again.
Thanks for the input on the hen.
Andy, I have admired pictures of your birds before. I may have to get more in the future. Do you happen to have pics of eggs from your birds?
Trish, love the blue.
Now, a question that came to me. I know Barnie egg color is lacking, so who's barnies have the best eggs? Is this the reason for Trish's Cornevelder project? If I remember correctly, crossing the 2 actually darkened the egg color?

I think egg color varies from all the lines. From what I've seen vB and Johan seem to have darker egg color. My KC hens (may be just bad luck) lay the lightest.

The cornevelders I think were a random, very lucky cross. The original Dark cornish hens laid very light eggs they were crossed with a KC roo, then the F1's to a Johan roo. All of a sudden they started laying darker than their parent stock. I crossed them to a vB roo and the color stayed good. I don't know how but the dark egg genes must of lined up right. I'm going to keep working with this line and try to preserve the dark egg color.

Trisha

 

[Georgiabreed]

I am in Georgia and need a bantam Barnevelder roo or two.I had a dog kill my very nice roo and now my 6 beautiful ladys are without a roo.Can anyone help me?

 

[BlueCamas]

Updated pictures on my little Banty Barnevelders chicks that are 3 weeks old. Don't mind the little silky hiding out among the Barnies

 

[Tailfeathers]

Some of the misfits that should be laying. Couldn't get #32's photo tonight as she was being very standoffish today. She is my favorite and I am pondering the idea of taking her and one of the other pullets and Ugg boy to a show this year...

Kim, you're absolutely right. All misfits. Complete trash. Send them to me and come back to the Welsummers!

Seriously, I can't tell much but the leg color on the hen definitely stands out. That's a plus!

God Bless,

 

[pinkchick]

Kim, you're absolutely right. All misfits. Complete trash. Send them to me and come back to the Welsummers!

Seriously, I can't tell much but the leg color on the hen definitely stands out. That's a plus!

God Bless,

I know...I should kick them to the curb and send them packin' huh? Freeloadin' non egg layin'..................................

Ugg boy and Stephanie have a little lighter legs, but the rest of the girls have nice yellow legs and I was very excited to see this.
You can't imagine how impatiently I am waiting for them to lay so that I can get to hatching the next generation. Also thinking of adding some new Johan blood this year from my pal Andy and see if we can get some better layers going on around here. Andy's birds are great layers and I think it may help even out the occasional layers I have here. I did the math for last years eggs and out of 2 gals that should have been laying for more than half of the year......I got about 80 eggs total from them.

That's half of what one bird should be laying.
Must improve on this or it is not feasible for me to feed them. Now going into this breed I knew they did not lay as much as other and I was very ok with that, but I am not ok with the production of last year.

They are on lights, pasture and a slightly higher protein diet and nothing! ARGH!!!!

Oh and Royce I will never be without my Welsummers....just taking a long extended break so to speak from selling hatching eggs and chicks (gotta get a new rooster first). I will be keeping them and breeding them here to keep up the laying flock. Waiting for Happy Chooks' birds to pick up laying as she has a couple girls from me in with that GORGEOUS boy Moose. I have admired that Moose since the very first time she ever posted a photo of him. I can't wait to start mixing his blood in with the gals I have here. Crossing my fingers for a nice cockerel out of those eggs.

 

[mountainvieworchards]

Kim is that 80 eggs each or 80 eggs between the two? How is their weight? Are the overweight? Are the combs nice and red, abdomen and vent soft? Could it be they are laying outside or dropping soft eggs and gobbling them up? You may try worming them too. But if you had such low production last year perhaps it is just the genes. Do you give them scratch? I find my hens really have a hunger for grain in the winter. I give free choice 20% pellets and I feed mixed grains in the litter twice a day, make them work for it. I don't have my birds in breeding pens yet so I am not sure how this years pullets are laying.

It's funny but since I built my new colony coop, my Barnevelder pullets and hens like to hang out in there most of the day, meanwhile the sussex, rocks, marans and others are out working for a living in the pasture. Perhaps the Barnevelders like the peace and quiet of their big spacious coop that is very light and airy I am normally suspicious of a layer who spends her day in the coop but it is sort of the homebody nature of this line I think. I was planning to put an window sash on the half monitor top of this coop, but after procrastinating long enough I have decided to just leave the whole front open with just 1/4 inch mesh across the front. We don't get too cold here and our place is protected from strong wind by the forest and the high ridge. So this means lots of fresh air and lots of sunlight, two items so important to the chickens "diet".

At night and in downpours the Barnies have to share the coop with the others (about 40 in total), so I suspect they like to have the house to themselves when they can. One problem with running a flock with more than one breed is managing weight of the layers. The marans of one line really are little pigs and are all carrying a spare tire of fat. The rest of the birds are in good shape, but if put them whole mess on a diet the marans will still overeat. I have heard that overweight birds lay poorly but it really doesn't seem to affect these girls as they all lay well even stuffed with fat.

Anyway if its just two slackers and they are your pets, I say hang onto them, they are still cheaper than dogs and cats. I have been known to look the other way for a couple of my older hens who don't lay very much.

I will let you know when I am collecting eggs.

Andy