Barnevelder breeders lets work together and improve the breed

[Helen in the Desert]

I just got 10 Barnys from Cackle yesterday, what I noticed is the most have the yellow V on the head but a couple do not and just have brown heads. Is this indicative of anything? (Sex, poor breeding, nothing) I am going to tag the brown head ones to see how they turn out. Looking forward my Vb birds in May and will keep that line seperate to breed into the hatchery line but not the other way around.
You have all been very helpfull and I do appriciate it.

 

[tls_ranch]

Hi Helen,
The "V" heads usually end up with poor coloring. It is probably caused by outcrossing to Welsummers in the past. You can breed the "V"s out eventually. I was told by one of the original importers of Barnevelders that he outcrossed to Welsummers in an attempt to increase resistance to Mareks and to save his birds.

The "V"s are probably at least heterozygous for "wildtype e" and the browns homozygous for "brown eb". Most Barnevedlers should be brown eb based which is recessive to the wild type.

Trisha

 

[tls_ranch]

Just letting everyone know that I will have some pure hatching Barnevelder eggs available starting in about a week. So if anyone wants some please let me know and I'll see if I can fill some orders before it gets too hot

Trisha

 

[Helen in the Desert]

Thanks Trisha, I didn't think I would be getting anything of great quality from the hatchery, and it is nice to know what to look for in future stock. I will band them accourdingly so I can keep track.

 

[Tailfeathers]

I just wanted to make a quick comment to remind folks, and inform those who may not be aware of it, that most hatcheries buy the eggs that they hatch out and sell as chicks. So, the hatcheries that do such simply cannot know with any certainty what is on the inside of that egg.

And, if the hatcheries employ folks like the feedstores do, I would have to say that the majority of them don't know chicken salad from chicken you-know-what when it comes to chickens. So in all probability it's not very likely that someone at a hatchery sees a Barnevelder with a "V" on it's head and says, "Hmm, that ain't right. Probably shouldn't sell that one."

God Bless,

 

[Helen in the Desert]

If nothing else then it is a learning experience for me. Since I am experimenting I will just cull out the ones that don't have good pattern and type (as much as my inexperienced eyes can see) and play with the rest. Two of them have dark heads, so hopefully they are hens...

 

[tls_ranch]

Well, I finally got a broody

Wouldn't ya know it...she's my blue hen from last year. First time broody and I think she's going to stick. I wish she'd went broody earlier because I have a bunch of eggs ready to hatch in a few days in the bator. I would of loved to graft some chicks to her, but don't think she'll accept them now since she's just starting.

Trish

 

[Happy Chooks]

I have a broody too, Trisha.................believe it or not, a welsummer. (they are not a broody breed) She's serious about it too, so I'm giving her a bunch of barnie eggs tomorrow.

I betcha she'd take those eggs.

 

[pinkchick]

Happy~ Did that silly girl decide that she was going to try it again???? I hope she sticks with it for you.

Trisha~ Many great hatching vibes coming to you and your beauty broody!!!!

 

[Happy Chooks]

Happy~ Did that silly girl decide that she was going to try it again???? I hope she sticks with it for you.

Trisha~ Many great hatching vibes coming to you and your beauty broody!!!!

She wasn't super serious about it the first few days - she would be on the nest at night and morning, but get off in the afternoon. I decided I would wait until she was serious, and I didn't want her hatching chicks with us out of town Mother's Day weekend. She's been super serious about it for almost a week now - I had to force her off yesterday because it was so hot and I haven't seen her off the nest. She's not budging, so she'll get eggs tomorrow. I'm not going to risk moving her though, so she'll hatch with the flock. Moose is a good protector, so I'm not too worried.

She'll be a good mom. (if not, I have an incubator and a brooder

)


My olive egger should be going broody soon as well. She's a proven mom, so I have plans for her to hatch wellie eggs from Fay.