Barnevelder breeders lets work together and improve the breed

[blackbirds13]

I won a rarebreeds auction for Black Coppers and Double Lace Barnevelders from Fancy Chicks (Rocking Paints). I believe I have 1 blue male and 2 blue females and 2 black females. I initially had no intention of keeping the Barnies as I only wanted the BCMs but am re-thinking whether I should or not. What is their temperament like? And what should the egg color look like if it were 'good' or close to? They are about 6 weeks old now. I will try reading up on the thread as I have time but what should I be looking out for at this juncture that would denote the quality of the birds I have ? I have had a few unsolicited emails complimenting this breeders birds when I had them up for sale here on BYC (local only with no shipping and I had no takers so I decided to grow them out a bit). The boy is always one of the first to come take treats from my hand so you know how that goes. Thanks.

 

[juststruttin]

I won a rarebreeds auction for Black Coppers and Double Lace Barnevelders from Fancy Chicks (Rocking Paints). I believe I have 1 blue male and 2 blue females and 2 black females. I initially had no intention of keeping the Barnies as I only wanted the BCMs but am re-thinking whether I should or not. What is their temperament like? And what should the egg color look like if it were 'good' or close to? They are about 6 weeks old now. I will try reading up on the thread as I have time but what should I be looking out for at this juncture that would denote the quality of the birds I have ? I have had a few unsolicited emails complimenting this breeders birds when I had them up for sale here on BYC (local only with no shipping and I had no takers so I decided to grow them out a bit). The boy is always one of the first to come take treats from my hand so you know how that goes. Thanks.

Same thing here. I bought a few chicks from a friend who had hatched them from Trisha. I had no intention to breed them, but once they grew up I could not resist. They are both beautiful and sweet. I ended up getting more eggs this year from Trisha to expand my brood some more.

 

[juststruttin]

Here are a couple of my project pullets from this year
They are both 7/8 Barnevelder from a cross with Blue Plymouth Rocks

This pullet is Blue Double Laced


This second is a Silver Blue Double Laced pullet.
She has a much more red showing through than my silver project birds.

Also the blue gene has broken the ground color into a more complex pattern that reminds
me of turkey feathers. You can see the silver in her hackles.

u

This third photo is both of them together on their favorite roost, Blue on left and
Silver blue on right. I think the bird on the left has a much nicer type
and a better tail.



Andy

Mountain View Orchards

Nice looking birds. I also like the full tail. Your silver is stunning too

 

[Happy Chooks]

Thanks Bjorn

They will be bred with my best laced rooster this winter. I like the full tail myself.

The eggs were a big surprise to me. These girls both lay plum colored eggs like what I have seen in pictures for Croad Langshan. It is just a suface feature of the egg, perhaps some micro roughness, because when wet they look like Barnevelder eggs. It reminds me of river stones that are light colored when dry and deeply colored when wet. I will post picture of this when I get a chance. The eggs are only medium sized but they are good layers. Also very calm temperament and friendly. I did not see this trait in any of the adults and it just popped out this fall.

Andy

I'd like to see those eggs.

Nice pictures, thanks for sharing. I like the chest lacing on the blue.

 

[southernfiction]

Here are a couple of my project pullets from this year
They are both 7/8 Barnevelder from a cross with Blue Plymouth Rocks

This pullet is Blue Double Laced


This second is a Silver Blue Double Laced pullet.
She has a much more red showing through than my silver project birds.

Also the blue gene has broken the ground color into a more complex pattern that reminds
me of turkey feathers. You can see the silver in her hackles.

u

This third photo is both of them together on their favorite roost, Blue on left and
Silver blue on right. I think the bird on the left has a much nicer type
and a better tail.



Andy

Mountain View Orchards

Here are a couple of my project pullets from this year
They are both 7/8 Barnevelder from a cross with Blue Plymouth Rocks

This pullet is Blue Double Laced


This second is a Silver Blue Double Laced pullet.
She has a much more red showing through than my silver project birds.

Also the blue gene has broken the ground color into a more complex pattern that reminds
me of turkey feathers. You can see the silver in her hackles.

u

This third photo is both of them together on their favorite roost, Blue on left and
Silver blue on right. I think the bird on the left has a much nicer type
and a better tail.



Andy

Mountain View Orchards

These are nice birds. Thank you for letting me look at them!

 

[mountainvieworchards]

looks like mine are not the only ones laying purpley eggs. Look at yahoo under "hen lays purple eggs" amazing.

 

[mountainvieworchards]

looks like mine are not the only ones laying purpley eggs. Look at yahoo under "hen lays purple eggs" amazing.

I meant to say you tube not yahoo, sorry

 

[mountainvieworchards]

I'd like to see those eggs.

Nice pictures, thanks for sharing. I like the chest lacing on the blue.

Ok So here are the plum colored eggs from the Silver Blue Double Laced Barnie Project Birds.

1. Four of the eggs "WET" and a single sussex egg for comparison in the center.


2. Same eggs a while later when half dried.


3. Same eggs when dried. They look the color of wild plums.


The last dark spots on the eggs in 3. vanish when eggs are completely dry.

If you look really closely at them in your hand you can see a rough deposit on the surface. When the eggs are wet the water changes the reflective properties of the surface and the underlying color shows through. This egg finish is not normal for Barnevelders, since the breed (and all of my Gold Double Laced Barnevelders) has nice shiny surface eggs. But I thought it was sort of interesting and I had not seen it in my pure Barnie lines.

The Croad Langshan are known to lay eggs this color, and I have seen pictures of them, but I don't know if they are similar in having the rough micro-surface. Perhaps this is a throwback to the Langshan ancestry that is in the Barnevelder family tree.

 

[Happy Chooks]

That's cool. I wonder if it's caused by a heavy bloom?

 

[sherpagirl]

Beautiful Andy! The silvers are really looking good

Trisha

Andy, she looks great, hooray!