Barnevelder breeders lets work together and improve the breed

[crazychicken]

Hey Trisha,
If its not top secret classified information, can I ask how you came about your blue barnevelders ?
Did you start from scratch and make your own blues, or did you have some blue laced eggs shipped to you that you worked with ?

 

[Happy Chooks]

I hope I'm on the waiting list for the blues.

crazychicken.......she mentioned it a few pages back, that she started with a blue laced wyandotte with a straight comb.

 

[tls_ranch]

Quote:
Not top secret I knew I couldn't afford to import them, so I decided to try and make them the way they did overseas. I lucked out and found 2 splash Blue laced Red wyandotte pullets for sale because they had single combs. They came from top breeder lines and had really good lacing. I crossed them with my pure barnevelder roo to get started. It'll still take me a few generations to work on type, color, lacing, egg color ect. It's important to start with good quality Barnevelders AND good quality BLR dottes. You'll need them to keep back crossing the blue offspring too the pure barnevelders in order to get them right. Starting with single combs saved me a year or two on the project

Trisha

 

[Jen F]

Quote:
Trisha, what do you mean by the points?

 

[tls_ranch]

Sorry, I was talking about points on their combs A comb with too many points is not good nor is too few points. A "show quality" single comb should have five points. (look where the "2"s are in the pic) I've been getting a lot that have fewer than 5, but I believe it is easier work with too few points than too many points. But, I also heard that if you use roos with more than 5 points you tend to keep getting more extra points and it's harder to get a correct comb.

 

[cmfarm]

Thanks for posting that picuture! Now I know where the points end and begin.

 

[RachaelS]

Okay, here are a few pics. On the first pic, this is my older Barnie (she is 8 ½ weeks old), what is wrong with her pattern. I can tell it is NOT double lace but what it is? The second picture is of my three new ones, I think the one at the top and the bottom of the pick have “V”s, please tell me I am wrong, pretty sure I am not. If they are “V”s what does this mean? Thanks for any help you can offer.

 

[RachaelS]

No response? I promise I can take it

would love input! I think these might just be egg only hens.

 

[OrpingtonManor]

I don't know enough to give you input from my own experience. From what I've learned here, I think the bottom chick has welsummer in it, because of the V on the head.

 

[faykokoWV]

Quote:
Yep, those are V's. there are several posts in this thread regarding chicks with V's on their heads. Bottom line - they are fine for a layer flock but should not be used in breeding programs. They will not feather out with good lacing. I just hatched some eggs I had purchased and had two chicks with V's - I gave them to a friend to add to her layers. It was tough because they were both pullets and I had a lot of roos in that hatch, but I would rather have one quality pullet than try to correct the flaws associated with chicks with a V on their head.

I think that some where back in the genetic history of those chicks, chances are someone got the bright idea to cross them with welsummers to darken the eggs.