Barnevelder breeders lets work together and improve the breed

[Meg2000000]

I just hatched some barnie chicks, they hatched on 5/17-5/18, 7 cute little chipmunk looking fuzzies! Is there an easy/obvious way to tell the boys from the girls at this age? I can post pics tmrw if that helps.
Thanks!

Hi Blueberry!

When I posted the same question, people told me to look at their chests. Males will have whiter chests and females have darker/grayish chests. Post pics! My little guys are 3 weeks old today!

 

[bstarr20]

So far just one and it has a white chest.

 

[blueberrychickens]

Hi Blueberry!
When I posted the same question, people told me to look at their chests. Males will have whiter chests and females have darker/grayish chests. Post pics! My little guys are 3 weeks old today!

Great, I will take a closer look & try to get pics, they are so fast & hard to get pics of them standing still!

 

[Happy Chooks]

I got a silly Question. Do Barnies have any hairs/feathers on the legs at all? After all this time, now I have found one in my flock of 6 barnevelders, I have no idea, but I'll never buy anymore chicks off of a so called "Breeder"

No feather stubs on the shanks.

 

[Meg2000000]

Great, I will take a closer look & try to get pics, they are so fast & hard to get pics of them standing still!

Yes please post pictures!

 

[mountainvieworchards]

I got a silly Question. Do Barnies have any hairs/feathers on the legs at all? After all this time, now I have found one in my flock of 6 barnevelders, I have no idea, but I'll never buy anymore chicks off of a so called "Breeder"

Hi Buckhunter

I have had Barnevelders with an occasional small feather on the shank and last year I hatched a pullet that had stubs, very tiny feathers between her toes, you would only see them if you looked closely. These are pure Johan line and I have been breeding them a couple of years before I saw any feathers or stubs on shanks or toes. This is a DQ in shows and these birds should not be used for breeding for fancy purposes. I wouldn't blame the breeder unless their breeding birds expressed this trait.

This happens in several breeds, for example I bought some really nice light sussex a few years ago and one of the chicks had light feathering on the shanks. I just culled the bird and have not had it in any of the birds in this line that I have bred since. This isn't to say I may not see it again or that if I out cross it may not return.

Andy

 

[Buckhunter76]

No feather stubs on the shanks.

Thanks

 

[Buckhunter76]

Hi Buckhunter

I have had Barnevelders with an occasional small feather on the shank and last year I hatched a pullet that had stubs, very tiny feathers between her toes, you would only see them if you looked closely. These are pure Johan line and I have been breeding them a couple of years before I saw any feathers or stubs on shanks or toes. This is a DQ in shows and these birds should not be used for breeding for fancy purposes. I wouldn't blame the breeder unless their breeding birds expressed this trait.

This happens in several breeds, for example I bought some really nice light sussex a few years ago and one of the chicks had light feathering on the shanks. I just culled the bird and have not had it in any of the birds in this line that I have bred since. This isn't to say I may not see it again or that if I out cross it may not return.

Andy

Thank you Andy, that was helpful, I was thinking on putting her in the freezer till now.

 

[pinkchick]

Happy Chooks hatched a Barnie cockerel from me last year that also had some stubs on his legs and my birds too are pure Johan. I have not hatched one since that has shown any stubs or feathers, but with the genetic make-up of these birds and the other breeds that were used to make them and one of those breeds being a feather legged breed, it is not surprising that reccessive genetics pop up every now and then. I agree with Andy, if breeding to standards for the breed do not use this particular bird for breeding and keep her for a lovely layer.

 

[pinkchick]

Ok......I need some advise friends.

I have been having HORRIBLE luck with hatching my Barnies and cannot figure out why. This is not an isolated incident...this has been going on all year. Candled another 20 something eggs yesterday and tossed all but 2. I guess I should consider myself lucky with the 2, as only 2 other times this year have I not tossed every Barnie egg in the 'bator. They are fertile, but just won't do anything or they develop and quit. I'm very tired of tossing 20 plus eggs every time I set them.

Parent birds are on an excellent diet (they are spoiled rotten). They are not crowded...I only have 5 pullets in with my Uggzie boy. He is doing his job. They get out to freerange in the commons area every other day now that I have downsized my flocks and teh number of breeds I have drastically, so their freerange time has actually increased ALOT, as they used to only get out every 4th day.

Ideas?????????