Blue Laced Red Wyandotte THREAD!

[Phage]

they are LF. They are nice they are Foley birds.

The chicks are VERY NICE!!!!!!!!!

(Thank you!!!!)

 

[Phage]

double post

 

[DMRippy]

I may way off here but do hatcheries ACTUALLY raise birds????? I was under the impression they had breeders they used. MOST hatchery birds have been crossed with Leghorns to improve production... not all but most. When you buy a NH from a hatchery it really looks nothing like a NH should. Same with RIR...... they are both really just a form of a production red of some sort.

Hatchery birds are breed for PRODUCTION not QUALITY. If you want a SLW for the color in your yard a hatchery is fine. If you want a NICE SLW that actually LOOKS like a Wyandotte you need to get them from a reputable breeder. I am not going to say they should not be breed because there is a market for layers.... but that is all they are.

I saw someone local BRAGGING on CL that her roo was was the Winner at the County Fair..... asking PREMIUM prices for his eggs..... she was crossing him with anything in the yard too. He was not a SQ bird.... he was just a bad hatchery bird. If you show at the county fair and win.... I don't take that seriously. They are not APA shows. You will find Easter Eggers winning as Ameraucanas too they would not even be allowed in an APA show..... well maybe allowed but they would not win.

Once you KNOW what a good quality chicken looks like.... you will not go back to hatchery.... unless they are for layers.

I have White Leghorns and they are Hatchery and I love them and will not ever have chickens without some WL around.... great birds and layers. Most people want good layers.

 

[DMRippy]

Quote:

 

[Chickenhill]

State fairs tend to get a dirt bad rap. I find that sad. They are a great place for juniors, the beginner, and those breeders trying to get their points. They are a super place to promote clubs and get those involved that would like to show but don't because they are unfamiliar with what would be expected of them and their birds at a regular club show.
Every state fair in Idaho, which there are 3, are APA, ABA or APA/ABA sanctioned shows. Utah and Montana state fairs that I am familiar with are also sanctioned.
As most ya'll know....There is only a small window in which to show a bird that is in top condition before they go over their peak and start to loose feather quality,coloring in their legs, face, wattles from beginning to lay etc. Most fairs are in august. Many breeders are raising their show birds for the run of shows Oct thru Dec. Their birds have not yet peaked so do not bother to go to the state fairs or if they do go usually they are not bringing their top birds. All that said, there are still some very nice birds at the fairs and decent competition in the more popular classes. Sorry so wordy, to much caffeine

 

[Farmer Viola]

As most ya'll know....There is only a small window in which to show a bird that is in top condition before they go over their peak and start to loose feather quality,coloring in their legs, face, wattles from beginning to lay etc. Most fairs are in august. Many breeders are raising their show birds for the run of shows Oct thru Dec. Their birds have not yet peaked so do not bother to go to the state fairs or if they do go usually they are not bringing their top birds.

I am a noob to BLRWs... can you tell me specifically when the peak happens? I have heard Wyandottes are "slow" to mature, maybe 7-9mos does that sound right? At what point is the prime time to show, and at what point are they usually considered too old?

 

[DMRippy]

State fairs tend to get a dirt bad rap. I find that sad. They are a great place for juniors, the beginner, and those breeders trying to get their points. They are a super place to promote clubs and get those involved that would like to show but don't because they are unfamiliar with what would be expected of them and their birds at a regular club show.
Every state fair in Idaho, which there are 3, are APA, ABA or APA/ABA sanctioned shows. Utah and Montana state fairs that I am familiar with are also sanctioned.
As most ya'll know....There is only a small window in which to show a bird that is in top condition before they go over their peak and start to loose feather quality,coloring in their legs, face, wattles from beginning to lay etc. Most fairs are in august. Many breeders are raising their show birds for the run of shows Oct thru Dec. Their birds have not yet peaked so do not bother to go to the state fairs or if they do go usually they are not bringing their top birds. All that said, there are still some very nice birds at the fairs and decent competition in the more popular classes. Sorry so wordy, to much caffeine

I know some of the fairs are APA sanctioned here but they don't follow the rules..... that gives them a bad wrap. Even some of the big shows let DQ's through and they go on to WIN the whole show......

 

[Chickenhill]

I am a noob to BLRWs... can you tell me specifically when the peak happens? I have heard Wyandottes are "slow" to mature, maybe 7-9mos does that sound right? At what point is the prime time to show, and at what point are they usually considered too old?

A pullets peak is a few days before she starts laying until, the laying starts to take the yellow out of her legs, beak and face and wattles begin to pale.....Which can be as early as a week after she starts to lay....Or she could look great when she goes to the show and look like a ghost an hour after she gets there. haha

As far as maturing goes that is a whole nother ball game... In each variety of Wyandottes there are different breeders who have excelled. The successful breeders birds are sought after and many will buy the birds creating a "line of birds" Such as, the Foley line or the Rick Hare line. They both have great birds with much of the same genetic background but, any outcross they made or different geological location, feed given, light given etc would make a difference on how quickly their birds mature. After years of breeding that line they can vary months in one line to another on how quickly they mature Then.. to add to that it depends on how one feeds and cares for them which can hurry it up or slow it down. Their growth can be stunted and they can be grown out so fast they breakdown.... So, I find that my SLW start to lay at 7-8 months, my BLR and Partridge at about 5-6 months. To answer your questions lol full maturity can take up to 18 months for a Wyandotte. After a while you get to know your line of birds and from your care, when they will begin to lay or hit their prime.

I know some of the fairs are APA sanctioned here but they don't follow the rules..... that gives them a bad wrap. Even some of the big shows let DQ's through and they go on to WIN the whole show......

Thats a drag. Seems the shows tend to bring in the same judges that do the same things year after year... Super happy we have had our share of great judges around here. Knock on wood!

 

[malndobe]

I may way off here but do hatcheries ACTUALLY raise birds????? I was under the impression they had breeders they used. MOST hatchery birds have been crossed with Leghorns to improve production... not all but most. When you buy a NH from a hatchery it really looks nothing like a NH should. Same with RIR...... they are both really just a form of a production red of some sort.

I'm assuming the only birds they raise are their next round of producers. It wouldn't makes sense if you are hatching thousands of eggs to go purchase adults from elsewhere as your next producers. That's why IMO they probably don't really know what sort of genetic issues they are producing. A) if they raise a chick to become their next producer and it has issues I doubt they know who the parents were. So that bird could be culled but not the "line" B) with genetics being what they are, the chick they choose to raise would have to be the one to exhibit the issue, and their is a higher percentage chance the siblings that were sold will show the issue since their are more siblings. IE if 30% will show the issue and the rest just carry it, what are the chances if they keep 1 chick out of 100 that it will be part of that 30% and not the 70% that just carries it?

 

[Farmer Viola]

A pullets peak is a few days before she starts laying until, the laying starts to take the yellow out of her legs, beak and face and wattles begin to pale.....Which can be as early as a week after she starts to lay....Or she could look great when she goes to the show and look like a ghost an hour after she gets there. haha

As far as maturing goes that is a whole nother ball game... In each variety of Wyandottes there are different breeders who have excelled. The successful breeders birds are sought after and many will buy the birds creating a "line of birds" Such as, the Foley line or the Rick Hare line. They both have great birds with much of the same genetic background but, any outcross they made or different geological location, feed given, light given etc would make a difference on how quickly their birds mature. After years of breeding that line they can vary months in one line to another on how quickly they mature Then.. to add to that it depends on how one feeds and cares for them which can hurry it up or slow it down. Their growth can be stunted and they can be grown out so fast they breakdown.... So, I find that my SLW start to lay at 7-8 months, my BLR and Partridge at about 5-6 months. To answer your questions lol full maturity can take up to 18 months for a Wyandotte. After a while you get to know your line of birds and from your care, when they will begin to lay or hit their prime.

Thank you so much for the thorough and well worded response! Makes complete sense... I am starting my BLRWs indoors since it's winter, atm they're getting 8 hours of darkness (light timer) even though it is currently over 14 hours of darkness here in December. How interesting to think that these months spent getting X hours of light might impact when they would lay with a month or more. hmm... you have given me more to think about.