Blue Laced Red Wyandotte THREAD!

[ki4got]

delisha, So what you are saying is that Hatcheries are not using their show quality stock (which they most certainly have) to supply you with good quality birds each and every year? Bad choice of words by you in my opinion. These hatcheries wouldnt have survived for as long as they have if they kept breeding bad quality birds with smaller and smaller skinny chests. Something very wrong with your opinion of hatcheries. I myself used a hatchery cock that won a few awards through showing. Culling has been done for centuries and is a tryed and true method to obtaining better quality stock. I have to agree that not all the birds I have acquired through a hatchery are perfect and would only qualify as pet quality. Thats not to say you cant get good birds from a hatchery as you so suggest.

I would seriously doubt hatcheries have show quality stock... if a hatchery advertises show quality, usually those chicks are drop shipped directly from the breeder, not the hatchery. but even then I would say those birds are borderline sq IMO

 

[ki4got]

in regards to maturity & laying age, I'm finding my blrw are 8 months give or take... my Foley pullet was (lost her tho) and my Canadian girl started laying almost the same exact time... I'm hoping my bantam pullet won't wait so long.

as for feeding, I free range as much as possible, so if anything maximum growth may take a bit longer, but I don't like to push them, or they may 'break down' as chickenhill already said. IMO pushing them may speed things up a bit, but they tend to burn out faster too. what I want are birds that will last for more than 2-3 years before quitting. I'm not into 'disposable' poultry. yes i'll eat the extras, but even hens that have been replaced for better quality stock are kept around for eggs or sold to someone else needing to upgrade their own stock.

 

[3BirdGirlz]

My bantam BLR's started laying at 4 months! Totally amazing to me...and I get an egg almost every day. They are sweet girls too

 

[Our Roost]

I know judging from comments and followups that not all hatcheries operate in the same way. Some are much better than others and more reputable. The promotional sales pitch from one hatchery I have used starts out by saying that they provide only the best to you coming from quality show winning stock year after year. I dont know how much bunk was put into that and if it is indeed true. I have gotten burned a few times with very infurior birds. On the other hand, I have gotten some very nice birds. Show quality for breeding? Absolutley not! I praise independent professional private breeders. They are the guardian angels of the breed. Their efforts are what keep the true characteristics of the breed and strain thriving without dying out. As I mentioned, your personal ambitions can take you many places based on what you want to do. Hatcheries sell and market tons of birds and chicks year after year. Heritage stock breeds pretty true but rare and specialty birds are more complicated. I would definitely use a private breeder for one of these. Hatcheries are getting more and more into rare and specialty birds based on customer demand. I wouldnt put much trust in these from a hatchery. If you are going to buy starter birds. start with heritage birds to keep it less complicated. Keep it simple if you are buying from a hatchery.

 

[Chickenhill]

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.

Heres some more gobbldy goop...Too much light can be a problem for chicks too...They grow to fast and they get bored and beat up on each other. Kept in a small area with a heat lamp for to long can lead to stunted growth, poor feather quality (the heat messes with the humidity and the stress will also have effect on the plumage), and disease ( only the strongest will survive for the amount of space given You have probably heard of fish in a tank, you change the size of the tank they grow and if cramped they eat another to make more room...). Fall chicks usually come from eggs that are from pullets that are beginning to lay and their eggs have not gotten their size or eggs that are smaller and not quite their normal quality from hens that are molting and trying to revive themselves. Many breeders believe this leads to a smaller chick more susceptible to disease... The quality of feed for the age, the amount of stress, and atmosphere can make a world of difference in your end product....

I bet ki4got gets great feather quality and size from free ranging her chickens.

Off to clean pens, burrrrrr Wishing every one a day filled with smiles and fun!

 

[Farmer Viola]

Heres some more gobbldy goop...Too much light can be a problem for chicks too...They grow to fast and they get bored and beat up on each other. Kept in a small area with a heat lamp for to long can lead to stunted growth, poor feather quality (the heat messes with the humidity and the stress will also have effect on the plumage), and disease ( only the strongest will survive for the amount of space given You have probably heard of fish in a tank, you change the size of the tank they grow and if cramped they eat another to make more room...). Fall chicks usually come from eggs that are from pullets that are beginning to lay and their eggs have not gotten their size or eggs that are smaller and not quite their normal quality from hens that are molting and trying to revive themselves. Many breeders believe this leads to a smaller chick more susceptible to disease... The quality of feed for the age, the amount of stress, and atmosphere can make a world of difference in your end product....

Interesting and useful as always, thank you! I know to avoid pullet eggs, and I have also heard that choosing exceptionally large eggs can lead to fat, lethargic chicks. The idea being they have to absorb more of the egg "white" pre-hatch and it is mostly water weight, not nutrient rich, just causing them to have a slower start. It seems that you would want to select the perfect egg, not to big and not too small. I get really excited when I think about having my own laying flock again, and the ability to select and hatch the best eggs. I have to wait a year or more to get to that point. At what age would you begin to set a hen's eggs? Or, how long until they stop being pullet eggs? 12-16mos? I know you can't give me an exact date, but I like thinking into the future.

I use an EcoGlow brooder for a heat source for the chicks, not a heat lamp. That means I have their lights on a timer just so they can see. They have been getting 8 hours of darkness per night. I think I am going to increase it to 10 hours and eventually 12 hours. They are 5 and 6 weeks old right now, any tips on how to better adjust their lights? It seems like most people are leaving the light on ALL NIGHT because it is their heat source, but I don't do that.

edit: the EcoGlow has actually been removed as of this week so they are off heat (and pretty feathered). They are in a temp controlled house and at night it goes to 75. but it is the best way to explain WHY I dont have 24hr heat lamp on

 

[delisha]

Quote: I love the EcoGlow..

I hatch eggs from any bird that is over a year..I have hatched two eggs from one rare pullet...she was my only female of that breed. Now I have three pullets of that breed..

I like to hatch from old hens who produce good stock too..I only keep females from those breedings..I eat the males. I want to produce hens that lay well a long time and stay healthy.
I have one line that reaches back 30 years. Most of the females I keep from that line will lay a good 5 years. Not much is left of that line but the health and vitality. The bird its self looks so much different than it did 30 years ago. I usually have 5 generations at one time here from that line. One from each year....

 

[Nickeechickee]

Interesting. I'm relatively new to chickens (about 8 months now) but all of mine have been hatchery birds. I had one day old chick die during shipment (was DOA), but my only other losses have been to predators, no problems with disease here. I don't know what to expect for friendliness, but all of my layers, excepting one duck, will run over and squat for me when I go in the coop, then follow me around while I am cleaning...

Like I said, I'm only really looking for eye candy and eggs, so if they aren't show quality it is not a big deal. I was just wondering.

 

[Farmer Viola]

I love the EcoGlow..

I hatch eggs from any bird that is over a year..I have hatched two eggs from one rare pullet...she was my only female of that breed. Now I have three pullets of that breed..

I like to hatch from old hens who produce good stock too..I only keep females from those breedings..I eat the males. I want to produce hens that lay well a long time and stay healthy.
I have one line that reaches back 30 years. Most of the females I keep from that line will lay a good 5 years. Not much is left of that line but the health and vitality. The bird its self looks so much different than it did 30 years ago. I usually have 5 generations at one time here from that line. One from each year....

Ok, makes sense. Man...I am only certain I have 1 girl in my 5 BLRWs, I'm wondering if the other 2 whose combs haven't turned pink yet *might* be female, but it feels like the odds are against it. I think I got 4 of 5 boys, and the 1 girl can't be bred if her comb is inverted. SIGH. I have more BLRW eggs due to hatch tomorrow though, and ordered another 2 dozen in January. Pray for pullets!!

Hearing that your lines go back 30 years, and you keep 5 generations, really helps to give me perspective. This is my first year of BLRWs and it is just the beginning of a long line, so that helps me remember why I have to make certain choices now for later.

 

[ki4got]

Quote: Off to clean pens, burrrrrr Wishing every one a day filled with smiles and fun!
you bring up an interesting point... I also don't put a heat LAMP on my chicks, but use a heat emitter which provides heat only but no light, so they do learn a day/night cycle early on, since the lights are on timers...

then again I also hatch year round, sometimes from birds early in their cycle, but at least a month into laying, so I don't really consider them first eggs anymore... I also feed fermented feed and since the feed is wet, I only really give them water twice a day, just after they've eaten, and that helps keep the brooder dryer too.