BREEDING FOR PRODUCTION...EGGS AND OR MEAT.

[LindaB220]

These pics aren't worth showing but I will post one of them that were taken last Sunday.




What the heck...bad is bad...I'll do better next time.

Turk, now what kind am I looking at? Are there a lot of different breeds or just a few. Any NN?

 

[Turk Raphael]

Linda, there are three breeds here, all hatchery stock. Austra-Whites (fairly obvious), Buckeyes, with light colored heads and just a few RIRs , with darker heads. Sorry for the pic. I'll get much better ones Saturday or Sunday. They are in shavings now and according to Brother, they are more than double in size. That brooder won't hold them healthfully very much longer but we have a 12X16 room all set for them in the barn. Still not sure if the RIRs are coming. No matter either way.

ETA: I realize now, we should have turned off the heat lamp.

 

[LindaB220]

Linda, there are three breeds here, all hatchery stock. Austra-Whites (fairly obvious), Buckeyes, with light colored heads and just a few RIRs , with darker heads. Sorry for the pic. I'll get much better ones Saturday or Sunday. They are in shavings now and according to Brother, they are more than double in size. That brooder won't hold them healthfully very much longer but we have a 12X16 room all set for them in the barn. Still not sure if the RIRs are coming. No matter either way.

Great, I always wondered about the Austra-Whites. What do the male A-W look like. Or are they all pullets. Fabulous opportunity.

 

[Turk Raphael]

Great, I always wondered about the Austra-Whites. What do the male A-W look like. Or are they all pullets. Fabulous opportunity.

The AW chicks are all pullets. The birds are all the same color...white but frequently very attractive black splotches. I'll show you pics of a cockerel and a pullet.



Egg laying machines. The eggs are supposed to be a cream color. I guess we'll see.

 

[Kinmera]

I know this is just my humble opinion --- but I will never ever ever ever ever ever ever get another Leghorn or any bird who has leghorn known to be in their ancestry (AWs are part leghorn btw). I had 40 of those nasty buggers once - yes they were egg laying machines, but they were the flightiest, nastiest birds I've ever had. I tell people that Foghorn leghorn and his girls were an understatement in regards to leghorn personality.

I don't know - maybe it was just my flock. I will be curious to see how the AWs personality turns out.

 

[Turk Raphael]

I know this is just my humble opinion --- but I will never ever ever ever ever ever ever get another Leghorn or any bird who has leghorn known to be in their ancestry (AWs are part leghorn btw). I had 40 of those nasty buggers once - yes they were egg laying machines, but they were the flightiest, nastiest birds I've ever had. I tell people that Foghorn leghorn and his girls were an understatement in regards to leghorn personality.

I don't know - maybe it was just my flock. I will be curious to see how the AWs personality turns out.

The Austra-Whites aren't as friendly as the Buckeyes, not by any means but I have seen some very flighty pure Leghorns and some that were relatively calm.

I was around some older AW pullets and cockerels at my Brother's place and they didn't get too excited when we walked in...they just went about their business and paid us no mind. I'm hoping the Australorp calmness will at least mitigate the 'high spirits' of the AWs.

Personally, I'm not interested in having pet chickens. If they do their job of laying as well as I do mine of caring for them, all will be fine with the world.

When I get my pair or trio of high quality SOP birds from Joe, I will make every effort to handle those birds each and every day...I think that will be time well spent.

Turk

 

[gjensen]

I know this is just my humble opinion --- but I will never ever ever ever ever ever ever get another Leghorn or any bird who has leghorn known to be in their ancestry (AWs are part leghorn btw). I had 40 of those nasty buggers once - yes they were egg laying machines, but they were the flightiest, nastiest birds I've ever had. I tell people that Foghorn leghorn and his girls were an understatement in regards to leghorn personality.

I don't know - maybe it was just my flock. I will be curious to see how the AWs personality turns out.

I find the Mediterranean breeds from long term breeders to be much more manageable than the nervous hatchery strains. I hate to see breeds get a bad rap from a single experience with an individual strain. All strains are not the same. Hatchery Leghorns CAN be the worst.

I think it is unfortunate because some strains are a delight to own with their active and confident temperaments. Then they can also be both beautiful and productive.

Blanket generalized statements are rarely universally true.

I am not criticizing your post. I am adding that my experience have been different. I like active birds. I do not like psychotic birds.

 

[LindaB220]

I find the Mediterranean breeds from long term breeders to be much more manageable than the nervous hatchery strains. I hate to see breeds get a bad rap from a single experience with an individual strain. All strains are not the same. Hatchery Leghorns CAN be the worst.

I think it is unfortunate because some strains are a delight to own with their active and confident temperaments. Then they can also be both beautiful and productive.

Blanket generalized statements are rarely universally true.

I am not criticizing your post. I am adding that my experience have been different. I like active birds. I do not like psychotic birds.

I'll be interested in this because I always said that I would never have leghorns. BUT today I just hatched 11 super blue egg layers. Crested Cream Legbar roo over white or exch leghorns. So far they are quiet and letting me touch them. Not like hatchery birds at all. Hope it keeps up because I just reordered a bunch more.

 

[Turk Raphael]

I'll be interested in this because I always said that I would never have leghorns. BUT today I just hatched 11 super blue egg layers. Crested Cream Legbar roo over white or exch leghorns. So far they are quiet and letting me touch them. Not like hatchery birds at all. Hope it keeps up because I just reordered a bunch more.

Linda, you shouldn't support any hatchery because they are all owned and run by the Devil. I just can't understand how they stay in business because they produce birds of such poor quality that they have absolutely NO worth or value.

On the other hand, every bird that is hatched by a private 'show breeder' is of absolutely A-1 quality. You should have realized that by now.

 

[gjensen]

I'll be interested in this because I always said that I would never have leghorns. BUT today I just hatched 11 super blue egg layers. Crested Cream Legbar roo over white or exch leghorns. So far they are quiet and letting me touch them. Not like hatchery birds at all. Hope it keeps up because I just reordered a bunch more.

Some of it is management, in some strains.

Some Mediterranean breeds do better with some space. They do not like to "have their backs against the wall". Where they tolerate closer interaction better in the open better than in a confined space.

Some breeds/strains need more room than others.

Certainly some are more nervous than others. If one panics, they all panic.

Sometimes it is a trade off. "Calm easy personalities", can be synonymous with lethargic and lazy.

I had some hatchery brown Leghorns back in the day. They were not bad, but they were flighty. In the coop, they ran from me etc. Out in the open, they come running for treats like the rest of them. They would panic if they got spooked though. They were not bad, but they were pushing the issue.

I read what I could on Catalanas (by people that never owned them) along the way. Everything I read said they were flighty, and nervous. I am not a pet chicken guy, so I was not concerned. I did expect them to be. Like the hatchery Leghorns that I had experience with. What I found was much different. They do not like to be picked up (no bird does), but they tolerate handling well. They are respectful of fences, and are easy to manage.

They are assertive and active, but they are confident. They are not nervous birds. Some would not like them in a mixed flock, because they will be boss. (Some people call that "being mean". LOL) They do not take to newcomers well. The flip side is that they are equally assertive when it comes to foraging etc. They are essentially an all business bird. They will eat out of your hands, not because they "like" you, but because they are bold enough to get what they want.

None of the cockerels or cock bids have been difficult. They are all easy for the keeper etc. I have eaten a lot of hatchery males for this.

The point is that the reputation comes from somewhere, but we all know how reputations and stereo types are.

My tip would be to give them some space, and their personalities will be enjoyable. They may just have a personality.