Breeding Project Recipes: show & tell

[bumpercarr]

Luckily my dogs guard my chickens from everything. I had a raccoon snooping around and breaking hatching eggs from under my hens, but the dogs have pretty much nipped that problem. Sounds like you have a great set up. My set up is basically a shed halved and one side turned coop. I store the feed and bedding and supplies in the other side, but I'll soon have to expand into that side too. I have 8 phoenix chicks hatching as I type this. All my chickens currently free range during the day, but I've purchased fencing for a breeding run. I have the one roo to play with right now...just to work out the kinks of my thought process.

Mine is a shed as well. I made a second story, took the 3 feet on each side and divided it up. The second story is about 3 feet high. I wish the one hen I have laying would lay on the second story instead of the first story. It would make life a lot easier.

 

[MumsyII]

Nice thread. So, do any of you have advice on setting up your project breeding pens? How do you separate your cock birds when they are not breeding? Are you able to have a cockerel/cock bird pen and reintegrate the breeders when you are done breeding them? I've got a pretty good idea how I want to set mine up, but I'd love to see ideas from you guys as well.

Silkies are small enough to keep on smaller properties and pens. I have separate condo cages in my small barn to house trios. Cockerels, bachelors, sale birds, hens with chicks, or any other needs. I often rest the males for three to four days during breeding season. Pump them with more rich food if they need extra. Sometimes I use the smaller pens them to break up a broody with bad timing.


One of the breeding pens attached to the back of the barn.

One of the two story condos. They are on average 3'x3'. I cover the windows with black shade cloth to prevent fighting between pens.

A cabinet condo that can be moved around and used for multiple purposes.

The interior of one of the chick houses. Also used for broody hens with chicks.
Our winters are temperate but to cut down on drafts, I cover the windows with plastic. It comes off in the summer.



Another of the outside breeding pens. My barn is old and was made from used lumber and windows. Never going to win any beauty awards but it sure is handy.


The condo cabinet empty. Lots of storage space above for barn and medical supplies.



The interior of half my barn set up. Not beautiful but it has served me well for twenty five years.

 

[Tabatha]

Nice set up!

 

[Tabatha]

Found this on pinterest for determining what colors to breed to get what. I can't wait until my barred rocks (one in peticular) start laying. They are practicing in the nesting boxes, so maybe it won't be long. If I breed BR to a mottled phoenix, will the chicks be sex linked?

 

[bumpercarr]

Found this on pinterest for determining what colors to breed to get what. I can't wait until my barred rocks (one in peticular) start laying. They are practicing in the nesting boxes, so maybe it won't be long. If I breed BR to a mottled phoenix, will the chicks be sex linked?

I don't think so, but it depends on the colors of the mottled phoenix. If it is gold/black (yeah I know that there is white in there as well) then probably not. The barring is a dominant gene, so they will have barring and generally the females will be barred and the males black. But, because both have black as the pattern color, I'm not sure that you could really call them sex linked. It would show up at about 3 weeks in the wing primaries though. I think?

 

[Tabatha]

I don't think so, but it depends on the colors of the mottled phoenix.  If it is gold/black (yeah I know that there is white in there as well) then probably not.  The barring is a dominant gene, so they will have barring and generally the females will be barred and the males black.  But, because both have black as the pattern color, I'm not sure that you could really call them sex linked.  It would show up at about 3 weeks in the wing primaries though.  I think?

Here is my roo. He was someone else's "project" before mine, but they couldn't tell me what...lol. His tail is a hot mess because he's kinda durp and flew into a fly strip

 

[Tabatha]

Nevermind that other pic...I chopped his head off...lol

 

[bumpercarr]

Here is my roo. He was someone else's "project" before mine, but they couldn't tell me what...lol. His tail is a hot mess because he's kinda durp and flew into a fly strip

Looks sort of Mille Fleur to me, so that is what I put in the calculator. No change. Barred is dominant, black is dominant. Since these are present in at least one of the parent, the offspring may show patterning differences when the pattern becomes apparent, but there will not be a sex link at hatching (i.e. males dark, females light). Sorry........

 

[Tabatha]

Thank you for the info. What kind of calculator? I'm new to the " breeding with a purpose" thing. I had just red somewhere that barred ' s are how they get sex link chicks. I get confused when I get deep into the genetics lingo. That's why I started this thread. ..hoping I'll learn some stuff that I'm not understanding just by reading

 

[bumpercarr]

Thank you for the info. What kind of calculator? I'm new to the " breeding with a purpose" thing. I had just red somewhere that barred ' s are how they get sex link chicks. I get confused when I get deep into the genetics lingo. That's why I started this thread. ..hoping I'll learn some stuff that I'm not understanding just by reading

Google chicken calculator...it is the first hit for me...kippen something? Anyway, choose that then go to the "new" chicken calculator (further down the page), then choose the new chicken calculator again and it should bring up a tabbed choice for male and female. If you hover over one of the pictures, it will tell you the pattern. It is easy to play with. Unfortunately, I can't see any combination with barred that will give you sex linked......doesn't mean that there is anything wrong with that. Just have to wait a little longer to figure out who is what.