California Greys???

[tommysgirl]

Just posting so that I can follow this thread. I hope to get CG in the spring.

Good Luck with them. You will love them. I have a broody sizzle right now and hope to get in touch with @Michael Apple for a half dozen CG eggs for her. This thread needs some chick pics

 

[gootziecat]

I have 2 California Greys, purchased from a local breeder. She has barred Rock roosters over white Leghorn hens. All of the offspring are whites with some grey/blackish flecking or spotting in them. None of them are barred. This is a case in point of the work that went into the California Greys by Dryden to not only produce the barring consistently but they breed true as well from what I've read. These 2 girls aren't at POL yet, so I can't report on their laying abilities, but they are some of my favorites and I'd like to have more.

 

[Bullitt]

Just posting so that I can follow this thread. I hope to get CG in the spring.

Privett Hatchery in New Mexico has California Grays.

http://www.privetthatchery.com/Home/prdDetails.aspx?id=CGS

 

[PineTopFarm]

Privett Hatchery in New Mexico has California Grays.

http://www.privetthatchery.com/Home/prdDetails.aspx?id=CGS

Thanks. From what I've read here I figured that was the best place to get chicks.

 

[tommysgirl]

Thanks. From what I've read here I figured that was the best place to get chicks.

Yes, they have the original Dryden lines. If you can find a breeder close by that is better but there is some confusion out there. Some think the CG is a straight cross of Barred Rock to Leghorn and that is not true. It took two generations to fully develop the breed.

 

[PineTopFarm]

It's my understanding that the CG is not an APA bird so in the absence of an APA SOP is there an accepted standard to guide your breeding? If it holds that the CG is truly a dual purpose bird it would be great to breed it to the ideals of Dr. Dryden. Those of you who are breeding are you doing so with similar goals of what the breed should look like or will there be noticeable variances depending on your individual goals? As an example, some are breeding the Marans specifically for egg color and have ignored characteristics such as body type and feather coloring while others are looking at the bird as a whole package balancing body type (meat qualities) and egg color/productivity.
I came across the CG quite by accident but am now interested because I would like a dual purpose white egg layer, being barred is the icing on the cake.

 

[tommysgirl]

It's my understanding that the CG is not an APA bird so in the absence of an APA SOP is there an accepted standard to guide your breeding? If it holds that the CG is truly a dual purpose bird it would be great to breed it to the ideals of Dr. Dryden. Those of you who are breeding are you doing so with similar goals of what the breed should look like or will there be noticeable variances depending on your individual goals? As an example, some are breeding the Marans specifically for egg color and have ignored characteristics such as body type and feather coloring while others are looking at the bird as a whole package balancing body type (meat qualities) and egg color/productivity.
I came across the CG quite by accident but am now interested because I would like a dual purpose white egg layer, being barred is the icing on the cake.

I don't breed them but if I were to do so I would be selecting for the dual purpose qualities which, as I understand it, is what the Dryden's were going for. The breed was never submitted for APA approval because they didn't care about looks as much as they did about function. I would breeding my biggest best layers of the largest eggs with my largest roosters and culling any birds who were aggressive or overly flighty.

I totally agree that a dual purpose white egg layer who is not flighty is a great combo but the CG is cuckoo, not barred. Barring is ideally when the pattern on one feather connects to the pattern on the ones that touch it so that it looks like the bird is encircled with white and color like this:




While Cuckoo is more muddled. The lines are blurred and not required to be contiguous like on this Marans

And here is a California Grey

 

[PineTopFarm]

I don't breed them but if I were to do so I would be selecting for the dual purpose qualities which, as I understand it, is what the Dryden's were going for. The breed was never submitted for APA approval because they didn't care about looks as much as they did about function. I would breeding my biggest best layers of the largest eggs with my largest roosters and culling any birds who were aggressive or overly flighty. I totally agree that a dual purpose white egg layer who is not flighty is a great combo but the CG is cuckoo, not barred. Barring is ideally when the pattern on one feather connects to the pattern on the ones that touch it so that it looks like the bird is encircled with white and color like this: While Cuckoo is more muddled. The lines are blurred and not required to be contiguous like on this Marans

And here is a California Grey

Thanks Tommysgirl. The pictures I have seen suggest a cuckoo pattern but the breed description on BYC refers to it as barred. I'm looking forward to seeing how they actually perform.

 

[Bullitt]

It's my understanding that the CG is not an APA bird so in the absence of an APA SOP is there an accepted standard to guide your breeding? If it holds that the CG is truly a dual purpose bird it would be great to breed it to the ideals of Dr. Dryden. Those of you who are breeding are you doing so with similar goals of what the breed should look like or will there be noticeable variances depending on your individual goals? As an example, some are breeding the Marans specifically for egg color and have ignored characteristics such as body type and feather coloring while others are looking at the bird as a whole package balancing body type (meat qualities) and egg color/productivity.
I came across the CG quite by accident but am now interested because I would like a dual purpose white egg layer, being barred is the icing on the cake.

Do you prefer white eggs, or do you just want variety in your flock?

 

[PineTopFarm]

Do you prefer white eggs, or do you just want variety in your flock?

It's more for variety. I sell and barter with my extra eggs and a number of folks I sell to enjoy having a colorful carton of eggs. It's not a money maker but it helps offset the cost of feed. I find that most white egg layers are too flighty for my taste so I want to see how the CG does.