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PetRock said:
I look forward to seeing more pics of the chicks. I bet the father of the yellow chick is my huge Rhode Island Red rooster. He has taken over top chicken spot from my two Langshan roosters. He only had 1 RIR girl last year when I had them in a breeding pen. He must have thought that he died and went to heaven when I moved him out with the layer flock!
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I hope to get more pics of them today but am going oot for the weekend so it might be next week...The dark one is holding on to its creamy under fluff and there is a hint of red on his noggin plus he has feathered legs. The yellow is feathering out really prettily with brown and black accents on a creamy background. My first NH roo was a hatchery boy I rescued he had lived for about two years with another boy...no hen in sight until I brought him home to my girls...He was beside himself! Now he lives with the friend I usually process with who saw his thighs and wanted to marry him up with his Dorking layers so he is still a happy camper.

The Yakima Kid said:
The origins of the California Gray are well known. Professor James Dryden of Oregon Agricultural College (now Oregon State University) developed the first 300 egg per year hen in the early 20th Century. He also bred the first hen with a documented 1,000 egg laying career. His research involved cross breeding high performing Leghorns with the best Barred Rocks.

After his retirement, he relocated to California and continued his work. At the time, the Holy Grail of American poultry breeding was an easily handled productive white egg layer that could tolerate colder climates and produce cockerels would also be good table birds. The California Gray met all of these requirements. At that time there was a demand for table fowl that were smaller than the popular Wyandottes, RIRs, and Plymouth Rocks as refrigeration was not overly widespread in the late 1920s through 1930s, so a bird that could be consumed by the average family in one meal was highly desirable.

The California White was the result of crossing a California Gray cockerel on a white Leghorn hen. The idea was to increase the egg production and have an easier to handle, more cold tolerant bird than a white Leghorn, that would be smaller and eat less feed. Obviously, the cockerels were not as desirable as friers, broilers, or roasters..
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Nicely explained. Also important to note that some people think that because it is not an APA recognized breed and the know it has LH and PRs at its foundation they think it is a hybrid that won't breed true. This is not true. The reason for no APA recognition was that the Drydens apparently didn't want to focus on the looks of the bird as much as the utility. They bred for size and productivity but not so much shape and markings, shank color etc..

In addition it was a careful breeding program not a simple BR over LH. People think they can make their own with those two breeds but they can't.

This is a breed I am planning to start to work with in the next couple of years. @Michael Apple has a nice flock already. I have one hen and am adding a few more pullets this spring I am a huge advocate for the breed esp for someone looking for white egg layers who are less flighty. I have processed one Del/CG cross. It was my first go around and he was processed with his hatchmates who were all silver penciled wys. They were meater but the CG cross was no slouch. I have not processed a pure CG but maybe Michael has and can tell us what they are like.
 
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Oh and last night I sold a Marans pullet and an Easter Egger hen...hatch April 2013... to a sweet little family. Then I went out and did a count because I had no idea how many girls I have.

26 hens and pullets....have a home for 3 more of them and am putting 3-4 more on CL as a "Homesteaders Special"

2 Roosters 2 Cockerels....made the mistake of falling for the cockerels so one is staying put and the other will be sold with the group "Homesteader Special" girls

13 chicks

So, down to 43 from 51 a week ago

No one is currently setting so no additions forthcoming!!

It feel good!

Of course if you use Chicken math you have to deduct the three mamas raising chicks, the chicks themselves and the 5 or so girls who have not started laying yet as well as all the boys. so that means I have only a total of 18 or 19.

Making Space Baby!!!
 
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I raised a turkey once. My grandmother feed it every table scrap from our house besides regular feed. We probably kept it too long, as when we butchered it, it wouldn't fit in the oven without really squeezing it in. Best most tender and moist turkey ever. It feel apart trying to get it out of the oven. Kern
 
KernH said:
I raised a turkey once. My grandmother feed it every table scrap from our house besides regular feed. We probably kept it too long, as when we butchered it, it wouldn't fit in the oven without really squeezing it in. Best most tender and moist turkey ever. It feel apart trying to get it out of the oven. Kern
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I know the Royal Palms are on the small side but I just love the look.
I think the farm out where PetRock has her breeding pens have Bourbon Reds free ranging that seem to multiply so fast and seem to rival the chickens in number. We saw a mother with here brood of chicks just last week.
 

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