Campine Chicken thread?

[lawatt]

I have breed silver campines with gold campines for many years and never have had any yellowing on white cape or hackle feathers what so ever!. You will not if you have pure campines in the first place. Its a good thing to do when one is lacking gene pool . Eyes should always be dark ,like coal. no reddish eye color. Legs are slate gray/blue not greenish in any way. Ear lobes should be solid white no red in them at all, and males are hen feathered, There are no saddle feathers not a one ! If you have any type of saddle feathers its not the direction you want to go. either don't breed the bird or use only pure breeders back in this bird (never use this bird to breed again) and continue using pure into off spring for 6 to 8 generations to consider it a pure strain. I would not use any breeder with undesirable traits!

welcome! reading this made me realize that one of my two pullets has reddish eyes... once they start laying, she may need to go in another pen.

 

[Drieslag]

I have breed silver campines with gold campines for many years and never have had any yellowing on white cape or hackle feathers what so ever!. You will not if you have pure campines in the first place. Its a good thing to do when one is lacking gene pool . Eyes should always be dark ,like coal. no reddish eye color. Legs are slate gray/blue not greenish in any way. Ear lobes should be solid white no red in them at all, and males are hen feathered, There are no saddle feathers not a one ! If you have any type of saddle feathers its not the direction you want to go. either don't breed the bird or use only pure breeders back in this bird (never use this bird to breed again) and continue using pure into off spring for 6 to 8 generations to consider it a pure strain. I would not use any breeder with undesirable traits!

Is there anyone also selecting on egg size, color or shape?
I thought they they should be clear white - no pink or brown - and be preferably more 'golf ball' round than oval. Not sure yet what size should be, mine average at 40 grams.

Reason I ask is that I just received some Campine hatching eggs which I don't like at all. Far from pure white, very long in shape. They do weigh 52 grams on average though.

Seriously doubting even putting them in the incubator.

Any advice?

 

[campine2000]

well you are right on selecting for egg size and shape. That's important too. A torpedo shaped egg is not the ideal shape for the chick to hatch out of let alone the ideal shape of any chicken egg. I'd say if you paid money for those eggs try to hatch them. Keep in mind the more undesirable traits worked in your flock the more difficult your end result becomes. As breeders say, " when you have nothing to work with start with anything and cull as you go. Select the best and get rid of the rest! " Campines are supposed to have a medium size white egg.

 

[Drieslag]

Thanks Campine2000. I have some more campine eggs underway, hopefully they're better looking, in which case I'll get rid of the torpedo's

Can't help quote from Frank Platt's 'The Campines: Silver and Golden' (1914):

"What advice can you give me to help me find the best
egg-laying hen?" My answer was prompt, "Colonel," I
said, "go to the market and buy the finest eggs for hatch-
ing and the chicks which will be hatched from those
eggs will lay eggs similar to those of their mother."
The colonel took a step backwards and made a profound
bow. We asked why that ceremony, and he said,
"Monsieur, when any one makes so sensible an answer
it is well worth a mark of respect."

https://archive.org/details/cu31924003118621

 

[lawatt]

mine just started laying again, and seem to have a pretty classical egg shape, not too round, but definitely not torpedoes...

and took a few photos today of the trio:

 

[Wisher1000]

Laura, where did your SCs come from? Was it Urch? I would like to see a close up of that hen with the bigger comb. I don't think that I have ever seen one with a comb that size. I notice that most have tiny little spikes for combs, but the pics from the 1950's show more of the comb like your hen has. Does it have a flop on the back side? I don't have any hens with combs I like......

 

[lawatt]

Laura, where did your SCs come from? Was it Urch? I would like to see a close up of that hen with the bigger comb. I don't think that I have ever seen one with a comb that size. I notice that most have tiny little spikes for combs, but the pics from the 1950's show more of the comb like your hen has. Does it have a flop on the back side? I don't have any hens with combs I like......

my two girls i got from a local breeder, Shannon at Die Fly Ranch, who *had* been breeding silver campines, but had decided to focus down on fewer breeds (she still raises araucanas and silver-pencilled rocks -- here's her website: http://www.dieflyranch.com/) -- she sold most of her stock to someone else, but had two pullets left last spring, so i took them, as they're so beautiful! then the boy came from hatching eggs that i got a woman up in the Sierras (Debs_flock here on BYC), who I believe shows her golden and silver campines. I'm not sure where either of them got their original lines, but i could ask if you'd like?

i have been thinking of ordering some additional chicks from Urch, but didn't want to get 25, which is their minimum order, so have been looking for someone local who also wants chicks of some breed that Urch carries?

the girl with the larger comb unfortunately has reddish eyes rather than dark -- but i'm not sure what you mean by a flop on the back side? i'll try to get better photos, although probably won't have time til tomorrow. the other girl's feathers are closer to being barred straight across, too...

 

[Wisher1000]

For a female, the standard calls for a single comb that is medium in size. I think most I've seen have been too small. It should also be deeply serrated and the first point should stand straight up and the rest should gradually flop to one side. There are supposed to be five points in all.

 

[lawatt]

For a female, the standard calls for a single comb that is medium in size. I think most I've seen have been too small. It should also be deeply serrated and the first point should stand straight up and the rest should gradually flop to one side. There are supposed to be five points in all.

thanks, i will take a closer look when i get back from work today! (and yes, i really need to get a copy of the standard one of thee days...)

 

[lawatt]

For a female, the standard calls for a single comb that is medium in size. I think most I've seen have been too small. It should also be deeply serrated and the first point should stand straight up and the rest should gradually flop to one side. There are supposed to be five points in all.

and apologies, it was a crazy week & i still haven't taken any photos -- but the one pullet with the larger comb does NOT flop, but the other (who's comb has gotten larger these past few weeks, she's also the only one of the two laying yet) DOES flop about halfway back. it is deeply serrated, but has more than five points, i think (they never hold still!). so, one proper comb! her feathers also line up better, so that the white lines across the black feathers are *almost* (but not quite) straight. i'll try to get a photo...