Campine Chicken thread?

[lawatt]

so the mystery of my one pullet that had an unusually large comb, that @Wisher1000 was asking about a while back, is that, at approx. a year old, she is turning out to be an intersex chicken, with indeterminate gender -- here are some pictures taken yesterday with the cockerel (who is several months younger, he's on the left below):


this one has never laid an egg, and has a comb not quite as large as the cockerel's, but is about twice the size of my other pullet, who's been laying consistently since january (and i've hatched 12 of her chicks!) -- and has tiny nubbins developing where spurs would be. s/he also has red eyes (so i wouldn't have used him/her for breeding anyway) -- and as if to point out how silly it is that it's taken me this long to figure out she's not really a regular pullet, tried to crow this morning -- doesn't sound like a regular crow at all, more like someone shouting for help.

s/he's also the most unruly chicken i own, refuses to go into a pen, and if i do manage to catch him/her, makes such a crazy ruckus that all the other flocks start alarm-calling. i'm not sure what to do with him/her -- but it's an interesting case, at any rate!

 

[12345678910]

How do you tell the difference between a silver and a golden campine as chicks?

 

[debs_flock]

How do you tell the difference between a silver and a golden campine as chicks?

Go to the bottom of the page, there are goldens and silvers pictured.

http://feathersite.com/Poultry/CGA/Camp/BRKCampine.html#CampChix

However, it's not always easy and I find they can be easily mixed at hatch. But within a week they'll start to feather and then you can easily see the difference.

 

[PrestonC]

How do you tell the difference between a silver and a golden campine as chicks?

Like debs_flock said, it can be confusing and easy to mix them up at first. Before the feathers start coming in (1st week of age) I look at the top of the head (around the big spot) and the breast.

Silvers will have a white/yellow tint down color and golds will be more of a brown or gold.

 

[Drieslag]

broody campines, it's never supposed to happen.
well, I have 2 campines, am trying desperately to find a rooster, and now both of my hens are broody.

Just my luck...

1 one of them hasn't left the nest for more than 2 months already

Anyone had broody campines before????

 

[Wisher1000]

The first campines I had were a group of hatchery campines that I fell in love with. They were picked off, one by one by a large hawk. The last one of that bunch that I had disappeared and I thought the hawk got her. Two weeks later, I saw her slip around the corner of our shop and underneath the floor. I investigated and found that she was sitting on about 6 eggs in the space between the floor joists. A few days before they were supposed to hatch, a stray dog killed the little hen. I dealt with the dog then rescued the eggs. I had to dig a trench and rake the eggs out from under the shop. I hatched those eggs but they were mixed and all roosters.

 

[debs_flock]

Wisher,

I'm about a week away from the silvers being ready to go. I separated them and culled down to my favorite roo and hens about two weeks ago.

Deb

 

[Wisher1000]

 

[lawatt]

i've successfully re-integrated my pair of silvers into a pen with eleven of their offspring (4 boys, 7 girls) who are growing out (they are now approx. 2 months old) -- Deb (or anyone else), do you have any tips on when to start culling, and/or what to look for most as they grow out?

and my gender-uncertain silver, who refuses to even ENTER a pen, has been successfully living outdoors 24/7 for two months now, in a very predator-prone area -- s/he roosts in the oak tree's branches at night, and seems to be enjoying life just fine. i must admit i'm impressed -- a light sussex that I accidentally left outside the pen last summer was taken by a predator that very night.

 

[PrestonC]

Campines are almost always under-sized. At shows, my biggest campines win- even when a different bird is in almost perfect condition. So that's a biggie.

Also look for correct colored shanks and eyes. You don't want to keep very many campines with those defects. Solid colored hackles are nice to have, but that's hard to accomplish so don't cull just because they have leakage there.

I'm pretty sure those are main points that distinguish good campines from bad. I'm sure someone will give their comments, too!