Campine Chicken thread?

[CupOJoe42]

Here's my Golden Campine, Topaz. She's very friendly and pretty!!!

 

[Debbi]

This looks like a breed I may be interested in come next spring. From what I see, I prefer the Goldens. How big do the LF Goldens get?

 

[KyBlue]

The standard weight in the SOP is 6 lbs. for a cock and 4 lbs. for a hen. Most of the Golden Campines I have raised from exhibition lines are a little heavier. My Silver Campines tend to be a little smaller than my Goldens at this point. Most of the hatchery Campines that I have seen or raised myself tend to be small and underweight.

 

[sharol]

My Scout (golden campine) is about 2/3 the size (and half the weight) of her GLW, Delaware, and Welsumer broodmates, but she is the head hen on our place. She is undeniably the boss around here.

When a hawk was circling the pen (perusing the buffet, as my DH said) last winter, she went out of the covered pen and into the yard to retrieve my EE who was still unaware of the danger and herded her back to the relative safety. When this year's girls get out of line, she is the one to discipline them. She isn't mean, just firm and clearly in charge.

She harrasses us when we get home until someone opens the gate for them to get out in the yard, and she is always the last one in the coop. She is a great little hen.

 

[Debbi]

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Thank you. Your birds are lovely. Do you sell eggs? I won't be ready for a new project until the spring!

 

[Debbi]

Well, good girl Scout! Brains and beauty, I like that.

 

[sharol]

She's quite the character.

Scout about the time she laid her first egg last December.

In addition to her beauty, until she started molting, she laid about 5 eggs a week.

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[KyBlue]

Quote:
Thank you. Your birds are lovely. Do you sell eggs? I won't be ready for a new project until the spring!

Thanks. I am working hard to improve my Campines, but they are still not where I would like them to be. But I have seen some progress and I think my 2011 hatch has some good young birds to choose from for next year's breeding pens. I do sell a limited number of eggs each year to those interested. Just get back in touch with me in the spring.

Campines are quite the characters. Mine are always alert and the first to spot a predator when they are out free ranging. That's one reason I don't mind their occasional flightiness.

 

[Debbi]

Quote:
Thank you. Your birds are lovely. Do you sell eggs? I won't be ready for a new project until the spring!

Thanks. I am working hard on improving my Campines, but they are still not where I would like them to be. But I have seen some progress and I think my 2011 hatch has some good young birds to choose from for next year's breeding pens. I do sell a limited number of eggs each year to those interested. Just get back in touch with me in the spring.

Campines are quite the characters. Mine are always alert and the first to spot a predator when they are out free ranging. That's one reason I don't mind their occasional flightiness.

Great, I will contact you in the spring. Good to know they are predator wise, we have an array of hawks and other predators around here. Never even saw a Cooper's hawk until I got the chickens, but now they make a morning sweep of the property. I just keep everyone in the run until "Hawk Hour" is over. Seeing as how you are in KY, your weather is pretty much the same as it is out here in MO. Did your birds fare well with the cold last winter, and the heat this past summer?

 

[KyBlue]

The weather rarely phases my Campines. They are probably the hardiest and toughest birds I have on the farm. Even my roos with their big single combs, don't seem to be very prone to frostbite, if they are given shelter. The only problem I had after last winter's horrible weather was that it was a little later than usual for the fertility to get back on track.