Chicken Breed Focus - Campine

[Wisher1000]

LOL! I'm just hoping your enthusiasm holds. I would love to have a breeding partner in Kentucky.

 

[sharol]

LOL! I'm just hoping your enthusiasm holds. I would love to have a breeding partner in Kentucky.

LOL back at ya.

I have the enthusiasm, I just don't have the room for a serious breeding program. I'm trying to figure out a way to keep 4 or 5 as a breeding group.

Some of that will depend on how they get along with the English Orpingtons in my newer coop/run. If they all get along, I can separate them out to a portable during hatching times. I just don't want to have battles and blood. The Orps are pretty laid back, but they are "a flock" in their little chickie minds. They get along well with the mixed coop hens and rooster, but they stay with themselves. There is plenty of room for 5 or 6 more chickens in there if they can just get along.

My grandaughter spent the last week and a half handling the chicks and feeding them chopped egg and chick grower from her hands, so they have had lots of human interaction, and if the weather ever improves, they will go out in the tractor coop/run. I just hope there is sufficient room in there for 13 of them.

Now if I can just figure out which one I missed in the photo op today. 13 chicks, 12 groups of pictures. I think I may have two with teal legbands. Oh well, maybe tomorrow.

 

[sharol]

Ah ha. Found the little rascal. She/he had a duplicate teal legband (but on the other leg). I'm thinking cockerel here. That would be 8 possible pullets and 3 cockerels and 2 undetermined right now if @Wisher1000 and I are right (she is closer than I am, I'm sure).

 

[sharol]

Ah ha. Found the little rascal. She/he had a duplicate teal legband (but on the other leg). I'm thinking cockerel here. That would be 8 possible pullets and 3 cockerels and 2 undetermined right now if @Wisher1000 and I are right (she is closer than I am, I'm sure).

I knew someone was crowing, and this morning, I caught this little one doing it. BOY.

 

[Wisher1000]

Ah ha. Found the little rascal. She/he had a duplicate teal legband (but on the other leg). I'm thinking cockerel here. That would be 8 possible pullets and 3 cockerels and 2 undetermined right now if @Wisher1000 and I are right (she is closer than I am, I'm sure).

Yes, this one is absolutely, beyond a doubt, a male.

I am so lucky to love my breed so much that I don't even mind when they are not hens.

I don't get letdown when I discover they are actually roosters. My disappointment is when I have to send lots of beautiful roosters to be processed. That is exacerbated by the fact that the roosters are no trouble in large numbers. I had a bachelor pen with 40+ roosters who rarely squabbled. I could even throw a new one in there and after establishing where he fell on the pecking order all was quiet in a hour. They really are a joy to work with, as long as you can free range them most of the time, they really need that to reach full potential.

I won't say I will be closer to judging the gender. You can see them, all I have to go on are pics! I judge first by the comb. A male Campine will almost always start growing that beautiful straight comb right away. It even begins to pink up early. Now, there are exceptions. Sometimes, a male will hide his maleness until he gets to about six to eight weeks old, but that is not common. I may have an advantage spotting those as I have learned to judge by stance, and the lack of feathers in the body and tail. Most of the time, though, the roosters can't wait to show it off.

Ha! None of the waiting like with most other breeds.

Almost all of your guessing with Campines is in the first couple of weeks, after that you pretty much know. I had one, just one, this past year, that had some issues. He was always ''hen-ish" and developed his comb later than the others. It never got full size and the bird was slender, delicate, and had some sort of problem with his crop. But even that boy was exquisite. He had the most beautifully clear, white flowing hackles and his body and tail markings (though not ideal by standard) were striking.

Quote: See? Told ya'!

Isn't it cool to see them crow so young?

I always laugh when I see people with other breeds shocked, proud, amazed, etc. when a chick crows.... happens here all the time!

I can't understand why everybody doesn't have Campines.

 

[sharol]

I can't understand why everybody doesn't have Campines.

I love your dedication to the breed. I'm looking forward to their chatty little selves running around in the yard bossing everyone around.

 

[Wisher1000]

You know, they are not bad to boss the other breeds, but they won't be bossed, either. If a bully bird tries to pick on them, they just run off to some other adventure, or fly away. They fly real well.

 

[Wisher1000]

The more I look at him, the more I really like this little fellow. He is the epitome of a (what?) two week old Campine. That comb announces his gender loud and proud. His tail is low and will hopefully only come up a little as he matures. His stance screams, "You have to admit, I'm SOMETHING!"

I'd be watching that bad boy, closely.

 

[sharol]

You know, they are not bad to boss the other breeds, but they won't be bossed, either. If a bully bird tries to pick on them, they just run off to some other adventure, or fly away. They fly real well.

When I had Scout (my golden from the hatchery) she would fly more than the others. After our first snow, she flew from the gate to the run almost to the shoveled patio, and it is about 75 feet.

She didn't care for the snow AT ALL, and that first winter, we had it on the ground for a couple of months. She was the first one to figure out that there was dry ground up near the south facing house.

 

[Drieslag]

Just made new contact. Swedish Campines! One of the nicest pictures I'v seen lately.