Chicken Math & Genetics Experiments in Southeast Missouri

[halefamily_flock]

Chicks first snow...

 

[416bigbore]

Our little turkeys have yet to see their first snow, can't wait!

 

[halefamily_flock]

One chick from each of 3 genetics experiments. I think they’re all beautiful!
9 weeks old

 

[Grammy60]

A belated welcome to BYC, you have a beautiful flock and I look forward to seeing them again.

 

[halefamily_flock]

The December babies are almost 11 weeks old. They spent most of the day today snuggling on the roost in the coop (it was single digits F today)

The Hamburg hens are the only "bigs" who are little enough to fit through the chick door into the brooder coop. They seem to enjoy spending their time inside with the littles, bossing them around. In the adult flock, Hamburgs are at the very bottom of the pecking order. They get excited when they first see new chicks through the temporary fencing, and LOVE when the littles start free ranging with the bigs (usually around 6-8 weeks old). For a little while they can boss someone else around. The babies are not quite as big as the full-grown Hamburgs yet, but when they're all puffed up, staying warm, they look bigger!

 

[halefamily_flock]

Scene from the brooder coop today... Since several of the laying Hamburgs have decided to join the littles, I opened a couple of the nest boxes. The Hamburg hen is showing her displeasure that a baby girl has infiltrated the nest box she wanted to lay an egg in.

 

[Newyorkrita]

Scene from the brooder coop today... Since several of the laying Hamburgs have decided to join the littles, I opened a couple of the nest boxes. The Hamburg hen is showing her displeasure that a baby girl has infiltrated the nest box she wanted to lay an egg in.
View attachment 2537435

I get such a kick out of the ones with the black hairdo's!! I think they are adorable.

 

[halefamily_flock]

Our December 1 babies are maturing ridiculously fast. It's my first winter hatch and the babies went through a pretty major deep freeze a couple of weeks ago. Have others experienced rapid maturing in adverse climate conditions?

We just sold our last baby boy from this hatch, so this will be the last photo of him. We're keeping all of the girls, at least until they start laying--which could be soon based on the red combs & wattles I'm seeing.

 

[halefamily_flock]

We are preparing for our biggest hatching season to date. I've been doing various small experiments and am now confident enough to start offering some of our hybrids to the public. Here's what we're hatching:

https://www.halefamily.farm/chickens

What do you think?

 

[drumstick diva]

Wow your birds are absolutely gorgeous