Colloncas, Huastecs, & Quechuas

[bardies]

Thanks for the update!

 

[Grannychick55]

Well eggs are fertile from both Colloncas and Huastec pens they both are laying even with the extreme cold. Both of these breeds appear very hardy in the cold I have not had grown bitds in the extreme heat yet this will be the first summer it gets very hot and dry here hope they do as well on heat as they have done in the cold

 

[Kyzmette]

Grannychick55, that's great to hear! You need to post pics soon, because I know they look gorgeous!

 

[Penny Hen]

I have received some of Yashar's colloncas and a few other breeds for my little hobby farm up over 7000 feet. The colloncas are an incredibly hardy breed up here and every single one I've ever gotten from Yashar is still alive and doing well. I have read some of the debate on other pages about colloncas just being clean faced araucanas... but I don't believe this. I have had horrible luck with araucanas/EEs/americaunas with maybe only 60% survivability. The second and third generation collonca mixes are absolutely gorgeous. I am not raising pure stock from Yashar's birds because my hope is to have a stable landrace flock that is suited for the high desert climate. So far, his colloncas are the only birds I've ever gotten that are a sure thing. I can attest to the hardiness of his colloncas. I won't get into the genetics but believe in the hardiness of his birds. I really hope that he'll be able to supply some of his regular customers like me next year as the though of not having an infusion of new blood into my flock is just sad.

ps. I have to do live birds as hatching eggs don't hatch at this elevation from sea level.

I have been doing some research on this for a friend who is buying land there in Colorado this spring. You could get them to hatch at that level but it will take a machine like a Brinsea with the humidity pump and maybe a small closet to put it in where you can boost the oxygen.

 

[coloradogal]

I have been doing some research on this for a friend who is buying land there in Colorado this spring. You could get them to hatch at that level but it will take a machine like a Brinsea with the humidity pump and maybe a small closet to put it in where you can boost the oxygen.

No offense to give but until you live at over 7200 ft above sea level and have attempted to hatch eggs, even with a brinsea....please refrain from giving people false hope. Many a coloradan has had their wallets lightened and their hopes smashed countless times in the attempt of hatching sea level eggs. Yes, expensive equipment works but pumping oxygen in with a heating element is never a smart option.

 

[coloradogal]

Well eggs are fertile from both Colloncas and Huastec pens they both are laying even with the extreme cold. Both of these breeds appear very hardy in the cold I have not had grown bitds in the extreme heat yet this will be the first summer it gets very hot and dry here hope they do as well on heat as they have done in the cold

They are very hardy in the dry, heat Colorado spring/summers and do just as well in the frigid cold. We are forecast -30 xmas eve so will supplement heat but down to around zero with a flock of around 50, they are just fine. I suspect their cold hardiness comes from being Massachusettes birds. =) They would probably do just fine by themselves but I have silkies in the flock and am not sure they will do as well as the colloncas.

 

[Penny Hen]

No offense to give but until you live at over 7200 ft above sea level and have attempted to hatch eggs, even with a brinsea....please refrain from giving people false hope. Many a coloradan has had their wallets lightened and their hopes smashed countless times in the attempt of hatching sea level eggs. Yes, expensive equipment works but pumping oxygen in with a heating element is never a smart option.

Well you are right about the oxygen and a heating element being a risk. You can't go over 25% oxygen without running the risk of exploding. So that would mean that you would have to monitor the percentage. There is a safer option of an oxygen accumulator that is used in some hatcheries in Chile. I still have to look up just how these work and if it can be made on a smaller scale.

The other thing is that you are right about it being difficult to to impossible to incubate eggs that were laid at sea level in high altitude. The higher you go the higher the percent of failure climbs due to the gasses escaping through the eggshell faster because of the lower air pressure. To some degree eggs laid in the same area that the hatching is done have fewer pores and their for don't dehydrate too fast. Some of this is mitigated by using a higher humidity but there are still significant losses on eggs from lower altitudes.

According to this study (http://en.aviagen.com/assets/Tech_C...les/RossTechNote_HatchingAltitudes2013_EN.pdf) at 7500 feet you would have 90% hatching of fertile eggs. Now this chart doesn't mention whether these eggs change altitude so I am assuming for the moment that that means that the eggs were laid local not shipped. Now if they are correct a 10% loss is acceptable for eggs that are laid on your place because every day the hens lay more (most of the year). For it to be economical when bringing in new blood then live chicks are the way. When you first mentioned this I thought you were saying that eggs (even locally laid eggs) wouldn't hatch at all at 7000 ft.

I am curious if the new and horribly expensive direct contact incubator that Brinsea is producing can counter some of the pressure issues. It uses an inflatable "skin" filled with warm air to press against the eggs. Mostly only zoos have this model.

It is not so much that I am trying to give anyone hope at the moment. I am a tinkerer and like to solve problems and build things. I have a BiL (brother-in-law) who knows computer electronics and lots of science. I like the challenge of trying to solve a tough problem and bring it in on a reasonable budget. I believe that between the two of us we could build a machine that could compensate for the altitude. The big question is could we build one that was affordable?

 

[familypendragon]

My Huastec pullet died My Collonca looks to be male. So sad.

 

[ronott1]

My Huastec pullet died

My Collonca looks to be male. So sad.

I am so sorry!

 

[Grannychick55]

My Huastec pullet died

My Collonca looks to be male. So sad.

What happened do you have any ideal ? I am so sorry mime seem to be doing good they are laying well even in this freezing weather I do have a heat lamp not enough to keep it warm just enough to help with the water not freezing. I am sorry that your little Huastec died .