Consolidated Kansas

[HEChicken]

Ralph, I am also interested in producing sex-links. I keep snakes so the males will still serve a purpose as snake food, and I would then only have to raise the females. Win-win since snakes have to eat too, and it saves me money on buying snake food, if I can produce my own.

With that in mind, I've done a little research and found the following thread to be very helpful:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/261208/sex-linked-information

Some of the paragraphs that were more pertinent to me:

Quote: (The first rule was a very long paragraph that basically said sex-links don't breed true - something of which I was already aware.)

Quote: This is what Danz was referring to about the white rocks needing to be silver based.

Anyway, I won't quote too much since the link is there so you can read on as much as interests you. My main cock bird is a New Hampshire so I am halfway there. My other cock bird will be a Barred Rock (when he grows up - he is currently only a few weeks old) and from him I may be able to produce black sex-links as well.

 

[CHIKENROOKIE]

1. Good layer.
2. Maybe a breed that is not prevalent, especially among those of us in the "city" !
3. Smarter than my bo?

Since I am limited to 5 i want to make the most of enjoying chickens.

Not show for sure, since I dont want to pay a fortune only to lose it to a predator!

All that being said........I wish that I lived on some property so the "math" would work it all out!

 

[sharol]

1. Good layer.
2. Maybe a breed that is not prevalent, especially among those of us in the "city" !
3. Smarter than my bo?

Since I am limited to 5 i want to make the most of enjoying chickens.

Not show for sure, since I dont want to pay a fortune only to lose it to a predator!

All that being said........I wish that I lived on some property so the "math" would work it all out!

I know what you mean. We live in the country, but my plan was to have 5 or 6 hens for eggs. When I got my first chicks I looked at egg color first. Ironically the most interesting chickens I got were a Golden Campine (white eggs) and an Easter Egger. The Campines aren't supposed to be particularly good layers, but Scout lays 4-5 a week when she isn't molting, and she is a real character. She is half the size of the biggest girls and lays large eggs most of the time -- she also established herself as boss hen early on and keeps everyone in line. The EE turned out to be all white, and she is the sweetest girl ever. My Delawares were the best layers that first winter, but one developed laying problems after her first molt that just didn't clear up.

I started out with 1 white layer, 1 green layer, and 4 brown layers (of various hues). I love the color variety in the egg basket. I have since added more EE's (none as interesting as Lily, though) and recently 2 BC Marans and 2 Marans crosses for some darker eggs.

Enjoy the chickens. We certainly do.

 

[chicken danz]

1. Good layer.
2. Maybe a breed that is not prevalent, especially among those of us in the "city" !
3. Smarter than my bo?

Since I am limited to 5 i want to make the most of enjoying chickens.

Not show for sure, since I dont want to pay a fortune only to lose it to a predator!

All that being said........I wish that I lived on some property so the "math" would work it all out!

Chickens appear really dumb some time but I wouldn't say it was breed specific. If I were recommending a breed or two that you can really enjoy, I would recommend a speckled sussex, a salmon faverolle, or a brahma. I would say Orpington as well but apparently you have one from a hatchery that isn't quite up to standard of a pure bred one. They are normally awesome birds. All of these are excellent layers and super docile and friendly breeds. Just be aware that if you buy a hatchery bird you get a mixed breed with the feathering of the actual bird you are buying. They are in-bred to produce better egg producers..not to maintain the traits of the actual breed.
You can buy a good quality bird from a breeder who produces show quality birds as well. Many many birds don't make the cut as far as being show quality. I have some buff orps with a floppy comb. I have one with a crooked tail. There's all kinds of traits that would disqualify a bird from being show quality but they would still be awesome layers. So it's not like you would have to pay a fortune for a bird.
So are you looking for chicks, well started birds, or hens? You would of course have the best luck having lap chickens if you started with chicks.
Quote:

Well, I posted my 2 extra roosters on Craigslist this morning. (the orp/marans cross and the BC Marans). The cross is causing problems in the run, but he isn't human aggressive (just other rooster aggressive and he is picking on my beta EE rooster). Hum, just got a call on the mixed roo. Yeah!!!

One of the problems with hatching is the extra roos. sigh. I'm hoping Butch's boys can get along together so I don't have to get rid of one. When they hatch into your hand, it is hard to let go.

Wish me luck on the Craigslist call.

I hope they are placed in a good home, Sharol. Darned roosters anyway. I need to move a bunch myself. Not eating birds either.

Ralph, I am also interested in producing sex-links. I keep snakes so the males will still serve a purpose as snake food, and I would then only have to raise the females. Win-win since snakes have to eat too, and it saves me money on buying snake food, if I can produce my own.

With that in mind, I've done a little research and found the following thread to be very helpful:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/261208/sex-linked-information

Some of the paragraphs that were more pertinent to me:

(The first rule was a very long paragraph that basically said sex-links don't breed true - something of which I was already aware.)

This is what Danz was referring to about the white rocks needing to be silver based.

Anyway, I won't quote too much since the link is there so you can read on as much as interests you. My main cock bird is a New Hampshire so I am halfway there. My other cock bird will be a Barred Rock (when he grows up - he is currently only a few weeks old) and from him I may be able to produce black sex-links as well.

HEChicken once I get all these offspring sexed I'm going to determine if there is any particular color or pattern to the offspring so I can still raise sex links. If not I'll still keep my New Hamp and my rocks as my laying group. I'd love to raise the New Hamps as a breed but I have to cut breeds some where.
Also wanted to tell you I checked the first three turkey eggs I put in the incubator after tossing several to begin with. They are all fertile. I just put another 4 in there that I collected the last few days. One of those might have gotten frozen. Time will tell. My other turkeys aren't laying yet. These will be due about the 2nd of February.

 

[KSChickieMomma]

Hi everyone! I have a question for you. I am considering building a summer coop for my chickens. I have about 12 right now and will be adding several more in March. Is it a good idea to have a winter coop and a separate summer coop? I have the coop next to our the shed but am wondering if I should build one in our hay field for them to be able to free range out there instead of just the fenced yard. They love to roam around anyway but have never gotten out into the field. I think they would love it! I just wonder if it is a good idea to switch coops on them or just leave them where they are and let them eventually find their way out? They follow me all over, especially if I walk further from the coop than they do on their own. Maybe they will just follow me out if I stay out with them? Any thoughts/suggestions? Thanks! Just thinking of ways to make my girls happy and laying!

 

[chicken danz]

My first concern if I were you would be if they are in the field do you have protection for them. Like a guard dog or something? There's a couple of options you could do. You could build a larger chicken tractor that you could put them in and move it around. Remember when building these it's essential to keep it sturdy for their safety but as light weight as possible. The other option would be a PVC pen. Most designs have a tarp over one side which provides shade and shelter. I made my own but I had to order several fittings for it. If I were to do it again I would have included a door on the top and the side. I currently just have one on the side. The nice thing about a PVC pen is that they can be moved easily. I designed mine with an opening on one corner that has a removable cap and a drain elsewhere on the bottom so I could weight it down by filling the bottom with water. I've never used the water feature though because for the most part this thing doesn't go anywhere. I wouldn't recommend leaving your birds out in a field without a good sturdy pen or some type of protection from predators. I let as many of my birds free range as I can when I'm not breeding but I also have guard dogs who watch them. One option might be to build a hoop coop and design it so it can be pulled with a tractor if you have one.
I really do like the idea of having a summer coop and winter coop. I would love to have an open air coop for summer. The main thing you would need would be a roof for shade. Heat is much more deadly to chickens than cold is.

 

[HEChicken]

Danz, thanks for following up on the feral cat program - I am so glad to hear they are not intending it be catch and release. Perhaps they should provide more information to potential adopters about the territorial nature of cats. I.e., that you can't just take a cat home from their program, release it, and expect it to know that this is its new home. It takes them awhile to adapt and "make" a new place their territory. Once they have established it as their new home, they will rarely leave, but until then, they are unlikely to hang around. When we moved to our new place, we kept our cats confined in our workshop until they had a chance to acclimatize. Then we opened the door and let them out to explore a little. They would go a little way, then go back "home" to the workshop. Next day they'd go a little further. And so on. Eventually they understood the boundaries of their new territory (which is not always the boundary of the property. For example, our current "outside" cat, spends 90% of his time in the 3-season room. He will follow me down to the chicken yard and hang out there awhile if the smell of mice is strong. Then he goes back to the 3-season room. He never goes out into our pasture, or past the front porch of the house - because any further is outside the "territory" that he has outlined for himself.

There is a chart on that page I linked to, that offers the best combinations to produce sex-links. I have quoted it below. He explains that best results are produced from Group 1 males over Group 1 females but also explains what the offspring will look like from Group 2, 3, etc. Later in the article he specifically says that White Rocks should not be used:
Quote:
Quote:
I also remembered after reading the article that BR male can NOT be used to produce sex links. Instead the BR male can be used to recreate Delawares, while the NH over the BR hen will produce a BSL. Right now I do not have an appropriate female to create RSL's. Interestingly, one of the females in Group 1 is a Delaware. A Delaware is created by BR over NH. So I would first need to follow a Delaware project for 3 generations, and THEN I might be able to use the Delaware hens to produce RSL's. So for me they are a long way down the road unless in the meantime I acquire another hen from the Group 1 hens.

 

[Ralph Moyer]

Like I said, I like the characteristics of the sex links I have, but I doubt if I could get the same line from the Texas hatchery I received the ones I have now. I received Several Mottled Java in the 75 Pullet mix I ordered from them in the spring of 2012, and they have no Mottled Java in their catalog. They fill their orders using local breeders, as I found a Mottled Java breeder close to their location. There were several Silver laced Wyandotte pullets in that mix and I got a Wyandotte rooster from a local breeder. I kept 8 of the pullets I hatched last spring and they are good layers, but the eggs are medium pale tan, like the eggs they came from. There was one Black Australorps pullet in that mix and I got a Black Langshang rooster from a dealer who raises them. The young hens from this mix have most of the Langhang characteristics.(Larger combs and feathers on their legs) I have separated the different breeds and so far the plumage is maintaining according to their breed.

 

[CHIKENROOKIE]

Definitely chicks, my last group were I guess straight run. My wife and I just picked them out of the tub.

Was bummed when my RIR turned out to be such a handsome young rooster so I think I may shoot for another.

I would love to have an EE as well for the different egg colors.

I guess that leaves only 1 opening.......

 

[chicken danz]

Humm! I might be able to use one of my sussex (coronation) with the New Hamp to create some sex links. That would be a waste though since the Coronation are worth so much more. For now I'll just use what I produced cause I know they will be good layers. I had some Delaware hens but sold them all last summer. Well I guess I'll use them if they get over this cold they have.
HEChicken I talked to them extensively about the cat program. They said they were trying to achieve the best of both worlds. That they use the vacuum effect...which if you read up on it DOES NOT eliminate the problem. Sad that they are wasting their resources. However they are trying to reduce the population of cats that can reproduce to get the number under control. The point is to make the cats so they can't breed thereby reducing the population. Good practice but it's really flawed. They don't go out and trap the animals. They are brought to them by people who catch or trap them. They unfortunately will never get rid of the overpopulation that way. The public needs education and also the people working there could use a little more to be honest.
We discussed feral cats vs stray and she said they really didn't assess the situation other than if they started acting friendly they could tell they had been humanized.
I wish I could man a project like that. Cats will repopulate at a higher rate when the numbers are reduced so they are achieving very little.