zigzag45, It's been a long process and at one point, I almost decided to just go to Swedish Flowers but after getting them I realized I was on the right track with the Alohas.
I want a bird that is truly dual purpose, and is beautiful to look at. Alohas are a work in progress and along the way I have learned a ton. They were really small birds to start with so the goal was to size up. I knew nothing about the SOP when I started this little endeavor and I have done everything the hard way and figured out how to fail big, but I kept going and learned as much as I could. It's amazing how many different birds will start spangled and lose the spangles entirely as they mature. I tried crossing Alohas with Buff Rocks, Buff Cornish, Speckled Sussex, Buff Orps, New Hamps and German New Hamps. The only one to hold any kind of spots was the Speckled Sussex, but then it darkened the background of the Aloha too much. In the meantime, I realized it was going to take forever to get the bird to any kind of proper "type" using hatchery birds.
Then, I took advantage of finding some Swedish Flower hatching eggs close and hatched those thinking I maybe could use those birds to size up and return some of what I had been given through the program. At first, I thought, why am I working so hard on the Alohas when I have these beautiful, sweet Swedish Flowers? They are very loveable birds! However, as they grew, I found that the Swedish males were very slow to develop fully. They are a flatter breasted bird and when you want a bird for meat, it's nice to have a fuller breast. The hens tended to have a lot of gray, pretty but not the contrast of pure black, red or orange that I really love. There were also splash white birds. I wanted to be able to consistently breed an orange/red/lemon bird with white spangles. The Swedish also seemed less vigilant than all of my other birds in watching for hawks.
Enter the Buff Sussex. So I learned that if you breed Buff (Columbian color pattern) to Speckled Sussex, you will end up with a few Mille Fleur Sussex. Thus lightening the background of a straight Speckled to cross with the Aloha and hopefully resulting in a Mille Fleur pattern with a light background. Having learned all about type and how that effects productivity and the health of a bird, I wanted to add Buff's for their width of body and impressive size. After all of these Sussex around the premises, I absolutely fell in love with them. The great big roundness of those birds just make me smile and when they run, forget about it I have to laugh! They look like little old ladies hiking up their skirts to run. It's so darn cute I can't stand it. So my line of Alohas will inevitably echo my preferences. My largest Aloha hen to date has been 4 lbs (the avatar) while the Buffs are 6 lb. hens with a 10 lb. rooster. We are aiming for 5 lb. hens so I'm thinking I will get there with my Sussex. The Buff rooster is very predator aware and has done a beautiful job protecting the hens. I need that around here because my birds are enclosed in an electric fence, so they aren't protected from the sky.
I purchased breeder Speckleds last year but Speckled Sussex tend to be less hardy than other birds and not one of them made it. So that delayed me until I could get some from Walt'z Ark this year, instead of the previous breeder. While I was at it, I threw in some Light Sussex to see if I can lighten the background color of the Alohas. Those chicks are growing out in the brooder. They are also said to be better layers than the Buff, although the Buff aren't bad at all.
So while I was waiting on the quality Speckleds, I have crossed the Buff roo with my Aloha and a hatchery Speckled with very even speckling, just to pass the time and see what happens. I have 15 growing out in the brooder but am going to choose the best 5 and sell the rest this week, based upon the overall width of legs, straightness of back, and the most white in the feathers. I want to cross the "keepers" back to the Alohas which have been sized up with Swedish and Buff, Dun, and Cinnamon Sussex crosses.
HEChicken is working on increasing egg size and frequency so she is crossing Exchequer Leghorns with German New Hampshires and working to create a white mottled bird. It's fascinating to see how each person progresses with their piece of the puzzle.
I am truly drawn to the challenge of creating a quality bird that is as beautiful, or more so to my eye, than the Swedish. I've been told it can't be done from where the program started, to not waste my time, etc. But, I believe it can be done and it can be done well. With today's trends, I think preserving these rare Sussex, along with creating a "trendy" bird is a great way to provide meat and eggs for my family. While a flashy bird will draw people in, as they progress in their understanding and knowledge they branch out and find what suits them. My ideal is a polka dotted Sussex. To be true to the program, the Aloha will ultimately be shaped more like a smaller, bit less rounded body, with a great plume of a tail. I am focusing right now on helping the program to size up with a proper carcass.
When I end up with my ideal Aloha, will I continue working on the program? I don't know. I will be very happy with creating my own ideal and contributing that way. I thought I may not continue when I added the Swedish but here I am, still plugging away. I guess I really enjoy the experimentation. Seeing what happens with different matings and I'm probably hooked for life creating different color strains that will breed true. Red Spangled, Black Spangled, Lemon Spangled, Buff Spangled... this could go on forever.
I did see these little white things. Part of normal digestion or bad stuff?
