Crossing my Red Ranger Hens.

[BlueBaby]

Sounds like you won the Lottery, Some are turning out to be runts and some are turning out to be quite large quite fast. I just moved some Dork X to the adult coop because the Juvenile Coop is too crowded. I struggled to figure out which one were from the first batch and which one were from the 2nd batch.

I didn't hatch as many Dork O's as I did Dork X. And the few that I did hatch out went into different systems. 2 went into the Rationed Feed flock as Buddy Birds to the CX. 3 went into the Buddy Birds of the male CX with unlimited Feed and Limited space. They ended up picking up CX eating habits and got quite large. and 2 went into the Juvenile Coop with the Dork X because they were red and none of the Dork X are red. I am going to do some photo comparisons to see Size differences after I process the last CX.

Don't give up on the Dork O's. I like them, and wish that more of them would have hatched.

 

[Compost King]

Here are some pictures I took to run out my batteries. They are not all meat bird related, I have so many breeding projects going on (most will be failures I am just learning this stuff). I like to run my battery all the way down before I charge it and I wanted it to have a full charge by tomorrow morning.

Dominique in a cheep dollar store nesting box, Its not really big enough but they use it so it stays.

My other 2 Dominique Hens, I have 2 roosters in the same pen. They were all 5 supposed to be Pullets. I don't mind the mistake because now I get to breed them.

The adult bird coop feeder, I have outside feeding stations too because there are usually too many birds in here for one feeder. I have 2 Easter Egger roosters along with 2 a Fibro Trait Rooster and Hen in the background. The Fibro Trait Birds have some Red Ranger in them in an attempt to make them meatier.

This is my one eyed Olive Egger, She isn't very healthy, sometimes her 2nd eye swells shut and she is blind but she can manage to find the feeder and the water. For some reason the aggressive birds leave her alone. If she can feed and water herself and no one starts pecking her I shall leave her be. I feel bad for her but I do not kill any more that struggles to live. When I have to carry her to food and water I tend to give them 1 or 2 weeks to get better. Sometimes they do and sometimes they do not. So far she has not needed help.

Ayam Cemanis on top of the Red Leghorn pen. I plan to sell them this saturday at Carolina Chicken Stock. In the back ground you can see a couple of leghorn pens, my Silver Leghorns and the production mix leghorns.

On the right (or center if you include the 3rd bird) is a Pure bred Silver Grey Dorking. On the left is a 3/4 Dorking (much younger) who has the Silver Grey Pattern. Its not a perfect pattern but its getting there. The one on the left is growing faster and hardier than the pure breds who have about a 10% survival rate.

Some more of my 3/4 Dorking's, These will likely be bred in an attempt to create a Columbian (or Light Dorking) pattern. Depending on how they look when they reach Sexual Maturity and if they pass the 5 toes test.

This is a Red Dorking... Its one of the few with my Reverse breeding path (I labeled them Dork O instead of Dork X on the eggs I collected) This particular batch had a Mixed Father and Pure Dorking Mothers. The others have the opposite.

Lone Ayam Cemani Cockerel (possibly a Pullet) having a meal at the feeder

My Meat bird cage. Getting kinda crowded now, Next Week he becomes a meal and all his Buddy Birds will be liberated from Cage life. They are starting to pick up the Eat and sit down traits of the CX. Although they are not as large as the CX they do seem to be growing faster than their brothers and sisters due to the influence/Habits of the CX.

Just a Random Feeder shot, 3/4 Dorkings and 1 Ayam Cemani.

2 Serama Mamas hatch out 1 chick. They hatch out one bird then ignore the rest of them. Silly mamas.

The Red 3/4 Dorkings. Going to use them to make Red and Buff Dorkings. Definitely Pullets because the particular breeding of these 2 will not create Red males.

Another 3/4 dorking

Light Brahma Pullet and Delaware Hen. My Delaware is crappy Hatchery Quality. Chances are so is my Brahma but at least she isn't tiny like the Delaware.

One of my easter eggers, Can't tell if she is Red or Buff.. not that it matters I just need a few blue eggs to make my egg cartons look cool

another 3/4 Dorking Cockerel. I took a lot of pictures of them because people have hatching eggs from the same crossing and I figured a good peak into what they may end up looking like would be handy to them.

A peak inside the free feed CX cage. Look back into the camera lens is an Ayam Cemani X Red Ranger Pullet.

Another 3/4 Dorking

Ever buy the wrong feed because you didn't read the label correctly? me too! This is my worm bin and I am composting Goat feed in it. Chickens won't eat it so I fed it to the worms. Well it got compost hot and the Worms will not touch it (yet) however it ended up being a massive maggot farm. This Ayam Cemani is hunting maggots which is a favorite of Chickens.

The last picture before the battery wore out Its the bantam Coop. The coop is inside my Tool shed. Thats why I got away with using Bird Netting. Its in a secure building already in a corner out of the way. Since I do not need the entire shed for tools I figured I could build a small coop in there. I am actually sick of those Old English Game Bantams. They Go broody multiple times in the summer and are lousy mothers. They do not lay in Winter either. so they pretty much do not lay eggs very often.there is a Japanese bantam roosting with them, she goes broody all the time too but is an excellent mother.. its why I still have her after selling off all the other bantams her age. I have a Rhode Island Red and a Red Cochin at the feeder and 2 other OEGB Hens who are sitting on eggs... AGAIN... 3rd time this summer but at least its just 2 of them this time. I do like how they scratch up leaves and straw and grass Clippings better than other birds but now that I have leghorns for that I do not need them... I will likely Craigslist them. 5 hens and 1 rooster. Should be an easier than normal sell at a low price because they are not show quality... I need to free up a coop for something more useful anyways.

 

[Compost King]

Don't give up on the Dork O's. I like them, and wish that more of them would have hatched.

I won't be hatching any more of them because they were just a stepping stone crossing, I will be crossing the 2 red ones back to their father to make red and Buff Dorkings.

 

[BlueBaby]

Thank's for posting this, and mine is very similar to the one above at the feed dish. So with the Dork O's only the pullet's get the reddish feathering?

 

[Morrigan]

That is quite the set-up you have, @Compost King! I'm impressed with the numbers and how you are able to separate them out into pens and pursue various breeding combinations. I've not got anything near that ambitious planned, and I'm already thinking that it is a fair amount of planning. Do you run an egg business on the side as well as your compost business? You must be collecting a mountain of eggs each day.

 

[Compost King]

Thank's for posting this, and mine is very similar to the one above at the feed dish. So with the Dork O's only the pullet's get the reddish feathering?

there will be males getting reddish feathers, but only the Females will be Red (with a Columbian pattern). Although the Male parent was not a Red he was a yellow (which is a white that shares red and Buff Traits) his Red Trait only carried over to the Females because the Mothers were Silver. Because the Father was yellow they can't officially be Sex Links because some Pullets will be the same color/pattern as males but all the Reds will be Females. ... Keep in mind I am just now learning this stuff and what I read or what I find isn't always accurate.

 

[BlueBaby]

there will be males getting reddish feathers, but only the Females will be Red (with a Columbian pattern). Although the Male parent was not a Red he was a yellow (which is a white that shares red and Buff Traits) his Red Trait only carried over to the Females because the Mothers were Silver. Because the Father was yellow they can't officially be Sex Links because some Pullets will be the same color/pattern as males but all the Reds will be Females. ... Keep in mind I am just now learning this stuff and what I read or what I find isn't always accurate.

Ok thank's for the info. I am so glad that I stuck a few of my NN egg's in there with them, or she would have been all alone after hatch. By now, she might think that she's just a funny looking NN, since she's been raised with those 3.

 

[Compost King]

That is quite the set-up you have, @Compost King! I'm impressed with the numbers and how you are able to separate them out into pens and pursue various breeding combinations. I've not got anything near that ambitious planned, and I'm already thinking that it is a fair amount of planning. Do you run an egg business on the side as well as your compost business? You must be collecting a mountain of eggs each day.

I produce Ever Green hedging plants. Its my "Day Job" the chickens are just a hobby that matches it. I need the manure, I need scratchers (leghorns) to scratch up Straw, leaves and grass clippings. I need workers who weed my pots. I give away eggs and dark meat because selling these things would take up time trying to find buyers. I would rather spend more time producing more product I can sell instantly... and I can sell all my trees as once as soon as they are big enough.

 

[Compost King]

Ok thank's for the info. I am so glad that I stuck a few of my NN egg's in there with them, or she would have been all alone after hatch. By now, she might think that she's just a funny looking NN, since she's been raised with those 3.

She might not know she has chick fur on her neck lol

 

[igorsMistress]

@Compost King Thanks so much for the pics! It's great to see what the chicks might look like when they get older. I love the Silver Grey pattern.