CSU - Chicken State University- Large Fowl SOP

[Lacy Blues]

Because of your insightful comments, I am changing plans. I am going to take MR.Puny out of the breeding pens and put grandpa Hank back in. I will put Hank's get with Johnny and Hank will get the others. A friend is taking the batch currently incubating with the deal I get up to 4 birds of my choosing back, then he can do as he will with the rest(there are 53 eggs in the incubators, I just pulled the clears). I have 36 chicks in the brooder. Hopefully, the third hatch will yield another 40. Out of that many chickens, I should get a few, better than what I have.

As a side note, Laura, the incubator that has eggs from Johnny(your bird's gene pool) out of 33 eggs there were no clears and 2 questionable quitters. That's virility!!

I have 2 incubators and have only been separating and banding birds per sire not hens. I can trap nest in one pen. How does one keep track during hatching who is whom??

Here's to breeding better buckeyes!!! Thanks folks.

I use strawberry baskets. I put a paper towel, folded to fit, in the bottom and then a piece of burlap cut to fit on top of that. Then I put the eggs in according to the female. I write on them in pencil what pen they came from, which female and the date laid. After hatching, I just toss the whole mess in the garbage and clean the baskets up for re-use.

I use hatching baskets made of hardware cloth. I thing they give the chicks more freedom of movement than sacks do. The sack is an additional barrier to overcome in addition to the shell.

This is a good idea too. I've been told by some people that they make hatching baskets out of the plastic mesh you can get at a craft store for some kind of needlework with yarn. They cut to the size they want and sew together with that plastic weaving string stuff. (aint I technical?)

After hatching they toss it in the dishwasher to clean and sterilize.

 

[vmdanielsen]

Happy to hear any feedback and critque of these two.

God Bless,

Royce

Royce I would like to comment on how different you rooster looks from mine. I don't know right from wrong buckeyes, Mine will be observations in difference.

You bird seems to have longer legs, and a very different body shape. Your bird seems....maybe longer backed..not sure really how to describe it. Maybe mine seem rounder?

Please feel free to compare mine with yours. It is really hard to put words to a picture.

Ginny

 

[vmdanielsen]

Great ideas for hatch baskets! Thanks for the ideas.

 

[Tailfeathers]

Royce I would like to comment on how different you rooster looks from mine. I don't know right from wrong buckeyes, Mine will be observations in difference.

You bird seems to have longer legs, and a very different body shape. Your bird seems....maybe longer backed..not sure really how to describe it. Maybe mine seem rounder?

Please feel free to compare mine with yours. It is really hard to put words to a picture.

Hi. I agree with you but I think it may have a lot to do with the pictures too. Before I comment too much on this bird, I'd like to hear the feedback from the two judges and others but I will say that I would like to see a little shorter legs and definitely a little bigger round.

God Bless,

Royce

 

[vmdanielsen]

Hi. I agree with you but I think it may have a lot to do with the pictures too. Before I comment too much on this bird, I'd like to hear the feedback from the two judges and others but I will say that I would like to see a little shorter legs and definitely a little bigger round.

God Bless,

Royce

Royce,
Are legs on my birds too short and are mine too round?
Ginny

 

[Tailfeathers]

I had to go back and look. Now let me see if I can remember correctly! I'd say Johnny's looks comparatively close to the one I posted - a little long. Clyde's see to be just about right and Hank's a little short. But again, it is often hard, to impossible, to determine these things from a single picture.

The SOP calls for Medium length and stout legs.

God Bless,

 

[Canieldonrad]

Anyone here know who Grant Malone was?

w.

Grant Malone was my mentor as a child. Absolutely one of the best in the country.

 

[A Nonny Moose]

It seems we have lots of discussions and pictures about our roosters and maybe rightfully so… they seem to be the ones that always do the winning at the shows. I would like to see some good pictures of the girls, especially pictures after their first molt. The question being… did they retain their dark coloring, are the legs still that deep yellow, are there any hens out there without the saddle pillow.

I’ll trade two good roosters for one good hen.

 

[Pathfinders]

It seems we have lots of discussions and pictures about our roosters and maybe rightfully so… they seem to be the ones that always do the winning at the shows. I would like to see some good pictures of the girls, especially pictures after their first molt. The question being… did they retain their dark coloring, are the legs still that deep yellow, are there any hens out there without the saddle pillow.

I’ll trade two good roosters for one good hen.

See post #631 where I uploaded a photo of a 2010 hen. Her cushion is not too bad, she has retained relatively good color, and her legs are still somewhat yellow, although of course we realize that the yellowness of a hen's leg is directly proportionate to whether or not she is in lay, and actually, a too-yellow leg is not to be desired, as it indicates a poor layer, so that's not really a good thing to look for in a hen IMO.

She also has an excellent comb, very good eye color, a wonderful broad breast, an a nicely spread (un-pinched) tail, all things I look for in a hen. Color can be worked on more easily than type, AFAIAC.

Here is the photo again:

 

[Pathfinders]

And this is one of my oldest hens, hatched in 2009. I think she's held up very well indeed, the photo was taken in February of this year. Her feathers were blowing in the wind in this photo, but as you can see she's held her color quite well through repeated molts.