DECEMBER Hatch-A-Long!😊

[seeingreen]

It's hard to find good reference books in print at a reasonable price.

This kindle book has probably been the most helpful for me...
21st Century Poultry Breeding by Grant Brereton
https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B087WP1JSV/ref=docs-os-doi_0

I also got this one on kindle, which is the most relevant chapter from a much larger textbook that is impossible to find and/or really expensive in print

Genetics in Practice: Expert Techniques for Successful Chicken Breeding by F.B. Hutt
https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B01MSUVMTV/ref=docs-os-doi_0

In print, I was able to find this little book that has turned out to be a handy reference:

An Introduction to Color Forms of the Domestic Fowl: A Look at Color Varieties and How They Are Made by Brian Reeder
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/1425904211/ref=ppx_od_dt_b_asin_title_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Here is a good free online resource
https://gbpoultry.com/genes/

Thank you for sharing!

 

[halefamily_flock]

Your chickens are gorgeous! You will likely get a light olive from your cream legbar/Dominique cross.
Elvis is stunning! I was looking to get Spitz, but I couldn’t find any in my area! I have an Elvis too, but my Elvis is a she!
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I love her . Thank you, I got all of my chickens from Cackle Hatchery. I've been very impressed with their quality. Now that I have so many beauties, it's really tough to narrow down the genetics experiments. I almost set a couple of Legbar x Hamburg eggs this time (2 Hamburg hens broke into my breeding pen lol), but decided I should wait a few more months because they're still smallish pullet eggs and I was trying to keep this hatch under a dozen. Looking forward to trying out Spitz x Speckled Sussex, Spitz x Hamburg and Legbar x Hamburg in the Spring, along with crossing my F1 Spitz x Dominique (from an August hatch) back to a full Spitz. #chickenmath

 

[LadiesAndJane]

I love her . Thank you, I got all of my chickens from Cackle Hatchery. I've been very impressed with their quality. Now that I have so many beauties, it's really tough to narrow down the genetics experiments. I almost set a couple of Legbar x Hamburg eggs this time (2 Hamburg hens broke into my breeding pen lol), but decided I should wait a few more months because they're still smallish pullet eggs and I was trying to keep this hatch under a dozen. Looking forward to trying out Spitz x Speckled Sussex, Spitz x Hamburg and Legbar x Hamburg in the Spring, along with crossing my F1 Spitz x Dominique (from an August hatch) back to a full Spitz. #chickenmath

Three of my pullets are from Mcmurray hatchery and I have been very pleased with how they are turning out, including my Elvis. “Hatchery” quality has a bad rap, but you can often find very lovely birds.
How fun to have plans for all your crosses!
Agree about the pullet eggs now that the two that I set from didn’t do anything! Heard mixed reports of how well they fare.

 

[seeingreen]

So, here are the eggs that should be hatching Dec 1
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The pink-ish eggs are from my Dominique hen who consistently lays a heavy pink bloom over light brown egg, sired by Cream Legbar. I'm wondering if maybe we'll get babies who lay lavender eggs or maybe a light olive?
Here's the hen, who is both molting and laying, and has been playing in the rain today so looks a little rough. She's the only one of 7 Dominique hens that didn't stop laying to molt, just when I wanted to start collecting eggs for this hatch. We call her Pink.
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Here's our Cream Legbar Rooster
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Also in the breeding pen with them was one of our Olive Eggers
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I tried keeping this sweet little Cream Legbar girl in the breeding pen to get some more pure bred Legbars, but she escaped daily until I finally decided to let her back into the free range flock with the Golden Spangled Appenzeller Spitzhauben roosters. I think her 2 blue eggs have a Spitz daddy, but we'll have to wait and see what hatches...
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Here are our Spitz roosters. The one with the biggest hair (we call him Elvis) is dominant, so I'm assuming he's probably the daddy to my Legbar cross as well as an Olive Egger we had in the free range flock. I'm rooting for Spitz#2 though, he's much sweeter.
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Here's the other Olive Egger, who was in the free range flock with the Spitz boys
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I’m in love with your Cream Legbar hen! She looks so sassy! Hens like this tempt my to try other breeds.

 

[seeingreen]

Here’s a few of my flock. I’m only hatching eggs from my partridge Brahmas, with the exception of two eggs, just out of curiosities sake

 

[halefamily_flock]

I’m in love with your Cream Legbar hen! She looks so sassy! Hens like this tempt my to try other breeds.

She's really sweet. I tried out a breeding pen for the first time with this hatch, so I could have more intentional breeding vs. random backyard mixes. This girl would escape every day, somehow, and then walk up to me looking for treats, as if she was exactly where she was supposed to be. She never acted stressed inside the pen, and didn't try to avoid going back in. She just didn't seem to understand the concept of fencing.

 

[halefamily_flock]

Here’s a few of my flock. I’m only hatching eggs from my partridge Brahmas, with the exception of two eggs, just out of curiosities sake

Beautiful flock! Do you have any problems in the winter with the feathered legs? I read that they tend to get wet & freeze.

 

[seeingreen]

Beautiful flock! Do you have any problems in the winter with the feathered legs? I read that they tend to get wet & freeze.

No I can’t say that I’ve ever had any issues. I’ve had them in Washington state where it rains all fall-spring-winter with some snow in winter. and other then their feet getting wet and looking a bit ratty they never had any issues. I’m in Oklahoma now and it’s been the same no problems though I have heard it can be an issue if they get scaly leg mite. That it’s better to use ivermectin rather than a topical oily based substance but again I haven’t had that happen. ( knocking on wood)

 

[seeingreen]

She's really sweet. I tried out a breeding pen for the first time with this hatch, so I could have more intentional breeding vs. random backyard mixes. This girl would escape every day, somehow, and then walk up to me looking for treats, as if she was exactly where she was supposed to be. She never acted stressed inside the pen, and didn't try to avoid going back in. She just didn't seem to understand the concept of fencing.

her attitude reminds me of the Icelandic’s. I don’t think those chickens believe in fences, they’re just obstacles to duck under or fly over.

 

[halefamily_flock]

Day 10 was yesterday. I weighed and candled, and all 13 eggs looked great! I had one egg actually gain a little weight after dropping some in the first week. The air pocket looks good. Anyone ever have that happen? I've hatched a few times now & never had such strong veins showing in all of my eggs. Hybrid vigor? Here are a few samples. They pretty much all looked like this.