Dixie Chicks

[Amberjem]

wooohoo!! new coop is finished just have to paint and pretty it up with trim and such yipppyyy

 

[BriardChickens]

That is awesome @Amberjem ! This means how many new chickens?

 

[Beer can]

Beer those starter things I've never had success in. Especially those that claim you can just put in the ground when the seedling is large enough. Could be me and my black thumb tho..

In other good news: my aloe vera plant has survived me for over a year now!

I don't like the little things either, dry out to quick.
The wife hasn't been able to kill her aloe plant(s). She has broke them up and made more. Puts them on the window sill, froze them in winter, turn to mush, they always come back! Had them for about ten years.

 

[BriardChickens]

Considering I only remember to water it ~once a month, it's a really good plant. I plan to make more just gotta get some dirt and have lots of sand in my driveway!

 

[Amberjem]

hahah more like fit all the chickens I have now ..but also this allows me to separate purebred trio into a specific pen for breeding collecting egg purpose......the way it's set up I can either open it up so it is used by all or close a couple doors and then the coop and free range area become seperate area's..or allow either one group into free range area other in aviary area..........then the next day just change doors and reverse who goes where...

 

[Amberjem]

ohh ya @Beer can rememebr that solar powered flood light I got for the run? well I finally figured it out I had to angle the solar panel just right...and worked it out when something goes to enter into the henhouse or exit the flood light pops on...........it's been working out really well so far........

 

[minihorse927]

@BriardChickens
@BriardChickens Ancona ducks. I love mine. They have an awesome personality and they are a breed that actually seems to enjoy the fact that I come around them. They free range very well here and they lay me an egg almost every single day each. Mine are even molting and STILL laying. Not all of them though. Only 4 or 5 of the molters are still laying.

We are working on a standard to send to the APA. We are breeding towards a dual purpose 6 to 6.5 lb duck that can forage well and lay tons of eggs.

Eggs can come in cream, white, green, black, purplish, blue, and grey.

Ducks are going to come in multiple colors. The first one we are working to have recognized is the blacks. They come in black, blue, silver, chocolate, lavender, lilac, tri-color (wild pattern) and pure white. Of course the latter two are not desired for show or breeding necessarily but can be useful in the right situation.

The genetics behind an Ancona consist of extended black(E) and wild type or mallard coloration(e). A over marked bird is going to genetically be EE a well marked bird is typically Ee, and a tri color bird is ee (completely lacking in the extended black gene so therefore it's going to appear in the mallard type pattern). It's easiest to tell a EE bird from a Ee bird when first hatched as they tend to have solid colored backs and sometimes are almost completely colored.

Ideally a EE bird would be easily identifiable through life but unfortunately they change a lot as they grow. Now there's nothing wrong with using a bird that's genetically EE thats wonderfully marked as an adult. It will prevent you from ending up with tri colors in your offspring.

You want splotchy marked ducklings. Avoid solid backs if possible. You want marks on the top of the head, under the eyes, on the bill, on the feet, and on the chest. Of course this takes a few years to work into a breeding program if you don't start out with birds that already have those features. Avoid narrow bodied, runner type ducks. Avoid runner type heads if possible. Those are common issues in Ancona as there were runners used in their background.

I started out with 3 ducks. A hen and 2 drakes. All undersized and blue. My hen weighed a whole 3.5lbs. I've hatched every egg she laid and kept every duckling until they were fully grown and culled out from there. Ordered ducklings and eggs from 5 other people. Culled those heavily also and now I have ducks ranging from 5.5 to 7lbs. I'm still working to increase my size but this year has produced the best assortment of markings in the ducklings yet. They are looking awesome with tons of then having heavy chest markings. I'm hoping to have this line of mine up to proposed SOP within 2 years now. This is my 3rd year with them. Culling heavy and being very picky who stays and who goes is what has shortened that time down so much and why I've made so much improvement in just 3 years.

 

[Beer can]

@Amberjem I was playing with mine the other day. I thought I ruined it by wiring in my jumpbox off the DC with a 20amp fuse cause it only worked for a week that way. Never gave it a thought when I put the jumpbox battery in the lawntractor and had to jump it everytime I snowblowed. When I turn the floodlight on the lights come on for a second and then the red light flashes just like it does when the batteries are dead. I think I just need to replace the batteries! I'm going to double up on them though, this time with the RIGHT batteries. The only complaint I had with it is the thing would go dead if I went outside a bunch of times, and I had it set on the shorter one minute. I just don't think it has enough battery reserve, or the batteries might have been carp to begin with? Nice and super bright though.
Edited to add, the jumpbox battery was carp also.

 

[hennible]

did they crack the shell up when they planted? 

deb

You know, I bet she didn't
I start lots of stuff in egg cartons... When I run out of pots....
Oh and check this hen out

Her sisters look like this

 

[minihorse927]

@BriardChickenspersonally one of my favorite duck color genetics pages for beginners. It makes it super easy.https://www.pinterest.com/pin/185984659588359825/