Faverolles Thread

[Melissa F]

I'm curious when Favorelles generally start laying. Mine will be 4 months this week and we are anxiously awaiting our first egg! I know next to nothing about this breed. My kids picked out a chick from a bantam bin at the local feed store last spring. I thought it was rather ugly at the time, but it has turned out to be a gorgeous standard sized salmon favorelle, and is quickly becoming one of our favorite chickens in our flock.

 

[grlnamedsue]

I process Fav cockerels at 23-24 weeks and they are 4.5-5lbs, very good meat birds imho. I would not use hatchery stock for meat though, see if you can find a breeder in your area, it is worth it! Where are you located?

Is that dressed weight or live weight? I'm assuming dressed? I live in NW MT, and not much to choose from nearby that I could find. I found a person in Oregon that ships, can't remember the name of their website..silk n feathers or something?... Anyway, I contacted them via email yesterday, but so far no reply.

 

[Farmer Viola]

I'm curious when Favorelles generally start laying. Mine will be 4 months this week and we are anxiously awaiting our first egg! I know next to nothing about this breed. My kids picked out a chick from a bantam bin at the local feed store last spring. I thought it was rather ugly at the time, but it has turned out to be a gorgeous standard sized salmon favorelle, and is quickly becoming one of our favorite chickens in our flock.

usually around 6 months for mine it is a long wait, I know!

Is that dressed weight or live weight? I'm assuming dressed? I live in NW MT, and not much to choose from nearby that I could find. I found a person in Oregon that ships, can't remember the name of their website..silk n feathers or something?... Anyway, I contacted them via email yesterday, but so far no reply.

Dressed weight, sorry. It would have been smart to weigh them live too, but I didn't.

I haven't used Silk n feathers myself, but I did just get some more hatching eggs from byc user PiperOmar who is in Oregon (I'm in Oregon too), her birds are gorgeous!

In my signature in the photo album named Chicken Dinner, there are carcasses of wyandottes and a faverolles cock. the 1st photo shows a comparison of 2 Wy's and 1 Fav. The short fat legged one in the bottom left in the 1st photo is the Fav. The preparation photos are all wyandottes, but at the very end Photo #19, #20, and #21 is a faverolles roasted whole. His breast meat was very tender, moreso than the wyandottes. the bulk of the meat is in the legs, not the breast like a cornishX.

 

[grlnamedsue]

usually around 6 months for mine it is a long wait, I know!

Dressed weight, sorry. It would have been smart to weigh them live too, but I didn't.

I haven't used Silk n feathers myself, but I did just get some more hatching eggs from byc user PiperOmar who is in Oregon (I'm in Oregon too), her birds are gorgeous!

In my signature in the photo album named Chicken Dinner, there are carcasses of wyandottes and a faverolles cock. the 1st photo shows a comparison of 2 Wy's and 1 Fav. The short fat legged one in the bottom left in the 1st photo is the Fav. The preparation photos are all wyandottes, but at the very end Photo #19, #20, and #21 is a faverolles roasted whole. His breast meat was very tender, moreso than the wyandottes. the bulk of the meat is in the legs, not the breast like a cornishX.

Those photos were very helpful! Dark meat is my favorite, so that's a plus in my book! I'm going to have to snoop around to see what I can find. I really want the most heavy set strain i can find (or at least get some to work with). Unfortunatley, I probably won't be able to get any until next spring. I rely only on broody hens to hatch, and I have a feeling the one that's setting now will be the last as it seems many of my chickens are starting to molt (this last broody only has a few days left on my own 'barnyard mix' eggs, so I'm not going to even try to switch eggs on her.)

 

[Farmer Viola]

Those photos were very helpful! Dark meat is my favorite, so that's a plus in my book! I'm going to have to snoop around to see what I can find. I really want the most heavy set strain i can find (or at least get some to work with). Unfortunatley, I probably won't be able to get any until next spring. I rely only on broody hens to hatch, and I have a feeling the one that's setting now will be the last as it seems many of my chickens are starting to molt (this last broody only has a few days left on my own 'barnyard mix' eggs, so I'm not going to even try to switch eggs on her.)

you're welcome, I'm glad that they helped you!

where do you live? I have two broodies currently sitting on the Faverolles eggs from PiperOmar

I have been trying to get this breed for a couple years now, and I am sooo excited to have a piece of piper omar's line to carry on. I hope to breed my own chicklets from her line in the future. they are really worth the wait, and worth finding a good source for.

 

[Brookshire11]

If you want her to be able to eat, if the scissor beak does get worse, try fermented food. I make a 5 gal bucket of it every day, but you could make much less just for her. You might find they all love it, mine do. Just take the layer food and add about the same amount of water. (It should cover the food and add a few inches) Then you let it set a day. I have two buckets and alternate them daily. A white film of mold will grow on the top. It's a good thing. If you get the black mold, the food shouldn't be used. I've never had black mold. Just search for "fermented food" on this site. You'll find lots more info if you're interested. I think some people file the beak into shape, but I don't trust myself to do that.
I hope your bug eyed baby does as well as mine has. There is an animal antibotic eye drop that might help if her eye gets too irritated. I used my human eye antibotic once and it didn't make any difference. I think by the time the eye gets so you can really notice it, it may be too late to save anyway.

I really do want to try that. been on my "to-do" list for a bit.
I have all the babies in a separate pen so I may try that with their chick feed, then switch everyone over once they start layer. I'd never heard the mold thing though, thanks! That would have freaked me out for sure lol.

I moved the littles from their brooder to an outside pen during the day, now that it's not so hot.
We renamed the scissor beak chick Bubbles, and it is now one of my most adventurous.







She's in the front in picture 2 and 3. The first picture is my other SF chick, Astrid. She needs to work on living up to her name. She's my "scaredy-chick" out of the bunch

 

[grlnamedsue]

Question on leg genetics. So, of course the speckled sussex has white legs and that is dominant. I have my rooster, Leroy, who has yellow/orange legs. I have 4 speckled sussex crosses that are a month old and two of them have yellowish legs. Is that even possible in a first generation breeding?

 

[keesmom]

Question on leg genetics. So, of course the speckled sussex has white legs and that is dominant. I have my rooster, Leroy, who has yellow/orange legs. I have 4 speckled sussex crosses that are a month old and two of them have yellowish legs. Is that even possible in a first generation breeding?

Is Leroy a Faverolles? Favs should also have white legs.

It is possible to get yellow legs out of a first generation cross. The Sussex are heterozygous for yellow skin.

http://scratchcradle.wordpress.com/...skin-color-punnett-squares-and-test-crossing/

 

[grlnamedsue]

Is Leroy a Faverolles? Favs should also have white legs.

No he's not a Fav. I got him from a woman who said he was an EE. If he is, he's very unusual with his yellow legs and single comb.

 

[Gittx]

I really do want to try that. been on my "to-do" list for a bit.
I have all the babies in a separate pen so I may try that with their chick feed, then switch everyone over once they start layer. I'd never heard the mold thing though, thanks! That would have freaked me out for sure lol.

I moved the littles from their brooder to an outside pen during the day, now that it's not so hot.
We renamed the scissor beak chick Bubbles, and it is now one of my most adventurous.







She's in the front in picture 2 and 3. The first picture is my other SF chick, Astrid. She needs to work on living up to her name. She's my "scaredy-chick" out of the bunch

Such darling babies. She (They) all look very much like mine did at that age. I've hatched one Fav by accident this summer. I thought I was collecting all eggs each day, but I guess not

. I have their nest in a plastic crate, and after hatching found her way to the bottom of it. I heard her when collecting eggs. I put her in with another hen that was broody but not having any luck hatching and tada...2 problems solved. She's Very dark, but I have found that after a while, mine lighten. Everyone's molting now, but the feathers growing back are much lighter. I'm not sure why that would happen, but it's all of them, not just one. I anxious to see the if this new baby will lighten. She's a little older than your sweeties. Maybe yours will lighten too.