Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[micstrachan]

Any of your Heritage Breeds should be OK. It's the high production breeds & Hybrids that have inbred problems & so many people on BYC seem to have them ~ though I suspect a lot don't know until the problems start. Your common backyard mutt is usually really hardy too ~ one reason I think Shad's hens do so well. He's not interfering with their breeding & has ended up with strong genetics.

Agree.

 

[micstrachan]

I can't speak for what America does in that Area. I just don't know. Out here you're pretty safe with a heritage breed.

For what it’s worth, Bridge is a hatchery stock heritage breed and so far so good.

 

[TheOddOneOut]

Yay! Congrats! Do you have a picture?

The bigger one, actually. The other EE has been laying for a month, but Vanilla’s egg was quite large.

 

[micstrachan]

I have not looked but I will. There is a lot of crossed genes in there. Are you looking for cream legbars like @RoyalChick has?

Heads up,*I think* the cream legbars have more non-leghorn in the mix. However, I’m not really clear what %. I need to pull up an actual scientific artticle and write it down. Lots of history and experimentation with coming up with the cream legbars. Bob, when you researched, did you take notes and determine the % leghorn for the cream variety? If I remember right, I think there’s the original 50 leghorn/50 barred rock, auracana for the blue egg gene, and something else, but I forget what. Hopefully not more leghorn. Where does the crest come from? (excuse the lousy english)

 

[micstrachan]

View attachment 2348760
The bigger one, actually. The other EE has been laying for a month, but Vanilla’s egg was quite large.

Woohoo! Beautiful!

 

[micstrachan]

I have let the Brady Bunch out with the bigs today.. things look pretty good. TRUMP is acting like daddy
Yall see in the pic of them three how one is darker than the other two... does that mean girl and boys?! I thought yall mentioned something about the barred breeds that you can tell them apart by shade... or am I mistaken? View attachment 2347144View attachment 2347146View attachment 2347149View attachment 2347161

I think males have twice as many bars, which also makes them lighter. However, I’m not seeing twice as many bars here. Maybe too soon to tell?

 

[micstrachan]

I have let the Brady Bunch out with the bigs today.. things look pretty good. TRUMP is acting like daddy
Yall see in the pic of them three how one is darker than the other two... does that mean girl and boys?! I thought yall mentioned something about the barred breeds that you can tell them apart by shade... or am I mistaken? View attachment 2347144View attachment 2347146View attachment 2347149View attachment 2347161

And I forgot to say… Beautiful flock!

 

[micstrachan]

Me too!

x3

 

[micstrachan]

I don't think anyone ever stops hurting from grief, but you can adjust to living with it. So it becomes part of you, but not the main you, ideally. Here's my flock of 4 Buckeyes, they are coming up on 12 weeks old.

I'm wondering about putting a colored band on their legs to tell them apart; as they've molted they have really changed! I know Butters and Hazel(nut) by sight. And they are the boldest, especially Hazel who is like a sewing machine eating out of your hand ("Mealworms? Make way, pardon me, coming through!"). Butters leads in exploring out and about, but Hazel rules the food area. But I can only tell Popcorn and Peanut apart by Popcorn's voice. She is a little raspy, it happened one evening when they were young, during their bedtime yelling routine. And Peanut is the shyest of them and doesn't cram in for food, she hangs back. She must be lowest in the pecking order. I often use two hands with treats, and stretch one hand out to her in the back, so she gets some. At least until the others discover that second pile....

I am having trouble loading a picture. I will see about it - is 5 megs too big? It keeps stopping and then is crossed out...OK got it!View attachment 2347590

OMG!!! Gorgeous, gorgeous birds! I just love buckeyes.

 

[micstrachan]

We are feeling better about the little chickens today! Almost flocking together.

Fantastic!