Genetic Hackle Fowl Chat

[Dovemaiden]

Here is a video that is interesting because it shows the incredible variety of other breeds Tom Whiting is crossing into his birds:

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Don't know if anyone will see this anymore, but roughly how big are the male's? It looks like they vary on size quite a bit from the images I see. Some look like a medium standard, like my pheonixes and others look closer to a large bantam almost

 

[SourRoses]

Don't know if anyone will see this anymore, but roughly how big are the male's? It looks like they vary on size quite a bit from the images I see. Some look like a medium standard, like my pheonixes and others look closer to a large bantam almost

About Leghorn size. LF but on the smaller side of it.
The hens have the same side profile size as Leggies, but they aren't as wide (their legs, I was noticing today, are the same thin yellow legs).
I was writing a reply to you yesterday but got busy with our new coop build. I have some pictures I was looking through yesterday from when a Leghorn flew into the Hackle pen a month or so ago.

I have one male, Kiwi, who is bigger than the rest... he grew the fastest, has a longer tail, and the mellowest personality. He's the same size as my Ameraucana roosters.

 

[SourRoses]

"Ahhh! Run for yer lives! It's a Leghorn!"

They are still growing feathers, slowly... Kiwi especially tends to alternate growing his tail and his body. Since these pics he has sprouted more tail length again.
All the other boys are in a bachelor flock up the front and I'm really loving their capes, but I haven't yet gotten pictures.

 

[SourRoses]

Look what we're getting! Ever since the darkest day of the year
They are laying more than we expected!
One hen in particular is very regular, every day almost, hers weigh a little more. I've narrowed it down to one of the two reds. Hers are rather pink. (See bottom row, all the way to the right) I didn't quite catch the color.)

 

[SourRoses]

We decided Kiwis hackle feathers really don't measure up to the other boys. I liked some of his unique traits but the feathering has to be right.

So now we get to pick 1 of the other 9 boys. I'm really struggling with choosing. I might post up some of the final contenders to get your opinions?

Originally, I was going to keep many of the boys, but we decided that will be too hard on the girls and we ought to streamline things here where possible. Because there is a lot of hatching in our future!

 

[SourRoses]

Did no one tell me? Did I miss it? These feathers feel like silken hair. Looking at them they seem so stiff!
I was trimming the wing of a determined fence hopper, that's when I realized I hadn't handled them since putting them in the big-boy free range coop.
You know that region of your brain that lights up when you're petting mink and suddenly you think maybe the fur trade is not so awful (no but it is).
Kinda like when your very favorite big fat chicken also makes your mouth water sometimes?
Well, I think these feathers feel like running your fingers through someone's hair X liquid silk, with a soft component. I asked my mom if she could make these into a plush stuffed animal. How amazing that would be for people on the autism spectrum!
Then I felt really guilty because the cockerel heard me. Oops!
I kinda want a throw blanket made of these feathers!

 

[JacinLarkwell]

So I don't know if I had mentioned earlier, on here, I jad toyed with using some pheonix blood to see if I could improve the tails a bit with a test group of GHF.

And I think I found my pheonix male to use. I'll get video of him in a bit, his hackles are lovely. I had originally planned to use pheonix females for ease, but I need all my girls and I can't bring myself to cull this male just because I already have males for that pheonix pen.

 

[SourRoses]

So I don't know if I had mentioned earlier, on here, I jad toyed with using some pheonix blood to see if I could improve the tails a bit with a test group of GHF.

And I think I found my pheonix male to use. I'll get video of him in a bit, his hackles are lovely. I had originally planned to use pheonix females for ease, but I need all my girls and I can't bring myself to cull this male just because I already have males for that pheonix pen.

Cool! I remember you talking about it, and I can imagine your project would yield some well-balanced birds.
So what color are you going to aim for?

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Cool! I remember you talking about it, and I can imagine your project would yield some well-balanced birds.
So what color are you going to aim for?

Not really aiming for a color. The rooster would be a gold duckwing that possibly carries dun and a type of recessive white, so I know it will mess with the resulting chick colors a good deal. Moreso hoping to maybe get some nice, pheonix like tails on the GHF than anything else.