Genetic Markers for Broody Line

[roosterhavoc]

Game hens can raise chicks just fine free range with other birds around in a group. The six chicks and hen are games. The others are layers and the dark bird is a young stag.

 

[roosterhavoc]

In this picture the same game hen with the young chicks chased off some older chicks that were getting too close to her own. A quick peck and kick got her point across.

 

[The Moonshiner]

I've got 3 1/2 acres fenced in that I free range in. Several out buildings and shelters so plenty of space to keep away from others and multiple locations for nesting so that would probably be a big advantage.
I like the idea of broodies taking some of my workload but in my situation I've seen a huge plus with broody raised birds over brooder raised ones.
Egg sells are cr@p here so wouldn't mind eventually replacing my entire laying flock with a broody flock.

 

[centrarchid]

I've got 3 1/2 acres fenced in that I free range in. Several out buildings and shelters so plenty of space to keep away from others and multiple locations for nesting so that would probably be a big advantage.
I like the idea of broodies taking some of my workload but in my situation I've seen a huge plus with broody raised birds over brooder raised ones.
Egg sells are cr@p here so wouldn't mind eventually replacing my entire laying flock with a broody flock.

Try a couple and see how they work. If like mine, 3.5 acres may be only a suggestion for the games. I just try to keep them in the core area most of the time. This coming season I will be encouraging them to go a hundred yards or so to south so they stay on property. If all goes well they will start flying a long ways when they see me drive in.

 

[centrarchid]

What I will be doing in 2019 is sequentially breeding the toppy pullet to the cockerel above (full sibling from an older brood) and her cousin below. Her cousin lacks the sex linked silver, blue legs and the extended brown coloration but does carry the toppy allele.

Former should give a good proportion that looks exactly like I want while the latter will give males that come really close. Then I can choose breeding pairs from those where inbreeding will not be so intense. Will be fun doing the math figuring out what comes out. I still do not even know what the "extended brown" allele really is which fun in its own right. All I know is it is dominant and interacts really well to give the desired almost white birds on the male side when coupled with the pattern allele.

 

[The Moonshiner]

I set out almost a decade ago to develop a line to be used specifically for incubating eggs and rearing chicks in a free-range setting. Getting real close to having final product. It needs to be loaded with genetic markers I can use to distinguish even the hybrid with the other lines this group will help me raise.

No real improvements with this effort other than getting closer to fixing genetic markers.

What I will be doing in 2019

Now you have me dying to ask....
As my grandmother would of said....
What the h£ll have you been doing for 10 years?
Just trying to lock in the pattern, leg color and comb type?

 

[centrarchid]

Now you have me dying to ask....
As my grandmother would of said....
What the h£ll have you been doing for 10 years?
Just trying to lock in the pattern, leg color and comb type?

I was trying other another approach based on black birds for the first part. First had trouble getting them, then had to back away because another project involving American Dominiques would be confused two types of chicks with same down color, then I lost the what i finally got in terms of black games because neighbor stole them. Start of this more successful effort I lucked into about 3 years ago when visiting a poultry swap at Jacob's Cave. Overall, the effort until recently was an epic fail.

 

[centrarchid]

Hen I a had a few years ago that was kept on front porch year round for 3 years.

Matriarch of line I am trying to set as broody. She had alleles of interest but het for most.

Just for fun as hoping for another heavy snow.

I am less likely to make spelling and grammar errors when posting videos. Videos, and pictures easy.

 

[centrarchid]

Again, matriarch of line. When I first acquired her she was a face-flogger when it came to defense of brood. Little rabbit cages have been used many times to tame down the face floggers and protect them while brooding.

I train them to come with brood into cage for easy transport, even in strange locations.

Intent was to record broody hen crowing which occurred in first second of video. it is a dispersing mechanism that helps broody hens space themselves. Works best I think when hens in brush where line of sight broken.

 

[ChocolateMouse]

Let me know how this develops. I hate incubating eggs and I'm thinking of throwing a bantam cochin or silkie or two in the flock to raise for me but... I breed LF and I'm worried about these smaller birds with the big roosters, and we also have a billion hawks and raccoons in the area. I would appreciate a larger broody hen that's willing to flog wild animals.