German New Hampshire

[catdaddyfro]

The tails in her pics look a bit overdone, but don't look like RIR tails to me at all. There is a tendency for the NH females to show a fan type tail and that is not correct....however.....many times that is only shown when they are excited and not that way all the time. anything that looks overdone in any section ruins the overall look though.

That being said...Zanna....I think your birds look very good overall. there is one of the pullets that needs more chest on the lower end, but they are still young. I would pay attention to the over fanned out tails though as Jeff suggests.

w.

I was referring to low angle on the males Walt these pics show them closer to a 20* than 45* sorry my wording never comes out exactly as I'm seeing things or thinking them too. Yes I agree too on the females will fan out their tails too when excited but in the pics posted the tail angles are backwards to me the pullets are on the high side (not badly) the males on the low side(definitely) as posted. Things are'nt always the way they are in real life, chicken pics are hard to comment on, I find.

Zanna, Walt can probly match you up a good couple of breeding pair/trios with what you and he have combined together.

Jeff

 

[Zanna]

I was referring to low angle on the males Walt these pics show them closer to a 20* than 45* sorry my wording never comes out exactly as I'm seeing things or thinking them too. Yes I agree too on the females will fan out their tails too when excited but in the pics posted the tail angles are backwards to me the pullets are on the high side (not badly) the males on the low side(definitely) as posted. Things are'nt always the way they are in real life, chicken pics are hard to comment on, I find.

Zanna, Walt can probly match you up a good couple of breeding pair/trios with what you and he have combined together.

Jeff

Thank you both Walt and Jeff, very helpfull dialogue.

 

[fowlman01]

I was referring to low angle on the males Walt these pics show them closer to a 20* than 45* sorry my wording never comes out exactly as I'm seeing things or thinking them too. Yes I agree too on the females will fan out their tails too when excited but in the pics posted the tail angles are backwards to me the pullets are on the high side (not badly) the males on the low side(definitely) as posted. Things are'nt always the way they are in real life, chicken pics are hard to comment on, I find.

Zanna, Walt can probly match you up a good couple of breeding pair/trios with what you and he have combined together.

Jeff

OK...I think I'm with you now. .I can only go by what I see here and when I judge, but in pictures the male tail angles sometimes looks too horizontal...in photo's...... as many times they are looking down or in one of those awkward poses they go into when they see a camera. I'm not seeing low male tails in real life here or when I judge. Here I am a little concerned about some of the males having a higher tail than it should have thus ruining the balance of the bird. The NH does not have an abrupt rise to the tail, so the tail angle looks more like a curve than a straight line or abrupt angle. Many times it is good to look at the SOP illustration too. I am trying to get rid of that female fan tail look. It has to do with excitement, but there is more to it than that as not all my birds do that. I'm still learning these, but to me that over done look ruins the profile of the bird and if you show them it will have consequences.

I'm showing a young male and female here in two weeks. They are not finished, but it is a good way to coop train them and there will be some good Rocks there.

w.

 

[lualshannon]

Right now in the hotness an all I'm getting 4 eggs a day from the seven I  don't know if all are laying every other day or the randomness of their production right now. I think this is good, as my egg layer types aren't in full on mode now either and I don't push them by overloading them with the efforts/methods to go all out right now. I have a heart, and let them just do their thing this time of the year I do step up their intake in the cold weather for all that business.  The egg sizes are increasing gradually about on cue for the weeks they have been in production med./largish probly in about 2 months when the weather cools down a bit and I'm ready to try my go at hatching from them and my chosen GNH male they will be of good reg/normal size by then. I'm hoping with them starting up at this time they will carry on for a bit this winter without putting the lights on them I don't like that either I'd rather have the girls resting than pushing and making them older than they are because of such (but that's me and everyone else can do as the please) LOL I will up the protein levels for cold weather though not necessarily for peak production but energy for heat. these girls are all big Cindy a good bit more so than the German types I have here. I thought I had a pretty good sized male picked out till I put him in the pen with the girls for the getting acquainted reasonslove / ) an such LOL these girls downsize him a bit when standing side by each, LOL

The 2 half&half boys are really turning it on right now they are few months behind the girls in maturity but they are now crowing and making passes at the older hens now too(they don't get much attention/equal participation yet  the poor fellers)LOL

Jeff

Hi Jeff,

So nice to hear that you are letting the nature take it's course and not stimulating extra egg production so their little bodies are having the opportunity to rest. In the past, I had a small group of RIR, Orpington, and Yokahama chickens who used to lay about 3 eggs a week with couple of rests during the year. Most of them continued to lay eggs until they were 7-8 yrs. old. In their old age, they looked much better than my friend's 3 yr. old hatchery birds. At the moment, I have 2 six yr. old hens who are still laying. Well, it is only an egg or two a week; but, still they are gifting me with eggs : ) I love Heritage breeds...

Lual

 

[ashncarson]

At that age pictured, the red/pink prominent combs and wattles. pullets wouldn't show this so much now and would not be so bright or showy at this age. They look to be around 8 weekish by looking at their feather they are in juvenile plumage?

Jeff

I see the post now LOL
They are probably about 8-9 weeks old now.

At what age does this breed "normally" start crowing? The last 3 males I just rehomed started at 7 weeks! I also got some better pictures, They are so pretty but was planning on pullets.

The 2 with the larger combs

The smallest chick, with the smallest comb

 

[catdaddyfro]

At what age does this breed "normally" start crowing? The last 3 males I just rehomed started at 7 weeks! I also got some better pictures, They are so pretty but was planning on pullets

4 to 6 months it can vary but none I've had started real early. These NH are a lot different than hatchery early maturers early to kick out LOL

Jwhip/XW poultry is the next state up from you(NE) I'm sure he could fix you right up with some nice gals to go with one or two of those boys he has some good stuffs up there.

Jeff

 

[ashncarson]

At what age does this breed "normally" start crowing? The last 3 males I just rehomed started at 7 weeks! I also got some better pictures, They are so pretty but was planning on pullets

4 to 6 months it can vary but none I've had started real early. These NH are a lot different than hatchery early maturers early to kick out LOL

Jwhip/XW poultry is the next state up from you(NE) I'm sure he could fix you right up with some nice gals to go with one or two of those boys he has some good stuffs up there.

Jeff

Thats the problem, I live in the city where we are not technically supposed to have roosters! This is my first attempt at raising chickens and so far I am not doing so good at getting what I need

 

[catdaddyfro]

Hi Jeff,

So nice to hear that you are letting the nature take it's course and not stimulating extra egg production so their little bodies are having the opportunity to rest. In the past, I had a small group of RIR, Orpington, and Yokahama chickens who used to lay about 3 eggs a week with couple of rests during the year. Most of them continued to lay eggs until they were 7-8 yrs. old. In their old age, they looked much better than my friend's 3 yr. old hatchery birds. At the moment, I have 2 six yr. old hens who are still laying. Well, it is only an egg or two a week; but, still they are gifting me with eggs : ) I love Heritage breeds...

Lual

Yeah I would/have pushed my egglayers more so than my pretty pretties under demanding situations 9suych as needing eggs (in thewinter for the reg. customers/not so much anymore dropped that bit too) I got too much $$$ involved in acquiring them and care giving I want them to be here for a good long spell.

Jeff

 

[catdaddyfro]

Thats the problem, I live in the city where we are not technically supposed to have roosters! This is my first attempt at raising chickens and so far I am not doing so good at getting what I need

Gotcha yep you're going to have to do different in that case.

Jeff

 

[cbnovick]

Jeremy W. sent me these photos and I thought I would share them on this thread.
These are a few of his German/American cross NH pullets. I know there's more than a few that have this cross hatched earlier this year.
IMHO there's plenty to be pleased about with this cross and these lovely sizable pullets below. I'm loving the nice overall body depth,super tight wing carriage, some ticking in the lighter hackles, nice feather quality too. Looking forward to some F2's....
Wouldn't it be ideal to have one group of larger pullets with narrower tail sets bred back to a pure german male and one group of pullets with nice tail spreads back to the best F1??