I just set 42 TJs Fertile Eggs! >>>>>Final Count 32!!!!

[Germaine_11.20]

Oh heavens, how wonderful. 27 and counting? I hope you bought another brooder!!

 

[Dread Pirate Roberts]

Sounds like an excellent hatch! Nice work!

 

[slickchik]

Update>>>>>>> THIRTY CHICKS

2 more working and 6 unpipped...

Hatching cam is offline but chick cam will be up later today!!!

 

[CTChickenMom]

Quote:
I asked slickchick that question myself and she said they are all the Hy-Line leghorn hybrid. They are egg-laying machines but what do you do with the roos? 2 Hybrids will produce off spring looking like their parents, you won't get another Hy-Line.

Aren't the hens that laid them Hy-line leghorns?

Hy-Lines are like sex-links. They are hybrids breeds, they don't breed true. You need 2 specific breeds to make a Hy-Line (leghorn and something else I'm not aware of). If you breed 2 Hy-Lines, you'll get whatever their parents were.


Hen) leghorn + ________ = Hy-Line
~ These mate and you get leghorn and ________, not another Hy-Line
Roo) leghorn + ________ = Hy-Line

 

[chicks4kids]

Holy cow!! What are your plans for the chicks?? Bigger coop??

 

[CTChickenMom]

Quote:
Can't wait! All those fluffy fuzzy butts!

 

[Dread Pirate Roberts]

Quote:
Aren't the hens that laid them Hy-line leghorns?

Hy-Lines are like sex-links. They are hybrids breeds, they don't breed true. You need 2 specific breeds to make a Hy-Line (leghorn and something else I'm not aware of). If you breed 2 Hy-Lines, you'll get whatever their parents were.


Hen) leghorn + ________ = Hy-Line
~ These mate and you get leghorn and ________, not another Hy-Line
Roo) leghorn + ________ = Hy-Line

I think that these are just hybrids of various strains of "Super-Efficient White Leghorn". The peeps grow up totally White Leghorns. Then again, we haven't seen any F2 Trader Joe's peeps yet, have we?

Also, it's speculation that these birds even have anything to do with Hy-Line.

Here is JoJo at about 8 months old...

 

[CTChickenMom]

Quote:
Hy-Lines are like sex-links. They are hybrids breeds, they don't breed true. You need 2 specific breeds to make a Hy-Line (leghorn and something else I'm not aware of). If you breed 2 Hy-Lines, you'll get whatever their parents were.


Hen) leghorn + ________ = Hy-Line
~ These mate and you get leghorn and ________, not another Hy-Line
Roo) leghorn + ________ = Hy-Line

I think that these are just hybrids of various strains of "Super-Efficient White Leghorn". The peeps grow up totally White Leghorns. Then again, we haven't seen any F2 Trader Joe's peeps yet, have we?

Also, it's speculation that these birds even have anything to do with Hy-Line.

Here is JoJo at about 8 months old...

http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq53/napavalleychickens/Ranchito Flock/6f6c669f27af.jpg

From this article I found, Hy-Line is the genetics company that has created this mightly layer (320/year). They have different colors too. I think slickchik has the red variety.

I watched a YouTube video that shows the company sending males through a meat grinder.

It was terrible! It said that because there is no use for them, they are dispatched. What a horrible way to go! Euthanizing them seems much more humane.

 

[smithzoo100]

I am away from the computer for a couple days, and totally missed out!! CONGRATS on all the new babies!! I loved catching up on this thread and listening to everyone. The mental image of everyone watching the eggs rock at their desks at work had me cracking up!!

That's AWESOME!!! Honestly, it's not lowered productivity in the workplace. It made people happy, which makes you healthy, and the better you feel, the more you get done, right?!? Use that argument!! It'll work, I swear!!

My hubby and I just had to laugh about the success you have had with the TJ's eggs. My very first year with my geese, two of my girls decided to share a nest. I wasn't worried at all because "There's a slim chance that they are all fertile since they are so young." and "There's NO way that the girls can cover that many eggs anyway." Oh, and don't forget the now infamous "They're first-time Mama's so I'm not expecting them to hatch out anything this early." Well, this was what I told the DH and just about anyone that asked about the 2 Toulouse geese that went broody and decided to incubate 42 eggs their very first Spring. OMG, couldn't have been more wrong!!! Final count, 37 baby geese, 1 frazzled gander trying to protect his girls and that many offspring, 2 OVER protective geese who worked very, very hard to have those little ones, a pie-eyed, stunned DH who to this day thinks that I knew all along, 2 Rotties and a Border Collie who steered clear of geese forever after that, and myself who will NEVER AGAIN underestimate the power of Mother Nature to laugh at you!!!!!

The only other experience that comes even close to that is breeding six mares a few years ago because a few were older girls and I just knew that they wouldn't all get pregnant. I was hedging my bet for at least 2 foals the following Spring. Results...all 6 mares in foal!!! Haven't bred my girls since.... Think I would've learned with those geese

CONGRATULATIONS on all your new little peeps!!!! That's pretty awesome!!!

 

[Dread Pirate Roberts]

Quote:
Interesting. I didn't get a chance to watch slickchik's video, my connection is too sketchy. I'd love to know if these turn out differently than all of mine have.

JoJo lays 9 days out of 10 consistently, but her best friend, an Easter Egger, beat that over the Summer with 89/90. Silly chickens.

(I'll skip the youtube video).