welcome to the new person (tried to post last night, but Jon is home, kept timing out
)
So far, Friday's weather says only a 20% chance of rain (and no chance of rain saturday, which usually means none the day before if it's that low of a % )
I'm not sure if we're going or not - I don't have much to sell right now - all I have are baby chicks, baby rouens and two wild roosters. I would like those roosters gone, though.
The baby chicks I'll get more out of if I keep them longer, same with the baby rouens (there were a LOT of ducks there last week, all types - almost got tempted to buy a dozen call ducks - black bibbed young adults - for 5 bucks each). They had runner ducks, pekins, swedish, rouen, and of course 'scoveys. I managed to sell the swedish I took, but I got Crap for them - same with the chickens - hardly anyone wanted to spend money last friday.
I moved the baby chicks to the brooder coop this morning - might end up bringing them back inside, but I'm gonna try it for now. Sure would make walking through the hatching room easier without all those bins lined up on the floor. Besides, the quail eggs are due to hatch this week. I'll need at least one bin (if not two) for them.
Oh, the total of Jr. babies hatched out inside is now up to Two - I had one hatch in the turner yesterday
forgot about it being in there. Both are pure white babies - not sure if they'll stay that way or not. You know how most white chickens hatch out with yellow fluff? these don't they hatch out with white fluff.
Jr is hiding her eggs in the barn again - hasn't gone to sitting yet, but she is definately lurking in there. I need to come up with a fancier name than "game mix" for her babies
they certainly do look odd as adults - I can say I created my own breed
Some of them come out looking conventional (like the birchen ones) but most look different than anything I've ever seen. Plus, they have almost no combs until they turn one year old, then their combs begin to grow. Jr's is just now starting to come in - her mama's comb is getting pretty big but she didn't have one for her first year, either. Also, Jr. and her Mama both have spurs. (her mama crows, too - which drives me nuts).
Attitude-wise, they are pretty wild chickens, too. They only will come up to you if you have food otherwise they scream like you're killing them if ya even come close. (yes, scream - not squawk
).
They'd make good range chickens for someone who wanted a chicken that would be self sufficient and could fly well enough to evade predators.
I sure wish I did know what their genetic make-up was, might be interesting to track down all the characteristics and figure it out.
ETA -- been looking for what she might have in her background... I forgot to mention that she and her chicks have black skin (
not sure why I forgot that little fact, sorry ) Remember Frodo - the white chick that died, she had black skin, and the other babies seem to, also. Jr. looked more like a pigeon shaped bird before she began to get her comb in - and looking at birds that fit that characteristics, all I can come up with is a Bantam Sumatra (not the blacks, although maybe some black in there, since some of her babies come out birchen). Oh and since they have black skin, the babies have black/purple faces (Jr has a red face, not black.)
But then, that ugly rooster (Flava Flav who had the Henny Gene) that I got rid of had a purple face and combs, too. I think perhaps he had sebright in him, though.
If only I'd get a little rooster out of her that would live long enough to adulthood, I could have more of a clue, maybe - although it would be at least half game, because of George, maybe I'd still get some better clue as to what is back there in the genetics.
so... recapping, I have a game mix hen (and her babies) who have black skin, hens have spurs, look like pigeons until they turn a year old and get a comb, bantam, which lays a pinkish tinted egg.
eta again - George has black legs - maybe where the black skin is coming from?
anyone? any guesses?
meri
