Landrace/adaptive breeding discussion

[Appalachickens]

Onward with the project - I added 5 brown leghorns (5-6 months old) today. I moved the game hen from the small shelter and put her in with the other stag and hen in the broody pit. Shame it wasn't on video because I was not able to catch her easily - there was much panicked flapping and flying straight up over my head. I put two of the leghorns in with the stag in the small pen. Then when I went to put food in that shelter, one leghorn escaped and I had a heck of a time getting her corralled and back inside.

The other three are still in a crate inside the larger broody coop doing the look-but-no-touch while the game hens get accustomed to them.

And, one of the games laid an egg this morning. Now if I can just get someone to go broody.

 

[Appalachickens]

The rest of the flock is more genetically diverse. The big rooster is more Dominique than the other rooster, probably around 40%. The hens are mostly game, the white one is 1/4 game 1/4 Dominique 1/4 leghorn 1/4 broiler. The yellow one is half silkie and half orpington I believe. there is an Easter egger x game cross that has laid and hatched out a bunch of girl so now I have a bunch of 1/4 EE x 1/4 Dominique ×1/2 game hens running around still laying blue eggs. Plus a few 90% game pullets. Free range 24x7View attachment 4304389View attachment 4304390
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So no coop at all?

 

[Appalachickens]

I believe the sparing sparks a primal part in the human brain. You should see how wild my 5yr old gets when stags start sorting things out lol

I once read that there was a time that in order to be considered a gentleman you had to have your own flock of fighting birds.

Even with a lot of sports people are excited by injury/accidents. Like NASCAR crashes, boxing knockouts or idiots getting gored by bulls in Pamplona. Which makes me owning game stags even funnier, because that’s not true for me. I cover my eyes in violent parts of movies AND I’m a Quaker.

 

[Molpet]

It's common for breeders to keep the cocks apart. I don't.... thinking I have meat mutts and until last year I didn't have any major problems with the 4 coops free ranging together. Last year a cockerel turning 1 decided to challenge 3 oldest roosters. The roosters ended up with broken feet and the cockerel is blind in one eye and doesn't see too well out of the other.

Well the almost blind guy was gotten by a red tail hawk. Or at least I seen a big RT flying out of the Poultry yard and found the guy with most of his neck and head picked clean...in a dust bathing area under an old truck cab.
I kept meaning to harvest him.

He weighed almost 14lbs even with the missing bits.
Was a brazen big hawk.

 

[Backroadlogic]

So no coop at all?

No coop at all going on 5 years. The silkie mix, Easter egger mix and the leghorn mix were added early 2024 just because I got them on trade, they do great. They all sleep up in oak trees. When it's horrible cold and snowey they hide under my house lol

Only chicken pin I have is for the trio I just pinned, I built it last month. Then I have an old rabbit hutch they get into and sometimes brood in.

 

[Appalachickens]

Well the almost blind guy was gotten by a red tail hawk. Or at least I seen a big RT flying out of the Poultry yard and found the guy with most of his neck and head picked clean...in a dust bathing area under an old truck cab.
I kept meaning to harvest him.

He weighed almost 14lbs even with the missing bits.
Was a brazen big hawk.

Wow, and that's sad.

 

[Appalachickens]

No coop at all going on 5 years. The silkie mix, Easter egger mix and the leghorn mix were added early 2024 just because I got them on trade, they do great. They all sleep up in oak trees. When it's horrible cold and snowey they hide under my house lol

Only chicken pin I have is for the trio I just pinned, I built it last month. Then I have an old rabbit hutch they get into and sometimes brood in.

That is really good to hear. That's definitely my long-term plan.

 

[Backroadlogic]

That is really good to hear. That's definitely my long-term plan.

Im sure you will figure it out no problem. Good dogs make it all possible for me. We have bobcat, fox, black bear, coyote, loose dogs, raccoons etc. I have 2 anatolian mixes, a basset, and a pitbull to keep predators under control.