Landrace/adaptive breeding discussion

[Appalachickens]

My poor cat doesn't have the sense to know that game fowl are not the same as the friendly coop chickens he likes to hang out with.

 

[Appalachickens]

My bigger set of this project (the game stag, 2 games hens and 3 leghorn hens) spent their first night out last night. They may have gone into the coop, I don't know, but they weren't in it when I left them and I left the coop door open. All 6 made it. Today, I finished up the little 4'x5' lean-to I've attached to the back of the coop so that when I have new young pullets in the coop and the older guys are locked out, they'll have a dry shelter with a roost bar if they want it, or a place to duck out of sight from hawks. I made sure it was open on three sides so plenty of ways to escape as well.

 

[LaurenRitz]

My first time broody has a week before her eggs hatch. I just moved her into the broody coop and moved the experienced broody with her babies into the main coop.

She's weaned them at 5, 6, and 7 weeks (3 boys, I believe, might be 4 out of 4) but she doesn't like the idea of the rafters.

Saw something I've never seen before. She was standing by one of the young cockerels and squatted for him. He just looked at her and walked away. No idea what that means.

 

[Perris]

Saw something I've never seen before. She was standing by one of the young cockerels and squatted for him. He just looked at her and walked away. No idea what that means.

I've seen that. I interpret it as she likes him, he's not so keen on her.

 

[Appalachickens]

Saw something I've never seen before. She was standing by one of the young cockerels and squatted for him. He just looked at her and walked away. No idea what that means.

He's just not that into her.

 

[LaurenRitz]

I have never seen a rooster reject an open invitation like that.

 

[Florida Bullfrog]

I’ve seen roosters not like and refuse to breed particular hens. My Crackers that were more pure to their type would often refuse to breed hens that didn’t have body types that looked like Cracker hens. I took that to be the junglefowl influence.

 

[LaurenRitz]

Possibly. This is one of the Kraienkoppe. I'll have to pay more attention. The Kraienkoppe hens seem to prefer the larger roosters.

 

[troyer]

My first time broody has a week before her eggs hatch. I just moved her into the broody coop and moved the experienced broody with her babies into the main coop.

She's weaned them at 5, 6, and 7 weeks (3 boys, I believe, might be 4 out of 4) but she doesn't like the idea of the rafters.

Saw something I've never seen before. She was standing by one of the young cockerels and squatted for him. He just looked at her and walked away. No idea what that means.

That means she's ready to start laying eggs again.

 

[LaurenRitz]

Yes, the squatting means she's ready to start laying. It's the roosters behavior I had never seen before.