Lavender-Based Leghorn Breeding & Improvement Discussion

[HaikuHeritageFarm]

You will know their life story and that they were raised right. Some folks skimp on chicks because they aren't laying -- not realizing that the nutritional foundation determines a lot of their adult performance. Am I being Pollyanna-ish?

I just wish I could get all the leghorn varieties I want at the same hatchery. I want barred/cuckoo, brown, silver and exchequer and I want to throw them all in together with Fricasee and hatch away.

 

[Tbird84]

Soooo...this is suprising. Once again proof that things echo down the generations. I have a 1 yr old Isabella hen that is very broody. She stole the duck's nest. Now it is a co-nest with 3 hens in it. Then her sister is showing brooding interest. Crazy.

 

[Miami Leghorn]

You know that's an interesting concept has anyone seen hens copy another hen's behavior and become broody?

 

[The Moonshiner]

Yep. My muscovies do every year. As soon as one goes broody its like a chain reaction and others follow.
Also had a goose go broody a few years ago then another goose joined in then a few days later a turkey decided to join them.

 

[Tbird84]

I think the proof is in my mixed coop right now. Also, I had my older female goose stolen off of her nest in March. Her daughter from last year was learning from her and just starting to investigate the neat herself. Well, after the mom was taken, the daughter got very serious about trying build a nest just like moms. She even went so far as to pull chickens off of their nests to steal them. She has finally settled into her own spot sitting on duck eggs. Hens that have never shown a broody bone are giving it a go right now. I even have some Whiting True Blue walking around doing the cluck. Not saying that seeing another do it will make for a good brooding mother though. My husband has a week vacation coming up. I hope we can finish netting the field and get the breeder pens closed in. Then I can sort everyone out. Soooo behind. On another note; I just acquired 2 trios of Buff Leghorns and 1 trio of Black Leghorns from Fred Zillich. That should be interesting.

 

[The Moonshiner]

Lol maybe its this d@mn virus.
Sounds like even the chickens that never had chickens are wanting chickens.
Also what the H€ll? You now have buffs and black leghorns and you're not sharing pics on my thread?

 

[Tbird84]

Well....lol. The only excuse I have is they literally just got here on Friday. They need to get some feathers in and such but that will rectify soon enough. Pictures coming shortly Captain!

 

[ChicKat]

I've also heard that broodiness is contagious. Do you think that there are pheromones or something that is chemical. Example if you want a fruit to ripen and put it in a brown paper sack with one that is ripe and it is affected by the ethylene.

"
Why does ethylene gas ripen fruit?
Ethylene is a natural plant hormone released in the form of a gas. It triggers cells to degrade, fruit to turn softer and sweeter, leaves to droop, and seeds or buds to sprout. While some fruits and vegetables are high ethylene producers, others are more sensitive to it.
Oct 21, 2010
Food Science: Ethylene | Kitchn

Could be so many things.....
Loved the pictures of the hens and duck!!!

https://www.thekitchn.com/food-science-ethylene-gas-130275

 

[ChicKat]

Here's my spring hatch. Everyone easily autosexed...lost one baby female on about day 2-3 of life. (think it may be something I did wrongly in connection with not-quite absorbed egg yolk, I think it hatched a day or more later than the others). Could have just been a weak chick and I'm blaming myself.

Now have remaining 6 females and 4 males.

The first hatch I got only 2 females and the second hatch was 5 females and 4 males. This is pretty much capacity for me right now. -- And as they grow, I will really be crowding them. Fortunately the two females from the first hatch (3-weeks older than the second hatch) integrated with complete nonchalance with their younger sisters. I keep boys and girls apart as juvies, because I've heard that the boys hog the feed.

Remember a few years back when we were concerned about a couple things with our lavs? One of them was the color fading to whitish in subsequent generations. I knew the genetics at project's end when I dispersed all my birds (2018)...so I guess this is the first generation that is definitely the results -- but the parent birds of these little ones came from lavenders I'm pretty sure and the only thing that was needed was an added barring gene in males to guarantee autosexing. So these chickens are 3rd generation lav x lav and I don't see any color fading. I remember wanting to get there in the most direct route possible.

OH -- and -- I'm going to write an eBook on the project. That was made possible by the marvelous and intrepid Kiki. To make it possible she went through the thread from making Lavender-patterned Isabel Duckwings (Barred) - Lavender Brown and extracted all the instructive posts and the remaining pictures. -- (some pictures get lost when BYC upgrades - so some of the illustrations were gone). What a lot of work. I admire Kiki SOOOO much - and have a huge debt of gratitude.

It's intended to be sort of a 'cook book' of how my project was conducted for anyone else who wants to go the route of making autosexing lavender creles.

 

[Miami Leghorn]

Sweet looking birds.