Amazingly well done -- so that is 80% hatch rate for you and if the other 3 come out it boosts to about 84% if my math is correct. You're right if I had a hatch rate like that I would be buried in chickens too. (As if, I don't already have too many -- but you and I have to pump up the numbers for our projects at this phase to get the breeders we want for the next phase. )
Here is the basis of my project: Cross Cream Legbar with Isabel(aka Isabella, Isabelle, Isabelline) Leghorn. The name "Lavender patterned Isable duckwing - barred" is from Henk's chicken calculator. (Thanks again for the millionth time Henk!)
From the Legbar - the desired genetics are barring genes (to solidify autosexing) and the personality, egg productivity and possibly blue-egg gene (probably since it is dominant) - also the productivity - just at this moment my Legbars are outlaying my Leghorns....
From the Leghorns - the lavender-brown genetics. My Leghorns too (from CJ Waldon and Cree57i chicks) are prettier type, more consistent type and closer to show-quality chickens.
The objective would be an autosexing chicken with Isabelline coloration that has barring added. A productive, thrifty chicken that is less flighty than the Leghorn, and prettier than the Legbar.
That's not too much to ask is it?
Anyone who can give thoughts on the subject is encouraged to do so. In the pens right now are split males with Isabel females -- in the incubator some eggs, and in the brooder lavender chicks some of which may have the barring gene. (because the split males only have 1 barring gene from their Legbar mother)
Amazingly well done -- so that is 80% hatch rate for you and if the other 3 come out it boosts to about 84% if my math is correct. You're right if I had a hatch rate like that I would be buried in chickens too. (As if, I don't already have too many -- but you and I have to pump up the numbers for our projects at this phase to get the breeders we want for the next phase. )
Yes, I may need to hatch another batch as I have 9 Isabel colored ones now, not sure how many will be barred. Hopefully the other 3 will hatch (87%) and give me one more Isabel
I'm hoping that it is 3 more Isabel...(but the blue eggs would have only a 25% chance of Isabel because it is split X split.) --- It is a great day for outdoor work. Hope your hand/wrist is good as new.
What made me think of it is that I got kicked by a calf I was bottle raising and I think it broke a bone in my wrist - and there was so much I couldn't do for quite a long long time (like open the windows in the house) ....
I'm hoping that it is 3 more Isabel...(but the blue eggs would have only a 25% chance of Isabel because it is split X split.) --- It is a great day for outdoor work. Hope your hand/wrist is good as new.
What made me think of it is that I got kicked by a calf I was bottle raising and I think it broke a bone in my wrist - and there was so much I couldn't do for quite a long long time (like open the windows in the house) ....
The remaining 3 eggs are light cream colored, so hope is up
Thanks for your kind words! I hope you are fully recovered from that! Good news is that I am off the splint now. Not so good news is that I didn't rest my hand as I should had, doctor said may take longer to heal. But at least I don't have to wear the splint anymore . I am so behind on everything. Yesterday finally got a chance to pruning some of the fruit trees
Pictures time. Can you tell me how many males vs females do I have here? My guess is 3 males, 6 females? The last picture show 3 really big chicks.
Are you breeding homozygous barred males? that is the only way to sex them.
From the Pics, I can only see one Males(undefined/messy head pattern) but the chick looking down could also be male, but I can 't see his head very well.
Sexing is quite simple if you follow the Head pattern of females and males(females will have a very well defined V shaped pattern)
for example these recessive white cream legbars. Females V shaped head pattern on the left
The remaining 3 eggs are light cream colored, so hope is up
Thanks for your kind words! I hope you are fully recovered from that! Good news is that I am off the splint now. Not so good news is that I didn't rest my hand as I should had, doctor said may take longer to heal. But at least I don't have to wear the splint anymore
. I am so behind on everything. Yesterday finally got a chance to pruning some of the fruit trees
Pictures time. Can you tell me how many males vs females do I have here? My guess is 3 males, 6 females? The last picture show 3 really big chicks.
I would make the exact same surmise that you did -- if it were a clock, the males would be at 12-noon, 6 and 3 9 - and the rest females. So the last 3 came in! whoo HOO -- those last 3 are big chicks. Some of these Isabels lay eggs that are really Large. (reaching back to the Orpington days from Mr. Henry?) ---
Especially the ones that are dorsal stripe surrounded by light stripes then a set of dark stripes outside the light ones -- makes me think Female. ---
What an amazing hatch!
ETA -- I dyslexiaed it, not 3 but 9 for that other male guess...sorry for any confusion....and the 12 chick is the one facing left not the one facing down.
Are you breeding homozygous barred males? that is the only way to sex them.
From the Pics, I can only see one Males(undefined/messy head pattern) but the chick looking down could also be male, but I can 't see his head very well.
Sexing is quite simple if you follow the Head pattern of females and males(females will have a very well defined V shaped pattern)
for example these recessive white cream legbars. Females V shaped head pattern on the left
Wish that they were homozygous for Barring gene -- however that is the next phase of the project after getting lavender barred. We are going by what has been observed to date from my hatches. It could be that duck wing alone has more inate autosexing than we knew, because this is a split male over Isabel hens for the most part, so there is only one possiblity of a barring gene and 50% of males and 50% of females should be barred from the Isabels we hatch from this pairing. -- The other 50% will have non-barred Isabel plumage, but they will lay a blue or a green-blue egg (depending on how much coloration the Isabels pass along) -- and some of them will have a single crest gene. To make it more complex, some will have 1 cream gene, some will have 2 and some will have none.
. I am so behind on everything. Yesterday finally got a chance to pruning some of the fruit trees
