List Your Projects Here

[punk-a-doodle]

Or link to them.

Hearing about the different projects people are doing or want to do is one of my favorite things on this forum. From trying to create new breeds, to trying to breed a specific trait for your personal use out of mutt chickens, they are all so interesting. Please keep it positive and encouraging here is all, as I sure want to keep hearing about projects rather than a locked thread.

 

[Stormview]

most people like to keep there projects a secret.. and then stunn all when they unvail lol

 

[Meara]

Yeah, I'd feel kinda self conscious talking about my project birds at this early stage

 

[punk-a-doodle]

Aye, it's just for those who do wish to share. I completely understand, as I have something I'd like to try in the future...but have no wish to share it at this early stage. Which is...literally a doodle on a napkin.

 

[JK]

Ok, I'll have a start. I've talked about this meat bird project earlier but I'm curious what you might think of it. I want to breed a not so easy to copy dual purpose breed. For this goal I've got two lines of non-related origin, which I'm going to mix to have the "end products" with a lot of hybrid vigour.
The motherline consists of what's close to utility Marans (in looks and egg colour). There's a lot of Marans blood in it, UK utility for the egg numbers and French for the egg colour, together with Malines (Mechels hoen) for the big frame. They're being inbred now for the last two years and have a nice reddish brown teracotta egg colour (sort of like the ones from a Barnvelder), golden cuckoo colouring and are quite big (hens 3-3,5 kg). They're not so very fast growing (but ok) and are good layers of a good sized egg.
The fatherline is being made with mostly OEGB's, IGB, buff Sussex, Cream leg bars and a Peking-crossing with khaki colour. They're wide chested, look quite a bit like khaki laced OEGB's, lay lot's of (too small) green eggs and the hens are about 1,5 kg. A big bantam! They grow fast and are very early matured. They're being inbred now for the first year to lock their qualities.
My idea (and I will test it this autumn for the first time now) is that by combining these two lines I get an autosexing result of early maturing, khakicoloured egg laying hens and fast growing, well proportioned males for the table.
What do you think about this project, I would like it very much when you can spare some time to comment it!

 

[lidy banny woo]

That project sound good!

 

[Lovely Emily]

Hello, JK, that sounds like a well thought out plan. I have a plan to form a breed of large fowl setting hens that are longtailed and Silver Double-Laced on a Duckwing base (e+/e+; Pg/Pg; Ml/Ml; S/-) All i plan to use are Barnevelders and Silver German Phoenix, (and keep open several lines during the process to prevent too much inbreeding).

 

[Lovely Emily]

Oh, and I am aiming for a medium brown egg, just regular brown. I want the breed to have Red Earlobes, Slate shanks, and Single Combed. I'd like to try to decrease the comb size to about the size of the head in cocks, and very small in hens. Small wattles, too. I can't wait to see what it will look like!

 

[BunnyMomma]

Hi, I am so glad you started this thread.

I was thinking about starting a thread like this myself, a few days ago. I was almost afraid to! So may people have harsh remarks about "project birds" that it can be discouraging to try to share your joy. The fact is, that if it were not for "project birds", we would probably all own jungle fowl!

I have been working on a project now for 3 years. You might have seen where I posted about it. I seriously love cochins and I love miniature things, so I decided to create a miniature cochin breed. I call them "Baby Doll Cochins" My first pure bred generation hatched this past Friday. The F3 generation roosters weigh 22 ounces and the hens weigh about 16 to 20 ounces. The chicks that I hatched are so tiny. I am guessing that the adult birds will be smaller than that. I am working on finished birchen cochins, and I have already started several other colors. I will have blue, mottled, white and calico in about 3 more years. I think the possibilities are endless.They are really strong little cutie bugs too!
I have already got several people interested in helping me work to get the breed recognized.

I have had some problems with my camera, and I should be getting it back this week. I have an old camera, and I have to download the pics to my old computer and then e-mail the pictures to myself so that I can post them. I will be getting that fixed this week and I will post some pictures so that I can share them here if you would like to see them. I will be working toward developing a standard for them, and maybe one day they will become a recognized breed.
That is my goal, however, even if they are not recognized I don't care, because they are so cute that I think they will be a big hit with cochin lovers.

I love seeing about other peoples projects too! You all have some super ideas. Projects are fun!
Sincerely, Bunny

 

[BunnyMomma]

JK ~ I think your project sounds fantastic. It sound like a bird that everyone could love! Beautiful, not too fast growing but faster than the heritage breeds.
Color on the birds and eggs as well!
Yummy

When are we invited to dinner!

LovelyEmily, I like what you said about keeping several open lines to prevent so much inbreeding. I will be breeding outside of my F3 and F4, back to some of my regular sized birchens, to prevent the same. It should give me the body type, and color quality that I'm looking for.
Thank you for sharing.