Making Lemonade [Selective Culling Project - very long term]

[MysteryChicken]

Bunny done. You can see the one still drying out some. Was a long hatch, he or she is pretty tired.

Looks like it maybe faintly patterned, but hard to tell for sure at this point.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Looks like it maybe faintly patterned, but hard to tell for sure at this point.

Yeah, I'm waffling on that. I suspect it will be "sensed" as much as seen, from the sheer power of my hope.

But this does mean I can take the two remaining largely black roosters, and start culling the older black hens. Now that I have a fresh July layers (minus the one black one). Will start a new hatch as soon as I see the Feb weather guess.

 

[MysteryChicken]

Yeah, I'm waffling on that. I suspect it will be "sensed" as much as seen, from the sheer power of my hope.

But this does mean I can take the two remaining largely black roosters, and start culling the older black hens. Now that I have a fresh July layers (minus the one black one). Will start a new hatch as soon as I see the Feb weather guess.

As soon as it's fluffy, we should know.

Still got a bunch of chickens to butcher over here still, 7 of which are excess cockerels. We have alot to cull this year.

How many total do you have to cull?

 

[U_Stormcrow]

As soon as it's fluffy, we should know.

Still got a bunch of chickens to butcher over here still, 7 of which are excess cockerels. We have alot to cull this year.

How many total do you have to cull?

I haven't done a hard count, and a hawk tried to remove one for me two days ago, but my guess is i need to remove three roo and a dozen or so of the new black hens from last year, all but one of the silver lace, and possibly one Brahma. 20?

 

[NatJ]

remove... all but one of the silver lace

I assume you're trying to eliminate Silver, but are you aware that they can produce gold daughters?

Gold rooster x silver hen = sexlinks. The daughters are gold (no silver at all), and the sons show silver but also carry gold.

So if you wanted the patterning but not the silver, you could hatch some of their eggs (if you have a gold rooster) and keep the daughters.

 

[MysteryChicken]

I haven't done a hard count, and a hawk tried to remove one for me two days ago, but my guess is i need to remove three roo and a dozen or so of the new black hens from last year, all but one of the silver lace, and possibly one Brahma. 20?

That's quite a few birds.

We've got 15 to cull total. Young, & old.
A hawk, & an eagle has been scouting out one coop, that doesn't have a covered run.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

That's quite a few birds.

We've got 15 to cull total. Young, & old.
A hawk, & an eagle has been scouting out one coop, that doesn't have a covered run.

Half my current birds, but they start their third year in April. Due for replacement.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

I assume you're trying to eliminate Silver, but are you aware that they can produce gold daughters?

Gold rooster x silver hen = sexlinks. The daughters are gold (no silver at all), and the sons show silver but also carry gold.

So if you wanted the patterning but not the silver, you could hatch some of their eggs (if you have a gold rooster) and keep the daughters.

Actually, the silver doesn't bother me short term, but they are paired with the Brahma for slowest rate of lay, slowest to start lay, have the smallest eggs, and the least desired pattern. What they did give me is flighty, predator aware offspring who are decent foragers. Oh, and my slw are barely bigger than my comets - very small for the breed, except one. Keeping her

 

[3KillerBs]

and a dozen or so of the new black hens from last year,

Just be careful not to cull the ones who are carrying your patterns in the recessive.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

The babies.