Making Lemonade [Selective Culling Project - very long term]

[U_Stormcrow]

Oh, and Spot, Stripe, Splotch, and Sprawl have all moved to the barn's grow out pen and attached run. The grow out pen measures 4.5' x 16.5', so its plenty spacious, and the run is huge for them. The "see and be seen" process has begun.

My food grade digital scale is again broken (battery compartment VERY poorly designed), so I used the hanging scale, which really isn't designed for weights this small. It says that each of the four birds weighs in between .44# (about 7 oz) and .55# (almost 9 oz) at three weeks. So, nothing exceptional.

Sprawl is starting to show some red on the spine and wings, leaking thru all that yellow. Here they are all together in one corner of their new run. At a guess, its 30x20.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

I may begin following along on this, but I just had to pop in and say that every. single. time that I see the title, I get very excited to read about actual lemonade making, and then I remember that this is a breeding thread lol

You really should. So many of the posts I comment on, people look at me like an expert. Which is easy when the question is simple and the variables are few. This thread is a more honest me, stumbling along, learning as I go. Thankful for the routine support of some far more experienced than myself.

@RoostersAreAwesome @NatJ @JacinLarkwell @Molpet @3KillerBs Others, too, but those have stuck with me since the start.

And of course its no record, but this starts the 7th month of my breed project - I've already stuck with it longer than most posters trying to make a new bird.

Also, its "General Breed Discussions", not Family Life, Random Ramblings, DIY/Self Sufficiency , or similar. The thread name was a play on "When Life gives you Lemons..." because it wasn't possible for me to get the breeds I wanted last year during the pandemic, so I'm making the best of what I've got. or trying.

 

[RoostersAreAwesome]

P2-01 #2

"Blue", not black. More underbelly color, which is more yellowish than white. Same white tips on the wings. And it has little yellow "eyebrow lines", under and slightly forward the eyes. Eggshell was ever so slightly lighter in color creamy-beige instead of beigey-cream.
View attachment 2707209

This chick is from your black and red rooster and one of the hens listed on the first page, right?

 

[3KillerBs]

You really should. So many of the posts I comment on, people look at me like an expert. Which is easy when the question is simple and the variables are few. This thread is a more honest me, stumbling along, learning as I go. Thankful for the routine support of some far more experienced than myself.

@RoostersAreAwesome @NatJ @JacinLarkwell @Molpet @3KillerBs Others, too, but those have stuck with me since the start.

And of course its no record, but this starts the 7th month of my breed project - I've already stuck with it longer than most posters trying to make a new bird.

Also, its "General Breed Discussions", not Family Life, Random Ramblings, DIY/Self Sufficiency , or similar. The thread name was a play on "When Life gives you Lemons..." because it wasn't possible for me to get the breeds I wanted last year during the pandemic, so I'm making the best of what I've got. or trying.

I'm finding it very interesting. Your goals are very different from mine and I don't rule out deciding that I love one particular breed enough to focus on it, but the process is educational as you have successes and mistakes.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

P2-01 #3. Same egg shell color in the cream/beige range. This one's coloration is more salt and pepper. with the hint of "chipmunk" down the back. [Not my hands, btw]

One of the brown shell (Comet mama) has externally pipped, we may yet see it tonight - tomorrow morning at the latest. The others haven't yet, based on cursory inspection.

Correction. I've now seen the shell in question. MUCH lighter than the first two. White/Cream "buttermilk", not a near beige.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

This chick is from your black and red rooster and one of the hens listed on the first page, right?

Yes. Comet, Rainbow, SLW, DBrahma, or CornishX are the choices in P1-04. Based on date of culling, almost impossible to be one of RUG's offspring, and due to the number sold off, mama is unlikely to be one of Pretty Boy's generation.

/and since every CornishX offspring is white with leakage, that's a quick elimination.

 

[RoostersAreAwesome]

Yes. Comet, Rainbow, SLW, DBrahma, or CornishX are the choices in P1-04. Based on date of culling, almost impossible to be one of RUG's offspring, and due to the number sold off, mama is unlikely to be one of Pretty Boy's generation.

If that’s the case, blue isn’t a possibility. One parent would have to be blue (or splash) to create blue offspring. Pretty Boy isn’t blue, even though he has the nice blue iridescence.
I did notice that one of the Brahma mixes (I think it was !Nom Decimus?) was blue.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

If that’s the case, blue isn’t a possibility. One parent would have to be blue (or splash) to create blue offspring. Pretty Boy isn’t blue, even though he has the nice blue iridescence.
I did notice that one of the Brahma mixes (I think it was !Nom Decimus?) was blue.

Yes, from RUG. My first Roo and breeder, till he forgot his place.

I suppose its possible one of the other Roos that got culled when they started to show interest successfully did the deed before they presented themselves on the table - or one of the pullets of the same generation laid an egg w/o my knowledge. But !Nom Decimus would be an excellent suspect.

I'll try and get a picture of 1 and 2 tomorrow in sunlight, to get a truer picture of color. At the time, he looked grey to me, but now I'm less convinced.

 

[RoostersAreAwesome]

Yes, from RUG. My first Roo and breeder, till he forgot his place.

I suppose its possible one of the other Roos that got culled when they started to show interest successfully did the deed before they presented themselves on the table - or one of the pullets of the same generation laid an egg w/o my knowledge. But !Nom Decimus would be an excellent suspect.

Yes, if !Nom Decimus or RUG was the father, or one of the blue pullets was the mother, then the chick being blue would make more sense.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

I'm not going to have trouble getting Blue out of the flock, the way I'm struggling with Dom White, am I???

and how long till I see either a barred red, or better, a laced or penciled red??? Aaaaaaargh!

(Ok, I'm tired, I'm hurting, the liquid assist isn't assisting, and some impatience is leaking thru. Also, I think I have another male to cull, maybe two, this week and I'm out of freezer space.)