Nankins

[Micki]

Love the picture! My crew is getting big. My one older girl is giving us an egg almost every day.

 

[griffinkid02]

Hey guys, I have a question. Does anyone use numbered legbands, and where do you order them? I really like the ABA bands except the part where they have the year stamped on them. I'm still not positive of everyone's gender and I don't want a bunch of xtra bands of the wrong size that I can't use next year. But I have some really early maturing individuals and I have heard that those are usually among the most fertile and true breeding of a batch so I need to mark them for tracking before everyone else catches up.

 

[franciscreek]

Tyler,

I use the ABA bands, you should be able to sex them by the time you have to band them.

 

[griffinkid02]

Thank you.....
Well, Clearly the one that started crowing at 5 weeks is a cockrel, and I figure that I can count on the one with the elegant graceful head who continually scratches nests out in corners and "pancakes" itself into them while carefully arranging all pine shavings is a pullet. Howvere on the rest of the kids I only have a general idea of who is what and am not possitive. That is why I eant to go ahead and mark the three or four early bloomers before the rest catch up. I have read several articles that talked about such early development being a sign of high vitalty and strong, vigorous individuals. And the virtues of breeding those individuals to improve general vigor and vitality throughout the flock.
Which leaves me at my original point. I wish to mark these individuals for tracking as they finish growing out.

 

[griffinkid02]

So I noticed one of my little roos has about three or four feathers on the back and side of his neck with a dark brown, almost grey patch on them, almost a lacing pattern. Guess that one decision down, 31 more to consider, lol.

 

[UrsulaDoris]

If anyone in the New York area is looking to sell some Nankin chicks, I would love to buy them off you! I live in upstate, but can probably travel to any of the neighboring states for Nankins. I'd prefer not to get chicks through a hatchery or through the mail. Thanks!

 

[griffinkid02]

I have sickle feathers, enlarged combs/wattles and crower/croakers! OMG! I'm so excited!

 

[griffinkid02]

I have to brag! I now have a little more evidence of my Nankins maturity. When I went out yesterday morning I discovered that *someone* had been sitting on the watering stations, and knocked them over. Even though everybody in the pen was standing back and panting (it was already mid 80's and only about 9:45am), and even though they were all super excited to see me, every single ONE of my cockrels stood back and let the pullets drink their fill. Before they came forward to drink. They even went so far as to nudge some of the more omega ranked ladies ahead of them when normally the alpha roos would have been taking the opportunity to dance and show off. I was so proud.... Now to go rig cones over the waterers so it doesn't happen again... Lol.

 

[GalloSiSupieras]

Has anyone used broody Nankins on quail eggs?

I'd love to find a few hens instead of becoming an incubator addict, plus the kids would LOVE a few bantams around the yard.

Are any of y'all in or around Michigan? I'd hate to have anything go through the mail in this heat :/

 

[griffinkid02]

Has anyone used broody Nankins on quail eggs?

I'd love to find a few hens instead of becoming an incubator addict, plus the kids would LOVE a few bantams around the yard.

Are any of y'all in or around Michigan? I'd hate to have anything go through the mail in this heat :/

I'm not sure about modern times, but the Nankin hens ability to sit on quail eggs is what allowed them to survive the hen crazes of the early 20's. At that time almost all of the poultry enthusiasts were obsessed with importing exotic "newly discovered" breeds of bantam hens from Asia. Or crossing to create there own unique breed. These breeders had no use for the Nankin, which was at that time refered to as the "Common Yellow Bantam." Nothing "common" was of any interest them. So the only serious breeders who kept them were the people who bred and raised the quial for their English Lords to release and hunt.

Like I said, I don't know of any modern breeders using them for that, but they are very capable and willing.