Office Work.......

[Orchid]

You ladies are making me want chicks. Stop that! It's too cold here for chicks.

Do any of you know what BO/Production Red chicks would look like? I'm sure my BO will go broody sooner or later, and I'd like to figure out ahead of time if I want any of those type of chicks (if the rooster is still around by then) or if I'll need to find some other eggs for her to sit on. I don't imagine BO/PR cross cockerels would be much good for eating, do ya think?

I will say my PR rooster is pretty huge and got that way pretty fast, but I don't know how meaty he really is. I bet the pullets would be egg machines though...hmmm.... Especially out of her, she started laying a couple of weeks ago and has only skipped one day so far! Beautiful large size eggs right from the get-go, too.

He's actually quite beautiful, I need to get some pics of him up here. He has also settled down a lot; I might let him live.

 

[NellaBean]

I bet they'd be nice. I think Cynthia aka Speckledhen has a BO/RIR cross or something similar. Kind of looks like a reddish orange RIR. Similar to a new hampshire. I bet they'd be a nice cross. And crossing them probably would give you some great layers, and decent meat boys.

 

[wegotchickens]

I can't break out the bator until 1/1/11. I sort of agreed to that.
I am risking great animosity by encouraging the broodies...

But I am wondering, if I set the Brinsea Eco brooder up just right, could I hatch under it? I will have an answer for you eventually...

Orchidpants, it is really too cold here for chicks, too. But the regular brooder lamp would help keep the coop a tad warmer.

I think OB x PR would be a lovely bird. As BO's are dual purpose, you would not decrease the laying ability by much, and would probably have a decent stewing bird from spare cockerals.
I am an enabler, hear me spout encouragement!!


Beaner, I have to keep putting the blondes away. They are from a chapmpion breeder in our area, Jack Somebody-or-Other. He has drop-dead gorgeous birds that he sells for over $200 each. I got mine for $20 each. I need to build them a ramp....

 

[NellaBean]

Quote:
Ha, I was right. Cynthia's hen Meg is a RIR/BuffOrp........which is kind of the same thing. Production Reds are basically a hatchery watered down over time RIR.

Here is a link to her picture (bottom one in the post).

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?pid=5095606#p5095606

 

[NellaBean]

Quote:
Who are the blondes? Or rather, WHAT are the blondes?

 

[wegotchickens]

Quote:
Who are the blondes? Or rather, WHAT are the blondes?

They are gorgeous buff silkies, supposedly both hens although I have my suspicions about one and permission to trade it in should it start crowing

 

[Orchid]

Quote:
You are an eggscellent enabler.

All I really want is pretty birds and eggs at this point!

I will say that DH helped me make pancakes on Saturday and he was thrilled to use "our" eggs. He was also fascinated by the dark yolks and the chalaza once I explained what it was! So I'm making progress via education...

 

[Orchid]

Quote:
Ha, I was right. Cynthia's hen Meg is a RIR/BuffOrp........which is kind of the same thing. Production Reds are basically a hatchery watered down over time RIR.

Here is a link to her picture (bottom one in the post).

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?pid=5095606#p5095606

Oooh, she's VERY pretty.

My roo is pretty decent for a hatchery PR, I think, after looking around at pictures of them on here. Not that I know a thing about it because I really don't! But I'm trying.

 

[Southernbelle]

I think I've got a broody out there.

I got a craving for something sweet, so started mixing some Christmas cookie dough to munch on and realized I was out of eggs. So I walked down to the barn and tossed some scratch in the run for a treat and watched them all enjoying the scratch....then I remembered why I went down there in the first place and started loading up my egg carton. None of the nests had hens on them at that moment, but all the eggs in one nest were really warm, so I think one of my new bantam layers went broody. I was right about them choosing an inconvenient time to go broody. She'll hatch in 3 weeks; I'm due in 3 weeks.

The only fertile eggs I have are Seramas and they're not laying well. I've collected 5 eggs in the last 3 weeks, so I'm not holding a lot of hope that they're going to hatch, but I hate buying hatching eggs for a first-time broody incase she doesn't go the distance or turns out to be a rotten mother. I don't want to break her broodiness because in general, I like to encourage broodiness. What to do?

 

[NellaBean]

I have an idea, you should sit her on DUCK EGGS. LOL. Does anyone want to test hatch some Welsh Harlequin eggs? I get 2-3 a day EVERY DAY. They just started laying a month ago and I would rather throw myself off a cliff than brood ducklings over winter. But maybe someone out there is crazier than me?