***OKIES in the BYC III ***

[Poco Pollo]

Shelbydog - Your duck lost one tail feather this morning. She fell asleep next to her water trough (rubber tub for horses), and one tail feather was submerged about 1/2". When I opened the pen to feed her, she startled, ran like she was on a treadmill, and then yelped as she popped free of her stuck feather. I've replace the big water tub with a smaller bucket until we see some warmer temperatures. Sorry about the blurry photo. Auto focus preferred the cage wire, and using manual focus (without my glasses on : ( ) gave me the same result.


Free-range birds enjoyed a community pancake breakfast; barn cats accepted the invitation, even though they generally don't want to eat with the birds. I wish I could get the grandkids to eat day-old pancakes as quickly as my flock does.

 

[Cjarvis]

Chicken genetics seems to intimidate me though........

MJ,
The genetics really are not as complicated as many would have you believe.
There are a few basic things to understand.
Pattern of color inheritance. and E-locus gene sets are the first two, get your mind around those two things and you will be well on your way.

The E-locus is a pattern controlling gene set. This is fairly simple and determines color pattern on the male and female for the variety.
This is made up of Partridge, Wild Type Partridge, Wheaton (All of these males look the same females do not and chick down is different)
Extended Black, Birchen These are the two Black white and Blue bases. Once again females can appear different or the same The chick down is different.
Mixes of genetic bases at the e-locus can be tough to get your desired results when breeding, that is why a good breeder for color will cull based on chick down color and pattern.
When breeding for Hackle and saddle color, This is the Z chromosome. This is either Silver or Red then modified by color modifying genes. Females only carry 1 copy of this and it comes from the male. Males carry 2 one from the male and one from the female. This is why you can have a "golden" male produce both Silver and Red hackled females..
There is a very simple and basic start. Modifying genes is where things start to get more interesting but understanding that first part is the first big step in heading the right direction.

 

[TRUE5]

i'm sure others will have their favs, RIR, Barred Rcok and EE's are my most consistant layers-

Granulated garlic?? hmmmm i need to do some research on it- i am hoping to go that direction with mine as well

Let me know on the research on what you find out. I would like to do it naturally but I also want to know 1. its not going to hurt them and 2. its effective.

On sleep. Did you know that sleeping through the night is a recent phenomena? In the middle ages they had First Sleep and Second Sleep. Go to bed with the dying light for First Sleep. Wake up naturally in the night, engage in quiet activities like sewing or reading by low lights, or have sex. Go back to bed for a few hours and rise refreshed. I am not making this up. i promise! I have a painfully trivial mind.

That is actually very interesting. Maybe if that is what they find they did during those days then possibly we are still suppose to have a sleep pattern like that. And if we are then maybe that is why we have sleep disorders today. I can see how you would feel refreshed instead of sleep a continual 8 hours. I think they found that if you sleep less you live longer... or its healthier... don't quote me on it but still interesting. I love facts about the things way were and what people did in the past. Thank you for sharing!!!





Now that I have 3 incubators going I have lost sleep trying to get all 3 temps regulated. I think I finally got to bed around 2.

I have two thermometers. One is a smaller meat thermometer and I think it is more accurate than the thermometer that is more for the house. When I put the meat therm. in the bator it will read at 99 while the house one will read 97. The cheap therm. on the incubator (that is mounted in the Styrofoam and I don't use because I don't trust it either way) it will read 97 as well. I have tried to calebrate (or just check to see accuracy) with ice water and the meat therm. reads 32... the other I can't put in water and wont read correctly when in a baggie (I tried). So should I go ahead and trust the meat thermometer? I would think it was more accurate since it has to be created to read meat temps which I would think is pretty critical. Is there another method to check them?

 

[lonnyandrinda]

Let me know on the research on what you find out. I would like to do it naturally but I also want to know 1. its not going to hurt them and 2. its effective.

That is actually very interesting. Maybe if that is what they find they did during those days then possibly we are still suppose to have a sleep pattern like that. And if we are then maybe that is why we have sleep disorders today. I can see how you would feel refreshed instead of sleep a continual 8 hours. I think they found that if you sleep less you live longer... or its healthier... don't quote me on it but still interesting. I love facts about the things way were and what people did in the past. Thank you for sharing!!!





Now that I have 3 incubators going I have lost sleep trying to get all 3 temps regulated. I think I finally got to bed around 2. I have two thermometers. One is a smaller meat thermometer and I think it is more accurate than the thermometer that is more for the house. When I put the meat therm. in the bator it will read at 99 while the house one will read 97. The cheap therm. on the incubator (that is mounted in the Styrofoam and I don't use because I don't trust it either way) it will read 97 as well. I have tried to calebrate (or just check to see accuracy) with ice water and the meat therm. reads 32... the other I can't put in water and wont read correctly when in a baggie (I tried). So should I go ahead and trust the meat thermometer? I would think it was more accurate since it has to be created to read meat temps which I would think is pretty critical. Is there another method to check them?

Run it according to the meat thermometer, it should be close enough. Keep an eye on the calendar, if they hatch a day or half day early it is a little too warm, if they are a day or half day late it is a little too cool and you can adjust for next time.

 

[redriverboy]

So just curious does anyone have a extra brooder for sale who is going to the Blanchard auction tonight I have tons of chicks hatching and a full brooder lol

 

[Cjarvis]

So just curious does anyone have a extra brooder for sale who is going to the Blanchard auction tonight I have tons of chicks hatching and a full brooder lol

I do have a brooder I could spare, I will not deliver and it would not be cheap. Otherwise I wish you luck its a bad time of year to try buy brooders, fall is best.

~~So on genetics, how would I get a barred lavender? I would be using my Lavender orpingtons. I still don't totally understand genetics but am slowly learning it. I was only guessing a barred orpington with my lav orp pullet (when laying)? Should I always use a male for more dominant genes? Oh goodness, I never wanted to start any projects but it is SO tempting

Introduce barred from the male over lav. hens. Lav is recessive barred is sex linked both are typically on an extended black base. Mate a cockerel from the cross to a pullet from the cross (F1xF1) you will get a few Barred Lav. not many but a few, hatch at least 250 keep the best 3 that is the start, will take at least 5 generations to get something truly worthwhile.

 

[shelbydog]

@ Poco Pollo....that duck hen is a silly girl.

@ True5....On the barred lavender orps.... I know someone who has some already and might have chicks for sale this year....I can check with him on availability if you are interested in doing a short cut on getting some into your flock.

 

[bardies]

Okay; I'm from SE Oklahoma, near Ft. Smith, Arkansas. Back in the 70's after I returned from Vietnam, I moved my young family back here to the old ranch house after Mom and Dad built a new home closer to civilization.

I raised a garden, chickens, geese, ducks, pheasants, rabbits, turkeys, barn cats, stray dogs, cattle, bottle fed orphan calves, hogs, sheep, horses and their foals, goats, kept a milk cow that I milked twice a day (hint ~ the barn cats. They love fresh milk, and my daughter loved kittens). Wheeu; No wonder I'm tired.
So, now, the kids have married, and gone. Don't have a need for much, other than a few longhorn cows, a couple of old ewes, and some old range hens. I've always wanted Rhode Island Red Bantam chickens for some reason. So, after varmits caught most of my range hens, I ordered those RI's, but got a call, and the hatchery was out of them , it being late August of 2013, so I ended up with 10 Japanese White Blacktails, and 15 Buff Orpingtons. Of all of those, most were Cockerels, which has left me with a mere 4 Buffs, and 4 Japs, and one of them is a Roo. Being retired , I have plenty of time on my hands to spend with them and chat about chickens, the country and the farm in general, so here I am.

Welcome! We have longhorns too...somehow they go along with the chickens!

 

[TRUE5]

@ Poco Pollo....that duck hen is a silly girl.

@ True5....On the barred lavender orps.... I know someone who has some already and might have chicks for sale this year....I can check with him on availability if you are interested in doing a short cut on getting some into your flock.

I would love a few! Do you know if he has any other colors as well? I have been doing some looking around at prices and trying to find beautiful ones that are a little less than others. Still would like some barred lavenders. I appreciate it!

 

[bardies]

So on genetics, how would I get a barred lavender? I would be using my Lavender orpingtons. I still don't totally understand genetics but am slowly learning it. I was only guessing a barred orpington with my lav orp pullet (when laying)? Should I always use a male for more dominant genes? Oh goodness, I never wanted to start any projects but it is SO tempting.

Quote:
One of the things that I have heard about the cheap thermometers is that because they are backed on the thin plastic - that that plastic will shrink and expand with the temps - thus rendering the 'reading' totally inaccurate and unable to calibrate.