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dheltzel said:
My Welbars were derived from dark egg laying Welsummers (from Whitmore Farms) and their eggs are indistinguishable from pure Welsummers or (my) Black Copper Marans. The OE's I produced this year are F2's, 3/4 Legbar and 1/4 Welsummer. I was worried they would not be very dark, but the pics my customers have sent me are nice and dark. I'm sure they will fade some, as all dark egg layers do.

I have a single Rhodebar in my Legbar pen to produce light green egg layers, if there is demand for them, otherwise we will eat those eggs.
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Molly 's eggs started as olive color, and becomes olive and green. She's a really good layer, about 6 eggs per week. That's why the eggs cannot keep their dark color. Same thing happens to Brownie, her eggs from nice blue color become light blue. She laid 7 eggs per week until she went to broody.

I like light green eggs too. But I really love Molly ' s personality, so I'll take the welbar / legbar girl and hope she will be as a great cuddler as Molly.

Good luck to your big presentation tomorrow. We are too far to join you.
 
dheltzel said:
Are you getting them from Dick Hostman? The pics on his site are awesome. Sandhill also has them and I am considering ordering some chicks from there if you want to make a joint order for next year.
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DH and Sandhill were sold out for the past year...I have a NPIP contact in fla...and one in upstate NY....pm me if you want to set up dorkings,,,
 
dheltzel said:
AnneInTheBurbs said:
Can I butt in? When you are placing an order, can you let me know? I may want a few special chicks. :D
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Anyone close to me is welcome to dream about what chicks they might want from Sandhill
I am thinking a of getting Welsummers (different line than the ones I got from Whitmore Farm) and Partridge Penedescencas. They have lots of other really neat breeds, some that are impossible to get anywhere else in the US. I want to decide soon and get the order in soon to get an early spot on their waiting list.

So, let me know if you are seriously considering anything. They are all straight run and will arrive at a random time next year, making it a little harder to get chicks than with a large hatchery. I fully support what they are doing, it really is a labor of love for them, so I am willing to be flexible with the order. Of course, I can house your chicks with mine until it is a good time to pick them up from me.

In your specific case, Anne, I would suggest that you pick a rare breed to concentrate on and setup a dedicated breeding pen for them next year. I (and others here) can help you with breeding, hatching and marketing. If small operations focus on a single (or at least very few) breed, they can become a significant source of stock and publicity for a breed that is near extinction, as least in the local area. Some people are already doing this with breeds like Barred Hollands and Scots Dumpys, but many other breeds are impossible to find (anyone ever seen Redcap or Erminette chicks for same on Craigslist?)

Just a warning - you can waste many hours poring over the Sandhill catalog and looking up pictures on Google. I don't want to get blamed for that . . .
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I'm sure I will "spend" some hours this weekend looking over the catalog and drooling. I have to be careful, because I know my hubby doesn't want too many more chickens. But I lost a few to predator attacks, so I have still have room, right? :p. I don't know if I'm ready to start a breeding project yet, maybe later next year... I'm still trying to get organized and adjusted to my new life in the woods. :D. My commute went from two minutes two 40-45 minutes each way.

Dennis, good luck today on your talk! I'm sure you will do great. I would come if I lived closer. :clap
 
On the topic on Olive eggers, the chicks Stake gave me are supposed to be Olive eggers. They are BCM over Cream Legbars, or vice versa. The girls are becoming more beautiful, and I am curious to see how Rusty looks as a full grown Roo.

I finally got my shed year day morning! She ain't pretty, but she is solid, and it's nothing that a little paint and improvements can't fix. I have it up on cinder blocks, and we are going to put more this weekend in the middle for more support as well. But even with the blocks only in the corners, that sucker isn't moving! Those poor guys had such a rough time getting it into the spot. They had to turn two tight corners and avoid very close trees. They did an amazing job though.

Check out my camo dog! I always have to call her to see where she is because she blends right in. :lol:

700

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AnneInTheBurbs said:
I'm sure I will "spend" some hours this weekend looking over the catalog and drooling. I have to be careful, because I know my hubby doesn't want too many more chickens. But I lost a few to predator attacks, so I have still have room, right?
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. I don't know if I'm ready to start a breeding project yet, maybe later next year... I'm still trying to get organized and adjusted to my new life in the woods.
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. My commute went from two minutes two 40-45 minutes each way.

Dennis, good luck today on your talk! I'm sure you will do great. I would come if I lived closer.
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To get rare breeds, I have found that you must order well in advance. I am sending an order for bantam Ameraucanas this week. They won't arrive until Mar - May of 2017. Sandhill probably gets even more backed up and if I don't order this month for 2017, I may not get what I want (even ordering now is no guarantee).

So, if you want to start a breeding project next year, now is a good time to start planning. If a breed catches your fancy that is not available locally, you could easily become the local provider of that breed in 2018, but only if you can get stock in 2017. This is a business where you must plan 2 years ahead, and that is why most people don't bother with rare, heritage breeds unless someone has them locally in small quantities for the "impulse buyer". I guess I should be glad of that, it's what makes the business I'm running for my sister and brother-in-law work. Scarcity = higher prices.
 

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