Pipd's Peeps!

[TheChickenQueen]

They are all pretty but I'm partial to my boys because they are all so unique and the girls I hatched since they still carry some traits that I loved.
I will own silkied Ameraucanas one day! They are just incredibly expensive but that's my taste in birds for you I found that some are trying to introduce chocolate to their SiAm flocks but those are even more expensive but I'll settle for some regular hard feathered chocolates since they are equally beautiful.
Welsummers and Welbars have been on my list since about January but then I found out that the main creator of the breed in the US made some silver ones and... now I have to wait until spring to figure out how much I really want some.
Awhile ago I discovered the dun gene, how it works, what happens when you cross it with blue, etc. I also found out that you can cross dun with chocolate and they produce a color some call beige and not many seem to have explored the color any further. So I've got this weird project in mind with dun, chocolate, bbs and possibly silver in color that lay all different colors of eggs with a body somewhere between a phoenix and a ameraucana plus I like feathered legs, possibly some fibro in there because why not?... It's a project but I can't get it out of my head

Yep, I mostly sold chicks but sometimes pullets, cockerels or hatching eggs then sold eating eggs to help with feed cost; it was a nice little system but it required a lot of human interaction and lining up sales only to have them fall through I learned a lot though.
Maybe you could get some solid feathered Cochins, hatch chicks from them and the silked Cochins then breed back to silkied to help expand the bloodline? I know that is what a lot of SiAm breeders do to help stabilize the variety.
If you couldn't tell I've spent wayyyy too much time reading and learning from other breeders

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

Same on the silkied Ameraucanas! My goal is to own everything possible in a silkied variety. Got the Cochins and the Silkies, so now I need Ams, Seramas, Svart Hona, Hedemora, Showgirls, and Silkie Ducks. Hmm, I wonder how hard it would be to breed silkied Dorkings from one of these... Probably not from the ducks, though.

I love Dun as well. That's the gene responsible for Fawn Silver Duckwing. I have so many ideas for that gene, too! I'd bet it would be difficult to combine with BBS, considering it functions the same way. It sounds like you're cooking up a really cool looking bird, though! My plans mostly involve creating new varieties for existing breeds, primarily adding dun or chocolate to silver, silver laced, silver double lace, silver penciled, wheaten, etc. Long hours have I spent on the good old chicken calculator figuring out pathways to varieties I want. You know, some people don't understand what's so fun about playing with genetics. Can you even believe that?


Anyway, yes, I am planning to seek out some Mille Fleur or Calico Cochin bantams to cross into the silkied Cochins. I figured that those varieties would pair well with the silkied reds and maybe make some interesting colors in a silkied variety in a few generations. I don't know how soon I'll do this, as next year I already plan to hatch out more of the silkieds and I want to try out creating sexlinked Dorkings with my reds and silver grays so I know which chicks are girls right from the get go.

 

[Cluckcluck1215]

Same on the silkied Ameraucanas! My goal is to own everything possible in a silkied variety. Got the Cochins and the Silkies, so now I need Ams, Seramas, Svart Hona, Hedemora, Showgirls, and Silkie Ducks. Hmm, I wonder how hard it would be to breed silkied Dorkings from one of these... Probably not from the ducks, though.

I love Dun as well. That's the gene responsible for Fawn Silver Duckwing. I have so many ideas for that gene, too! I'd bet it would be difficult to combine with BBS, considering it functions the same way. It sounds like you're cooking up a really cool looking bird, though! My plans mostly involve creating new varieties for existing breeds, primarily adding dun or chocolate to silver, silver laced, silver double lace, silver penciled, wheaten, etc. Long hours have I spent on the good old chicken calculator figuring out pathways to varieties I want. You know, some people don't understand what's so fun about playing with genetics. Can you even believe that?


Anyway, yes, I am planning to seek out some Mille Fleur or Calico Cochin bantams to cross into the silkied Cochins. I figured that those varieties would pair well with the silkied reds and maybe make some interesting colors in a silkied variety in a few generations. I don't know how soon I'll do this, as next year I already plan to hatch out more of the silkieds and I want to try out creating sexlinked Dorkings with my reds and silver grays so I know which chicks are girls right from the get go.

Hey Pipd.Just had to pop in whenmimsaw this.

MyPetChicken sells Calico Cochin hatching eggs

OPPS!Shouldnt have said that

 

[TheChickenQueen]

Hedemora are so pretty! Those have been on my list for a long time, I think they would thrive in the winter over here but during the summer they'd probably need a fan and extra care. That's the only thing keeping me from getting some

I don't believe they are hard to mix, I think the easiest route would be splash x khaki which would result in platinum blue. I know that the colors are often mixed in Sumatras which is where I've found the most info on the dun gene and how it works and mixes.
Thanks! I've pretty much gotten to the point where if I own birds but am not trying to work on it or play with the dun and chocolate genes I'll be disappointed
Dun and/or chocolate to silver penciled and wheaten is one of those far out dreams of mine too, I think they'd be gorgeous! I honestly haven't really seen a blue penciled chicken so I'd like to make or own some of those one day...
I know! It's the oddest thing to me, like my dad grew up around livestock so he knows genetics for those but he isn't as into it as I am, then I get going sometimes around my mom and she probably just tunes me out at this point because it is complicated.

Please do that, they would be adorable I keep seeing calico cochin chicks or hatching eggs on auction/rare chicken sale pages on FB and it's really tempting to get some, I adore bantam cochins.

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

Hey Pipd.Just had to pop in whenmimsaw this.

MyPetChicken sells Calico Cochin hatching eggs

OPPS!Shouldnt have said that

Enabler! But yeah, I know.

Hedemora are so pretty! Those have been on my list for a long time, I think they would thrive in the winter over here but during the summer they'd probably need a fan and extra care. That's the only thing keeping me from getting some

I don't believe they are hard to mix, I think the easiest route would be splash x khaki which would result in platinum blue. I know that the colors are often mixed in Sumatras which is where I've found the most info on the dun gene and how it works and mixes.
Thanks! I've pretty much gotten to the point where if I own birds but am not trying to work on it or play with the dun and chocolate genes I'll be disappointed
Dun and/or chocolate to silver penciled and wheaten is one of those far out dreams of mine too, I think they'd be gorgeous! I honestly haven't really seen a blue penciled chicken so I'd like to make or own some of those one day...
I know! It's the oddest thing to me, like my dad grew up around livestock so he knows genetics for those but he isn't as into it as I am, then I get going sometimes around my mom and she probably just tunes me out at this point because it is complicated.

Please do that, they would be adorable I keep seeing calico cochin chicks or hatching eggs on auction/rare chicken sale pages on FB and it's really tempting to get some, I adore bantam cochins.

Oh, goodness, I didn't think of that. I was picturing crossing dun to blue or platinum to platinum. It would take a bit more work to build up breeding stock going that route.

I love bantam Cochins, too. They're just too cute. The 24 hour auction thread here on BYC has had Calico / Mille Fleurs on it quite frequently, too. If I didn't have such an iron will, I would have them by now. I'll definitely keep it up to date here on if I get Calicos to cross to the silkieds.

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

A couple hours ago, I was sitting at my computer when I started hearing an odd, high-pitched noise over the baby monitor. I ran outside to check on the girls and discovered that the sound was coming from little Donna, who was making these moaning sounds with every breath. At first, we were fearing the worst, that she was having heart or respiratory issues, so we set up a pen in a dark room to calm her down. I went in and checked a few minutes later, and she had already stopped making noise, so I checked her heart and breathing with a stethoscope. Normal breathing sounds, normal heartbeat. She made a coughing or sneezing sound a couple times, so I think she may have actually inhaled something while eating. Keep your fingers crossed she coughs it up and gets back to breathing normally!

In other news, while I was carrying Donna toward the house to check her over, I witnessed Vander grabbing Endymion and mounting her. So, I guess he's finally decided to be a cockerel.

Here's hoping he doesn't get too out of hand. It looks like the Partridge Rocks will keep him in check, though! One of them came charging up and tackled him right off! I was hurrying by, so I didn't see whether it was Fancy or She Who, but either is just as likely with those two!

Speaking of the youngsters, anyway, it looks like either Nadine or Reinette will be the first to lay out of this group! Nadine has been squatting like crazy lately, and Reinette's comb and wattles are getting huge! Of course, Tess and Echo also are developing their combs and wattles, so they may not be too long behind the Marans girls. Perdita still has no comb or wattle development at all, but I suspect she won't go into lay for a long time with her bad leg slowing her down as much as it does. Anyway, egg countdown is on! Anyone want to place their bets on who will go first?



Oh, and I have entered all of my calendar entries as of a couple days ago. I think I posted one of these, but here are my chicken calendar entries:



And my 'other poultry' entries. I wanted to get some Guineas in there, but none of them wanted to pose nicely, so all of them are Crash pictures:



Okay, that's all for now. Gotta run and check on Donna and get the coops closed for the night!

 

[biophiliac]

One more video from this morning. This is either Tessa or Echo flying off the deck after I opened the door this morning. Those two are hard to tell apart when standing perfectly still, so I really have no clue with whoever this is flying. Based on their personalities, my best guess is it's Echo. Anyway, slow motion chicken flight:

I'm thinking of making a new thread just for this, because I have tons and tons of slow motion videos now. It's addicting, but so cool!

Oh please do make a thread and tag me if you do. Those videos are way cool!!!

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

Aren't they just? I did start to type up a thread at some point, but I got distracted, and it looks like the draft-save feature didn't save it. Oh, well. Give me a bit and I can get one up tonight. I also have a few more videos I've recorded since then, although it might take a while to get those uploaded because my phone is just about dead.


Editing to add, FINALLY got a thread up. I'm fighting to upload more videos right now. Here's what I have posted so far: https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/chickens-in-slow-motion.1198618/

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

I meant to post this yesterday, but Donna is just fine now, if anyone wondered. Whatever it was that caused her moaning breaths must have resolved itself the night before last.

Also, I may or may not have accidentally... kind of intentionally... named that one pretty golden-colored Black Copper Marans cockerel, which means he may have to accidentally... kind of intentionally... be kept... Maybe.

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

Well, I'm starting to think Vander isn't going to work out here. He is terrorizing Endymion now to the point where she's starting to show fear of him, and he's only just recently started acting like a cockerel. The deal was that he could only stay if he could get along in the flock because with all his issues he will definitely not be used to produce chicks, and so I can't have him taking up pen space to be used for cockerels I want to use for breeding. If he can't cool his heels (or get a lesson in manners from one of the other birds), then unfortunately I don't have any space or reasons to keep him.

On the other hand, after reflecting over it for a long time (and, well, my last post ), I decided I would like to keep the gold-colored Black Copper Marans boy to test cross him to Nadine and see what's causing that golden color. I'm actually kind of excited for that, because if it's what I think it is (one copy of silver), then they should be able to produce some Birchen pullets!

And if not, then I should still get some more Black Coppers out of the deal.

So anyway, this is not a great picture because he wouldn't turn or come any closer, but to officially introduce the gold-colored BCM boy, meet Murphy.