Red Laced Blue Wyandotte?!

[marquisella]

Breeding from those birds will only give you a headache.

I've been breeding from a closed flock for 5 years. I sold a rooster to Foleys a few years ago and also eggs to Blue poultry.com.

Even if you buy from the best, there is no quarantee that you will get quality birds. It takes a lot of culling & specific breeding.

My website is 2 years old because the computer I used to do it crashed,and I haven't gotten around to fixing it. But if you want to see some birds you can go to: www.sterlingcenterfarm.com

I've selected for type, and color. I think you can get an idea of what a blrw hen should look like.

If you have questions, feel free to contact me.

Sue

 

[rebel-rousing-at-night]

Quote:
In all honesty, the idea of working up to a bird seems like a lot of fun. I'm going to be 23 in about 2 weeks and figure I have more time than I ever will to spend on breeding birds. Also, according to the chicken calculator, a red BLRW over a gold BLRW should result in all BBS red progeny. Thing is, the progeny should not be bred to each other, otherwise the gold will show up again. Note that I do understand there is almost a 100% chance they will be shades of red.

Right now our breeding flock is right at 16 birds. 5 breeds (Chantecler, Delaware, Dominique, Wyandotte and d'Anver) total, after tons of discussion on what we really wanted to focus on. To cut-back on feed we created two large runs within their "range." On top of that, during the winter we chose to close off one half and have seeded clover, grasses and vetch to create a poultry pasture

Also, having just one small Brinsea incubator only holds 25 eggs at a time works in our favor in terms of keeping numbers down. Helping 5 other people rebuild laying flocks with our pullet culls is also a blessing. Starting at the bottom is a mater of perspective. Being a college student helps with stretching dollars, but good stock doesn't really owe itself well to college student budgets lol. BLRW are on the lower tier for now, more time is going into Chanteclers and Dominiques for now.

With this post I understand more where you are coming from.I am not a breeder of BLRW but I can truly agree with the advice given by the other ppl in these posts.
What I think after reading this is you relish the challenge(maybe more now)of being able to create with time some really nice BLRW.You're young and have plenty of enthusiasm.I like that a lot.I got involved with Netherland Dwarf rabbits a long time ago.They are a truly fascinating breed of rabbit to me.Money was slim for me and I couldn't go out and pay $150 or so per rabbit.I bought rabbits from winning show breeders.I went to as many rabbit shows North and South as I could and studied and asked a lot of question from winning breeders.
Here's what I learned in time.It stands to reason that winning show breeders continue to keep the best for themselves.They learn the right way to breed their stock to reach their goal.It takes a lot of animals of the same breed and the correct colors bred together.
Genetics and the knowledge of what your stock can produce goes a long way.Sure in the animal world I have studied the pedigrees of many.I was always blown away to see a nice Champion from basically unknown,unshown ancestors.It happens.But then where do you go from there if you want to produce quality?If you "start"with quality stock with compatible genetics you have a good chance of producing something nice.
Did I ever succeed with my Netherland Dwarfs?No way!I can't help being a different variety and color freak.I was always all over the board.I couldn't commit to only one color and variety.I truly enjoy my "color surprises".
With your number of breeds at this time you only average 3 per breed.This does not give you a good foundation in any.
Should you get rid of the BLRW you already have now?If you decide to get serious about them,yes.But I don't see that seriousness after reading this post.
I see someone who will play around with the breed and has plenty of takers for what you don't want.I see nothing wrong with that because not everyone can afford top show stock.In truth basically due to price there is more demand in the pet quality market.
Wyandottes in themselves are a very nice laying chicken.Although as these knowledgeable ppl have told you about your stock,you still will have Wyandottes of a color that the average person does not have
Sorry to all I can be so windy but I do love your enthusiasm and youth.

 

[kelliepulido]

I also think if are happy with your own project go for it.I love all the the mix bred chickens.I will be also breeding them this spring and have picked the best of what I felt was obtainable for me.I will post pix of mine tomorrow.Hope to start my project.But I do know from experience with dogs,my little runt of an ugly dog Cole who has been a scrapper from day 1and could have a whole book written about him has a whole score book full of ring 3 titles and at least 10 trophies and he was never expected to even make it anyone else I am sure would have put him down...he

here he is this summer

 

[Katy]

Quote:
Whether it's BLRWs or your Chanteclers or Dominiques, if you are serious about improving your birds, your budget is going to have to allow for hatching out and feeding lots of chicks to adulthood to cull down to your best birds. Yes, there are some flaws that are readily seen soon after hatch, but to really cull down to the best of what you hatch out you really need to be in the position to feed out the chicks until they reach adulthood. My wyandottes....especially the roosters don't reach their full potential until at least a year old. I don't consider myself a big breeder by any stretch of the imagination....but last year I hatched out well over 50 BLRWs and culled down to 1 young roo and 2 pullets over several months (and a lot of feed!!) time. It was the same with my other breeds. The big time breeders may well hatch out 100+ chicks a year to cull down to only a handful. If budget is an issue you won't be ahead starting out with poor parent stock.

Did you get your other birds from the same place? I looked at the site yesterday but don't remember what breeds they have....I do remember tho that they had many of the breed names spelled incorrectly which is a not a sign of someone who's serious about the birds they're selling!!

 

[CelticMoon1]

You've received plenty of good advice in this thread so far, from people who've bred chickens far longer than I have. In the end, what you choose to do is your choice.

Wyandottes are hard to get right. You need the type, which is hard to breed for if your foundation stock is off type. You need the lacing, which can be a nightmare, even starting with good foundation stock. You need correct combs, correct leg colour, and withthe BLRW you need the deep, gorgeous mahogany colour. (I've only bred white, SLW and GLW, and really they're hard enough). For a big project, starting on scratch, you will need information; read the SOP, read threads on the forum discussing the breed so you'll know what to aim for. Ask those who've gathered the knowledge through experience.

Starting out with good stock and keeping it that way is harder than you might think, even if your breeding pair or trio are close to perfection, you just know all the bad traits will be passed on....

With limited space and budget I would probably chose to focus on one breed for a breeding project, and make sure I start out with good stock.

 

[HSCMorgans]

Breeding from those birds will only give you a headache.

I've been breeding from a closed flock for 5 years. I sold a rooster to Foleys a few years ago and also eggs to Blue poultry.com.

Even if you buy from the best, there is no quarantee that you will get quality birds. It takes a lot of culling & specific breeding.

My website is 2 years old because the computer I used to do it crashed,and I haven't gotten around to fixing it. But if you want to see some birds you can go to: www.sterlingcenterfarm.com

I've selected for type, and color. I think you can get an idea of what a blrw hen should look like.

If you have questions, feel free to contact me.

Sue

Just purchased chicks from Sue... sterlingcenterfarms!! Chicks are doing great and will be doing future business there!!!!!