Red Laced Cornish X and project talk (pics p. 8)

[galanie]

I've heard people talk bad about those having Orpingtons in a hot climate because they assume the Orpingtons suffer more than other breeds in the heat. But I have to say, they don't suffer any more than my Dark Cornish or my Polish. So I don't think the close feathering helps at all in withstanding any sort of weather. For that matter my Black Orpingtons appear not to suffer as much as the Dark Cornish do. And to confuse things even more, Crevecor (spelling) are reputed to withstand heat better than polish, yet both breeds are physically very similar. Australorps, which are often confused with Black Orpingtons since both look so very much alike, are more heat tolerant than Orpingtons, or so I've been told. Which leads me to the conclusion that unlike cold tolerance (where rose combs have the clear advantage, etc.), heat tolerance is a breed trait unrelated to physical appearance such as tight/loose feathering, etc.

This is admittedly all observed data and not the result of any official studies, so if anyone has conflicting information or observations, let me know.

 

[Tracydr]

OK, I couldn't find the picture of the hawk actually killing the chick. Here's a picture of the hawk minutes before it jumps on the ground and pulls the chick out of the ex-pen. You can see the ex-pen in the background. The chicks were about 1-1.5 pounds, not able to squeeze themselves through the bars, but obvously, the hawk was able to pull one through with force. It still amazes me that the hawk went through all this trouble, particularly when I had free range chickens and guineas running around the property all over the place that would have been easier prey, or so it would have seemed.

I hope this works. It's the first time I've tried to post a picture on this forum!

 

[SteveH]

Quote:
I suppose some use them for meat

, and we ate the eggs from a near feral flock [ETA not Cornish bantams, a mixed of what most just called "banties" or "Spanish banties" that looked and acted a bit game] kept for insect control when I was a child. At the few shows I've attended, the bantam versions of breeds often outnumbered the large fowl entries, and weirdly, their type usually was superior to the LFs. [Some of the LFs appeared to be hatchery breds, both color and type were off, and sometimes the judge did not even use them.] Evidently breeding show bantams is very popular.

I don't know a thing about bantam genetics, but have seen them cross with large fowl to produce "tweeners", or in other words small LFs too large to qualify as bantams. I do know many of the large fowl Ameraucana varities were developed off bantam Ameraucanas; the large fowl had not even been developed when the bantams were accepted by the APA with a large fowl SOP included. The APA does not recognize blue laced red Cornish large fowl, but a bantam version of it has been approoved and is sometimes seen at shows.

 

[Tracydr]

Steve-you breed the blue lace red version of the large Cornish? So, they exist but are not APA recognized? How did the color come about? What are the genetics of the color?
I was just wondering about the value of the bantam Cornish genetics, since it seems like the genetic pool of large fowl Cornish seems rather limited and I've noticed that even my OEGBs have cute little double breasts and dense bodies on them, unlike any of my egg layers. I can only imagine how dense their Cornish cousins would be. It was just a thought that the bantam Cornish would be another area with additional genes for the gene pool, along with possibly some of the other bantam game breeds, just because of sheer numbers. I know Asels are rare and the gene pools small.
How long does it take to breed the size back after an infusion of bantam genes? I know the Bantam Cornish are much larger than OEGBs, I believe nearly 12 oz larger?

 

[SteveH]

Quote:
Mature Cornish males SOP = 44 oz / hens=36 oz. For showing, if the birds are equal in all other aspects, the smaller one is to be placed higher. I would think you could get better than 1 lb processed birds if processed even when still not fully mature, and they should look good cooked and served whole........................... but I like big birds.

If you search, you'll find a thread on Big Medicine's blue laced red LF Cornish project; I've been blessed with some chicks hatched from his birds. He has both single laced and double laced, double laced is like a Dark Cornish with blue replacing the black; blue laced red is single laced like a white laced red Cornish. Blue laced red bantam Cornish are single laced. I can't ever remember all the scientific terms for the sequence of genes responcable for colors and patterns [plus many can have a different sequence but visually be the same] so I will let you search the color calculator if you need to know the sequence. http://kippenjungle.nl/Overzicht.htm#kipcalculator None of mine are blue laced anyway, though one or more of the recessive whites may carry it. I noticed yesterday that one of mine appears to be be cushion combed rather than pea.

Right now I need to concentrate more on just keeping mine alive long enough to breed. That owl got under my new netting last night and claimed one of my CX pullets.

 

[Minniechickmama]

So, there is nothing like the day of taking animals to fair, right? Well, how about we toss in 3 bloodied cockerels, a DC whose vent was ripped open and a big chunk of his rear gone. I also found a Blue Silkie roo dead in the pen. I think a cat got to the pen and started the damage on the tail ends, but then the others were pecking. The two tails I sprayed good with Blue Kote. The DC I had to cull. What a day.

 

[OSUman]

Steve
Are you going to be showing at the state fair this year?

 

[Tracydr]

Quote:
Wow, not a good start to the fair? Best of luck, sounds like you'll need every bit of it!
Steve- what are you going to do about that darn owl? I once had a bobcat taking a bird a night. That was miserable until I finally scared him with pellets in the butt.

 

[SteveH]

Quote:
I wish I had something to show.

I've never shown chickens; I started traveling to some shows last year looking for brood stock, though I'm happy to say an Ameraucana roo I purchased before the classes were judged won later.

My current Ameraucanas come from a good source, but are too young to show. I'm actually not a great fan of showing, they're judged by looks and feel alone with no consideration of any other qualities any particular breed may be noted for.......................... but they usually are far better birds [closer in appearance to what they're supposed to be] than what I find elsewhere. If there's nothing for sale there, I at least have the opportunity to talk to their breeders about possibly getting stock from them later.

It costs me as much or more to feed and house a poor quality bird as it does a good one, and feed and housing will be the biggest expence; and if I want quality, its going to be very expencive trying to develope it from a flock of mediocore birds. Spending a little more $ for a bird from a breeder may be the cheapest way to go, even for a poor man like myself wanting to crossbreed them. If I only wanted egg layers, I'd be happy with hatchery sourced birds; their birds are usually down sized from the breed they're supposed to be, often better layers, and cheaper to keep because of their smaller size...................... but if going that route I would just buy their commercial laying crosses or EE instead.

Because I consider the sanctioned shows a good place to find higher quality birds, I hope to get to Crossroads this fall; it should be the biggest competion in the nation this year.

 

[SteveH]

Quote:
That's terrible.