Should I buy eggs or wait it out?










Here is a updated picture of my chicks in their new run. Big broody BO is still with them looking after them. This Delaware bird is supposed to be a "Heritage Delaware" and the two RIR chicks were sold to me as "Heritage RIR". Actually I bought hatching eggs with the promise I was buying "heritage" hatching eggs. Anybody is welcome to be critical of them in fact that is what I ask. I really don't know heritage from something from a hatchery. What are your thoughts?
 
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Here is a updated picture of my chicks in their new run. Big broody BO is still with them looking after them. This Delaware bird is supposed to be a "Heritage Delaware" and the two RIR chicks were sold to me as "Heritage RIR". Actually I bought hatching eggs with the promise I was buying "heritage" hatching eggs. Anybody is welcome to be critical of them in fact that is what I ask. I really don't know heritage from something from a hatchery. What is your thoughts?
Yay, pics! These guys must be making the other girls jealous in their deluxe new digs.
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My understanding of "heritage" is that the birds are bred to meet the Standard of Perfection for the breed, and that some strains or lines (heritage) have been kept pure for many decades without deviating from the SOP or muddying the waters with inferior nonconforming birds. Of course not all breeders are created equal, and not sure how heritage differs from someone breeding for show, but larger size and slower development would be expected in both Dels and RIR. You would not see these traits in hatchery quality stock.

Don't know anything about heritage Delaware, but that boy looks big compared to the RIRs, so I think his large size would indicate a heritage/SOP strain. Little Roger has the flat back of the heritage RIR. I can't judge the heritage quality, but a hatchery RIR does not have that shape. The production birds would be shaped like your comets in the set of the tail. I think the RIR color is too light. The ones I've seen/heard about have very dark feathers, blackish-brown looking. I do know that in breeding it is easier to correct color than shape, so you are better off with a color fault. You could post pics in the heritage breed thread and get a much more qualified opinion than mine.
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x 2 with W4W, all I really know too is that the RIR's should be darker, but they are not finished developing either, and I've seen lighter colored reds....... anyway, for the 2 new bantam RIR's I have, 1 is lighter red, and one is such a deep maroony black with the nice green tinge... he's stunning! your chicks do have really nice shape! love the new run and I don't blame you for not letting Roger poop all over it!

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/...073741860.100000581681862&type=1&l=55493e6097 another flip book album... Wilma getting her daily massage... the camera work is a little sloppy, but it's really funny anyway...

11 Eggs today, and Olive is injured. she's limping. getting around pretty good considering, and eating, drinking and dustbathing... but kind of avoiding most of the flock. at lockdown, Morgana jumped on her hard, pecked her harder and was being an awful bully. I snatched her up, poked her repeatedly on her head, hollered at her... and put her back down. she left Olive alone for the rest of the time til roost. good thing! I tried to put Olive in with Peach and her chicks but when I opened the door to bring fresh water, she split and went right back to the dome... hanging out in front of the door waiting to be let in. hopefully it's minor... first time I've witnessed such bullying and also the first time I've hollered at or handled a bird semi-roughly. I was so shocked and annoyed!

I also didn't realize during one of my excursions to check the chickens that I didn't firmly latch the house door. Chester slipped out, but he came straight to me. I was just standing in front of one of the pens, when I felt a cold wet nose in my palm. .....Wow..... what a good dog. he could have gone in any direction............
 
I Hope Olive is okay...it amazes me how they can just become such bullies when they see any weakness. I got really angry when I saw that happen with my own girls. Normally all is fine though. I let my girls out today while being outside and they had me laughing as the sky just suddenly opened up and it rained. I went to go put them away and had to hunt them down. All 8 of them dry as could be tucked underneath the protection of a tree. I on the other hand was dripping wet from head to toe. My husband and I had to show them back to the coop and they all ran in very quickly. My broody is still getting off the nest once a day....we are tempted to give her the chicks tomorrow...suggestions? He started to build them their own box or something today and I just keep going back and forth. They can't go in the townhouse because I am afraid they wont be able to navigate the three floors without getting hurt and then I don't want them to be cramped in just one floor of it and then...I just keep going back and forth...if I put them in the big coop and section off one of the runs for them it might work if I move broody but the whole point in letting her have them was to get the new chicks with the older flock of four, not with the younger flock of eight. Of course I could always keep them inside too until the shed is done...

For tonight they are my little snuggle babies. I am really shocked and surprised at how different they are from the shipped chicks I received. They came out of the incubator ready to go...just full of energy and vigor. My shipped chicks just took like four or five days of 'settling' before showing this much energy. The little black one already climbs on top of the brooder and sits up there chirping for my husband. The little yellow one already has little feathers. It just seems so fast.
 

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