Sourdough Hens

[servant_of_fluffs]

I live in the Seward Peninsula in Alaska (as in Nome not Seward lol) so it is very cold and windy. I have had very bad luck with hatchery stock, but when I hatched my own mixed breed they did great!

Vision:
Look like willow ptarmigan with summer plumage (barred tolbuntish )

• very cold hardy
• dual purpose with broad breast like the APA Wyandotte (hens: 4-6 lbs, roos: 6-8 lbs)
• muffs/beards
• very disease resistant
• small rose combs
• small preferably forward facing crest
• pinkish brown eggs with speckles
• maybe feathered feet like the Pavloskaya

I want them to lay consistently into old age, but not an unhealthy amount like traditional breeds. The max eggs per year would about 100-150.

I have most of the components for this except for the crest and feet. What breeds do you recommend for this? (I'm thinking Pavloskaya or Hedemora landrace)

Do you guys think the feathered feet would help protect the birdies from cold weather? Any pros/cons?

I'm what I call "alaskatarian" which is where I only eat meat I have ethically raised or hunted, so I crave chicken like you wouldn't believe, since I don't normally produce enough roos to eat for the year.

 

[servant_of_fluffs]

This guy was named Griffin. He was a Barred Rock (Grim)/ something that had barring (Chainsaw?). He produced all barred offspring with gold/mahogany leakage. Griffin also had a single comb and 3 toes that got frostbitten. Shy temperment and sweet to hens after puberty. He only died because I ate him and replaced him with his son Abby.

He produced Abby (pea comb), Jinu (pea comb), Romance (pea comb), Creek(rose comb), Crook(rose comb), Crippler (rose comb), Croatia (single comb), and Cranberry (single comb/boss hen.) As you can tell they have themed names

 

[servant_of_fluffs]

My girl Velociraptor. She definitely suits her name, always biting at my ankle if she's hungry. She is half SL Wyandotte hen and half Black Australorp roo (Viktor). She has a rose comb (obviously.) One of her brothers died randomly in the same hatching, so I assume that she is pretty resistant if it was transmissible. She lays lovely brown eggs with a heavy pink bloom.

This is a terrible picture because she was molting and looking quite raggedy.