Sub-tropical chooks - picture heavy

[cwrite]

I don't keep almost any purebreds these days, I prefer mongrels/mutts. I have had purebreds of a few types over the years. Out of all of them I still have a Light Sussex hen whose purity I doubt (she has some red feathers) and I've had Black Australorps, Langshan, White Leghorns, Yokohama, Silkies, Araucana and derivatives, Buff Orps, IsaBrowns (not really a breed but whatever), Colored Leghorns, and a bunch of others. I vastly prefer mixed breeds though, the more mixed the better, really mongrelized randoms are my favorite. Even quarterbreds are too close to homogenicity/homogeneity for my liking. Purebreds are terribly overrated in my opinion. Not that there aren't some great ones, because there surely are, just that there's too much hype about them overall, making all purebreds out to be reliable and refined and improved, when really many are merely pretty but useless.

Despite what so many people (almost always with zero experience with mongrels) say, you can and do get decent or even great productivity out of mongrels. They're generally dual purpose and temperament is generally better than with purebreds, as well as general disease/parasite resistance and overall hardiness. Feed efficiency is great in my more mongrelized chooks and poorer in those genetically closer to the much-lauded 'super efficient' commercial breeds which I've found to be anything but efficient as regards feed intake to meat or egg conversion ratios.

Compared to more valuable purebreds, mongrels tend to get less excuses made for bad traits, being likelier to be culled for negative traits since they're kept for function more than anything else, and they are also more commonly allowed a more natural lifestyle and social environment than purebreds (which are likelier to be caged due to value and need to keep them pure). The often somewhat more neglectful rearing of mongrels tends to make them tougher too. There's usually some degree of consistent and unforgiving pressure on them (as well as a more natural environment and rearing method, usually), assisting in holding them to higher standards than more valuable purebreds in many ways, not counting show type obviously. A weakly purebred with perfect type is far more likely to be bred on than a weakly mongrel. Purebreds generally disappoint me, there's very few I think are worth keeping. I love landraces and ferals, too.

The variety of rare breed genetics that are out there including very obscure and unusual breeds is astonishing. I've seen Sumatra in QLD, which many people believe isn't in Australia, and other breeds too which never arrived legally. Plenty of illegal importation has occurred, and plenty of legal importations went unrecorded or just had the records lost. (Apparently Sumatra did arrive legally many decades ago, but the information is obscure and no records have been kept that enable tracing of them, but for a time they were shown in poultry shows in QLD or NSW, I forget which. Anyway most people don't believe we have them here).

In my experience from buying up random mongrels from many regions of QLD over the years, you mostly find the rarest genetics in mongrelized flocks where someone's clearly just let rare breeds mix willy nilly for dozens of generations. I guess illegal importing does come with the caveat that you're unlikely to be able to build a support group that understands the risks of the situation, and has the resources and interest, to sufficiently to be able to carry on your projects in the event of your demise, and illegal importers are probably often involved in other illegal activities too which makes it harder for them. (I'm not pro-illegal importing, just to clarify, I just wonder at the reasons why so many rare genetic lines have been let to mongrelize, and I think that's one potential reason).

My flock regularly churns out carbon copies of some extremely rare breeds (which aren't pure, obviously, but which could pass for it). It's amazing what a mixed chook can hide in its genetics. I like the guessing and experimenting and variability. For an education on genetics interacting, I reckon you can't go past mongrels, even if you like purebreds I think you'd benefit educationally from keeping a flock of complete randoms as well, the more mixed the better. Homogenous/purebred chooks have little to teach the newbie in terms of watching genetics at play.

Some of the more random places I've gotten some very interesting genetics include hard drug dealers --- in answering their local paper ad for chooks for sale, I found they had some absolutely fascinating genetics mingling in their flocks, including mongrels of the same appearance as the finest Silver Grey Dorkings, that put official breeders' efforts to shame --- I ended up going back to their place a few times to get more chooks from them, lol. Other places I've found interesting genetics include hobby farmers that could recognize very few breeds and had no idea what they had in their pens. Best Sebright female I've ever seen belonged to a retired train driver with no interest in the almost sparrow sized little hen, she lived in with his turkey toms, laying the tiniest little eggs all over the cage floor.

Best wishes.

That's really interesting and not that surprising, except for the sellers of illegal party enhancers. Not the first place I would have thought of to look for rare genetics. Lol. I think that's why so many people like easter eggers - you never know what you are going to get and there are some pretty spectacular birds from crosses. My original 5 birds are utility hens. I chose them. Since then I've read that pure breeds tend to be healthier and have much better longevity than utility layers. However, that may be more in the states where there is a much bigger gene pool. It will be interesting to see who fares better in the long run, the utility hens (particularly the ISA brown) or the supposedly pure bred ara's. I can well imagine that cross breeds where there is some selection for useful traits are the hardiest of the lot. And yes, there are so many rumours of rare breed birds out there. Some are bound to come to be discovered sooner or later. : )

 

[chooks4life]

That's really interesting and not that surprising, except for the sellers of illegal party enhancers. Not the first place I would have thought of to look for rare genetics. Lol.

lol yeah, well, one "chooks for sale" ad looks much like another, didn't realize what situation they had going on till I got there and saw the state of the people and the place. These were lifestylers, not partiers, they were mentally and physically wrecked from long term abuse, except for the seller who clearly had the sense/ability to refrain. But that particular region is absolutely clogged with that sort, over enough years of living there you lose your automatic avoid reflex, lol, and just learn to manage being around them.

I think that's why so many people like easter eggers - you never know what you are going to get and there are some pretty spectacular birds from crosses.

That's what they say, but I've never seen EEs produce anywhere near the variety you get in mongrels.

My original 5 birds are utility hens. I chose them. Since then I've read that pure breeds tend to be healthier and have much better longevity than utility layers.

Utility layers are very specific purpose, they're intended to die young, and they're some of the most problematic birds there are. My original 6 birds were Isabrowns (well, not counting the bantam snakebait testers we got first, none of which ever became snakefood). Seemed like a good idea at the time, but they weren't really worth it.

However, that may be more in the states where there is a much bigger gene pool.

I've come to the same conclusion, there certainly is overall a far larger genepool in the States. My experiences with chooks in Australia in general is that they're mostly very inbred. Normally they say 'you can inbreed for a few generations without harm' but that limit seems to have been reached long ago in Australia, you see defects immediately with most lines. You see defects even without inbreeding. Blooming import laws to thank for that.

It will be interesting to see who fares better in the long run, the utility hens (particularly the ISA brown) or the supposedly pure bred ara's. I can well imagine that cross breeds where there is some selection for useful traits are the hardiest of the lot. And yes, there are so many rumours of rare breed birds out there. Some are bound to come to be discovered sooner or later. : )

I'd bet on your Ara's, going by my experiences with ISAs, mine all developed various issues and died young, in particular the two longest lived suddenly began to suffer neurological symptoms that degraded them into premature graves. Others that bought ISAs from the same hatchery, as well as others with ISAs in America and other countries, have described the exact same thing happening past a certain age, generally after 2 to 4 years.

It was brutal and so, so slow, given a second go I'd put them down at the first sign of those issues, not try to fight it. One hen seemed to partially recover, she became able to walk again, but she died not long after like the rest. Another hen never lost the ability to walk, just developed the other symptoms and died rather quickly. I've never seen those symptoms before or since, I believe it's genetic. They were vaccinated against Marek's so that should have been impossible to occur to them, but that's about the closest thing to the symptoms I know. Not identical but close.

Edit: I'm not sure, your utility hens do look alright... Time will tell. In retrospect I realize I had some of the same type of utility hens and they didn't have the same issues as the ISAs. Good luck with them.

Best wishes.

 

[cwrite]

DH suggested that I put gym mats down on the coop porch to reduce the thumping as the ladies exit the coop by jumping from the top of the stable door to the porch. I added them yesterday and naturally the chickens are terrified of them. Most got around the mats by flying from the door to the ground. This is what Snowy did too, all the while shrieking in terror. I only know this because I was woken at 4:45am by crowing so I took a few minutes to watch them after swopping Sprinkles for Baby. It turned out that DH had put the wrong bird in the cat box to sleep overnight inside. It was most certainly Baby's most impressive crow yet.
Those are dried cranberries on the mat. The austrolorps greed got the better of them and they actually stood on the mats to get the berries. A little progress.



Baby and Sprinkles - the last Lavender ara's



Pearl - my new favourite.



I have three blondes. This is the second. The third was being shy. They are gorgeous, but not the sharpest knives in the drawer. I blame it on their crests and restricted range of vision.



Close up of her neck cape. I absolutely love the subtle lavender shading on their cape and tails.

 

[chooks4life]

They're coming along great. Not my sort of bird but I can see the appeal just fine.

Funny about them and spooking about new things. Ah well, more life experience should settle them. Oats are generally good for settling birds as well, they might make sheep/goats/cows/horses spackier but they soothe birds and some other animals. I give mine whole rolled oats on a fairly regular basis when I can afford it.

Best wishes.

 

[K Spot]

They almost look to have Isabella colouring, cwrite. They are beautiful.

Here's a thread on them from Backyard Poultry:
http://forum.backyardpoultry.com/viewtopic.php?f=23&t=7999273

 

[cwrite]

They almost look to have Isabella colouring, cwrite. They are beautiful.

Here's a thread on them from Backyard Poultry:
http://forum.backyardpoultry.com/viewtopic.php?f=23&t=7999273

Thanks so much for that info K Spot. I've been wondering what she is and now I know where her colouring comes from. I love it. I wanted lavender, but the 'creamy' girls are much prettier and crucially are also actually girls. : D

 

[chooks4life]

They almost look to have Isabella colouring, cwrite. They are beautiful.

Here's a thread on them from Backyard Poultry:
http://forum.backyardpoultry.com/viewtopic.php?f=23&t=7999273

Interesting, and precocious little pullet in that thread, she had a fair bit of coloring in her face for a 6-week old!

 

[cwrite]

Happy Valentines Day everyone!

A year ago today I brought my first 6 chicks home. Fluffy passed away after a couple of days, but the others are all going strong.

Stampy (ISA Brown), Snowy and Hedwig (Leghorn crosses) and Steve and Hagrid (Austrolorps)


Hedwig patrolling the perimeter to make sure that none of the pesky young ones Snowy raised get stuck into the watermelon before the big girls have stuffed themselves. Snowy is broody again and was kindly ripped off the nest by my daughter so that she could share the watermelon. No fertile eggs for her this time!





The only four pullets out of the 11 chicks that Snowy hatched. Six boys went to a farm at 11 weeks and Toothless, who was the miracle baby born last and a let developer finally found a home last week-end. The pullets are 18 weeks old now and pinking up already, or still pink rather. Two of the Isabel pullets will be going to their forever home this afternoon and the other two will stay.


Who can forget Sprinkles (Dotty renamed) - my only Lavender Araucana out of the bunch. She didn't turn out too badly at all.


Although she still has her ungainly moments.

They like their routine so back into the run until this afternoon.

 

[cwrite]

Cyclone Marcia update:

The worst is over and by the time it reached us Cyclone Marcia was an ex-cyclone and a tropical low. The heaviest rain was yesterday before the tropical low arrived.

A few inches on our lawn is as bad as it got here.





No one seemed particularly keen to come our at first after the rain had stopped, but I did spot 3 eggs. The food thing is in the other nest box because the rain was going in at an angle and getting it wet. I expect it will all have to be thrown out once I get in there.


The first Friday of the school term I arrived home to find a bulldozer flattening all the trees in it's path in a line towards my back fence.

It all looked like the trees to the left of the first photo.



Now it looks like this & this is what I was most worried about - that the developers has messed up the natural lay of the land that kept us from flooding in the 2010 floods.



The chooks are all out now grazing for the first time in a couple of days. Apart from a sneeze from Hedwig that I'll keep an eye on, they seem fine and kept laying like champs. Three eggs for me this morning, one of which is a 74g whopper from Stampy (the ISA brown).

 

[chooks4life]

At least you, your chooks and place are alright. Glad the cyclone died so quickly, I'm over being flooded in/out of anywhere, lol.

My chook coop flooded due to terrible drainage bizarrely enough, not because the water levels were high outside of it. Only inside of it. :/ That's despite it being far from sealed around the bottom. Not quite sure how it happened yet, appears the rain washed the top layer of clay off their main yard and into the coop and filled up every drainage gap there was. lol.

Best wishes.