Summer Shenanigans - VOTE NOW

[BantyChooks]

Long story short, I’ll be able to have poultry again for a mere 3 months this summer, and I want to make the most of it. In the past, I’ve mainly had long term projects related to SOP - but now, in such a short time frame, that would be pointless. Do you have a poultry-related project, breed, or passion that you’d love to hawk to someone? Well, here I am, and I’m taking suggestions.

I’m open to either raising a new breed/species or doing so with an old breed for a short-term data collection project. I could set a larger batch of shipped eggs and evaluate CAM closure and hatch rates in regards to turning strategies, or I could buy as many adult aggressive roosters as possible and use them to gather more data and photos for my article on aggression. Any projects related to incubation, building incubators, or assessing incubation strategies would be of interest. I could also build a new incubator but I’m unwilling to spend too much money on that at the moment so it would be limited by whatever I can find in my basement.

Other things that came to mind were raising a particularly stupid-looking chicken breed (silkies, Polish, frizzled breeds, etc.), or getting ducks again. The downside to ducks is that I get attached quite easily, as does my spouse, and we would have a tough time rehoming or eating them at the end.

 

[BantyChooks]

@Debbie292d @2ndTink @Kiki @muddy75
In case any of you are interested.

 

[WaterfowlsPoultry]

Would love to see a rooster study

 

[Rock17]

Raising silkies. Then you can help prove that silkies are hardy, very good layers and are ultimately the best breed ever.

 

[BantyChooks]

Would love to see a rooster study

Raising silkies. Then you can help prove that silkies are hardy, very good layers and are ultimately the best breed ever.

Thanks, both of you. I have had both good and bad silkies, but the good ones were fantastic! I loved my buff silkie Pebbles (and he was featured on a spread in a popular hatchery catalogue at one point.)

 

[fluffycrow]

I'd love to see a short (or longer) study on comb and wattle surface area in relation to heat hardiness. My own experience tells me those two things are definitely connected, but some have disagreed, so it'd be nice to have a more "organised" study

 

[BantyChooks]

I'd love to see a short (or longer) study on comb and wattle surface area in relation to heat hardiness. My own experience tells me those two things are definitely connected, but some have disagreed, so it'd be nice to have a more "organised" study

That would be interesting & certainly makes sense intuitively, but it’s going to be relatively cool in the area I’m staying - so I’m not sure I could provide a proper environment to test that. Still, I’ll make note of the idea.

 

[RadEggs]

Learn how to speak chicken! Like, what their different sounds mean! I also recommend experimenting with where people will let you take a chicken. It is always fun to take a chicken to Baskin Robins! (I can't believe they let me do that!!!)

 

[BantyChooks]

Learn how to speak chicken! Like, what their different sounds mean! I also recommend experimenting with where people will let you take a chicken. It is always fun to take a chicken to Baskin Robins! (I can't believe they let me do that!!!)

Might have to pass on that one due to biosecurity concerns - but it is pretty impressive that Baskin Robbins is so tolerant of chickens.

 

[Rock17]

Raise production hybrids and investigate temperaments