Surviving Minnesota!

[duluthralphie]

Ralphie, I believe you would have been duly impressed with the size of the drumstix on that buckeye of Minnie's I posted, I think they were the biggest I saw at the fair, lol

I should have take a picture of the drums on the boys I had butchered a couple of weeks ago. You get a decent sized breast on them, but their real value is in their dark meat! Did you see my Cornish cock? He is tough to hold he is so beefy and those short legs so wide apart. I have to wrap both arms around those ones to carry them.
I was just laughing and telling my kids, the only 'big' awards I have gotten on any of my chickens has been with my Cornish and I am selling them off. I said it before, I am crazy.

This is why we need a meat division for us old folks! Bert and his Boy's would rule the division.

I need to get an updated picture of Bert. I would never eat Bert, he is too old now anyways, but I try to imagine him naked in a roaster and I think he is bigger than the turkeys.

This is not meant to take anything from Minnie's rooster he is a dandy for sure. When I first saw his picture I thought " I didn't know she has PC's" Then I noticed the comb was wrong, but it looked a lot like Ed does. The difference between the roosters and the hens in the PC's is pretty pronounced, not CLB pronounced but a huge difference.




However, looking again he looks nothing like Ed. wrong color, wrong shape... BUT one impressive rooster.


BTW I have internet back so I can actually load pictures and see what they look like, no more IPhone!

 

[Cebarmlds]

Good morning

 

[ejb3810]

The New Hampshire's are very striking birds but for my situation have one large adversity. The single comb. Minnie perhaps you could use the Buckeyes as a cross to develop a NH with a pea comb? It may take several generations of work, but it would result in a bird suitable to the Northern climate.

 

[franksgreengirl]

Good morning

I want to share that our redstar (peaches) is the confirmed and very consistent layer. Not Artemis the bossy Wyandotte Despite the feathers in the nesting areas. 3 of 4 family members have now witnessed the most beatific event of an egg being laid between 8 and 9AM daily.Our theory is Since the Wyandotte is the queen bee and busy body we're sure she's going to be runner up to our girl 'peaches'. She is displaying laying preparedness with squatting and expansion in hip area. She really is nosy and gets all up in those nesting boxes too (if only to do some test sitting) lol

 

[I Love Layers]

Morning everyone 1 more week til I get my Cochins

 

[Bogtown Chick]

Agree Ed about the single comb. First year (winter) with the NH rooster = not pretty.

I would love a small comb variety. But then I suppose Minnie gets folks looking for heritage type for shows and hard to please every customer.

 

[jerryse]

http://www.fedcoseeds.com/trees/ Here is a link for hardy trees berries and such for the far north . Nice cool weather has moved in down here plus no rain predicted until Wednesday .

 

[Minniechickmama]

This is why we need a meat division for us old folks! Bert and his Boy's would rule the division.

I need to get an updated picture of Bert. I would never eat Bert, he is too old now anyways, but I try to imagine him naked in a roaster and I think he is bigger than the turkeys.

This is not meant to take anything from Minnie's rooster he is a dandy for sure. When I first saw his picture I thought " I didn't know she has PC's" Then I noticed the comb was wrong, but it looked a lot like Ed does. The difference between the roosters and the hens in the PC's is pretty pronounced, not CLB pronounced but a huge difference.




However, looking again he looks nothing like Ed. wrong color, wrong shape... BUT one impressive rooster.


BTW I have internet back so I can actually load pictures and see what they look like, no more IPhone!

There are more differences than color, but you are right, the two breeds do share some common traits that make them both good northern birds and both good dual purpose breeds as well. The Bucks I think have more bone (wider head, thicker legs, thicker frame overall), plus a shorter stockier neck and less of an angle to their body carriage. The Chanteclers are still on my list to try someday, but not this year.

I suppose the reason they have meat and laying classes for 4-H is to teach the value of birds in those categories, to educate on what the best is from a consumer's standpoint - less money is, more product out. Being that 4-H is supposed to be 1. Fun, 2. Educational, 3. Competitive. in that order.

I will say, I wouldn't normally take a rooster to show looking like that Buckeye did because he tail is only about half in after all the pecking that went on when he was in with his brothers, but it was the only way to get more pullets in the show He is the best color so far with my cockerels, no excess black showing, but he should be overall a darker shade of mahogany bay. The Cornish were rough from breeding season, but the mature birds look that way for State, they are all just coming out of breeding pens and starting to molt, so they do look rough. That is why you don't see many of the mature chickens at State Fair.

 

[Minniechickmama]

The New Hampshire's are very striking birds but for my situation have one large adversity. The single comb. Minnie perhaps you could use the Buckeyes as a cross to develop a NH with a pea comb? It may take several generations of work, but it would result in a bird suitable to the Northern climate.

Funny you should mention that, I have actually contemplated doing just that. I love the NHs color and really everything about them, but those combs and wattles. Most of my females have slight combs, but those males I am fighting to get them a bit smaller right now as they are getting too big even for the breed standard.
Right now though, I am trying to cut back, which is very difficult for me, but necessary. So, any projects are going by the wayside.

In fact, I have 5 little bantam pullets and a number of cockerels from my project with those I need to find homes for if anyone is interested? Some of them are laying already. I have 3 Barred and 2 Black or Birchen colored. Is anyone tempted??

 

[Minniechickmama]

Agree Ed about the single comb. First year (winter) with the NH rooster = not pretty.

I would love a small comb variety. But then I suppose Minnie gets folks looking for heritage type for shows and hard to please every customer.

Ameraucanas and those pea comb mutts (EEs) are good winter hardy birds and pretty good layers too, especially the crosses with that added hybrid vigor.
In all honesty, my NHs outlay my Bucks, so I love them for that, and good large eggs too, but still the Bucks have my heart.