Surviving Minnesota!

[jerryse]

Good morning.-18 this morning...

I had three hens making nest in the nest boxes yesterday and got one egg from the pretty blue EE I got from Ralphie... But I think the birds are all getting ready..

I AIed some birds yesterday by myself which I will never do again. Way too hard....


EJB I prefer AI just because it will keep my hens from getting tore up. And I don’t have to keep roosters in breeding pens which makes more room.. I let most of my birds breed naturally but I try AI the Cochins and Silkies. The Silkies can if they like but my Cockerel is a DUMB!

Ok do not take this as a put down as it is not . Just my opinion . I think natural breeding is best . Too dumb to breed is too dumb . Too much fluff to breed is too much fluff . Too extreme . Yet it is what is required to win in some breeds .

 

[holm25]

Ok do not take this as a put down as it is not . Just my opinion . I think natural breeding is best . Too dumb to breed is too dumb . Too much fluff to breed is too much fluff . Too extreme . Yet it is what is required to win in some breeds .

I agree. If my makes werent so rough on the females when they were in the breeding pens I would definitely go all natural. Our Cochins are just a bit too clumsy and that Silkie Cockerel... He’s dumb... Probably too dumb... But I think I’m selling my Silkies.. don’t know yet...

 

[duluthralphie]

It is amazing how far apart the world of show birds and real birds have become.

If you are going to win at the shows, many breeds require AI. Even some of "more normal" breeds require help this time of year.

My PC can breed on their own in June. With the winter fluff their successful breeding does not occur. Even when I trim I do not get great rates.

I will not have PC hatching until Mar 1st because of poor breeding and this extremely nasty ugly cold winter. There is no way I will get close to winning with a March first PC. My hopes are on the few PC I have from Jaunuary 5th.

My Doms are close to the same. I was reluctant to trim the feathers this year because of the cold. I should have. I have also been extremely busy, and procrastinated some. I have a few of them from Jan. 5th. Since then not much for intact eggs.

Luckily for me, I had two BYC helper this weekend that got carried away with the scissors. I should have good Dom eggs now, if they ever lay again.

The amount of fluff they removed from the PC and the DOM's was amazing. Judy will never lend MnChickMom Jr. a scissors again......

 

[I Love Layers]

Ok do not take this as a put down as it is not . Just my opinion . I think natural breeding is best . Too dumb to breed is too dumb . Too much fluff to breed is too much fluff . Too extreme . Yet it is what is required to win in some breeds .

I totally agree Jerry. I was planning on AIing for the next couple months but I would rather have them naturally breed, to much AIing makes trouble later. I hate trimming and wish that I could get decent hatches if I didn't but I don't. I did have one cockerel that was to dumb. I had to make a hen squat for him and put him on her, and after that he learned. As I get more cockerels I think I will be pickier on who I keep according to breeding

 

[MNChickMom]

It is amazing how far apart the world of show birds and real birds have become.

Luckily for me, I had two BYC helper this weekend that got carried away with the scissors. I should have good Dom eggs now, if they ever lay again.

The amount of fluff they removed from the PC and the DOM's was amazing. Judy will never lend MnChickMom Jr. a scissors again......

Can you imagine the amount of fluff I could have taken off if I had a smaller sharper sewing scissors? (LOL)

It was a great day and my daughter still laughs about poor Mrs. Duluth Ralphie and what she has to put up with.

 

[MNChickMom]

Ok do not take this as a put down as it is not . Just my opinion . I think natural breeding is best . Too dumb to breed is too dumb . Too much fluff to breed is too much fluff . Too extreme . Yet it is what is required to win in some breeds .

I do have to agree with natural breeding is best but the showing competition gets feirce and the ony way to be competive at some of the larger shows is with January/February Hatches. In typical Mom fashion I will do whatever I can to ensure my kids have a quality bird worth competing with.

I breed Yokahammas, Rhode Island Reds, Buckeyes, Dominiques and Toads with no interventions what so ever. My Buff Orpingtons require vent fluff trimming and will soon require AI as I only got one successful hatch out them. I firmly believe the bigger and fluffier birds need some intervention. I am hopeful that I will have a younger son (cockerel) that is a little smaller to breed back to the hens I have. My cock is 10 pounds so I think he is hindered by his size, but his color is better than any of my other cocks.

 

[duluthralphie]

WHAT??????

WHAT???

WHAT???



I am the one that is forced to put up with her crap!

 

[holm25]

Can you imagine the amount of fluff I could have taken off if I had a smaller sharper sewing scissors? (LOL)

It was a great day and my daughter still laughs about poor Mrs. Duluth Ralphie and what she has to put up with.

I guess I could have brought a sewing scissors... Wouldn’t be the first time they were used chicken fluff...

 

[ejb3810]

Ok Holms, you promised photos once you returned home from Ralphie's. Initially I thought perhaps you had not made it back due to a stop in a ditch ? You did not have your glasses for driving as I recall the statement ?
Now it seems that you have made it back? So where are the photos ?
One of the reasons I have decided to not show birds again is the fact that if you are going to show pullets and cockerels they must be early hatch. There is also much I do not like about the politics within the APA. I have given up membership in the APA and am unlikely to return.

 

[I Love Layers]

I think I am going to Knoxville this year! I really want to go to either a Western or Eastern Cochins International Show and show, and since you have to go through the mountains in December for the Western my parents were ok with my idea to go to Knoxville then! It is over the first weekend in December. I am also coming to Hutchinson, and am showing, does anyone know the date? Is it always the last weekend in October?