The Aloha Chicken Project

[15littlem]

Also, do you ship chicks to Tennessee?

 

[alohachickens]

Also, do you ship chicks to Tennessee?

Hi 15littlem!

I just sent you a PM, but I'll share the info on here. My favorite outcross breeds are New Hampshire Reds, Buff ROCK, and Speckled Sussex - but Welsummer, Rhode Island Red, and Buff Orp are also nice! Just "plain" breeds with no hidden surprise genes, pretty much. (So crosses within these breeds would also work great as starter birds.)

An FYI to anyone looking to join this project - I live in Phoenix, and it's HOT! They prefer not to ship when temps go above 90 degrees, and we're supposed to have 106 again by the end of the week. Darn it. The hens also shut down the laying when it gets this hot, I only got two eggs yesterday out of about 10 hens. (Last month I was swimming in eggs! I was getting about 8 eggs per day.)

That means chicks will be available again at the very earliest, late September. Mid-October is more likely, that's usually when the temperatures drop below 100 degrees again. The hens lay like CRAZY in October through November! Then, the days get shorter, and we have a "slump" in December-Jan. By February, the hens start laying like crazy again, and it's good all the way through early May.

Other options for folks wanting to get started NOW - take the above hens and cross with a non-crested Swedish Flower rooster (if you can find someone in your area who has an extra rooster for sale) or if nothing else, cross with a Speckled Sussex rooster and start creating hens that carry the gene for Mottling. Then, you'll have a really nice "jump start" on your Aloha program, and when your Aloha chicks arrive, you'll be ready to cross the pure Alohas with some really awesome big chickens that carry the genes for flashy colors!!!

Hope this helps . . . sorry we're stuck with the shipping thing . . . it's supposed to be 106 by the end of the week. Yuck!!!

 

[Deerfield Acres]

DD took this pic tonight of one of my Alohas. He's really nice, even if his spots fade he's a good size and has nice yellow legs.

 

[MaBo]

I thought I'd post a little update on my Aloha adventures here in southern Oregon. So, the 23 chicks from the late-February hatch are doing good. I got a pretty even 50% roos/hens - so nothing too exciting there (better than mostly roo's though!). Now that they are 3 months old and grown out a bit, I can start to really judge their size, color, body, etc... and I'm pretty happy so far. Most are Aloha outcrosses with my NHR or Buff Rock roo's, so not much in the mottling department (I say 'much' because a few of them do have a tiny bit of white in various places... interesting). 5 are from Tamra's birds - we deduce it was puff-cheeked Easter (Aloha roo) x BO hen, because 3 out of those 5 have puff cheeks. I also had a handful of 'unintended' Aloha X Aloha. 2 roosters for-sure, and a few hens most likely, from the looks of them.

Body size and shape on roos and hens came out pretty good, IMHO, but let me know what you think, if you can tell anything from these few pics. I unwittingly did a smart thing and included a few non-Aloha birds in this hatch, which gave me a standard by which to compare the Aloha's. I hatched out 2 monster roo's from my own birds, and also got 3 free RIR hatchery hens with a bag of feed at the feed store. So far, the Aloha hens are at least as big as the RIR hens, and the roo's are just slightly smaller than the non-Aloha monster roo's. I got a nice mix of colors too, especially in the hens... ranging from buff/yellow (Tamra's) to light-reddish. And no dark legs - mostly yellow, and a few pink.

Here's some pics...

outcross pullets (+ the NHR roo)... colors are washed out in this pic. The three dark red are hatchery RIR, for comparison.

pullet

more pullets

ravenous herd of free-ranging cockerels

interesting cockeral - good size, solid color but with a bit of black mottling?

result of Xerxes the lunatic-ninja-Aloha roo sneaking some action with an Aloha hen

2 other undesirables

I'm missing one pic of the darker solid orangish-red hen who has subtle white at the tips of her feathers.

The pictures aren't that great, but let me know what y'all think of size and body shape.

Next, I'll be trying to figure out what is the next step with these outcross birds when they come of age. I'm open for advice on that. Tamra and I have been bouncing some ideas back and forth, but I get confused easily. In the mean-time, I'm fixing to do another hatch... the opposite Aloha outcross - my pretty-but-smaller Aloha roo with my two large buff hens. You think that is worthwhile?

 

[alohachickens]

I thought I'd post a little update on my Aloha adventures here in southern Oregon. So, the 23 chicks from the late-February hatch are doing good. I got a pretty even 50% roos/hens - so nothing too exciting there (better than mostly roo's though!). Now that they are 3 months old and grown out a bit, I can start to really judge their size, color, body, etc... and I'm pretty happy so far. Most are Aloha outcrosses with my NHR or Buff Rock roo's, so not much in the mottling department (I say 'much' because a few of them do have a tiny bit of white in various places... interesting). 5 are from Tamra's birds - we deduce it was puff-cheeked Easter (Aloha roo) x BO hen, because 3 out of those 5 have puff cheeks. I also had a handful of 'unintended' Aloha X Aloha. 2 roosters for-sure, and a few hens most likely, from the looks of them.

Body size and shape on roos and hens came out pretty good, IMHO, but let me know what you think, if you can tell anything from these few pics. I unwittingly did a smart thing and included a few non-Aloha birds in this hatch, which gave me a standard by which to compare the Aloha's. I hatched out 2 monster roo's from my own birds, and also got 3 free RIR hatchery hens with a bag of feed at the feed store. So far, the Aloha hens are at least as big as the RIR hens, and the roo's are just slightly smaller than the non-Aloha monster roo's. I got a nice mix of colors too, especially in the hens... ranging from buff/yellow (Tamra's) to light-reddish. And no dark legs - mostly yellow, and a few pink.

Here's some pics...

outcross pullets (+ the NHR roo)... colors are washed out in this pic. The three dark red are hatchery RIR, for comparison.

pullet

more pullets

ravenous herd of free-ranging cockerels

interesting cockeral - good size, solid color but with a bit of black mottling?

result of Xerxes the lunatic-ninja-Aloha roo sneaking some action with an Aloha hen

2 other undesirables

I'm missing one pic of the darker solid orangish-red hen who has subtle white at the tips of her feathers.

The pictures aren't that great, but let me know what y'all think of size and body shape.

Next, I'll be trying to figure out what is the next step with these outcross birds when they come of age. I'm open for advice on that. Tamra and I have been bouncing some ideas back and forth, but I get confused easily. In the mean-time, I'm fixing to do another hatch... the opposite Aloha outcross - my pretty-but-smaller Aloha roo with my two large buff hens. You think that is worthwhile?

I love what I'm seeing here! YES - there is a lot of "plain" stuff here, not terribly exciting without the spots, but good progress on the size and body types for sure! And YES - do try the small Aloha rooster with your two large Buff hens. I am thinking more and more, that size is probably influenced more by the hen than the roosters, because obviously the growth of the chick inside the egg is going to be limited, if the egg is tiny.

I would love to see these plain hens crossed with a rooster with TONS of white. I don't know if Tam'ra will get anything like that in her Sussex crosses, but let's hope so! Second choice if you don't get something with tons of white, would be a rooster that is half-Sussex and half-Aloha with "average" white, to cross with the yellow-legged hens here . . . . to keep size up (as the offspring would still be half "big chicken") but hopefully bring the spots back. Keep the yellow-legged spotted hens from that cross. Then I'd try to send you guys some new generation eggs to try and hatch out this fall, for a good rooster to put in with those future hens - possibly a 1/2 Swedish x 1/2 "foundation" Aloha? As that cross would surely have TONS of color. The result would be chicks that would be about half Aloha, with the remaining "big chicken" bloodlines about 1/4 Swedish, 1/8 Sussex, 1/8 Buff Orp. Still very strong on Aloha bloodlines, but with half "big chicken" in there, they would have enough outside blood to show some real size and type improvement.

Another route is to take a small colorful really colorful Aloha rooster (from Runswscissors, maybe?) and cross him with these plain hens? The offspring would go right back to being small, but would hopefully show some yellow legs and improvement of body type. But at 3/4 Aloha, they wouldn't be *much* improved, mind you! They could show better body type, less "gamey" traits, but still smaller in size.

It would also be interesting to take one of the bigger yellow-legged roosters that is half Aloha and half Buff/NHR and toss him in with Tam'ras pure Speckled Sussex hens, just to see if you got any yellow-legged mottled hens out of that cross? If you did, those would be 3/4 "big chicken" and would be super crossed with a smaller pure Aloha rooster . . . could get color AND improved body type in only one generation.

It's no wonder you don't know which way to go from here, because honestly, there are SEVERAL good directions you could go! Hmmm . . . guess I wasn't much help there, huh? Ha ha!!!

 

[alohachickens]

DD took this pic tonight of one of my Alohas. He's really nice, even if his spots fade he's a good size and has nice yellow legs.

Yes, I am loving this guy! Even if his spots fade, wouldn't it be interesting to cross him with your flashiest Sussex hens? Though the Sussex dark mahogany base color would likely overwhelm this guy's lighter tones, even if you got what looked like "regular Sussex" but with yellow legs, that is still a step in the right direction! Plus, the babies would carry genes for lighter color - and be good type - so even if they looked like yellow-legged Sussex, they wouldn't be - they would allow brighter colors to pass onto their chicks. For sure you'd be able to get new color on the offspring.

This guy is so cute. Nice upright comb, vivid yellow legs, looks plump and round. What a cutie!!!

PS - If you crossed this guy with your best Sussex hens, I'd so want a few eggs from that cross! LOL!!

 

[Deerfield Acres]

Yes, I am loving this guy! Even if his spots fade, wouldn't it be interesting to cross him with your flashiest Sussex hens? Though the Sussex dark mahogany base color would likely overwhelm this guy's lighter tones, even if you got what looked like "regular Sussex" but with yellow legs, that is still a step in the right direction! Plus, the babies would carry genes for lighter color - and be good type - so even if they looked like yellow-legged Sussex, they wouldn't be - they would allow brighter colors to pass onto their chicks. For sure you'd be able to get new color on the offspring.

This guy is so cute. Nice upright comb, vivid yellow legs, looks plump and round. What a cutie!!!

PS - If you crossed this guy with your best Sussex hens, I'd so want a few eggs from that cross! LOL!!

I'm like MaBo. I get confused with all the possibilities. I do have a couple really spotted hens that would be great with this guy and I would be very happy to send you some eggs!

I have another roo with nice color and size but he has puffy cheeks and gray legs. Should I try to work with him? If so, what should I cross him with? I have 2 New Hamp, 1 Buff Rock, and 2 Buff Orps to use with the program in addition to the Speckled Sussex.

 

[knjinnm]

Hi All,

Great fun project.
On average how is egg size compared to say EE's, RIR or Buff Orps?

Have you decided on an official leg color to work towards?

Thanks,
Joe

 

[alohachickens]

UGH! I just suffered a horrible loss this morning!

Of the about 25-30 youngest chicks (who are now three month old teens) there was one FABULOUS hen in the batch, seen here:



That was about a month ago. She continued to keep her fabulous color, and was HUGE. This gal was a superstar. She had everything the program needed, except the yellow legs.

Anyway . . . just went out to the coop. I've been letting these babies roam, and coming back to the coop, instead of going through the five foot wide DOOR, she tried to enter the coop in the five-inch gap BETWEEN the main coop and the baby pen. She somehow managed to get her head and one wing on one side of the coop, and her body on the other, and died. She was so thoroughly entangled that I practically had to sever that wing in order to extract her. I have absolutely NO idea how she managed to do that to herself! It was so gross and at the same time I couldn't help but be astounded by how fabulous her color was. I am used to losing chickens, I've had them long enough to know stuff happens, but - ouch - this was a bad one to lose!

This was a tremendous loss. I sure hope in the 200+ chicks that Derek hatched, that hopefully a few more will be from this cross - whatever cross it is? (I suspect Stephen's hens with the large pure Sussex rooster that was a gift from Laree, but that's just a random guess. The only eggs from that batch were Cheeto's breeder pen and Stephen's three breeder pens. My second guess would be the "Old School" aged Aloha rooster from old bloodlines who is being crossed with large hens who carry mottling.)

Anyway, Laree told me before to NEVER pick a favorite hen, because it's like the kiss of death - that will surely be the one to die! Meanwhile, the four or five roosters that I have to cull but simply haven't been able to because of the surgery - every one of those boys is thriving. (Of course!) ARRRRGHHHHH!!!!!

 

[alohachickens]

Hi All,

Great fun project.
On average how is egg size compared to say EE's, RIR or Buff Orps?

Have you decided on an official leg color to work towards?

Thanks,
Joe

Right now, the small "foundation" stock lays small round eggs. A bit smaller than what a Polish lays. (I had a pure Buff Laced Polish, and these eggs remind me of hers a lot.)

But we are trying to introduce some larger stock to improve body size and egg size. Right now, the newest girls have started laying, and a few of them are laying much larger eggs!

Goal leg coloris YELLOW. Hope you decide to join in, Joe!