The Aloha Chicken Project

[alohachickens]

"Too" white can look kind of pretty!

We've had more issues (so far) with not enough spots . . . so I'm going to "push the white" as much as I can for now.

Goal is something like this pattern and amount of white on many chickens:




This is a photo from "Feathersite" of real SWEDISH FLOWER HENS. It is this photo that I saw online years ago, that inspired me to start this program.

I have absolutely no idea why the "real" Swedish Flowers imported by Greenfire do not look like these hens. Anyway, while more color and less white is OK, it's that one photo there from Feathersite that I've been trying to duplicate ever since . . . in body type and leg color, etc. I wouldn't mind seeing that brown replaced with new colors like golds, oranges, or reds. But I love that mostly-white dotted with specks of color look on a nice, big, chubby hen body!

They're so cute I want to hug them. LOL! (I wonder where these hens went???)

Here is the closest I have come to that with mine:




Sadly, this hen disappeared from my yard shortly after this pic was taken. Presumably, she flew into my neighbor's yard and was eaten by his dogs.

 

[animallover505]

sorry bout your hen!

 

[15littlem]

I've seen lots of white color on SFH Roos like this one before, so he's not that far.

 

[alohachickens]

Yesterday had nice overcast lighting, which is great for photos, so I took a few new ones of the adults. This is my new hen, I've nicknamed her "Beauty" for obvious reasons:








I wish she had yellow legs! If she did, she would be a "true" Aloha. Her size is VERY BIG. She is not even full grown, and here she is with some adult hens:




Behind her (closest to the red house there) is a full grown, half-Swedish half-Aloha Mille Fluer hen. She is already bigger than that. The hen in front and directly next to her are more "old stock" Alohas, and you can see they are much smaller. "Beauty" has about a month or more of growing to do. I'd like to see more white and yellow legs, but she is still a gorgeous hen and I have high hopes for her.

She was a random-hatch from when all roos and hens were running around together, so I have no idea who her parents are. I kind of suspect her mom was my hen Nui, who is half Sussex and half Aloha, and HUGE. She has the same "look" as Nui about her body and face. Dad could be any number of roos, as I had five running around then, including two sons of Cheeto, a pure Swedish Roo, and a pure Aloha Roo, "Flame".

Here's her suspected mom, Nui:




When I did the random hatch, I tried to include all the BIG eggs I could find, which means I surely had some of Nui's eggs in the 'bator around then.

"Beauty" should start laying in a month or two. Which means I could get her chicks late this Spring if all goes well.

 

[alohachickens]

A few photos of the breeding pen that I'm about to set eggs from!










The roo is small, but he has very yellow legs and good Aloha body type. Long tail, cute upright carriage, thick body. Small, but stout!

He's in with a mix of all kinds of different hens. A couple half-Swedish, a few old-blood small Alohas with tons of white (but pink legs) and some Sussex crosses, including Nui. However, all of the eggs I've been collecting are small, so I don't think Nui has been laying now. In general, laying has been very slow. I'm only getting two or three eggs per day from that pen, despite the fact I have nine hens in there! Because there are so many hens, I also don't know how good fertility is going to be.

I will keep the chicks with yellow legs. However, I think we could have some really nice chicks even with pink legs, though they will for sure be very small.

This roo will go up to Stephen's next, to run with Stephen's beautiful pure Sussex hens with tons of spots! I'll hatch out chicks from that cross and keep anything with yellow legs. This roo will reduce size, unfortunately, but maybe we'll get some with yellow legs and spots. He's a cute guy, that's for sure, despite his small size:

 

[Deerfield Acres]

Wow!

Beautiful birds!

 

[animallover505]

how is their laying ability?

 

[tazcat70]

Mine lay very well. They are @7 most old.

 

[alohachickens]

how is their laying ability?

Awesome layers, very reliable. Eggs are small (about med. size) but they are consistent layers, not fussy.

 

[alohachickens]

Mine lay very well. They are @7 most old.

Taz, Karen, I'd love to see photos of your favorite Aloha . . . just for fun. Whenever you have time to chase chickens with a camera! Ha ha ha!!!