The Aloha Chicken Project

[notinoz2007]

its cool so many aloha breeders are in kansas. sometimes i wish i stayed there just so my chickens could eat grass instead of dirt, lol.

i finally caught up on the thread sommer, read about 10 pages, couldnt believe it has been so long since i checked in. the past 2 weeks have been a blur to me. i wish i could help you raise up some of the summer babies but i just wont have room my next house is definitely going to have a bigger yard, and not so close neighbors! some friends keep telling me to look in laveen and i would, but i have such good friends here in mesa. and a good job. its hilarious to me that i consider moving just so i can have more chickens.

i candle the school eggs on thursday and get them ready for lockdown so i will post the results if i remember. and when my breeder pen is finished here - its turning into more of a condo than just a coop - then i will post pics of what i have going on here.

 

[HEChicken]

its hilarious to me that i consider moving just so i can have more chickens.

Sorry? I'm not getting what's so funny about that.

[Last year my family picked up and moved from the city to the country, ostensibly to consolidate DH's office into our home but we all know the real reason was so I could increase my flock, keep roosters and add in the turkeys and ducks.....

]

 

[alohachickens]

my next house is definitely going to have a bigger yard, and not so close neighbors! some friends keep telling me to look in laveen and i would, but i have such good friends here in mesa. and a good job. its hilarious to me that i consider moving just so i can have more chickens.

There are plenty of critter friendly properties in Mesa, too! (Just sayin', ha ha ha!)

Just did a real estate search, can fit a lot of chickens on over an acre, LOL.

http://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/15020-S-228th-Way_Mesa_AZ_85212_M19612-86182

Not that I like that one in particular or anything, just that I know there are properties like that on your side of town too!

(chicken enablers here!)

 

[notinoz2007]

LOL i like that you are finding me houses to facilitate my obsession. i actually really like that house, definitely like the property. its far tho. i am in west mesa, just 10 minutes from Tempe. i really should stop complaining. my parents are looking to buy a house this fall and we might follow suit. til then i am making the best out of the pantry sized back yard that i have.

 

[kefiren]

does anyone know if you cross a speckled sussex with a swedish flower hen, will the babies definately be speckled? ie, is it the same gene?

 

[heritagehabitatfarms]

yes there is only one speckling gene in chickens...

does anyone know if you cross a speckled sussex with a swedish flower hen, will the babies definately be speckled? ie, is it the same gene?

 

[alohachickens]

does anyone know if you cross a speckled sussex with a swedish flower hen, will the babies definately be speckled? ie, is it the same gene?

It really should work. The thing we've found, though, is the Mahogany base color of the Sussex is very, very strong. So most likely, they would resemble Speckled Sussex more than Swedish Flower Hens.

But, it seems some (not all, but some) Speckled Sussex have a TON more white spotting (or "flowers" as the Swedish Flower people like to say, LOL) so if you found an especially spotty Sussex, it could add a bit more heavy spotting. I don't think Swedish are necessarily less spotty than Susssex in general, but perhaps the lines that were imported to the US have less spotting? I'm not sure. Either way, my inspiration to start this project was based on the photos taken by Tage Nondal and posted on Feathersite:

These were the photos up there before Greenfire imported the Swedish. This is pretty much the "look" that I'm going for in Alohas in terms of amount of white, with the one on the right being about 40 percent white to 60 percent "solid color" and the two on the left, the front hen I'd call about 70 percent white and 30 percent "solid color". Colored areas could be anything the breeder wants, but I think a focus on reds and golds would be nice to start, being as folks haven't seen that much before in large breeds.

I do think that crossing a super-spotty Sussex into the Swedish might get something closer to this general look, except you would end up with Mahogany as the base color.

 

[jbolt]

Sommer, how is "speckles" lol? Just so you know I set all the eggs you gave me, and I love what you've done with your whole aloha project. Most of the eggs are developing well and it will be 2 weeks till hatch. I love hatching and I have room to set 60 at a time. After this hatch, let me know if you want to set more. Ill hatch for you

 

[alohachickens]

Speckles is doing great! She is so bossy, already took over as one of the "top hens". Today I gave them a big pot of soft fluffy dirt for them to roll in. I spiked the dirt with the Garden Dust, but don't tell them, ha ha! Not that I have seen lice on anyone, mind you. I just like to do that for them every now and then to prevent that sort of thing. They were loving the "spa experience".

She also is getting organic whole grain bread (from a friend who gets bakery "rejects") and I put a big dish of water in there for them to wade in now that it's hot. I just wish that one breeder pen was bigger, it's a little cramped, but I'm trying to make it as deluxe as possible to make up for it!

If I can send you some more eggs, I certainly will, would LOVE the help!

 

[kefiren]

thank you heritage and aloha!