The Aloha Chicken Project

[brijay2]

Hi all;

I thought I would post some pictures of my chicks from Aloha in late April. I just moved them into my big coop a few days ago.

 

[johnlogan]

Nice looking chicks. This is a very interesting project. Amazing how much work so many people have put into it.

 

[alohachickens]

I finally got out this morning and took some pics of the project birds. Amazingly, I can see a difference even since yesterday in the amount of mottling on most of them. These two did not look this spotted just yesterday.


This one is more black and white but I can see a few little spots coming in.

Welcome to the weird world of Mottling! LOL!

I know EXACTLY what you're going through! Don't worry these will look fine!

They start out looking like little penguins and then suddenly they end up mottled at the end! And the Sussex, those have little white chests at first but otherwise are BROWN and then at the end they end up mottled too!

These look exactly like the Exchequer chicks that I had before. They used to call this color "pied" and the Sussex teeny spots "mottled" but now they say both are the same gene? I don't know, though, that doesn't explain why the Exchequer spotting is so bold compared to the Susssex.

 

[alohachickens]

Hi all;

I thought I would post some pictures of my chicks from Aloha in late April. I just moved them into my big coop a few days ago.

These chicks are looking really, really, really nice. Gosh, I hope they stay this spotty for you!!!

 

[alohachickens]

And here are photos of some of my growouts. We are nearing the "critical" stage where they will either lose most of their spots, or keep it. Crossing my fingers!!!

 

[Mr MKK FARMS]

And here are photos of some of my growouts. We are nearing the "critical" stage where they will either lose most of their spots, or keep it. Crossing my fingers!!!

Beautiful Birds!

 

[Deerfield Acres]

Sommer, Get a load of these Speckled Sussex I just got from Tony Albritton. It's really hot here so I put them in my gigantic craftroom with the A/C. It's a part of DH's shop which he was so generous to share with me. I have a bunny and chicks in there right along with all my crafty stuff. So now it's the perfect chicken lady hang out!

Just for comparison, this is what they usually look like and it is one of the chicks I got from him. Out of 25 birds, only 5 have the darker brown overall color. The rest are yellow with some shades of orange and only some of those have what look like a micro fine pen markings on them.




Now, here's what the majority look like.






Can you believe how different they look? I went to the Sussex board and there was a whole discussion about yellow chicks that do actually turn into beautifully colored birds. That would make them wheaten based rather than something else, can't remember now am rushing since I'm having a pool party for the kids in 10 minutes. It's just very, very interesting that they look so incredibly different. Their temperament is out of this world laid back and I am madly in love with them already, just got them yesterday. They will make a great addition to the Alohas, I think. They really do feather in dark just the way a SS is supposed to look but perhaps it will help us hang onto spots rather than watch them fade on buff birds? I don't know.

The heat has begun but it's not in the triples, yet. The Buff's are all doing great and the remaining Alohas are also doing great. I let the grass grow tall this year in the chicken yard and the birds love it. It's a bit unsightly from the road but I do not care. It should make things a tiny bit more comfortable down there. Hopefully, it will make it a little less easy for hawks to spot them unless they are just perfectly overhead. We managed not to have even one hawk attack, even though there were a bunch of them hanging around for awhile.

I keep thinking I'm going to get those pics taken of the remaining Alohas. Probably won't happen today with the swimming party going on. I need to take some of the Buff Sussex too, they're growing up and looking really nice also.

Okay, gotta go swim! Stay cool everyone!

 

[alohachickens]

Wow, those Sussex pics are fascinating! I can't wait to see how the grow out. And the genetics stuff - "wheaten" based or whatnot - I'm so confused! LOL!

 

[HEChicken]

I agree - I will be watching with interest as those SSX grow out! Wheaten based sounds like a really good start for Alohas, especially paired with the Buff Sussex. I do love how friendly SSX are in general.

Sommer and Deerfield, can you believe this? My Aloha hen is broody again!!! She brooded back in March or April and hatched 3 chicks and 2 turkeys. She was a great mum to them all, figuring out how to get the turkeys started eating all by herself. She kept them with her quite a few weeks, then started to separate from them and bing, bam, boom, decided she was ready for another round of parenting. Now I have her sitting on some Muscovy eggs. I know, its hardly fair but I don't have any chicken chicks I need incubated right now and the ducks have been having a terrible time with getting their own eggs contaminated so I thought I'd see if a chicken hen might have better luck with them.

 

[Deerfield Acres]

Oh my stars! Another broody! I only have one who has hatched her chick but it's rather a pain since they can't mingle with the other birds. I tried to let them mingle but my last year's Aloha spotty hen went right after the baby and the mother hen. Mother hen is just a bantam and she did her best but I had to step in.

I had a hawk attack today and my New Hamp hen "Frankie" took the worst of it protecting the Buff Sussex young ones. She's pretty torn up but we've got her wrapped with neosporin and are treating her. She'll be okay but what a scare. That dumb hawk had babies and was trying to teach them to hunt. They didn't get any of my birds, thanks to Frankie!