The Aloha Chicken Project

[Bernie56]

You aren't hijacking the thread, LOL! I like discussing this stuff. Okay, so you want to keep all the colors, but you've got a pen of almost identical chickens. What colors are you (mostly) getting now, and what colors do you want instead? I know you've already shared some pics - I'm just wanting to know where you are and where you want to go with them.

Actually, I am pretty happy with where I am now. With the addition of the 3 black hens I now have all of the colors. I still have a lot of red/white hens (about 15), which I like, but initially it was about all I had. I have quite a few blue based hens as well, but some are mixed with red or black, and until chatting with you I didn't really think of them as blue. After reading all of your information, and with the thought of my red/white hens possibly being splash with red, I had visions of going back to a mostly white flock. I plan on using my "possibly" Splash rooster on 1 black hen for a test hatch for now, and the blue, red, the red/white, and the other two black hens will be divided between the black roos. The blue based roo I may just cull, because I have so few black based hens, and I really don't want to chance more splash hens. Been there, done that! I do appreciate all of your input, and would welcome any suggestions you might have.

 

[jbolt]

Ok, I have 3dozen aloha eggs set and due to hatch next weds. I am selling them for 2$ each, all moneys to go towards the purchase of a nice hovabator genesis. Any takers before they go on cl?

 

[fosterson]

Wish I was in AZ and I'd take you up on that.

 

[jbolt]

I have tons of eggs I can ship though, .75 each plus 12.35 shipping

Wish I was in AZ and I'd take you up on that.

 

[fosterson]

If it wasn't so darn cold here I'd do that. But I doubt they'd survive shipping between the post office and the deep freeze. I'll have to wait till spring!

 

[alohachickens]

New Blog Post! Check it out for tons of pics of Stephen's Alohas:

http://alohachickens.blogspot.com/

 

[alohachickens]

ANOTHER new Blog post. Okay, guys, I'm finally going to clue you in. I've had a "secret stash" of chickens - I've just been too paranoid to share the info because I'm still so afraid of losing them before I hatch a bunch of chicks!!! Anyway, here's a pic and the whole story is on the Blog. These are NEW chickens, not related to anything of mine, and NO, I did not breed that hen, she was a really, really, really, really LUCKY find:



I am still pinching myself that I was able to find these . . . SO SO SO happy with them . . . . the rooster is ENORMOUS. And he's got a touch of MOTTLING!!!!

http://alohachickens.blogspot.com/2013/12/trying-to-improve-size-new-sussex.html

If they can just survive long enough for me to hatch some chicks from them, THIS is the future of the program. Jbolt, I need to get you some of their eggs! We need some of the offspring in "outside" homes.

 

[jbolt]

I have room for about 20 eggs in the bator. ....

 

[alohachickens]

Jbolt - I wish I could give you 20 eggs from that pen!!! LOL.

Stephen managed to collect about ummm, a dozen eggs, or maybe 18 over three weeks? (I know the old ones were really old, but we weren't able to meet up every week, he's been busy.) He said the hens in there were laying about one egg every few days. Then, when I put the eggs in my bator, after two weeks, only THREE were fertile and developing. Only two went to lockdown. One hatched, and I have the chick here. So basically, most were totally infertile.

Now we have added a few more hens, so it will be two weeks from this past Sunday before we can assume ALL the chicks will be his? So that would mean we could start collecting eggs from the pen Dec 22nd. Of course I will still have him save anything laid before that!!! But there was a different rooster in with the other two Sussex hens, and the Aloha hen was in with yet another rooster. So basically we just gave this guy three new "girlfriends" and for the next two weeks, there could be other possible daddies to SOME of the chicks.

If you are OK with some "mixed" genes, I can give you the eggs to hatch. I kind of want to try and keep track of the chicks from this pen - because I would ideally like to pick out some rooster prospects from this group, so it would be helpful to know that all the chicks were from the same rooster.

What I would really, really love to do, is pick out a few roosters from this pen:





And then cross with some hens from this pen:



Which might make mottled 3/4 Sussex that would be really big! I am not sure (exactly) how the Dun Sussex would factor in, but I'm going to go bug another BYC'er who kind of tried to help me understand this before, and see if he'd be willing to check it out and see what he feels the cross would make. I'm hoping I haven't driven him crazy with all my other chicken-color genetics questions! LOL!!!

Anyway, FOR SURE you need some of these eggs Jbolt. If you want the "mixed up" ones I'll see about picking up from Stephen whatever is collected by Christmas and then I'll have him start saving fresh from scratch with "for sure" chicks for me to raise. Or if you need to wait, I'll take the first batch and get you the second! But the more homes we can get these new genes in the better . . . .

 

[jbolt]

You take the first batch, ill take the second. Should have a genesis by then and be ready to rock! My first aloha babies hatched out. Im very excited about them!