The Aloha Chicken Project

[alohachickens]

Here's the final evaluation on the Turken experiment - 2nd Generation!

Okay, first I hatched out about 8 or so Turken / Aloha crosses.

I culled the solid colored chicks.

That left me with FOUR chicks that showed color.

Here they are:


Two Boys.

Two Girls.


Wow, quite a difference, huh?

So, now they are reaching breeding age. I am in my final "hatching frenzy" - all this last season, since I wasn't able to break apart individual pens, I have worked on BLASTING hundreds of Aloha chicks into the general chicken population of Phoenix, hoping that somewhere out there, the perfect Aloha hen exists in some person's backyard. Or that maybe, if something happened here, somehow I could re-build again using local stock.

I did not keep numbers on chicks that I've sold - but I have been averaging about 60-80 chicks per "egg tray" in my big incubator and I have been hatching and selling 3-4 trays of chicks per month since November or December? That means I've sold probably 720 Aloha and Buff Sussex blend chicks - minimum - and very possibly up to 1000+ Aloha chicks sold locally since October, which is when I first started loading the big incubator. (Though my girls did not get really going until December, a few only started laying then.)

Since I could not do small planned hatches, I figured the next best thing would be getting massive numbers of chicks out there. Which I think I've done quite well at, LOL.

ANYWAY - now that's about over, and it's time to GET PICKY. Gotta get numbers down to my "very very best" Alohas, so I can better my odds of getting the right chicks.

I'm keeping this hen, obviously. Her size - larger Aloha. Smallish for a "big chicken" - but much better than the itty-bitty original Aloha size. No yellow legs - but I know she carries. She's a good one!!!


I'm also keeping this rooster, for now:

His color is WAY dark and his spots are pretty minimal. But he's kind of an improvement on his Speckled Sussex / Buff Sussex daddy, because he DOES show the larger more masculine comb, and longer tail of the Aloha line. I also know that he carries the gene for yellow legs, which is Dad, did not. His size is good - especially in how wide he is compared to the teeny, narrow Aloha hens.

I'm going to sell these two:


While I prefer this boy's lighter color, he inherited the Sussex tiny comb and short tail. It's hard to believe he's even a rooster, isn't it?

Here is a pic of his hackle feathers:


And meanwhile, this hen hit the 4 month old mark, and dropped a ton of white. Sure, she carries spots and yellow legs, but I have other Alohas that do as well - and are similar size!

The pair will sell for a good amount on Craigslist. They are young and lovely, but I'd rather keep the two best.

Especially since Deb shared photos of the NICE other Naked Neck chicks that she's raising down there!

PLUS - I have this hen growing out:


And THIS baby rooster in the baby pen:


Until those two babies are fully grown, I could pair the two that I like in a teeny breeder pen over the summer - just the too-dark rooster and the super-spotty hen that I do like - and try to hatch out teeny batches of Naked Neck Aloha chicks (In theory, some of them should have yellow legs, and I could keep the yellow legged babies with most spots.) That might be an OK mini-project to work on over the summer when large batches of chicks are impractical.

 

[alohachickens]

I don't think I've shown this hen before? The one standing on the hay bale - up close - is some kind of huge Sussex? Dad was Buff Sussex that I got August 2013, but I don't know who Mom was. One of the hatchery Speckled Sussex? I don't know? Anyway, she is ENORMOUS. Behind her in this photo - is the 1/2 New Hampshire Red, 1/2 Aloha hen, who is also red but has yellow legs.


Like the half New Hampshire, half Aloha hen - this hen also shows the "tells" - that say she carries Mottling!

Check out the white speck on her tail, and the white wing feather. She was "floofing" out here so they were super visible.

Massive hen.

If only I had enough breeder pens! I would love to cross her and the 1/2 NHR hen with THIS Aloha rooster:

Yep, it is another Pumpkin rooster! Not a speck of black anywhere on him. Not as orange as my last boy, but SUPER spotty with a ridiculously long flamboyant tail.

Unfortunately, he is also super small. But if I could pen him with this red Sussex hen and the half NHR hen and keep any babies that show spots . . . I wish I had more friends out here that were into raising peeps who could help me with these little projects!

 

[draye]

These are the 7 that I hatched out from the Aloha Naked Neck eggs alohachickens sent to me.

Not sure that it means anything at this point as I haven't really worked with the Alohas. There are four of these that are showing white tips on the ends of the feathers.

Since I'm narrowing down my flock I'm super excited to have the Aloha NN's to work with. They will be either my 5th or 6th hen lines that I will continue with. I'm will be keeping several Aloha NN rooster to put with the other NN lines that I'm keeping.

 

[Deerfield Acres]

draye, white tips are a good sign! Good luck!

I'm starting a hatch today and feel as though I have identified the eggs from Carmelita, my best Aloha hen. She lays an egg that is lighter in color than the Buff Sussex but she does have some Orpington in her background. I have 4 for sure and maybe 5. Naturally we had a dip in temp that slowed down her laying in the middle of collecting. I also have 5 eggs from the Buff/Speckled Sussex girl. Those are the biggest and brownest eggs I have of them all, so hers are really easy to identify. Total eggs going in the bator are 48 so we'll see how it goes. Fertility is where it's supposed to be now so we're ready to go.

Maddie, the Aloha with puffy cheeks is still brooding her clutch of 11 eggs. She did a really weird thing yesterday. She went 5 steps to the feed/water and took all the eggs with her and back!

Seriously? What the heck was she thinking? It was literally 5 steps away and she is in a nest box within an enclosed wire pen that she knows the others can't get through. Needless to say, we moved the water and feed over right next to her, so she won't feel the need to move all the eggs over and back. How weird is that?

 

[draye]

draye, white tips are a good sign! Good luck!

I'm starting a hatch today and feel as though I have identified the eggs from Carmelita, my best Aloha hen. She lays an egg that is lighter in color than the Buff Sussex but she does have some Orpington in her background. I have 4 for sure and maybe 5. Naturally we had a dip in temp that slowed down her laying in the middle of collecting. I also have 5 eggs from the Buff/Speckled Sussex girl. Those are the biggest and brownest eggs I have of them all, so hers are really easy to identify. Total eggs going in the bator are 48 so we'll see how it goes. Fertility is where it's supposed to be now so we're ready to go.

Maddie, the Aloha with puffy cheeks is still brooding her clutch of 11 eggs. She did a really weird thing yesterday. She went 5 steps to the feed/water and took all the eggs with her and back! Seriously? What the heck was she thinking? It was literally 5 steps away and she is in a nest box within an enclosed wire pen that she knows the others can't get through. Needless to say, we moved the water and feed over right next to her, so she won't feel the need to move all the eggs over and back. How weird is that

I thought it probably was a good sign from my reading on the Aloha thread here. Sounds like you're going too have quite a few chicks to take care of. Hope your hatch goes good.

 

[Deerfield Acres]

I thought it probably was a good sign from my reading on the Aloha thread here. Sounds like you're going too have quite a few chicks to take care of. Hope your hatch goes good.

Thanks, draye. I have a lot of kids who help.

I combined two breeding pens today to make a large brooder for the 50 meat birds. I could probably raise a lot more in there but I like them to have plenty of room and chicken feed isn't as cheap as chicken feed anymore. So far with the fermented feed, sprouted wheat, wheat fodder and raising on deep litter, the birds are doing great. No Cocci at all on unmedicated feed. I hope I am building their immune systems naturally. Time will tell.

 

[Deerfield Acres]

alohachickens, I posted a review on the breed today. Thought you might like to take a look at it when you have a minute. I think you should post a review also and anyone else who has something to say about them. We only had one review of the bird under Breeds so it might be nice to hear from others as to how things are going and post your best pics. Mine isn't great but it does show the overall shape of Carmelita and her coloring. We are making slow but sure progress! Your broody hen is a very nice bird and it would be nice to have a review with her pic, as well. The naked neck variety would be an interesting addition, as well. Just a thought.

 

[draye]

This is going to take a while to get all these picture on here. The way my tablet is it won't let me choose all the photos and upload them all at once.

So these first three photos are all of one chick. First of a total body shot, then a shot showing the white area on wings (the tale sign) and final!ythe feet.

Second chick. The views are the same as the above arrangement. I didn't take anymore of the legs after this. I looks and all have bright yellow legs.

Third chick. Only the body and wing shot.

Fourth chick.

And the fifth chick.

I have chosen these five to help continue the Naked Neck line of Aloha Chickens. They seem to be the most colorful and many the bigger looking ones. I think I've picked allpullets except for maybe the last one.

 

[Deerfield Acres]

draye, Those chicks are all looking very promising. Personal favorites are the 2nd and 3rd ones, just because I love that light color. Very nice. It will be fun to see how they grow out.

 

[Kev]

I agree, like the second and third ones.. they look so 'soft' and pretty. Kind of tempted to guess the second is a boy, third a girl....

by the way, enjoyed reading this thread. some Beautiful chickens!