The Aloha Chicken Project

[Deerfield Acres]

That sounds right to me. These huge birds are really beautiful to look at but all things considered, they aren't the most practical. They eat hugely and I'm fortunate they will trouble themselves to make use of the large, green yard I provide them. During the winter they can down ridiculous amounts of feed. It helps immensely to feed fermented to these birds as they will eat less because of the increase in nutrient uptake.

That said. They have some serious drawbacks. Like laying and how much space they require. Their eggs are only medium sized because they put energy into growing. Most people want birds for layers or pets, not meat. A true dual purpose bird like the Buff's just aren't practical for most people.

Wow! Just saw the pics of the new color bird. That's great! Very interesting.

 

[Deerfield Acres]

I'm going to scrap the White Rock input. Too many unknowns and couldn't find anything regarding how the two different types will work. I'll work with the Alohas I get from you to infuse yellow legs and breed up for size, if I don't get it immediately from the birds I have. Pretty excited about this Fall!

We may want to start writing a Standard for everyone to follow along with. I could get started on that... take it in sections and send it to you for approval? Then everyone could have a copy and move in that direction?

 

[alohachickens]

Wow! Just saw the pics of the new color bird. That's great! Very interesting.

What is going to be REALLY interesting, is when we cross that color with the dark Mahogany - in Speckled Sussex.

I guess Sussex are genetically a tri-color red/black/white mottled chicken, and then the "Mahogany" gene causes the red part of the feather to be "dusted" with Black, which gives it an ultra-dark (nearly black) shade of brown.

So this gal is Buff Mottled - like our Buff Sussex with spots added on top. As you know, the Buff Mottled don't have much black on them anywhere.

This color is going to be much more dramatic on hens with a lot more black. Here's a "sister" to that hen - located at the same house. Try picturing everywhere you see black is replaced by the brownish gray. This color will have absolutely no effect on any red or gold or white colors. It only affects black pigment. It will be SO dramatic on the darker hens!


If the above hen had this gene, the black on her tail and wing and head would all be that soft brown-gray color. Red would probably look lighter, and white areas would not be affected at all.

From what I understand, two copies of the Dun gene don't turn the bird into a "Splash" but instead turn the Dun color to "Khaki" - a color that looks exactly like it sounds. It's a super pale tan color. So if the above hen had TWO copies of Dun her tail and wings would appear pale off-white khaki. The brown and white spots would look exactly the same. It's really hard to picture what this might look like on a large mottled chicken, because to my knowledge it still hasn't happened on a large mottled chicken. LOL!

Here's a photo of two Khaki Bantam Polish:

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/46373071137493135/

I'm trying to imagine that color on a Speckled Sussex? Where the black spots would be that pale tan? I can't even picture it in my head. It's going to be so neat! Someday . . . .

Well, we just got a whole lot closer now.

The funny thing is, I don't really know HOW this happened. There are two hens that carry both Mottled and Dun. They were from this pen, where I took the Cinnamon Sussex rooster and penned him with two of my most colorful and most itty-bitty Aloha hens. "Cinnamon Sussex" is a strain sold by Paul's Rare Poultry, where he took Light Sussex and replaced the black neck with Dun color. (I don't know what breed he used to originally introduce the Dun gene.) I put the BIG rooster with my tiny spotty Alohas, and I took the lovely hen and put her with my Waltz's Ark Buff Sussex rooster. So there was the Dun gene introduced two ways - via a rooster and also, through the hen. In two different pens.


This hen could be the mother. She was from the pen with the Dun Sussex rooster and tiny Aloha hens. Her size was fabulous and she carried Mottling. She was the only hen that I lost this last fall/winter/spring season. Found her dead in the pen without a mark - lost her and a Speckled Sussex type rooster back in January for no apparent reason. They were my only losses this Winter, besides the roo who broke his leg. Unfortunately our state charges about $250 for a necropsy or of course I would have had her examined to find out why. There is a small chance that the chick is her baby.


I have two hens like this, and I did not think they carried Mottling. However, you can see in the photo here there is a trace of white on her wing, and a teeny bit of white on the tail. It is possible, I suppose, that one of these is Mom to the chick, and is hiding Mottling? If that is the case - and this IS the momma hen - then the chick will also show great size and type!


Here is the pen with the original Dun Sussex rooster and the small super-mottled "original" Aloha hens.

I only have one hen left from this pen. She is small, typical Aloha size, and unlike her deceased sister, she appeared to not have had much benefit in size from the rooster. Your "regular" tiny Aloha size. In typical Aloha fashion, however, she is tough as nails and super broody. I finally gave her some chicks to raise. It is also possible the tiny Aloha hen is the chick's mom. Since the new baby hen is very "Buff Sussex" in appearance, but shows Mottling, I would say Thing 1 or Thing 2 plus the one remaining Dun/Mottled carrier could also be the parents. If that is the case, she will be smaller and a bit more "Aloha-y" when grown. Her final size and tail set might tell us who the parents are?

So at the moment, I only have the one Mottled / Dun carrier, a small Aloha type hen, and she is brooding chicks and NOT laying eggs.

Unless the BIG girls are carrying a hidden Mottled gene . . . these are Dun Buff Sussex hens, and these hens are enormous.


I have either two or three of these hens? Look at her next to the Aloha hen. And that Aloha hen - she is NOT tiny either!!!

Currently they are penned with this guy:

You can see them in the background. Behind the Buff Sussex with the black necks.

This is the pen I'd send you eggs from. (Sorry - eggs not chicks! Too hot to ship Lives out of Phoenix right now.) Anyway, half the chicks by this roo and those hens would show Dun. All of them would carry Mottling and the gene for yellow legs.

All of them would have improved size, as the pedigree from those chicks would be:

1/4 Cinnamon Sussex (Light Sussex basically),
1/4 Waltz's Ark Buff Sussex,
1/4 Swedish Flower, and
1/4 Aloha.

IF the big hens in here do carry Mottling, then there is a teeny chance that a few may show spots. But we have no way of knowing - as that new spotted Dun Mottled chick may be out of the two half Aloha, half Dun Mottled hens that I kept.

I wish I'd been able to hatch more but I got these eggs from the pens at Stephen's and he was bouncing between two homes, and the pens were not getting their eggs picked up every day. So the hens became egg-eaters. I was lucky enough to hatch two Aloha / Dun Sussex hens. Bummer that I lost the bigger one!!!

 

[alohachickens]

I'm going to scrap the White Rock input. Too many unknowns and couldn't find anything regarding how the two different types will work. I'll work with the Alohas I get from you to infuse yellow legs and breed up for size, if I don't get it immediately from the birds I have. Pretty excited about this Fall!

We may want to start writing a Standard for everyone to follow along with. I could get started on that... take it in sections and send it to you for approval? Then everyone could have a copy and move in that direction?

I really need to paint a standard - desperately! If we were to write one, or if I did a painting of one, Thing 1 is basically "it" on body shape and size.

He's a good blend. Solid, large, but not ridiculously heavy to the point of not being able to escape predators.

His tail is upright and longer - not stubby. Would prefer even longer than this - but the more Sussex we use the shorter the tail will get so this might be as long as we can expect on a regular basis? His comb is perfect. Nice and upright but not so large it flops over!

I would basically take him and then COLOR him in "flashy" Aloha color types:

And give the painting yellow legs, of course.

 

[alohachickens]

Speaking of stubby tails, here is the Dun Sussex type baby rooster. Good news, his legs are yellow and he's got some brown and gold "leakage" in his feathers, so we are really close to ditching this Silver gene that causes him to be all white. Many of his chicks would probably not be white like the daddy. He could even carry Mottling. His breast is enormous and body is massive.








Bad news: That is the STUBBIEST tail ever. Ha ha ha ha!!!!

Umm, he does have the "early maturing" factor going on though? The last two weeks he's suddenly realized that he's a rooster. And he's far from being mature? I think he's just over 4 months? I turned them loose to take photos and THIS happened:



My Swedish Flower boys weren't even THINKING about this stuff until they were 6 months and it was 8 months before they were mating consistently.

The only other rooster who showed this much interest at this young an age was when I used a nice hatchery New Hampshire Red boy early in the program. He showed interest at four months and was actively trying to mate at 5 months.

I am thinking I will try him with my too-small Aloha hens that have lots of spots and pink legs.

 

[alohachickens]

Oh, and while I figured I wouldn't be able to use that rooster until NEXT year, the fact he's showing this much interest tells me there is a slim chance I could sneak in a few summer eggs from him and a hen? Depends on if I want to bother hatching in the summer.

This hen won't be ready to breed until later, she's only about 2-3 months old, but is exactly the type I'd want to cross with him.

WOW she has great color! But pink legs, and such "gamey" type! Sigh!!!

 

[alohachickens]

Deerfield, what do you think of stubby tail Dun Light Sussex boy?

He's got some good aspects but you know, there is some other wonky stuff there! Like the stub tail and tiny comb. LOL.

 

[FLUPHY PHEATHER]

Hi again! I just realized that I did not include a pic of Snow, brother roo to the others I posted pics of. I know Ricky is the daddy but have not a clue to who mom is. No other chicks with this color pattern. My grandson named him Snow because "it looks like he got snowed on Mamaw" lol, his colors don't photograph well with my cell so I plan a day shoot in the near future when I have some time (hahaha) to break out the real camera. He looks like a checkerboard of black, white and reddish buff almost in equal amounts!

 

[draye]

I checked it out and the WR group that is so large came from Cackle. There is no comparison between those and the McMurray birds. The McMurrays are solid yellow as chicks, but their bodies are narrow, slower growing and the cockerels could pass for pullets were their combs not so big and red. The Cackle cockerels look like cockerels, no doubt, without taking the combs into account. They are wide bodied and have a cleft in between the breasts more like a Cornish. These are really substantial birds.

So the Cackle chicks had gray in their yellow down. McMurrays, solid yellow. Very different backgrounds for sure but do you think the Cackles then would be silver based? McMurrays, dominate white?

I believe that the bluish- gray color on the white chicks are is the dominant white gene. At least I think that is what I read. It is a mask of other colors and chicks will be either white or with black splotches and if crossed with red sometimes red splotches on the chicks. The yellowish ones could be the silver base.
Then again it could be the resolve white.

There is a thread can't recall which right now that explains the dominant and recessive effect. You could also try the genetics thread and ask your question there.

 

[draye]

NEW COLOR ALERT! Wow, I can't believe THIS happened! I did not expect to see this for another generation: THIS IS A NEW COLOR in BIG BIRDS! First time in Standard size fowl - I think? It is Buff Columbian Mottled, with the Dun Gene. I don't know what we'd call it - is it Dun Mille Fleur?!? I have heard this happens in itty bitties - like Seramas - but anyway, guys - this is what I've been trying to do! This is the "Aloha" version of the Swedish Flower Blue Mottled! I have removed the Blue color, and replaced it with Dun, so we can get the "look" of Blue without worrying about Splash! I gave a bunch of chicks to a neighbor on Feb. 14th, and they raised them up. Last night, I walked down the street, to help them evaluate the "keepers" and this is what I found! I am going to leave her with them over the summer, because they have a fabulous cool shady yard with tons of trees and I can't see her being any safer here. Plus they are keeping a very nice rooster to grow out. They said they are willing to pen her with the boy next Fall and give me hatching eggs back. The boy is Sussex bred - very BIG - very light - looks Mille Fleur Sussex except - HE HAS YELLOW LEGS! So her babies when crossed with him would be 100% golden mottled, but would either carry yellow legs (if she is dominant for the pink/white legs) or if she carries a yellow leg gene, half the babies will have yellow legs. And the Dun gene is a simple dominant so half the babies will show Dun like Momma. SO EXCITING! e

That is nice. She looks a little young yet. Hopefully she'll round up a bit. I'm thinking the rounder look is what you're shooting for anyway. That is the proper shape on a hen for me. My crew is growing pretty good. I did lose one NN last week for no apparent reason was just too thin like happens once in a whole with some chicks. Looking like that out of all the chicks 14 left there are 4 or 5 cockerels so I have plenty to work with. I also got two pair, at least I think pair) of Alohas to a couple if ladies in my area that want to work with them. I told them that we need to keep in touch with each other and share our birds with each other to help this project along. I sold the. The chicks really cheap because they wanted to work with them so bad. Well see how that works out.