The Aloha Chicken Project

[Fire Ant Farm]

Quote: Thanks - your opinion means a lot to me.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...a-mottled-naked-neck-thread/390#post_18358519

You know, I should really be posting these over there - I think someone was asking for photos...

- Ant Farm

 

[alohachickens]

To clarify, I have EIGHTEEN boys!

(Including all but one of the little nn ones you included, perversely.) Because there are so many, I don't have the room to house and grow out the ones that I'm definitely not keeping, so I wanted to check on my selections for the potential keepers. These that I posted are the ones I plan to keep, in order of my preference - I will keep at least two, maybe three, into adulthood.


Curious - I'm not keeping this boy, but I'm curious what you think of his coloring:






- Ant Farm

I keep coming up with both boy and girls that are this white with red cap. I have no idea genetically what it is, so I've bee culling it out, because ???. Maybe Kev can pop in here and enlighten us - he seems to have a terrific knowledge base. Anyone who has a clue feel free to chime in!

 

[draye]

Thanks - your opinion means a lot to me.

You know, I should really be posting these over there - I think someone was asking for photos...

- Ant Farm

Thanks. I have a way of stating my opinion even when one doesn't ask fir it. I can't seem to help myself when I see the ones that I like. I don't think I always agree with everyone else.

I will say here though that I admire you for taking in so many at once. I want to do that myself sometimes but I @ chicken" out. I get to feeling overwhelmed sometimes.

 

[Fire Ant Farm]

Quote: He hasn't been on in a while, so I assume he's busy, but will tag him. @Kev

Have you not grown any of them out?

Quote: You are sweet - another way to put it would be that I'm INSANE for taking on so much at once.

 

[alohachickens]

Here are the girls:











This is the one I might cull - not only does she have minimal spotting, but she also is CRAZY - jumps at my hand every time I change the water.


- Ant Farm

Very pretty batch of girls.

I'm totally in favor of culling the small one with bad temperament. I'd rather you do that and replace her with a nice, big, gentle and sweet Speckled Sussex hen (who would throw all spots and half NN's) instead of using a poorly colored small "Aloha" with bad attitude. LOL.

Top and 5th one down - love the light and bright colors!

The regular neck one sure is looking flashy now. Hope she doesn't change colors, both hens and roosters change a lot as they grow and tend to get less colorful (not more so) but sometimes hens can go either way. Boys almost always "drop" the spots at the last minute - sigh!

The chicks with the red cap, I have grown them out, and it's not like they change colors. I don't know what they throw, however, because that color is not a nice evenly mottled color so I've been culling them. Looking for not just "white" but crisp spots evenly spread all over the chicken if possible.

Here's a good example:


This hen has very bold white spangles and they are very crisp and distributed evenly all over. Nice!




These girls also have LOUD white that is pretty evenly spaced. Maybe a bit less on the saddle area but not bad.


This is about perfect as the strongest white I'd want in young Alohas. Really bold, really bright, very even overall. Even extends to head and neck.

Here is "bad" color - on a gorgeous part Buff Sussex hen kept because she's got wonderful body size and weight! (Good body, bad coloring.)


Weak spotting, pink legs. (But it is evenly distributed, ha ha.)

Compare to my friend Deb's Buff Mottled NN hen:


(this gal was small but so pretty!)

 

[Fire Ant Farm]

Quote:
Thanks!!! (Such pretty birds!) I'm really looking forward to seeing how they all grow out.

(I had some Speckled Sussex last year that I got form the feed store -2 of the 5 had LOTS of big white speckles [one killed by a fox]. But they got cocci REALLY bad as juvies, in circumstances that all my other chickens were totally fine with, and it took a LOT to bring them back and keep them ok. So I decided I didn't want to breed that weakness into any future chicks and gave them to a friend who wanted layers. So I'm a little averse to trying that again.)

- Ant Farm

 

[draye]

From my last hatch of the ones that I have left I got a pullet that turned out fully feathered.
Yes burg orents were Naked Necks, but this is what sometimes.

 

[alohachickens]

From my last hatch of the ones that I have left I got a pullet that turned out fully feathered.
Yes burg orents were Naked Necks, but this is what sometimes.

Gorgeous! Do you still have this one? Wondering how it will look fully grown.

 

[alohachickens]

Thanks!!! (Such pretty birds!) I'm really looking forward to seeing how they all grow out.

(I had some Speckled Sussex last year that I got form the feed store -2 of the 5 had LOTS of big white speckles [one killed by a fox]. But they got cocci REALLY bad as juvies, in circumstances that all my other chickens were totally fine with, and it took a LOT to bring them back and keep them ok. So I decided I didn't want to breed that weakness into any future chicks and gave them to a friend who wanted layers. So I'm a little averse to trying that again.)

- Ant Farm

I have also had issues with very weak Speckled Sussex, in particular some that were ordered from Ideal Hatchery back in 2013, I think it was? Around then anyway. Arrived in poor shape and only got worse. Very few survived to adulthood and I was hesitant to breed weakness, like you mentioned, so I culled. Which was painful considering I paid $75 ppd for that box.

Because you are in Texas, and Ideal is in Texas, I wonder if yours were also from Ideal?

How long ago was that? Curious - and wondering if it my experience was just a blip or still ongoing issues to this day.

 

[Fire Ant Farm]

Quote:
Quite possible. I have had great luck with Ideal, but have also heard that quality has been uneven depending on the breed, so while I generally trust them, I try to find out if anyone has experience with them for a given breed before deciding to get them from Ideal. Then again, I do that for any hatchery... The SS were sweet and great layers - they were just too susceptible to cocci and I was unwilling to chance adding those genetics in with mine.