The "Ask Anything" to Nicalandia Thread

[MixedFlock23]

They have the worst feather structure so their feathers don't provide them with the temperature insulation required. So unless you live in a Tropical country with eternal summers(like me) they will not fair well

Eta: this reply is for @Bakbuk (I didn’t reply to the correct post, I guess!)

Frazzles also have heart issues, growth problems, brittle feathers, and prematurely die. I’ve had three frazzles (none intentionally!). I have zero now & have separated all my frizzled hens from roosters completely since one roo is frizzled.

The first frazzle was from a breeder who said it was a white Silkie frizzle… but his feathers broke off and he looked horrible before reaching adulthood. He was culled due to aggression.

The second frazzle was from a different breeder who told me they had frizzles in their pens. I assumed not both males & females as we know not to breed frizzle to frizzle… but this breeder must have bred them anyway.
My second frazzle was a showgirl (Silkie naked neck) cockerel. His feathers were also brittle and he looked horrible. I’ll add his photo.

He was culled due to being aggressive. I did not realize he was a frazzle until he sired five chicks (accidentally—we don’t breed or need more chickens—but we were really sick & a hen hid eggs) and all five chicks were frizzled! The two mommas were my only two seramas. One is frizzled & one is smooth. So I should have had 1 or 2 smooth chicks. (If the dad was just a frizzle… frizzle x frizzle = 25% smooth & frizzle x smooth = 50% smooth, so 38% chance since we had both hens laying eggs in the nest.) Then we noticed that one chick was a frazzle. (Frazzles happen 25% of the time with frizzle x frizzle breeding, and more so (50%) with frazzle x frizzle since all the dad had to pass on was curly genes. Frazzle x frizzle = 50% frizzle 50% frazzle)
Here’s a photo of the two mommas (all black) & their five chicks. The bottom center is the frazzle (Abel). See how tiny he was?

The frazzled chick never grew properly. Then suddenly around three months old, he dropped dead in the middle of the pen during the dead. I guess it was his heart. He always seemed winded too. I’ll attach a photo of 2 of the brothers side by side.

Silkie serama mix chicks. We kept the frizzle; the frazzle died just a week or so after I took this photo. Poor guy. So please don’t breed frizzle to frizzle to get frazzled birds. It’s no good.

 

[MixedFlock23]

I do have a question for nicalandia after I gather photos! Thanks for starting this thread! I’m learning a fair bit. Most goes right over my head, but some hits the mark!

 

[MysteryChicken]

She could also be a Pseudo Birchen/Partridge. That happens when Extended black is restricted by the action of Wheaten and Columbian restrictors like Co and Db. She seems to have Dark Shanks and Dark eyes, that would indicate Extended Black.


This is a Birchen hen. Your hen looks similar in appearance but they have different genetic make up
View attachment 3084481

I didn't see this portion of the post.

This is a Birchen hen. Your hen looks similar in appearance but they have different genetic make up

 

[Bakbuk]

Howdy it's me again.

Is it possible to breed to the SOP from decent hatchery stock? I understand they're low quality but they could be improved, no?

Yes, it's possible, with hard work and dedication it's possible.

I'd like to do so once my chicks grow up and I can begin breeding them. It'd be my first ever breeding project but I think it would be fun!

 

[MysteryChicken]

I'd like to do so once my chicks grow up and I can begin breeding them. It'd be my first ever breeding project but I think it would be fun!

What breeds are you gonna work with?

 

[Bakbuk]

What breeds are you gonna work with?

Buff Orpington, maybe Barred Rock. Those are the only two breeds I have cockerels for right now

 

[MysteryChicken]

Buff Orpington, maybe Barred Rock. Those are the only two breeds I have cockerels for right now

Those are good easy ones, especially the Orpingtons. Body type, fluffiness, comb points, & tail angle are main flaws in Orpingtons. A couple more common flaws is white, or black in the plumage, & comb, & wattle size.

Barred Rocks maybe slightly abit harder due to barring, & other quality issues that they commonly have being from a hatchery.

 

[NatJ]

I'd like to do so once my chicks grow up and I can begin breeding them. It'd be my first ever breeding project but I think it would be fun!

Birds from a hatchery will not all be the same amount bad or good.

If you are starting with hatchery birds, and you buy a large number of chicks, you can select the best few for breeding. That probably puts you ahead of where you would start if you only purchased a few. (For example, if you buy 5 cockerels and choose the best for breeding, he is probably better than the cockerel you would have if you only bought one.)

 

[Bakbuk]

Birds from a hatchery will not all be the same amount bad or good.

If you are starting with hatchery birds, and you buy a large number of chicks, you can select the best few for breeding. That probably puts you ahead of where you would start if you only purchased a few. (For example, if you buy 5 cockerels and choose the best for breeding, he is probably better than the cockerel you would have if you only bought one.)

The way it's looking right now, I have two cockerels and two pullets. I'll probably keep the best-quality cock and re-home the other because (obvoiusly) I don't want to have any problems with over-breeding as a result of having too many roos.

 

[3KillerBs]

If you are starting with hatchery birds, and you buy a large number of chicks, you can select the best few for breeding. That probably puts you ahead of where you would start if you only purchased a few. (For example, if you buy 5 cockerels and choose the best for breeding, he is probably better than the cockerel you would have if you only bought one.)

Case in point, my Blue Australorp males this past fall/winter.

I ordered 5 straight run, expecting to get 3 males but ended up with all 5 male.

Yellow, though a very beautiful yard ornament, was horribly bad type for an Australorp -- skinny, leggy, and so narrow that I couldn't easily get my rather small hand into his ribcage to gut him when he was culled. If he'd been my only male I'd have been in trouble.

Three of them were mediocre birds as might be expected from a hatchery.

The eventual winner, Ramses, has better color and lacing than the photos in the catalog and is a fairly promising fellow at 7 months, if not actually show-worthy. (Not a good photo, but the most recent. He's still a good bit smaller than the 11-month Langshan but solid and well-proportioned with a fair bit of growing left to do).

If I were aiming at a hatchery-start show bird project I'd probably start with 50 straight run so I had a LARGE group of males to choose the best 2-3 from and enough hens to weed down to the best dozen or so.