The Island Project

[Lauravonsmurf]

I want a good Dual Purpose Chicken. After doing some reading I decided to make some goals and use the Rhode Islands, Buckeyes and Naked Necks as my main project birds. I will be experimenting on the NNs and will probably use a few other breeds as well. I like the idea of 20% less feathers to pluck when I cull.

I decided I should keep two pure bred RI groups, Red and White. Cross the RIs and other breeds with the Naked Necks, to improve the NNs.

Some Basic Goals

Improve size of birds. Right now I am inclined to breed for the classic RI body type in the NNs.

Improve egg size and colour.

Rosecombs.

Solid, strong, good sized legs… not twigs.


So I am ordering RC RIR and RIW hatching eggs, have Single Comb RIR chicks being raised now, and Single Comb RIW on order for delivery. I have two adult NNs and two chicks. Buckeyes on order. Along with several other breeds as adults already, being raised or waiting on delivery.

Next post will look at my birds… before I can breed them I need to raise them, and I need a couple quality roosters. Hopefully the eggs hatch and we get a couple nice roosters to choose from. If not I might have to get creative.

Next post I will look at the chicks we are currently raising.

 

[Lauravonsmurf]

Assessing the Pullets, Hens and other…

The chicks, I have been weighing the chicks.

RIR as of today are 3 weeks old. These girls are Single Comb… Weights are good so far. Legs are thinner than the Maran chicks. I will post pictures more detailed of feathers on these two below.

Blance Red band vs Aveline Yellow band

Week 1 both 2.35
Week 2 4.60 / 4.20
Week 3 8.15 / 7.55

Naked Neck chicks are 1 week old, gender unknown, not named yet so Identified by down colours presently. I may band them. Single Comb. To soon to tell.

Chick #1 red/blue vs Chick #2 red

red/blue vs red

Week 1 1.85 / 1.60

Americuana 2 week old chicks, supposedly female. I do plan to have a small pool of blue and olive egg layers for fun. So these are part of that idea, but I will want to improve them towards a good Dual Purpose as well. Wait and see on weights. Various down colours, adult unknown.

Billina, Ozma and Glinda

Week 1 2.55 / 2.55 / 2.60
Week 2 4.55 / 4.50 / 4.15

Barred Rock, pullet Nephew’s girl. 3 Weeks old. Single Comb. Not a bad weight at 3 Weeks. Good weight so far.

Pepper

Week 1 2.35
Week 2 4.60
Week 3 7.80

Black Australorp, pullet Niece’s girl, Single Comb. 3 Weeks old. Surprisedly small, this breed is supposed to be pretty big, but who knows, watch and see.

Elvira

Week 1 2.00
Week 2 3.70
Week 3 5.80

French Marans, Husband‘s birds, 3 Weeks old, Single Comb. Not named but banded Yellow and Green. Things I like about these girls is their legs are not twigs. We have no idea what colour these two will end up as. Things I don’t like feathered legs, husband loves feathered legs and feet. Colour of beaks and legs dark. Weights good so far.

Yellow Vs Green

Week 1 2.50 / 2.10
Week 2 4.95 / 4.95
Week 3 8.65 / 7.38

And just for good measure the D’Uccle. Our only confirmed Cockerel via genetic testing. Husband’s chick, to use in breeding with D’Uccle hen we have. He is just cute as heck!

Week 3 3.30
Week 4 4.95
Week 5 6.65


Assessing the Adults

I did not do the weighing or orderly documentation of them. We have all hens currently amongst the adults. Unfortunately any roosters we raised in the past either got stolen during the great no food scare because of C-19 in the news or were killed recently by a raccoon… most annoying and in the case of a few breeding programs devastating (the theft really messed up the Phoenix and French Maran planned breedings). I will be ordering a bigger scale. But I do have some observations…

Black Swedish Inky, light bird on the small wild side. Cool looking. Lays small tan egg. Single Comb but flawed. Husband’s project, we have yet to hatch a rooster from hatching eggs, he will need to try again. Separate project of husband’s.

2 Phoenixes, large bantams, light birds, small tannish eggs. We had beautiful roosters but they were stolen. Breeding Program on hold. Getting utility flock set up again right now. Not part of this project.

2 Naked Necks one a reddish the other barred black, Both my husband and I agree eggs could be darker but they should be larger birds in our opinion if a “meat breed”. They are part of this project. I need to weight them to really assess weight difference if any.

2 Olive Eggers crested, one lays large to extra large double yolk eggs. Pretty good sized birds, I need to weight them. One will be utilised as part of green/blue egg laying project.

1 French Maran lays a beautiful large eggs. Good sized girl. Husband’s bird might be used.

1 D’Uccle Porcelain, lays tiny egg. Cute as a button. Husband’s project.

Obviously the bantams are not part of this project. But hopefully we can get them back on track.

So out of the adults 5 hens, the 2 Naked Necks for sure.

The RIR chick pictures 3 weeks.

Blance Red Banded Chick

Aveline Yellow Banded Chick

Note the difference in not just the weights above but the colouring out so far… How these girls feathers end up is of interest to me. I do want truly Mahogany Red RIRs ultimately. The other thing to watch on the girls will be if their feather colour fades with age or not. There is a genetic component to that.

NN Chicks

Today’s photos 1 week.

When we brought them home last week.

Adult Naked Necks, not sure which one is laying the largest egg.

Olive Eggers I need better body pictures of them. We are not sure which bird is laying the Xlarge eggs yet.

The Maran, yes she is a gorgeous blue.

Eggs…

Maran a solid Large now. Absolutely beautiful eggs she lays.

One of the NNs… just reaching Large. Hopefully we see a progression in weight of eggs from these girls.

Olive Egger nice solid Large, I think this is a normal egg from my double yolk layer.

Other Olive Egger hopefully as she matures her eggs will go over the line to large.

A Double Yolk Olive Egg, I am getting these regularly now. As much as I love the big eggs breeding to this hen would be problematic. These eggs would have to be eliminated based on the scale for incubation if I put her with a rooster, these too big eggs if fertile means twins inside from her… I have yet to crack one open of this size and get a single yolk. Further hatching viable twin chicks is complex iffy proposition. What sort of genetic problems could I be breeding into the flock using her is a nagging question. So I will need to identify which hen is laying these. I think this eliminates her from breeding programs of any sort.

A range of the eggs we get from the hens.

 

[Lauravonsmurf]

Quick note on the bands. They are small coloured zip ties I have bought in a container of many sizes and colours. Hardware store purchase.

If you are going to band chicks you need to make sure the bands do not become to tight as the chicks grow quickly. As the chicks must be fed and water checked multiple times a day I check their leg bands daily.

 

[nicalandia]

I wonder why People rarely consider The Dark Cornish as based for their meat project.

 

[Lauravonsmurf]

That I don’t know. I have considered it, and it is not off the table. I am going for a dual purpose that is better rounded than what is currently coming from the hatcheries which seems to be geared toward eggs, or so so utility. But starting with what we have, can find, and have ordered.

Sadly I have not seen Dark Cornish in feed stores for a bit now, they used to carry them… now it is Cornish X all the time. I did a test raising of three CX Pullets, they were okay, but short lived so low breeding viability, and I am not a fan of those tasteless breasts. So though I could try again with them, they just didn’t seem to be what I wanted… I’m okay with a slower growth rate, for taste.

The Buckeyes on order are suppose to have an old tyme Cornish type body… so not Brick Like and have Pea Combs… as I have never seen a living specimen (I had Dark Cornish probably 25-30 years ago) I decided to order them and see them.

There are very slow growing Saipans coming as well.

I have considered a NN x Cornish (Dark, or other colour/pattern) when thinking on just the meat aspect.

 

[Molpet]

I wonder why People rarely consider The Dark Cornish as based for their meat project.

I bought standard Cornish hatching eggs from a great breeder and again from a Byc member. Stupid post office did a number on the well packed eggs. I had one tank of a roo hatch.
He was slow growing and over a year old before he was interested in breeding in 2020. I bred him to my meat mutts I have been breeding since 2016, mix of CX, BR, BJG hens and a random FB free roo offspring.
Kept the large breasts but slowed down the growth. I was looking for a 5lb dressed bird at 16 weeks like the mutts I have. Took until around 20wks with the Cornish as dad. But his sons with meat mutt hens are back to 16 weeks last year.

 

[nicalandia]

I bought standard Cornish hatching eggs from a great breeder and again from a Byc member. Stupid post office did a number on the well packed eggs. I had one tank of a roo hatch.
He was slow growing and over a year old before he was interested in breeding in 2020. I bred him to my meat mutts I have been breeding since 2016, mix of CX, BR, BJG hens and a random FB free roo offspring.
Kept the large breasts but slowed down the growth. I was looking for a 5lb dressed bird at 16 weeks like the mutts I have. Took until around 20wks with the Cornish as dad. But his sons with meat mutt hens are back to 16 weeks last year.

Pictures or it didn't happen..!

 

[Molpet]

Pictures or it didn't happen..!

Grandson in cone above LOL
Son in bag below

Dark Cornish dad below at 6 months old

 

[Lauravonsmurf]

View attachment 3005068
Grandson in cone above LOL
Son in bag below
View attachment 3005074

Dark Cornish dad below at 6 months old
View attachment 3005069

Nice Dark Cornish.

I will be posting the growth and choosing of birds as we get them, hatch them and see how they progress.

 

[Molpet]

Pictures or it didn't happen..!

Hens