The Moonshiner's Leghorns

[KF0002]

I worked on a few pens today. The doors swung into the pens and we're just above the bottom frame board. I half ass do deep litter so if amount builds up I'm pushing against it with the door when I open it. I cut all the doors down and added a 2x6 across the bottom of the pen frame. That way when I swing the door open it's a good six inches off the dirt. No more dragging.

That's always a chore for my husband too when straw, litter, and dirt builds up making it hard to close the pen doors.

I just got in from feeding all of the animals. Today was my day off so I fed everything to help out while my husband was at work. I nearly moved the 4 oldest Red x Brown chicks and one solo Game cockerel that is with them out of the building to an outdoor brooder. But it is going to be in the 30's tonight so I figured I would wait and move them in a few more days. They have been off heat for a week or so now, but with 3 heat lamps on in the insulated building, it stays pretty warm in there.

We are meeting my friend in an hour or so to pick up the Ameraucana rooster she is giving to my son to go with Owl, his Splash Ameraucana hen. He is pretty excited about it, but my husband, not so much. He isn't a fan of muffed chickens. lol

 

[The Moonshiner]

It was pretty cool here this morning but it warmed up after a bit. 71° today predicted 81° tomorrow than 70° on Friday. Guess which one day out of those three I work?
Only going to be in the 50s for the weekend but I work both them days so I don't care. Can't wait for those continuous 50° overnights and 80° days.

 

[KF0002]

How big of a pain in the neck would it be to use Speckled Sussex to create Mille Fleur Leghorns? This is not a project I plan on undertaking any time soon, but just curious.

 

[KF0002]

It was pretty cool here this morning but it warmed up after a bit. 71° today predicted 81° tomorrow than 70° on Friday. Guess which one day out of those three I work?
Only going to be in the 50s for the weekend but I work both them days so I don't care. Can't wait for those continuous 50° overnights and 80° days.

That's usually how it goes for me too. Pretty on the nights I have to work, rainy and cold on my days off. It is 63 here today, low in the 30's at night. Then after tonight it will warm up to where I feel comfortable moving young birds outside. Hens are going broody left and right. 'Tis the season.

 

[The Moonshiner]

How big of a pain in the neck would it be to use Speckled Sussex to create Mille Fleur Leghorns? This is not a project I plan on undertaking any time soon, but just curious.

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I thought about it at one time. I think it would be doable if you had buff or red leghorns. The white skin don't bother me because yellow is recessive so once you get chicks with the yellow shanks you know they are pure for it.
Problem is the brown egg genes. There is something like 13 or more genes that can be involved. It's hard to get back to pure white eggs.

 

[The Moonshiner]

I'm not a fan of roller coaster weather when chicks are involved. Imagine your weather acts the same as ours. I'm wondering if we're going to have one of those years where when it finally gets to good and spring we'll jump right into summer.

 

[KF0002]

I thought about it at one time. I think it would be doable if you had buff or red leghorns. The white skin don't bother me because yellow is recessive so once you get chicks with the yellow shanks you know they are pure for it.
Problem is the brown egg genes. There is something like 13 or more genes that can be involved. It's hard to get back to pure white eggs.

The Sussex lay a light tan tinted colored egg, medium in size, which is surprising for the size of the birds. They are excellent layers, but not as good as the White Leghorns. I have been looking into the 55 Flower Chickens that have Leghorn ancestry and are barred and mille fleur, but I kinda wanted to use birds I already have.

 

[KF0002]

I'm not a fan of roller coaster weather when chicks are involved. Imagine your weather acts the same as ours. I'm wondering if we're going to have one of those years where when it finally gets to good and spring we'll jump right into summer.

Me either, because the swings in temps are harder on younger chicks. The older chicks that are fully feathered can take it a little better if they have a good pen that keeps the rain and wind off them. I got aggravated a bit ago, because a heat bulb had blown at some point, and of course, it was on the youngest group of chicks/poults that just hatched on Sunday. Luckily, the building was warm from the other lamps on other brooders or they would have been goners. So far, we haven't had any losses, but of course, the year is young yet.

 

[KF0002]

If you have to carry your rooster in your lap because you forgot to bring a pet taxi to put him in, you might be a redneck.

My son loves his new rooster!

 

[Chookwagn]

If you have to carry your rooster in your lap because you forgot to bring a pet taxi to put him in, you might be a redneck.

My son loves his new rooster!

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You haven't chickened if you haven't done that at least once