The Moonshiner's Leghorns

[The Moonshiner]

Hovabator do kick @$$.
I got my first one back in the 70s. Back then they had the same wafer thermostats and heating elements as the one model does now except back then they were round instead of square. They changed them when egg turners came out.
I still only use the wafer style. Usually when I say test them that means turning them one just to check temp.
They have never failed to still run at same temp as I set them years ago.
I love them. Ive had a sportsman and liked how many eggs they hold but never got quite the results as with the hovabators.
Ive been threatening for a few years to go big. I have a Pepsi stand up cooler I want to turn into an incubator but it would take a lot of work and trial and error that I've never found time to do.
But my dream is to make a small walk in incubator.
I'm just afraid if I ever do how much trouble it would get me into.

 

[gunslinger33]

Moonshiner. I’m sure you’ve been asked this a thousand times but what made you pick Leghorns? Availability, eggs , food conversion, variety of colors? I know you have had other breeds just curious.

If you lived closer to me I would give you some urethane foam cooler panels to make your walk in incubator. I have about 10 4x10 panels.

 

[The Moonshiner]

Lol. Probably a good thing I don't live close to you. You're sounding like an enabler. That might help get me in trouble. Besides that a moonshiner and a gunslinger running together. Ohh boy the fun we may have.
When I was a kid my grandparents raised chickens. My grandfather raised for meat and my grandma for eggs. Leghorns were a go to breed for her though she had a few different breeds.
Back then she was my enabler. I got into chickens of my own because of her and back then you had to order then through the mail and pay with a check. Sometimes my mom wasn't to keen on me ordering more birds but my grandma would always write me a check if I had the cash. She always helped me order birds.
When you wanted better birds you had to go to shows to find birds or find breeders.
She was always willing to take me to a show. (My mom worked so couldn't always be off to take me)
I would spend all day talking to breeders and not only did she not mind she would be right in there with me discussing them.
I have raised a lot of birds and I'm sure over 100 breeds at one time or another.
At one time I was raising orpingtons and I was putting out good birds about as good as I was going to produce. About that time I got some white leghorns and soon after some browns. They reminded me of days of old and time I spent with my grandma. I started crossing the two and was getting pyles. I friend was doing the same. We were told whites hid various patterns and we were trying to see what we could find.
My friend pulled out a couple with barring and didn't like them and I wasn't fond of my pyles so we traded. I ended up using what I had and got silver duckwing.
I was really amazed at taking two different patterns and making a totally different pattern.
About the same time I was really liking the leghorns over the orps because the leghorns were sexable so much quicker. Layed earlier, layed more, ate less etc. I got out of everything else pretty much and started looking for the rare colors and seeing what I could make.
So I think I got into them because I was close to my grandma and it was a way of thanking her for all she did for me. It made it easy because of some of their traits and my love of genetics pushed me further.
Now it's become full circle because I believe my grandma is still watching and I have a young son that is helping and enjoying it all.

 

[Amer]

Lol. Probably a good thing I don't live close to you. You're sounding like an enabler. That might help get me in trouble. Besides that a moonshiner and a gunslinger running together. Ohh boy the fun we may have.
When I was a kid my grandparents raised chickens. My grandfather raised for meat and my grandma for eggs. Leghorns were a go to breed for her though she had a few different breeds.
Back then she was my enabler. I got into chickens of my own because of her and back then you had to order then through the mail and pay with a check. Sometimes my mom wasn't to keen on me ordering more birds but my grandma would always write me a check if I had the cash. She always helped me order birds.
When you wanted better birds you had to go to shows to find birds or find breeders.
She was always willing to take me to a show. (My mom worked so couldn't always be off to take me)
I would spend all day talking to breeders and not only did she not mind she would be right in there with me discussing them.
I have raised a lot of birds and I'm sure over 100 breeds at one time or another.
At one time I was raising orpingtons and I was putting out good birds about as good as I was going to produce. About that time I got some white leghorns and soon after some browns. They reminded me of days of old and time I spent with my grandma. I started crossing the two and was getting pyles. I friend was doing the same. We were told whites hid various patterns and we were trying to see what we could find.
My friend pulled out a couple with barring and didn't like them and I wasn't fond of my pyles so we traded. I ended up using what I had and got silver duckwing.
I was really amazed at taking two different patterns and making a totally different pattern.
About the same time I was really liking the leghorns over the orps because the leghorns were sexable so much quicker. Layed earlier, layed more, ate less etc. I got out of everything else pretty much and started looking for the rare colors and seeing what I could make.
So I think I got into them because I was close to my grandma and it was a way of thanking her for all she did for me. It made it easy because of some of their traits and my love of genetics pushed me further.
Now it's become full circle because I believe my grandma is still watching and I have a young son that is helping and enjoying it all.

That’s really cool!

 

[pozees2]

Lol. Probably a good thing I don't live close to you. You're sounding like an enabler. That might help get me in trouble. Besides that a moonshiner and a gunslinger running together. Ohh boy the fun we may have.
When I was a kid my grandparents raised chickens. My grandfather raised for meat and my grandma for eggs. Leghorns were a go to breed for her though she had a few different breeds.
Back then she was my enabler. I got into chickens of my own because of her and back then you had to order then through the mail and pay with a check. Sometimes my mom wasn't to keen on me ordering more birds but my grandma would always write me a check if I had the cash. She always helped me order birds.
When you wanted better birds you had to go to shows to find birds or find breeders.
She was always willing to take me to a show. (My mom worked so couldn't always be off to take me)
I would spend all day talking to breeders and not only did she not mind she would be right in there with me discussing them.
I have raised a lot of birds and I'm sure over 100 breeds at one time or another.
At one time I was raising orpingtons and I was putting out good birds about as good as I was going to produce. About that time I got some white leghorns and soon after some browns. They reminded me of days of old and time I spent with my grandma. I started crossing the two and was getting pyles. I friend was doing the same. We were told whites hid various patterns and we were trying to see what we could find.
My friend pulled out a couple with barring and didn't like them and I wasn't fond of my pyles so we traded. I ended up using what I had and got silver duckwing.
I was really amazed at taking two different patterns and making a totally different pattern.
About the same time I was really liking the leghorns over the orps because the leghorns were sexable so much quicker. Layed earlier, layed more, ate less etc. I got out of everything else pretty much and started looking for the rare colors and seeing what I could make.
So I think I got into them because I was close to my grandma and it was a way of thanking her for all she did for me. It made it easy because of some of their traits and my love of genetics pushed me further.
Now it's become full circle because I believe my grandma is still watching and I have a young son that is helping and enjoying it all.

This is such a wonderful history, I thoroughly enjoyed reading it, thank you for taking the time to share it!

 

[Severne]

@moonshiner do you raise any other breed now? You should try Isbar, they remind me of a friendly blue egging legern.

 

[gunslinger33]

Thank you for the story. Great story and how nice it would be to go back to our youth when times and values were much different.

You’re right. I would not be the “voice of reason”. I was born in Missouri we lived in Woodson Terrace then moved to Gray Summit , moved to GA in 86 when I was 15.

My daughter loves the chickens. My wife was really on board until we bought some. Now she enjoys them. It’s good to hear your young son enjoys them. So many of the new generation aren’t finding interests in non electric hobbies.

 

[The Moonshiner]

Ya I have an older daughter that was really into them when younger but has since moved on to worrying about finishing school and everything college and growing up.
Not a bad thing but when she was younger she wanted the chickens for farm fresh eggs but that soon changed and she absolutely didn't like us eating the eggs because it was unfair to them not to go in the incubator and have a chance at life.
My wife didn't grow up with chickens or really any pets besides one dog at a time. She likes them and especially discovering all the different breeds but she's like an urban chicken keeper. They're for eggs and yard art to her. She doesn't understand genetics and doesn't understand why you need to hatch so many just to keep a few.
Sometimes I hatch something new or unique and I get all excited and she just rolls her eyes.
She really has absolutely no clue what some of the patterns have taken me to get. And is pretty unaware of what I'm trying to accomplish.
No big deal but she's not chicken crazy as some of us here are.
My son is always excited on hatch days. He's to young to understand the breeding or anything but loves to see all the different colors in a batch and always picks out and claims his favorites.
I remember once when I hatched my first barred lavender chick.
He picked it as his favorite right away and I was trying to explain to my wife that thats a one of a kind that was in the making for a few years.
About at that time I turned and saw my son with it over his head spinning in circles making helicopter noises.
I almost went into a panic attack and they all got a good laugh at how silly I was over a chick when I had a tote sitting there with like 30 or 40 others.
But we'll see how long his interest lasts. Right now he helps feed, water, collect and mark eggs, build and repair stuff. I just need to get him excited about cleaning brooders and pens and I'll be set.

 

[ChicKat]

@moonshiner do you raise any other breed now? You should try Isbar, they remind me of a friendly blue egging legern.

As I understand it, Isbars (Silverudd's Blue Isbars) were developed by Sweedinsh monk Martin Silverudd - and he was even aiming for autosexing, so he wasn't quite finished with his project at the time of his death -- but Leghorn is a big part of Isbar genetics. I think they also contain some RIR. Fabulous green egg layers. Quantities of eggs, Gorgeous birds and amazing temperaments. Birds are BBS as the Moonshiner was questioning the hatchery about earlier. Small, sweet prodigious egg layers !! They are a stellar breed!

 

[ChicKat]

Ya I have an older daughter that was really into them when younger but has since moved on to worrying about finishing school and everything college and growing up.
Not a bad thing but when she was younger she wanted the chickens for farm fresh eggs but that soon changed and she absolutely didn't like us eating the eggs because it was unfair to them not to go in the incubator and have a chance at life.
My wife didn't grow up with chickens or really any pets besides one dog at a time. She likes them and especially discovering all the different breeds but she's like an urban chicken keeper. They're for eggs and yard art to her. She doesn't understand genetics and doesn't understand why you need to hatch so many just to keep a few.
Sometimes I hatch something new or unique and I get all excited and she just rolls her eyes.
She really has absolutely no clue what some of the patterns have taken me to get. And is pretty unaware of what I'm trying to accomplish.
No big deal but she's not chicken crazy as some of us here are.
My son is always excited on hatch days. He's to young to understand the breeding or anything but loves to see all the different colors in a batch and always picks out and claims his favorites.
I remember once when I hatched my first barred lavender chick.
He picked it as his favorite right away and I was trying to explain to my wife that thats a one of a kind that was in the making for a few years.
About at that time I turned and saw my son with it over his head spinning in circles making helicopter noises.
I almost went into a panic attack and they all got a good laugh at how silly I was over a chick when I had a tote sitting there with like 30 or 40 others.
But we'll see how long his interest lasts. Right now he helps feed, water, collect and mark eggs, build and repair stuff. I just need to get him excited about cleaning brooders and pens and I'll be set.

Yikes~ That would about be heart-attack time for me. Loved to hear the history of how you got where you are today. Your chicken-raising goes way back, and you started learning at an early age.