The Moonshiner's Leghorns

[KF0002]

Enter the caption contests. Its won by random number and its kinda fun. You can enter pictures for it as well. Getting a picture chosen will get you a PFM or getting picked in the caption contest will get you a PFM. They are both pretty fun.

I will have to look for it. lol

 

[The Moonshiner]

Enter the caption contests. Its won by random number and its kinda fun. You can enter pictures for it as well. Getting a picture chosen will get you a PFM or getting picked in the caption contest will get you a PFM. They are both pretty fun.

I hate the random number draw.
Only thing worse was the "selected by our panel of judges"

 

[KF0002]

Damn @KF0002 you've been here 9 years?
Where you been and why didn't I know you sooner?

I used to raise Marans so I was on that thread a lot. Then I got into turkeys and was on those threads some. Now I’m into Leghorns and here I am. I think I may have a touch of ADHD. lol

 

[The Moonshiner]

I used to be on the marans thread some. Who was that one dude? @Chooks man?
He was is Australia working on marans projects just like I was working on leghorn projects.

 

[KF0002]

I used to be on the marans thread some. Who was that one dude? @Chooks man?
He was is Australia working on marans projects just like I was working on leghorn projects.

Chooks man was our Marans guru and he taught us all a lot. His username is Joemarans now. I miss being apart of that thread but the Marans worked us to death keeping mites off of them. None of our other breeds get mites like those did. It was insane.

 

[The Moonshiner]

Ya I liked that guy. I raised marans for a bit but him and I had the crossing stuff to make new stuff in common. We had a lot of the same way of seeing and knowing possibilities thing going on.

 

[KF0002]

Ya I liked that guy. I raised marans for a bit but him and I had the crossing stuff to make new stuff in common. We had a lot of the same way of seeing and knowing possibilities thing going on.

Yes I agree, you all are both really good at creating varieties out of genetics your current varieties have. He could tell if a bird had all kinds of hidden things and he would cross and back cross, and line breed the fire out if it until he produced what he wanted. It was pretty cool.

I wouldn’t have stopped raising Marans if they were better about keeping themselves dusted. The hens did okay but its like the roosters didn’t even attempt to dust themselves to keep free of bugs. The cocks kept mites on them all the time during the warmer months, so I would routinely dust them weekly to try to stay ahead of it. They had so much fluffy plumage and we’ve always been used to tighter feathered birds like Games that are pretty bug resistant, so it was exhausting. lol

 

[KF0002]

@The Moonshiner my favorite thing about Chooks man (Joe) was that he believed in using the birds you had, imperfections, defects, and all. He didn’t see a bad comb, a squirrel tail, etc and immediately say “cull him and buy better stock.” He would help us pick out birds to mate those birds to that would balance out their flaws in the progeny. I learned a great deal from him, and learned that you can breed any line to SOP as long as you know how to balance your brood birds with complementing birds. It may take a while but you will see the offspring improve every season. I like that mindset, and seeing the good qualities a bird has instead of focusing only on its flaws.

 

[KF0002]

I’m in here bragging on you @Joemarans !!

 

[The Moonshiner]

Idk they were cool but just not super exciting to me. My females wanted to go broody to often. They'd hatch 2 or 3 broods a year. I never knew they were a broody breed. Must admit a hen with a string of chicks is unbeatable for cuteness but that cuts down on egg production.
I never had mite issues though. But seems everyone's soul focus was on egg darkness. It's cool but not long term fun for me.