The Moonshiner's Leghorns

[KF0002]

Mine were really decent layers and did lay the biggest eggs out of everything I've had.

Why did you decide to part with them? I think they could be useful in working on Mille Fleur Leghorns and Crele Leghorns. I just couldn't justify paying that price after I had already ordered all of the Leghorn eggs this year.

 

[KF0002]

I used to think they were boring but they're growing on me. They really look like Grizzle pigeons to me, but reverse because the wings and tail are the most white.
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I am the most fond of Fall Fires and their offshoots (sweetgrass and red sweetgrass).
I also love the look of red pencilled palms. I don't know if the beautiful birds on Porters site are the norm but I like that they are a true breeding variety and would like to get them to my view of perfection.
I used to want to exhibit Standard Bred turkeys but my favorite varieties aren't in there so I'd rather just breed my favorite colors for good health and beauty but maybe I'd exhibit them just for kicks and giggles. I do hope the sweetgrass at least becomes recognized, it's pretty popular.
And I want to work on mini eastern bronze turkey project, breeding for a different body conformation with a larger head and eyes and shorter body like a bantam. Just for fun.

I hope they introduce more varieties of turkey to the standard also. None of my favorites are standard varieties either, but I just love the different colors and patterns. I parted with most of my Sweetgrass because this area is completely saturated with people who propagate them, and crank out poults to sell for cheap. The chicken peddlers have destroyed the market for poultry where I live. We thinned down and minimized the numbers we hatch because we are only raising for our own use. Your bantam turkey project sounds fun! Like a bronze version of a Midget White, but smaller. They would be easier to keep and cheaper to feed for sure. lol

 

[The Moonshiner]

Why did you decide to part with them? I think they could be useful in working on Mille Fleur Leghorns and Crele Leghorns. I just couldn't justify paying that price after I had already ordered all of the Leghorn eggs this year.

Lost the male and couldn't find a replacement. The girls got more white with every year and eventually wasn't so cool looking. I should of kept them but too many so some had to go.
I wish I had kept them just for a mottled duckwing project.

 

[Amer]

I hope they introduce more varieties of turkey to the standard also. None of my favorites are standard varieties either, but I just love the different colors and patterns. I parted with most of my Sweetgrass because this area is completely saturated with people who propagate them, and crank out poults to sell for cheap. The chicken peddlers have destroyed the market for poultry where I live. We thinned down and minimized the numbers we hatch because we are only raising for our own use. Your bantam turkey project sounds fun! Like a bronze version of a Midget White, but smaller. They would be easier to keep and cheaper to feed for sure. lol

I thought about doing minis in a variety of colors but I think starting with just bronze (although if other colors show fine up I'm probably not going to select for color as much as type as long as some have the bronze) so I can get them to my ideal type. If folks want to use them to make other colors I don't care. I also think it will be interesting to cross wilds with midget whites or beltsvilles so I can find out what genetics they carry.

 

[KF0002]

Lost the male and couldn't find a replacement. The girls got more white with every year and eventually wasn't so cool looking. I should of kept them but too many so some had to go.
I wish I had kept them just for a mottled duckwing project.

I understand thinning down big time. That is why I didn't want to attempt starting a Mille Fleur Leghorn project this year. Do you think it would it be more or less of a pain in the hind end to use Speckled Sussex for a Mille Fleur Leghorn project later on vs 55 Flowery Hen? I think it would be harder to eliminate the barring and isolating just the mottling genes in project birds than just using SS and breeding project birds to Leghorn type and egg color.

 

[KF0002]

I thought about doing minis in a variety of colors but I think starting with just bronze (although if other colors show fine up I'm probably not going to select for color as much as type as long as some have the bronze) so I can get them to my ideal type. If folks want to use them to make other colors I don't care. I also think it will be interesting to cross wilds with midget whites or beltsvilles so I can find out what genetics they carry.

That will be an interesting project I look forward to following!

 

[Amer]

If folks want to use them to make other colors I don't care

I should say I would welcome it
But I don't want to spread myself too thin

I want quail (and blue quail), silver quail, cuckoo, and golden d'Anvers, that will be more than enough for me.
Yeahhh
I have so many ideas. The "exotic" geese are definitely the last thing I will get to because they are expensive. I wonder if I could make money selling them though.

 

[KF0002]

I should say I would welcome it
But I don't want to spread myself too thin

I want quail (and blue quail), silver quail, cuckoo, and golden d'Anvers, that will be more than enough for me.
Yeahhh
I have so many ideas. The "exotic" geese are definitely the last thing I will get to because they are expensive. I wonder if I could make money selling them though.

I'd say you certainly could make money selling them, if you could find a way to ship them to people without using the USPS. Maybe fly them like they do puppies? Where they are an exotic breed, I'd say there is a good market for them. Add birds as you build your farm later on, and gradually so it isn't overwhelming. I'm sure it will be so fabulous!

 

[KF0002]

Lost the male and couldn't find a replacement. The girls got more white with every year and eventually wasn't so cool looking. I should of kept them but too many so some had to go.
I wish I had kept them just for a mottled duckwing project.

You could have crossed the hens to a duckwing male, then backcrossed a barred split mottled son back to the hens to get some more 55 Flowery birds. Where did you get your original 55 Flowery Hens? Greenfire Farms seems to be sold out constantly. I would like to add some to my flock eventually just because of how pretty they are, and they seem to be good layers of big white eggs like a white leghorn.

 

[Amer]

Add birds as you build your farm later on, and gradually so it isn't overwhelming. I'm sure it will be so fabulous!

It's almost a good thing good birds are expensive and hard to get a hold of. I will never be overwhelmed by birds if I'm super picky about what I want