the sultan thread

[yellowherb]

It's really funny, today I went into TSC and I had a look at chicks. I had just finished telling my husband they never have the froo froo breeds like sultans that I like. They had SULTANS.. 3 of them in the banty bin but I think they are standards since they are much of the same size as my chicks. The guy working there looked at me weird when I said I wanted to see their feet. He asked what for?! I said I wanted to count their toes.. haha. Then he asked why sultans were so special. doh! Where do they find these people?!

So I came home with 3 babies which are not out of my birds and 3 bantam cochins I'll rehome. I put bands on the sultan chicks so I know when I start thinning the brooders which 3 to not rehome. I'm excited about them, and they are weird color compared to my normal blonde babies. These guys are more orange yellow and not the white blonde I'm used to seeing. I nearly went past them, it was only as I was looking closer at them I seen a skull vault on one.

 

[BantyChooks]

It's really funny, today I went into TSC and I had a look at chicks. I had just finished telling my husband they never have the froo froo breeds like sultans that I like. They had SULTANS.. 3 of them in the banty bin but I think they are standards since they are much of the same size as my chicks. The guy working there looked at me weird when I said I wanted to see their feet. He asked what for?! I said I wanted to count their toes.. haha. Then he asked why sultans were so special. doh! Where do they find these people?!

So I came home with 3 babies which are not out of my birds and 3 bantam cochins I'll rehome. I put bands on the sultan chicks so I know when I start thinning the brooders which 3 to not rehome. I'm excited about them, and they are weird color compared to my normal blonde babies. These guys are more orange yellow and not the white blonde I'm used to seeing. I nearly went past them, it was only as I was looking closer at them I seen a skull vault on one.

Sweet!!

 

[luckied]

So I know nothing about sultans and never considered them for my flock but this little 1 needed adopting from TSC and I couldn't say no, also got 4 batman's that I also never really thought about.
If it's a pullet I'll keep her and integrate her into my flock, if it's a cockerel I'm hoping to find him a good home....
Had to share the cuteness.....

 

[yellowherb]

So I know nothing about sultans and never considered them for my flock but this little 1 needed adopting from TSC and I couldn't say no, also got 4 batman's that I also never really thought about.
If it's a pullet I'll keep her and integrate her into my flock, if it's a cockerel I'm hoping to find him a good home....
Had to share the cuteness.....

You will fall in love and never be the same again

Congrats!

 

[gootziecat]

yellowherb, I'm going to put you on the spot, but you can pm me the answer. You have both Sultans and Seramas. I know you like both but which one is your favorite and why? Sure would appreciate knowing. Thanks.

 

[yellowherb]

Lol sultans, by far.

I'm new to seramas but have had sultans since 3/15. While I've had "normal" chickens off and on thru my life when I first seen a sultan picture I fell in love and started searching for them. It was eye candy, it was a oddball, it was rare, it was unique, it is the kitchen sink of the chicken world, has everything but colors and silkied feathers. But best of all, they are by far the sweetest chickens ever. Roosters can be iffy as all roosters can be but the hens are so docile and friendly you often have to pick them up and move them out of the way. This may be the head poof since they have no clue where they are wandering haha.

It takes the hens a little while to come round, most of mine by the time they hit laying age, go from wild childs to absolutely the sweetest girls ever. Roosters go from immediately sweet to normal rooster by maturity. But they can be real drama queens and it makes me laugh. Nothing funnier than watching a fluffy rooster run across the yard, they run funny due to 5 toes and feet feathers. It's a spread leg run as if they have poopy drawers on or something..

I've seen hens get their poofs wet and do duck and dodge until it dries out or they head bob trying to catch it. If it rains and they get wet they duck as they walk around, thinking there is something over their head.

They just make me laugh, I love sultans and can not imagine life without them. One of my layers would hear the meal worm bag and nearly knock herself out running full tilts around corners of the stairway to get on the deck and get her worms. I've had roosters land and perch on my arms trying to get to the worms and of course lap full of hens almost always, begging. You just can't imagine a sweeter, better natured chicken.

 

[yellowherb]

Seramas are cute and unique and loveable because they are tiny, but sultans..


how could anyone not love that face?!

@gootziecat It's also funny when people see them for the first time. I've had comments of "that's not a chicken, it's a duck" and "Wow, what's that bird?" And people who never thought they would own a chicken or want a chicken fall in love with them. They can walk right up to them and just pick them up.

I'm gushing a bit but seriously, I love sultans and I'm passionate about them. Everything else is just a cute chicken.

 

[Psychobaby78]

I have been breeding warhorse and bantams for a year now and just got my first Sultans. One male and one female. I'm too excited waiting for them to grow up. Everyday I swear they change on me. Growing more and more beautiful everyday.

 

[yellowherb]

Yup. They go from beautiful little fluff balls to some odd looking creature and then overnight into a gorgeous beauty. I love when they change from the oddity into a beautiful chicken. When they do that change is when their personality starts changing too. They get less flightly and more docile.

 

[yellowherb]

I changed my rooster about a month before deciding to rehome my adult flock (those pesky toenail issues). The last rooster I was using throws these dark babies. They seem to feather in white as normal, at least so far. But it's neat to open up the incubator to silver fluff on some rather than always yellow fluff. This little guy is really fresh and wet and I know he will lighten up a little as he dries up. I wonder if this is polish blood coming thru. I never mixed mine with polish and it's obvious this is a pure bred chick, but somewhere in the background of my adults must have been a polish WCBlack or WCBlue color. The rooster was offspring of my own flock. All of my sultans were white, no splashes or anything in them.


My new flock is currently growing out and is mostly chicks with proper and good toenails from my old flock. I added 3 new bloods from TSC hoover(?) stock. I call them my bracelet babies since I banded them to know that they are to be kept and not sold. I thought the toenail thing was recessive and the last rooster I used had beautiful feet other than 1 missing nail. Strangely most of his chicks have been perfect so I'll have a large flock to choose from. It's going to be hard keeping my sultan numbers to 5-7 hens and 1 rooster with so many nice babies. I'll have to start picking out only the absolute best now That's a welcome change. I got pink feet in my flock but with the silver babies they have gorgeous slate feet as they should and my last rooster threw all slate feet.

Feeling happy about my sultans direction.