The Twisted Breed Project

[Cattle dog Mom]

Update?

 

[TwistedTayy]

Update?

Everyone is doing well, now im waiting on them to mature and start mating. You can bet I’ll probably be naughty and try to hatch pullet eggs haha. The boys are just starting to crow. They’re all about 3.5 months ish (born Feb 3) with the exception of the fayoumi who is 9 months. I expect the fayoumix pullets will begin laying between 4-5 months, not sure about the others. Fayoumis mature super fast, crowing at 5 weeks and laying at 3.5-4 months (in my experience). The pullets sire is silkieXcochinxee as far as I could figure so it’s hard to say how that will affect maturity speed, I guess it depends on how strong that trait is genetically. It’ll be interesting to see.

The hedemora rooster has matured as a lavender/porcelain color. I can see that it’s covering a red color underneath. It looks like an extended black. I don’t know his genetics so it’s hard to say how that will pass down until we actually start breeding.

We are renovating a large shed and turning it into a chicken barn with multiple pens that opens to covered runs and has multiple pop doors so it is customizable. That way we can separate for breeding depending on our needs. The twisted flock will remain in their current coop but if we need to add specific breeds, this will help.

I’m thinking we will also have a separated free range flock. DH brought home some buff pullets (at least they are pullets) so they can help grow out babies or hens that will be separated for breeding can hang out in that flock until being separated. We also have some cotton patch goose eggs in the bator for predator protection (I know they don’t protect, I’ve had geese but they are great for alerting). I’ve basically only lost birds to hawks so geese are great for that. The geese will be kept separated most of the time anyways.

Other than that there isn’t really anything to update on until the babies grow up.

 

[TwistedTayy]

New picture update. I rehomed the two fayoumiX pullets that had crests. I’m just not interested in having to breed that gene out. Probably recessive in the one remaining fayoumi x but not worried about it. I also got a female sexed order from MPC: 2 Sumatra, 1 bbs Andalusian, lavender orp, exchequer leghorn, speckled Sussex and fayoumi. The fayoumi, leghorn, Andalusian and sumatras will be joining the group depending on how they mature but probably not til fall.

Hedemora pullet

Fayoumi hen

Lavender/porcelain hedemora roo

Svarthona roo

55 Flowery pullet

 

[kurby22]

New picture update. I rehomed the two fayoumiX pullets that had crests. I’m just not interested in having to breed that gene out. Probably recessive in the one remaining fayoumi x but not worried about it. I also got a female sexed order from MPC: 2 Sumatra, 1 bbs Andalusian, lavender orp, exchequer leghorn, speckled Sussex and fayoumi. The fayoumi, leghorn, Andalusian and sumatras will be joining the group depending on how they mature but probably not til fall.

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Hedemora pullet

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Fayoumi hen

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Lavender/porcelain hedemora roo

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Svarthona roo

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55 Flowery pullet

They’re all gorgeous! I just love the Hedemoras! Super striking birds I have a lavender Hedemora but she’s lacking that dark melanistic face that creates the contrast that’s so pretty. Seems like a fun project!

 

[T-R-O-U-B-L-E]

Watching!

 

[Lauravonsmurf]

Looks like you have a nice mix to work with.

 

[Earthdale]

Interesting! Following.

 

[troyer]

You have an interesting project going. Fayoumis are great free rangers generally. I would minimize feather legs to minimize muddy legs. You don't need to get rid of it completely, there just shouldn't be feathers on the feet. Minimal feathers on the legs are fine. That being said, it's your project and you can do what you want to get the bird that you see in your mind. Adding Sumatra will greatly improve the free range aspect and the instinctive ability to evade predators.
About twenty years ago I had a Sumatra hen that had successfully raised several broods of chicks. We got a puppy and as puppies go she was curious about the hen and her chicks. The puppy was probably about 16 weeks old so still clumsy. I was watching the hen foraging in the backyard with her chicks ( the chicks were only a week old ). Mother hen saw the puppy approaching and when the puppy was twenty yards away mama hen sounded the alarm. The chicks all flattened themselves to the ground and mama hen came toward the puppy. I thought to myself, oh no, puppy is going to get a thrashing, but I was wrong. She just got close enough to get the puppy's full attention, then she started acting like her one wing is broken tantalizingly close to the puppy. The puppy started following her away from her chicks, she took the puppy about 300 feet away from her chicks through tall grass and weeds out of sight from where her chicks had flattend themselves into the shorter grass of the backyard. When she was satisfied that the puppy was far enough away, she suddenly became a perfectly fine chicken again and flew back to her chicks. When she landed she momentarily made sure the puppy was nowhere around, made some mama hen clucks and the chicks all popped up from where they were hiding and came running to her. She then went about her business as usual and the puppy being completely distracted was doing it's own thing somewhere else. Even though I really liked the Sumatra before, this incident made a very strong impression on me for the Sumatra breed. I imagine not all Sumatra are like that, but I think there is a strong tendency in that direction. I imagine crossing Sumatra with Fayoumi would be an excellent way to go about making a good free ranging bird and select for egg laying. Sumatra tend to be broody, but having Fayoumi in the mix plus all the other egg laying breeds, I think could be good for egg production.

 

[MysteryChicken]

New picture update. I rehomed the two fayoumiX pullets that had crests. I’m just not interested in having to breed that gene out. Probably recessive in the one remaining fayoumi x but not worried about it. I also got a female sexed order from MPC: 2 Sumatra, 1 bbs Andalusian, lavender orp, exchequer leghorn, speckled Sussex and fayoumi. The fayoumi, leghorn, Andalusian and sumatras will be joining the group depending on how they mature but probably not til fall.

View attachment 3161568
Hedemora pullet

View attachment 3161569
Fayoumi hen

View attachment 3161570
Lavender/porcelain hedemora roo

View attachment 3161572
Svarthona roo

View attachment 3161573
55 Flowery pullet

The crest is a Semi dominant, not recessive.

Looks like the project is going well. I wasn't getting notifications.

 

[TwistedTayy]

You have an interesting project going. Fayoumis are great free rangers generally. I would minimize feather legs to minimize muddy legs. You don't need to get rid of it completely, there just shouldn't be feathers on the feet. Minimal feathers on the legs are fine. That being said, it's your project and you can do what you want to get the bird that you see in your mind. Adding Sumatra will greatly improve the free range aspect and the instinctive ability to evade predators.
About twenty years ago I had a Sumatra hen that had successfully raised several broods of chicks. We got a puppy and as puppies go she was curious about the hen and her chicks. The puppy was probably about 16 weeks old so still clumsy. I was watching the hen foraging in the backyard with her chicks ( the chicks were only a week old ). Mother hen saw the puppy approaching and when the puppy was twenty yards away mama hen sounded the alarm. The chicks all flattened themselves to the ground and mama hen came toward the puppy. I thought to myself, oh no, puppy is going to get a thrashing, but I was wrong. She just got close enough to get the puppy's full attention, then she started acting like her one wing is broken tantalizingly close to the puppy. The puppy started following her away from her chicks, she took the puppy about 300 feet away from her chicks through tall grass and weeds out of sight from where her chicks had flattend themselves into the shorter grass of the backyard. When she was satisfied that the puppy was far enough away, she suddenly became a perfectly fine chicken again and flew back to her chicks. When she landed she momentarily made sure the puppy was nowhere around, made some mama hen clucks and the chicks all popped up from where they were hiding and came running to her. She then went about her business as usual and the puppy being completely distracted was doing it's own thing somewhere else. Even though I really liked the Sumatra before, this incident made a very strong impression on me for the Sumatra breed. I imagine not all Sumatra are like that, but I think there is a strong tendency in that direction. I imagine crossing Sumatra with Fayoumi would be an excellent way to go about making a good free ranging bird and select for egg laying. Sumatra tend to be broody, but having Fayoumi in the mix plus all the other egg laying breeds, I think could be good for egg production.

That’s amazing! My current broodies lean more toward being aggressive haha. Our barn cat is now afraid of chickens… It’s those kinds of instincts that I think are really important. Like a livestock guardian dog instead of being scared of or aggressive towards everything, actually evaluating situations.