The Wyandotte Thread

[SeattleSelkie]

The way chickens are bred to meet breed standard, egg production usually takes a back seat during breeding. 170 eggs is not out of line to expect from a breed but when you throw in breeding to standard - production might suffer. I say "might" but usually that seems to be the rule. Wyans are beautiful birds with or without meeting "standard" so if you find someone's line that are good layers but not perfect "show" standard, go for it! -- if you are planning to sell birds or show your birds then you can be more selective. Most Wyans are beautiful with or without meeting every detailed "show" standard. Even perfect show birds don't always produce quality standard offspring. GL finding your Wyans -- any particular color variety?

Thanks for your thoughts, Sylvester.
I guess I am wishing to take the same approach with a new-dual purpose breed as I have with my Welsummers. I breed to standard, yet emphasize production and egg characteristics. My birds are good examples of the standard, and also lay up to 200 size large, dark brown eggs a year. The Welsummer standard does describe eggs, so in that way it gives me a goal with them.

I hatched a few Black/Blue-laced Red Wyandottes this year for my egg flock, and am enjoying their looks and nice temperaments. They are laying well, but at only 8 months of age I would expect that. Since they were originally bred as a dual-purpose bird, it only seems logical that the standard developed over a hundred years ago had a role in the production abilities of the bird. I do not show, so as you mention finding that line known for production is what I am going for......but I also respect the standard and want to always breed my flock with it in mind. I do find that most breeders I have talked with do not keep precise production records, so that is a bit of a challenge. I sell my Wellie (and Olive Egger) chicks to the local homestead market and so would take the same approach with the Wyandottes. I like the laced varieties, but am not set on a particular color yet. Do you know if any color variety is more likely to be good layers vs. others?

Here is one of my current BLRW pullets.

 

[dfr1973]

I am trying to identify and locate a strain of wyandottes that is bred to standard but with a particular focus on dual purpose production......annual egg output of 170 or more and a nice cockerel carcass at 16-20 weeks. I run a small sustainable farm and would love to add this heritage breed, if I can find a line that fits my production needs. Thanks for any suggestions.

I looked around a bit a couple years ago to find this in GLWs, and have ended up starting a major project to get what I want. I took some hatchery GLWs from two hatcheries (Cackle and Ideal) and also some black phase BLRW culls from a breeder in the next county, and am now starting to hatch my F2 generation. Since I am combining at least four lines from two varieties, it will likely take me 5-15 years to get consistent results, but in the meantime my county will have a larger share of GLWs as I sell my cull pullets. All cull cockerels get eaten, either by us or by my Mexican neighbors.

 

[SeattleSelkie]

I looked around a bit a couple years ago to find this in GLWs, and have ended up starting a major project to get what I want

Best of luck with your project! I have gotten the strong impression, after researching through various means, that this breed is not focused on for practical use by breeders. Since I have not found one breeder who can give me an accurate sense of production, I must assume it is all about the look and the lacing. It is rather interesting that there is lots of mention of Wyandottes in online articles about "best chickens for your homestead" yet not one actual data source for the claims made about "being good winter layers" or number of eggs laid.

 

[Sylvester017]

Thanks for your thoughts, Sylvester.
I guess I am wishing to take the same approach with a new-dual purpose breed as I have with my Welsummers. I breed to standard, yet emphasize production and egg characteristics. My birds are good examples of the standard, and also lay up to 200 size large, dark brown eggs a year. The Welsummer standard does describe eggs, so in that way it gives me a goal with them.

I hatched a few Black/Blue-laced Red Wyandottes this year for my egg flock, and am enjoying their looks and nice temperaments. They are laying well, but at only 8 months of age I would expect that. Since they were originally bred as a dual-purpose bird, it only seems logical that the standard developed over a hundred years ago had a role in the production abilities of the bird. I do not show, so as you mention finding that line known for production is what I am going for......but I also respect the standard and want to always breed my flock with it in mind. I do find that most breeders I have talked with do not keep precise production records, so that is a bit of a challenge. I sell my Wellie (and Olive Egger) chicks to the local homestead market and so would take the same approach with the Wyandottes. I like the laced varieties, but am not set on a particular color yet. Do you know if any color variety is more likely to be good layers vs. others?

Here is one of my current BLRW pullets.

For breeding it's always wise to find breeders with separated pens so no accidental cross-breeding happens as I've read so many sad stories of people buying "purebreds" only to find the hatchlings were mixed with some other breed.

I never owned a Wyan - altho I was very interested in the Blue/Red laced at first until I found the Wyans are a heavier dual purpose breed and I had too many smaller gentle timid breeds in my flock and was afraid of possible bullying. I had to already re-home a large Cuckoo Marans that was bullying my littles. Tilly's Nest had a SLW that was bullying the other hens in the pen and they finally re-homed her. Later they acquired a new batch of chicks with a GLW and that chick was growing into the same characteristics of domination. Wyans are beautiful but IMO should not be mixed in confined spaces with gentle, docile, or timid breeds like Ameraucana, Araucana, Breda, Crevecoeur, EE, Faverolles, Polish, bantams like Brahma/Cochins/or Silkies, Sultans, etc.

As to production, the hatcheries stock up on SLW and GLW's so just that practice tells me they must be productive since hatcheries are into developing good production birds. I hope someone chimes in with some thoughts as these are JMHO's.

 

[Sylvester017]

I have a blue and red wyandotte. It is so cute!!!! So big, and it squawks all the time and is just cute overall. She runs away though. Lays alot and I recommend this breed to anyone. Here's a picture. Say hi to Nancy!

HI, NANCY!!!

 

[dfr1973]

Best of luck with your project! I have gotten the strong impression, after researching through various means, that this breed is not focused on for practical use by breeders. Since I have not found one breeder who can give me an accurate sense of production, I must assume it is all about the look and the lacing. It is rather interesting that there is lots of mention of Wyandottes in online articles about "best chickens for your homestead" yet not one actual data source for the claims made about "being good winter layers" or number of eggs laid.

You are certainly welcome to join me in this endeavor ... the breed really REALLY needs to fulfill its dual purpose. Actually, I say it is a triple-purpose breed: good at eggs, good at meat, and looks good while doing it. (NB: good, not great. Egg production and meat production are two opposite body types.) I'll be happy to share notes with anyone who is like-minded!

As to production, the hatcheries stock up on SLW and GLW's so just that practice tells me they must be productive since hatcheries are into developing good production birds. I hope someone chimes in with some thoughts as these are JMHO's.

The hatchery stock will lay, but they won't have a nice meaty carcass. As mentioned above, egg production and meat production are two opposing body types. At the extremes, you have leghorns versus the Cornish-Rock cross broilers. The dual purpose breeds fall in the middle, in both appearance and production. I am using hatchery stock in my P gen for the egg laying qualities, while the breeder stock I am using lays well the first year, but the eggs are small and production drops off in the second year more than I'd like. The cockerels make for a nice meaty capon, though, which is what I am going for. I like the richer flavor of an older roasting/table bird.

(Apologies if I am a bit blunt, but the best way to get more people to breed more Wyandottes of any variety is to get the word out about how good those older capons taste. Look how many Cornish-Rock broilers are hatched each year ...)

 

[Sylvester017]

....The dual purpose breeds fall in the middle, in both appearance and production. I am using hatchery stock in my P gen for the egg laying qualities, while the breeder stock I am using lays well the first year, but the eggs are small and production drops off in the second year more than I'd like. The cockerels make for a nice meaty capon, though, which is what I am going for. I like the richer flavor of an older roasting/table bird.

(Apologies if I am a bit blunt, but the best way to get more people to breed more Wyandottes of any variety is to get the word out about how good those older capons taste. Look how many Cornish-Rock broilers are hatched each year ...)

TY for expressing the part about dual purpose falling somewhere in the middle. As for egg production dropping in the second year -- production breeds fall at least 20% production each year of their laying cycle. Example: 200 eggs 1st year, 160 eggs 2nd year, 128 eggs 3rd year, etc. With dual purpose I imagine the percentage would be worse after the first laying cycle.

I don't buy supermarket chicken or restaurant chicken because they are tasteless Cornish-Rock broilers slaughtered at 8 to 10 weeks before any flavor is developed. Restaurants have to bread, season, and sauce over menu chicken because they are so tasteless otherwise. Older heritage birds are more flavorful and even my folks' older White Leghorns on the farm made good roasters.

 

[dmaldet]

So I was looking to add two wyandottes to my mixed backyard flock. At this point I have mixed feelings because so many are saying they are more aggressive to smaller breeds. I have Easter where, polish, marans and some mutts. What are your thoughts for me? Looking to end up w flock of twelve mixed breeds in total.

Thank you

 

[cjpines]

So I was looking to add two wyandottes to my mixed backyard flock. At this point I have mixed feelings because so many are saying they are more aggressive to smaller breeds. I have Easter where, polish, marans and some mutts. What are your thoughts for me? Looking to end up w flock of twelve mixed breeds in total.

Thank you

I also have two wyandottes that came with two Americans' from the same breeder at age 8 weeks. I have found the larger birds like our wyandottes pick on the Easter eggs layers. I don't know why, Maybe if we had them as babies from the start it would of been easier, but now the smaller breeds get picked on.

 

[dmaldet]

Here are a few pics of my flock. I have one big rooster who I don't really know what he is but he's sooo friendly so at this point keeping him. The olive egger roo is leaving. He doesn't like my grandsons holding the hens so I'm not putting up with him. The polish roo has been no problem. The easter eggers are bigger than my two polish hens and other red hen. Are the wyandottes that much bigger than the Easter eggers? I just love the looks of the wyandottes. Oh yah also have a birchen maran roo and maran hen.