The Wyandotte Thread

[wyandodo]

The jubilee Wyandotte bantams in their show cages.

 

[applebutter14]

i love wyandottes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Ontario chick]

My blue Wyandotte bantams ready to be judged on a provincial show in Belgium.
Two different shades of blue, two different types.
Small detail, these come from jubilee x splash. Can you tell?

Not familiar with the European Standard of Perfection, North American SOP calls for Blue Wyandottes to have dark Blue lacing on Blue background ( Andalusian Blue)
So the first bird would be my choice, let us know how you did at the show Please.

 

[NanaKat]

 
Does anyone know if different colors/types of Wyandottes tend to have different personalities?  I have a silver-laced (Blanche) who is gorgeous, full of personality, and an incredible layer--but she's a horrible bully.  I am thinking about getting a either a gold-laced, blue, or a blue-red laced in my next batch, but I don't want to end up with another bully.  I know it depends on the individual chicken, but are there any trends you guys have noticed?  Or do Wyandottes just not do well in mixed flocks at all?

MyPetChicken describes Wyans as a tendency to dominate.  Tilly's Nest website had to re-home their SLW because it was so aggressive it made the other hens mean.  Next order of chicks Tilly's got a GLW and it already was picking on the other chicks.  I guess there can be sweet ones out there somewhere but most research I do has more cons than pros for the breed in a mixed flock.  I know Leghorns and Marans can be real bullies as we had to re-home both those breeds away from our gentles breeds.  Breeders say it depends on the selective breeding and individual chicken as far as temperament but I've talked with too many people who have had issues with Wyans - a breed sometimes is just what it is regardless of "selective" breeding.  There are always variables like pen size, breeds that are together in a mixed flock, number of chickens and what breeds are in the flock, ages of the birds, etc etc but all that still doesn't change the inherent characteristics/temperaments of a breed.  Sue me if you want but there are just too many stories about Wyans.  I adore my Leghorns and love all the 8 or 9 varieties yet I know better than to mix them in my flock with milder gentler or smaller breeds. 

I know what!!!! - put the Wyans, Legs, and Marans in their own pen together and let them duke it out LOL!

Seriously, I hope you have a solution to either separate out the bullies or find them a good home where there are no gentles to dominate.  Maybe others on this thread with Wyans experience can give you a leg up on advice other than to say "I never had trouble with my Wyans," or "Maybe you should buy from a different source," which neither statement really helps your query.  GL!

I have Columbian, Blue, Black, White, Barred and Blue Columbian Wyandotte. I have had Silver Laced and Blue Laced as well as Birchen in the past. The colors I have found to be aggressive to my other breeds of chickens have been the Birchen and the Barred.
My layer flock includes Australorp, Cochin, Red and Black Sex linked, Marans as well as four breeds of Bantams. My birds free range unless separated in breeding pens.
Cockerels and pullets are separated at 4 months to reduce stress on the pullets.

 

[Ontario chick]

I raise LF Wyandottes and Ameraucanas, cockerels get separated from pullets at 3 month.
Accept for occasional pecking order skirmish, no aggression issues here.
That said, I never incorporate pullets in to the main flock until they are 5 month old, and the Wyandottes are kept in a separate flock from Ameraucanas after that age.

 

[wyandodo]

The darker hen scored 95 and became third of all Wyandotte bantams. (not that there were so many Wyandotte bantams

)
The other hen scored 91.
I was a little bit disappointed that there wasn't anything to read on the card concerning color.

 

[Ontario chick]

Congratulations, she would have been my choice too
As I said not familiar with European SOP, but it shouldn't be too difficult to get a judging booklet, which specifies number of points awarded for each trait.

 

[chrissyr]

Is it possible to get lavender laced wyandottes?
I would think that I'd just get solid blacks and blues. Is there a way?

 

[towen91]

I have 4 SLW (3 hens, and a rooster). They are about 4-5 months old now, and I just ran out of the chick start that they have been eating sense I brought them home at 5 weeks. I was told that I wouldn't want to eat the eggs they lay, if they were still eating the chick food. So my question is, is it ok to go ahead to switch them to regular feed now? If so what kind? My flock is not laying yet, but with only 4, the feed last me a while, sense they also get to free range as they wish; so whichever bag of feed I buy next (chickstart, or regular) will more then likely last until they do start to lay. Thanks for any and all advice! Also, my rooster still hasn't started to crow. Not that I'm complaining, but when should I expect this to start (he was supposed to be a pullet, and by the time I realized he wasn't, I didn't have the heart to get rid of him).

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

You can continue to feed them another bag of grower, just make sure it is non medicated, it is only the medicated that you wouldn't want to eat the eggs, than the following bag you can switch to a layer, an all flock or even keep them on a grower, always provide separate bowls of grit and one of oyster shells when your girls start laying, don't worry that they don't seem to each much of either, both are consumed slowly.