The Wyandotte Thread

[JanieMarie]

Are good quality of these 2 colors hard to raise because of fertility issues? Also what time of year and where are the Wyandotte Nationals?
Thanks.

 

[Mrs. Turbo]

I am no expert on the subject....let me say that before I make a comment..and please correct me if I am wrong...DH knows way more than I do....
The SLW and the Partridge chickens can be so inbred that fertility can become an issue. I am talking about breeders that breed for standard, not hatchery birds.
We just pass bloodlines back and forth among breeders and do not realize a lot of us have the same bloodlines so we don't get much diversity. For example some of our SLW roosters, hens, and chicks have been shipped to Paul's Poultry and to Backwoods Poultry and some other places....when you order from these other places you think you are getting fresh bloodlines when in fact you may not. You can introduce anther color Wyandotte to improve your BLRW, SLW or what ever color you are working on while introducing another bloodline to help with the fertility issues. It does, however take knowledge and many generations of breeding to accomplish this.
We also found out the hard way about too much fluff on the butts of the Wyandottes. Pull some of that fluff on the hens and sometimes the fertility will go up.....doesn't always work out if you plan on showing that chicken... lol

I have to lookup where and when the Wyandotte National are this year.

 

[JanieMarie]

But I love their fluffy butts! Reminds me of an old fashioned petticoat peeking out from under their skirt!

The inbreeding issue's effect on fertility is what I was suspecting. I've heard and read so much conflicting info on the single comb and fertility I don't know what to believe and I don't have the experience with this yet. What are your or anyone's opinions on this subject? And how would you use a single comb bird in your breeding program? Just introduce a single comb hen into the breeding pen from time to time that is gorgeous in every respect but just has a single comb?

 

[sandiatonimarie]

I justgot my first 9 wyandotte babies today!

3 blue, 3 silver laced, 3 gold laced. My local feed store was able to order them for me so I do encourage people who only want a small number to work with their local feed store - you may be happily surprised! Yeah, okay, they did come from a hatchery but they're so cute and I was just so excited

- I had to write, sorry for gushing...

 

[Cloverleaf Farm]

Quote:
That's great!! congrats! I have 4 Wyandottes from hatchery stock, and they are great! The SLW I got is pretty thin, but my blue is really typy! And one of my GLWs went broody at 9 months old!

 

[ClairedeLune]

Which hatchery are you looking at? I want to get chicks from Paul's Poultry... but as we are brand new to Wyandottes I hesitate to spend that much. I really like the BLR and Blue, do you know if there is a hatchery with nice BLR and Blue birds?
Thanks,
ClairedeLune

 

[NotAFarm]

I just finished reading the 40+ pages of this thread and want to say that I'm so glad to see a Wyandotte thread with such great pics and information. I have LF SLW, four hatchery hens and a rooster and two hens from a breeder. Love them!!! My first chickens were Easter Egger hens that I got for eggs through our feed store four years ago. I decided I wanted to raise some of my own and set out on a search for which breed I should have. I wanted a Heritage breed (am an ALBC member). I like the black and white color combinations (columbian, mottled, laced) and wanted a rose or pea combed breed that was suitable for our cold winters here in northern Illinois. I chose Silver Laced Wyandottes and joined the Wyandotte Breeders of America, it was through them that I found my breeder birds. I have gotten eggs through the winter, I do have a light on a timer for 12 hours of light a day in the coop, but a fellow BYCer who lives close tried to incubate some eggs around Christmas but they didn't develop. I know the roo was doing the deed and I collected the eggs throughout the day so they wouldn't freeze so......I think I read somewhere that roosters need 14 hours of light to trigger fertility, especially in young roos, anyone else heard this?? We were eating the eggs and I checked them for the "bullseye", I thought I was seeing it in most of them. Any ideas.....?

Katy, I had one of my breeder hens go broody after laying for two weeks!! I broke her by going out to the coop after dark and placing her up on the roost (4 feet of the ground) with the other birds. It was dark so she stayed there all night. It took three nights of moving her before she gave it up. She tried again a couple of weeks later, it took only one night that time. I want her to set, just not in December or January!! I hope I haven't ruined her for when the time is right! That is, IF spring ever gets here.........I'm so tired of winter.

 

[Katy]

Quote:
I have never tried that......I'll have to give that a try. Thanks for the idea.....

 

[sandiatonimarie]

Which hatchery are you looking at? I want to get chicks from Paul's Poultry... but as we are brand new to Wyandottes I hesitate to spend that much. I really like the BLR and Blue, do you know if there is a hatchery with nice BLR and Blue birds?
Thanks,

Privett in Portales, New Mexico. 1-877-PRIVETT
I did look at Paul's birds and they are gorgeous. But I had same concern, I am new to chickens period, wanting them for eggs rather showing so I hesitated to spend that much money and I did not need 24 or 25 birds.
Privett ships all over but their website basically says "Call us and order over the phone." They don't even have photos of the birds, unfortunately but they are really good about working with you over the phone.

I called them told them what breeds I wanted and that I did not 24 or 25 birds. They had a list of feed stores near me in Albuquerque that they worked with to fulfill smaller orders. Since Privett ships everywhere, I would imagine they have feed stores that they work with across the country.

I got the store's phone number from Privett, called the feed store and ordered through the feed store -- they order 200 birds a week from Privett anyway so they jsut added my request to that order. Then I picked them up from the feed store when they came in.

Privett will send you a price list. They definitely have blues and they have blue laced reds and partridge wyandottes also. Best thing definitely is to call them.​

 

[flyingmonkeypoop]

Quote:
Privett in Portales, New Mexico. 1-877-PRIVETT
I did look at Paul's birds and they are gorgeous. But I had same concern, I am new to chickens period, wanting them for eggs rather showing so I hesitated to spend that much money and I did not need 24 or 25 birds.
Privett ships all over but their website basically says "Call us and order over the phone." They don't even have photos of the birds, unfortunately but they are really good about working with you over the phone.

I called them told them what breeds I wanted and that I did not 24 or 25 birds. They had a list of feed stores near me in Albuquerque that they worked with to fulfill smaller orders. Since Privett ships everywhere, I would imagine they have feed stores that they work with across the country.

I got the store's phone number from Privett, called the feed store and ordered through the feed store -- they order 200 birds a week from Privett anyway so they jsut added my request to that order. Then I picked them up from the feed store when they came in.

Privett will send you a price list. They definitely have blues and they have blue laced reds and partridge wyandottes also. Best thing definitely is to call them.

Here at my work I order from privett, they always have nice healthy chicks with very few weak ones. The quality isnt the best but its a hatchery.