Washingtonians Come Together! Washington Peeps

[FirewifeJess]

Quote:

Yeah I know I'll get a white egg...but hopefully I'll get a white egg almost every day of the year! That right there makes the white egg worth it

 

[TacomaFarms]

Hi Y'all!

I'm glad there was another fun meet up! I can't wait to meet all of you. Maybe I'll just have a bbq and see how many people I can fit in my tiny house.

I could use an accountability partner for the weekend... any volunteers?!

I NEED to build my nest boxes, I'm pretty darn sure a couple of my big girls are about to lay soon, and I need to make time to just do it. I have the supplies, and the tools, and about 4 hours of daylight on Saturday and all day Sunday. How long should it take me to build this thing? I'm building it with a fixed lid and hinged wall. And is 30"W x 15"D x 12"H big enough? I think it is, but I'm not sure.


I was bummed about BYC's downtime yesterday. I think it's the only thing that saved me from having 500 posts to read this morning. lol!

Have a great day!
Andrea

 

[TurtlePowerTrav]

Quote:
When the hatcheries started going more for egg laying vigor, they started introducing other breeds into the mix. A lot of production RIR's are RIR with Leghorn and New Hampshire mixed in. If you look closely at a production RIR ear lobe, it is not completely red, it actually has a very faint white center(that is the Leghorn). Also a lot of production RIR's with throw a larger floppy comb like the Leghorns(I have one of those). They are great layers, but you could NEVER show a production RIR as a RIR, color alone would be a DQ. Pretty much if you want a Heritage RIR, or any Heritage at all, it needs to come from a breeder

 

[LaughingFeather]

Hi you chatty friends. No way I'm catching up so just popping in here.

Putting in a new water heater today so we can take long hot showers. No more speed showering. Yea!!!!

All well, everyone is happy. Hope to get a lot done today. Have a good one. See ya tonight.
Kathy

 

[TurtlePowerTrav]

Hi you chatty friends. No way I'm catching up so just popping in here.

Putting in a new water heater today so we can take long hot showers. No more speed showering. Yea!!!!

All well, everyone is happy. Hope to get a lot done today. Have a good one. See ya tonight.
Kathy

Speed showers suck. We had that happen once, the cold water dip tube completely disintegrated. It was a manufacture recall thankfully.


I suppose I should throw on my outdoor clothes and start working on the pallet coop. See y'all this evening, hopefully with more pics in the "My Coop" page on my profile.

 

[mikeyb]

Quote:
When the hatcheries started going more for egg laying vigor, they started introducing other breeds into the mix. A lot of production RIR's are RIR with Leghorn and New Hampshire mixed in. If you look closely at a production RIR ear lobe, it is not completely red, it actually has a very faint white center(that is the Leghorn). Also a lot of production RIR's with throw a larger floppy comb like the Leghorns(I have one of those). They are great layers, but you could NEVER show a production RIR as a RIR, color alone would be a DQ. Pretty much if you want a Heritage RIR, or any Heritage at all, it needs to come from a breeder
I've not read anything, anywhere about the RIR being bred this way. Of course I've not read everything that has ever been written about this bird and I am not saying hatchery birds could be shown as they do not meet the specs of the show bird.
If you have any reputable links to the cross breeding I would like to read the info.
The claim on here about Heritage blood lines vs "hatchery" stock being so much better doesn't hold up unless you are talking "show quality".
I have gotten the impression from some posters that only a "breeder" can give you healthy stock and a more then a slight snobbery attitude. Now before everybody jumps on this old man I mean no disrespect to anyone and to all breeders I say well done, breeds need to be safe guarded. That said, most private chicken owners have eggs/pets as their reason for having the critters in the first place.

I also know there is no way to verify blood lines of chickens from any breeder, you have to rely on their integrity and your knowledge of the breed.
PS, I have 6 RIR from a hatchery, none have flobby combs and none have white on their earlobe. However, 2 have a few gold feathers on their wings and only one has the deep mahogny color and only one is broadbreasted. That these birds are not show quality has little to do with why I bought them in the first place.

 

[CarolynF]

I've not read anything, anywhere about the RIR being bred this way. Of course I've not read everything that has ever been written about this bird and I am not saying hatchery birds could be shown as they do not meet the specs of the show bird.
If you have any reputable links to the cross breeding I would like to read the info.
The claim on here about Heritage blood lines vs "hatchery" stock being so much better doesn't hold up unless you are talking "show quality".
I have gotten the impression from some posters that only a "breeder" can give you healthy stock and a more then a slight snobbery attitude. Now before everybody jumps on this old man I mean no disrespect to anyone and to all breeders I say well done, breeds need to be safe guarded. That said, most private chicken owners have eggs/pets as their reason for having the critters in the first place.

I also know there is no way to verify blood lines of chickens from any breeder, you have to rely on their integrity and your knowledge of the breed.
PS, I have 6 RIR from a hatchery, none have flobby combs and none have white on their earlobe. However, 2 have a few gold feathers on their wings and only one has the deep mahogny color and only one is broadbreasted. That these birds are not show quality has little to do with why I bought them in the first place.

Hi mikeyb. I agree with much of what you're saying about whether to choose hatchery birds or not. I think it's good to make selections based on personal preference or need. And I think it's good for people to understand there can be differences and what those differences are. It's a lot like knowing the difference between a diamond and a cubic zirconium. They are both beautiful and to most people they look the same. And really... how often does a person really need a diamond? But to purchase a CZ thinking it's a diamond isn't good. Education and disclosure are key.

Not being a show person or "breeder" I think if I were given a choice I might choose the heritage birds for temperament and the broader body if I planned to butcher. Others may want to preserve the heritage genetics. If I had a flock of 60 birds because I was selling eggs probably none of those traits will be high on my list. But again, I want to know enough to make an informed decision.

 

[TurtlePowerTrav]

I've not read anything, anywhere about the RIR being bred this way. Of course I've not read everything that has ever been written about this bird and I am not saying hatchery birds could be shown as they do not meet the specs of the show bird.
If you have any reputable links to the cross breeding I would like to read the info.
The claim on here about Heritage blood lines vs "hatchery" stock being so much better doesn't hold up unless you are talking "show quality".
I have gotten the impression from some posters that only a "breeder" can give you healthy stock and a more then a slight snobbery attitude. Now before everybody jumps on this old man I mean no disrespect to anyone and to all breeders I say well done, breeds need to be safe guarded. That said, most private chicken owners have eggs/pets as their reason for having the critters in the first place.

I also know there is no way to verify blood lines of chickens from any breeder, you have to rely on their integrity and your knowledge of the breed.
PS, I have 6 RIR from a hatchery, none have flobby combs and none have white on their earlobe. However, 2 have a few gold feathers on their wings and only one has the deep mahogny color and only one is broadbreasted. That these birds are not show quality has little to do with why I bought them in the first place.

I can't remember if I read it here on BYC, read it in "raising chickens for dumbies" or on another site. But you never know what the hatcheries are putting into their strains. And it is the same with breeders. You actually don't know unless they have documented it, which is rare. You have to go on the SOP for breeders and word of mouth. Don't get me wrong, I love my hatchery birds.

 

[TurtlePowerTrav]

Gonna wait a while longer to go work on the coop, just came in from chicken chores and am cold. It is 37 here at noon.

 

[CarolynF]

Gonna wait a while longer to go work on the coop, just came in from chicken chores and am cold. It is 37 here at noon.

too cold! too cold!
I just saw on the news, they're expecting 2 feet of snow in Boston tonight! Dang!!!