What did you do with your flock today?

[kurby22]

I have the same problem with that! Giving them away is a little easier...I think because I know the homes they're going to. I'm getting more comfortable selling though...I have to if I want to keep hatching. I'm enjoying trying to learn the genetics of my own birds and deliberately crossing breeds with a goal. Hopefully I'll be able to find homes for all the babies I hatch this year that I don't want to keep. I'm not sure there's much interest out there in mixes but we'll see.

Well Willa's color is beautiful and unusual! I thought maybe dun but I don't have experience with the colors your working with so I smoosh it into the colors I've seen first hand . Definitely not blue! I wonder how you could breed her to get babies just like her. With white spots added though because I'm me...

Yeah, once they are gone and I get updates from the families I feel a lot better, it's just that initial decision and the act of letting them go that makes me sad. However, I KNOW I cannot care for all of them, so that helps a bit too. But man! They look at me with their cute little faces and I feel panicky that they will know I am sending them away!

I also originally thought dun, but after reading more about the dun color gene, it didn't seem likely and chocolate made more sense based on the lemon blue of the hen. I am already trying to decide how I can use her to make pretty babies! Maybe pass on the bobtail coloration to modern game too. Wouldn't that be fun?? I'm not sure how chocolate works when crossed back to blue again, so who knows what I will get haha. Will be fun to try anyway! White spots would be awesome, I am with you there! I've never seen mauve mottled, but I bet it would look awesome

 

[fuzzi]

I'm so sorry. I'll keep my fingers crossed that one of the chicks grows into a gorgeous gentle boy for you

Thank you. That's so sweet.

I'm actually hoping to introduce a different cockerel to the gene pool as all the Speckled Sussex chicks got the recessive and non-Standard yellow shanks, all were Samuel's. I will still keep any yellow shank pullets for eggs, but not for breeding.

I'm not a Standard snob, but there are not a lot of Speckled Sussex bantam sources out there. I want to produce the best I can for the breed.

And thank you to all who have been kind about my experience.

 

[Smokerbill]

There was chaos in the nest box this morning. The four hens kind of fit in it but they were competing over who got to be the one on top of the eggs. Do all hens love the feeling of eggs under their breasts like mine do?

In spite of the packed nest, no eggs were broken, although one hen missed and laid her egg over the front edge of the box and onto the run floor.

 

[ChicksnMore]

Yeah, once they are gone and I get updates from the families I feel a lot better, it's just that initial decision and the act of letting them go that makes me sad. However, I KNOW I cannot care for all of them, so that helps a bit too. But man! They look at me with their cute little faces and I feel panicky that they will know I am sending them away!

I also originally thought dun, but after reading more about the dun color gene, it didn't seem likely and chocolate made more sense based on the lemon blue of the hen. I am already trying to decide how I can use her to make pretty babies! Maybe pass on the bobtail coloration to modern game too. Wouldn't that be fun?? I'm not sure how chocolate works when crossed back to blue again, so who knows what I will get haha. Will be fun to try anyway! White spots would be awesome, I am with you there! I've never seen mauve mottled, but I bet it would look awesome

O mauve mottled would be beauuuutiful! I've always wanted to get lemon blues and your bobtails are now on my list of birds I adore but will probably never own too . Maybe someday if I live long enough though!

 

[ChicksnMore]

Thank you. That's so sweet.

I'm actually hoping to introduce a different cockerel to the gene pool as all the Speckled Sussex chicks got the recessive and non-Standard yellow shanks, all were Samuel's. I will still keep any yellow shank pullets for eggs, but not for breeding.

I'm not a Standard snob, but there are not a lot of Speckled Sussex bantam sources out there. I want to produce the best I can for the breed.

And thank you to all who have been kind about my experience.

O are yours bantam? I just assumed full size! I have old English spangle bantams and they look very similar. They have those hard oegb feathers though so not very fluffy butts All my oegb roos are lovely, attentive dads so far though. Sir Clucks will follow babies that stray too far from mom and make tidbit calls. I could be wrong but I swear he's calling Mom to come get her baby

 

[ChicksnMore]

There was chaos in the nest box this morning. The four hens kind of fit in it but they were competing over who got to be the one on top of the eggs. Do all hens love the feeling of eggs under their breasts like mine do?

In spite of the packed nest, no eggs were broken, although one hen missed and laid her egg over the front edge of the box and onto the run floor.

View attachment 3809568

O my gosh that's adorable! They really love the nest box you built them don't they

 

[kurby22]

O mauve mottled would be beauuuutiful! I've always wanted to get lemon blues and your bobtails are now on my list of birds I adore but will probably never own too . Maybe someday if I live long enough though!

I KNOW, someday maybe! I too have so many on my list of must haves but not till I have a LOT more space and time haha. I want them all in all the colors!!

 

[fuzzi]

O are yours bantam? I just assumed full size! I have old English spangle bantams and they look very similar. They have those hard oegb feathers though so not very fluffy butts All my oegb roos are lovely, attentive dads so far though. Sir Clucks will follow babies that stray too far from mom and make tidbit calls. I could be wrong but I swear he's calling Mom to come get her baby

The previous roo, Joel, was attentive to the girls, tidbitting them, watching over his girls...but he had a seizure and died in January. He had a good temperament.

Samuel never tidbitted the hens.

 

[ChicksnMore]

My new chicks came today! I was so hoping to get a lavender chick because I saw that someone had gotten the genes in a batch of chicks they bought from Greenfire last year. All those eggs and these chicks were gotten in the hopes I'd get lucky. Well I think I did! One chick is all white with a little grey spot on its head where usually you see blacks and/or red. Either way they're absolutely adorable. One had a pasty butt but still looks healthy and the other six are vigorous. Added a little medicine to their water but expect they'll all make it. They sent one extra so seven new fluff balls

 

[kurby22]

The previous roo, Joel, was attentive to the girls, tidbitting them, watching over his girls...but he had a seizure and died in January. He had a good temperament.
View attachment 3809586

Samuel never tidbitted the hens.

The good ones always seem to be the most fragile! There's nothing better than a great rooster! I hope you are able to find yourself another good one