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No blacks yet, need these blues to hit laying age and cross w/ their 'aunts' and 'uncles' from the other F1 line. Had some trouble w/ coccidiosis, these fluffies don't seem to be able to pick up any immunity from medicated chick starter like our other birds. Figured out the problem and treated/culled and are ready for the next curve ball.
No more olive eggers - much less fluffy. Had to move for work and sell 90% of our birds. Made an agreement with our old landlord who is tending our fluffy flock until we can get back on our feet. They get table eggs and we get to keep the project going. We get to see them weekly for the major chores and have retained our hatching and ownership rights. Gotta do what ya gotta do right - at least we were lucky in that our landlord really wants to see the project through.
In answer to the jumping question - they can jump 3-4 feet when they are younger, but as they get older and heavier they stop trying. We've got a ladder in with this current bunch and they roost 4.5 ft off the ground at night. Their daddy still sleeps on the ground like a weirdo though. At least he found a spot which isn't under the females anymore
Good for you, selecting for hardiness. I think it would continue to be a major concern for future owners if people didn't do like you are doing and culling against and selecting for more than just the Fluffy trait. That's the mark of a breeder who cares.
Aw, that's a shame about your olive eggers. I have to confess that when I show some of the reasons I love learning on BYC to non-chicken people, I show them your old auctions for olive eggers with the beautiful pics of your eggs in a range of hues. But, sometimes life throws a curve ball, and you have to make changes. I am glad to know that you are keeping up with the Fluffies, and that you came to a beneficial arrangement with your old landlord.
Thanks for answering the jumping question. I was wondering how I'd arrange roosts if part of the flock couldn't make it up to the high roosts without "steps." Like I said, I'm years away from actually doing it, so I'm just playing it out in my head. I hope they'll be common enough to be considered just another type of Ameraucana (whether in the standard or not) by the time I'm ready. In the meantime, I'll continue to live vicariously through BYC.
Oh, btw, I was naughty...I have been really good with my money lately, so decided to treat myself to some books. They're part of my vision of what I want to make for my home, and the requisite flocks and aviaries and gardens. I know that a lot of the info is available here, but I'm looking ahead to reading in bed during the long, cold winter...can you see what BYC is doing to me? Hahaha.
Tea Roses: Old Roses for Warm Gardens
Noisette Roses: Nineteenth-Century Chalreston's Gift to the World
Florida's Best Fruiting Plants: Native and Exotic Trees, Shrubs and Vines
Softbills: Care, Breeding and Conservation
Storey's Illustrated Guide to Poultry Breeds
Storey's Guide to Raising Ducks, 2nd Edition
Storey's Guide to Raising Chickens, 3rd Edition