White faced black Spanish enthusiasts, come hither!

[wickedgame89]

hatched 3 out of 4 eggs!

 

[kitpurs43]

Great! I have the two hens left. Avian Pox is out of here! Whoo! I contacted the person I got them from to see if she had a Roo. She has a conservatory and I would like to make sure she stays in business. If she doesn't have any left then I would gladly take you up on that offer. They are beautiful birds!

 

[wickedgame89]

Question for anyone who sexes their birds [not by the vent]

Is there a way you feather/color sex your birds? I've heard 509385094 different opinions and have had a hard time deciding what to believe. I've heard females feather quicker than males. If that's the case I have 2 pullets and 1 cockerel. I'm really hoping that's the case so I can keep them all. Lord knows I don't see 3 roosters!!!

 

[BGMatt]

Question for anyone who sexes their birds [not by the vent]

Is there a way you feather/color sex your birds? I've heard 509385094 different opinions and have had a hard time deciding what to believe. I've heard females feather quicker than males. If that's the case I have 2 pullets and 1 cockerel. I'm really hoping that's the case so I can keep them all. Lord knows I don't see 3 roosters!!!

Assuming you mean before they grow sex feathers, it depends on line and environment, that's why you get a ton of different answers. Some breeds (Spanish is not one of them to best of my knowledge) have a gene that allows for sexing at a day one with wing feathering, but after that it evens out.

 

[wickedgame89]

Thanks for your reply! I've just heard females feather quicker than males. But I guess I'll know for sure in several months to come. Thanks!

 

[BGMatt]

Thanks for your reply! I've just heard females feather quicker than males. But I guess I'll know for sure in several months to come. Thanks!

Can usually be pretty accurate with Mediterranean breeds (Spanish, Minorca, Leghorn, etc) by comb size by about a month of age, sex feathering will start coming in 10-12 weeks

 

[wickedgame89]

Can usually be pretty accurate with Mediterranean breeds (Spanish, Minorca, Leghorn, etc) by comb size by about a month of age, sex feathering will start coming in 10-12 weeks

I noticed that before actually! That's mainly what I was going to go off in about 3 weeks once they get bigger. It always seems to be a guessing game though.

 

[ChixAddict]

Murgatroyd - You asked for pics of birds from Ideal. My initial flock was Ideal stock. I don't have current pics. These were from March of this year when this group was not quite a year old (hence the pinker combs on the then-pullets). They're in molt right now, so I'll try to get some fresh pics when they're in better condition. A local Australorp breeder mentioned giving Calf Manna to promote larger size and the flock has been growing since I started giving them Calf Manna a couple times a week as a "treat".

 

[neopolitancrazy]

I was told that the "right" amount of Calf Manna was 2 tablespoons per (full-grown) bird per day. I feed this much to my adults, and a proportionally smaller amount to the juveniles.

 

[ChixAddict]

neopolitancrazy - Thanks for the tip! With over 350 birds in our flocks (various breeds, not all WFBS), I've had to dispense "treats" sparingly, but, now that I know giving it to them daily is okay, the WFBS are worth the extra goodies.