Afternoon All!
Only one lonely little quail hatched and the two that were rocking stopped...I'll leave them be for another day or so then pull the eggs...
Welcome DynoDan! Nice coop! My Girls are drooling! Or they would be if they had lips!
Red Stars and Production Reds are a Red Sex Link variety. Gold Stars are a Gold Sex Link variety. Sex Links come in three "flavors" Red, Gold, and Black. Each hatchery has their own version or two of those colors. Sex Links are a great breed especially for people who cannot have roosters due to zoning and city ordinances. Sex Links are "color coded" so to speak. The boys are one color and the girls another so they are super easy to tell who is who. They also make great laying hens. The only down side to them is that they are not showable at poultry shows and fairs because in a nut shell they do not "breed" true to themselves.
IMO and this is where I will very respectfully disagree with BigFam. I've has Sex Links live for upwards of 6-12 years of age if they survive the trip through what I like to call "henopause". Those that did not survive this change by becoming egg bound usually passed at about 4 or 5. Just because a breed is a Heritage breed does not mean it will live longer the others. While some Heritage breeds tend to have longer lay lives or lay cycles then some of the higher production breeds like the Leghorn (in a production setting), Heritage breeds still can pass on when they enter the time that their systems are shutting down at the end of their lay cycles. Some Heritage breeds even have suckie lay cycles to begin with like the Asil and the Russian Orloffs. Heritage breed yes, laying hen-not so much....They mature late to begin their lay cycles and tend to end it in their second year with production sharply declining after their first year. This is my opinion and observation but from what I have run across talking with other chicken folk, I will say that the perception that Heritage Breeds live longer is because those that keep then tend to free range their birds. Free ranged birds tend to live longer and healthier lives if they do not come to a bad end via a predator. Free ranged birds also tend to not become egg bound.
Also to say Heritage breeds are hardier well that depends on the breed. There are Heritage breeds that are great in hotter climates but are not such a good choice in places like Wisconsin. Also depending on the rarity of the heritage breed in question, they could be horribly inbred. I've run across this in Orloffs. I've had and do have a number of Heritage breeds over the years and I still have them. I also currently have gold sex links. I love my sex links. I've has all the variations of sex links as well. In fact my favorite was Tallulah. She finally passed at around 12 or 14...She was perfectly fine until the raccoon incident.....She was a black sex link...Actually now that I think about all the chickens I've had over the years, some of my most long lived ones were the sex links.....
WCc-that is interesting about the RMH and the KMH people forming two registries.
TO-I have around 20 quail chicks....after I whack three. I have three whose legs are just not right....Splinting it out if the question since they are so well,,, flighty....How many do you want? You can have as many as you want....I think you need all 20 personally....hehehehe They are healthy and kinda wild but cute as all get out.....
Only one lonely little quail hatched and the two that were rocking stopped...I'll leave them be for another day or so then pull the eggs...
Welcome DynoDan! Nice coop! My Girls are drooling! Or they would be if they had lips!
Red Stars and Production Reds are a Red Sex Link variety. Gold Stars are a Gold Sex Link variety. Sex Links come in three "flavors" Red, Gold, and Black. Each hatchery has their own version or two of those colors. Sex Links are a great breed especially for people who cannot have roosters due to zoning and city ordinances. Sex Links are "color coded" so to speak. The boys are one color and the girls another so they are super easy to tell who is who. They also make great laying hens. The only down side to them is that they are not showable at poultry shows and fairs because in a nut shell they do not "breed" true to themselves.
IMO and this is where I will very respectfully disagree with BigFam. I've has Sex Links live for upwards of 6-12 years of age if they survive the trip through what I like to call "henopause". Those that did not survive this change by becoming egg bound usually passed at about 4 or 5. Just because a breed is a Heritage breed does not mean it will live longer the others. While some Heritage breeds tend to have longer lay lives or lay cycles then some of the higher production breeds like the Leghorn (in a production setting), Heritage breeds still can pass on when they enter the time that their systems are shutting down at the end of their lay cycles. Some Heritage breeds even have suckie lay cycles to begin with like the Asil and the Russian Orloffs. Heritage breed yes, laying hen-not so much....They mature late to begin their lay cycles and tend to end it in their second year with production sharply declining after their first year. This is my opinion and observation but from what I have run across talking with other chicken folk, I will say that the perception that Heritage Breeds live longer is because those that keep then tend to free range their birds. Free ranged birds tend to live longer and healthier lives if they do not come to a bad end via a predator. Free ranged birds also tend to not become egg bound.
Also to say Heritage breeds are hardier well that depends on the breed. There are Heritage breeds that are great in hotter climates but are not such a good choice in places like Wisconsin. Also depending on the rarity of the heritage breed in question, they could be horribly inbred. I've run across this in Orloffs. I've had and do have a number of Heritage breeds over the years and I still have them. I also currently have gold sex links. I love my sex links. I've has all the variations of sex links as well. In fact my favorite was Tallulah. She finally passed at around 12 or 14...She was perfectly fine until the raccoon incident.....She was a black sex link...Actually now that I think about all the chickens I've had over the years, some of my most long lived ones were the sex links.....
WCc-that is interesting about the RMH and the KMH people forming two registries.
TO-I have around 20 quail chicks....after I whack three. I have three whose legs are just not right....Splinting it out if the question since they are so well,,, flighty....How many do you want? You can have as many as you want....I think you need all 20 personally....hehehehe They are healthy and kinda wild but cute as all get out.....
