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  1. LaurenRitz

    Possible breeding program

    My only laying age RangerX pullet has waterbelly (ascites). She'll be gone tonight. She laid a medium brown, normal sized egg nearly every day. Her eggs always had weaknesses on the pointed end, sometimes pieces missing or true cracks. I had already decided to eliminate her from the project...
  2. LaurenRitz

    Possible breeding program

    Saw one of my birds (BYM, purchased eggs) fly today. Her leg is hurt and she doesn't want to walk on it, but she made it to lunch. Mostly my birds think those things attached to their shoulders are for decoration. My fences are only 4 feet, but I've only seen one bird go over as a juvenile and...
  3. LaurenRitz

    Possible breeding program

    There's some adjustment going on that I find fascinating. The BielX cockerel had four girls and seemed content with that. The other kept trying to poach, apparently thinking 9 wasn't enough. One of his girls started spending time with the BielX, then another. The hens are making the decision...
  4. LaurenRitz

    Possible breeding program

    All but 1 of the Marans mixes died before lockdown. I am hoping to have several pullets from the BAx group. They are still inside at this point.this
  5. LaurenRitz

    Possible breeding program

    I have eggs in the incubator, scheduled to hatch 3/22. So 5 more days. 5 of them are from my consistent and experienced broody, so likely JGxRIRxBA. I have 4 week old chicks in the brooder who will need to go into the adult coop when the babies hatch but are showing no signs of wanting out of...
  6. LaurenRitz

    Possible breeding program

    I have explained this a number of times. 1. Many varieties are subject to genetic weaknesses from inbreeding 2. No breed has exactly what I want 3. I choose to have something adapted to my location, not some random location thousands of miles away with an entirely different environment 4. I...
  7. LaurenRitz

    Possible breeding program

    The Ranger hens are having laying problems and one isn't walking easily. About time to harvest them.
  8. LaurenRitz

    Possible breeding program

    I was worrying that my flock wasn't getting enough food. Everyone made it through the winter, but now several have started to molt and they mob me like they're starving whenever I go outside. So I walked outside, just wandering until the mob lost interest, and dropped a little food when I was...
  9. LaurenRitz

    Possible breeding program

    I am trying to make some decisions about next steps. Currently my two primary roos are JG/RIR and Biel/JG/RIR/BA. I have three boys in isolation and slated for harvesting. I have two boys (JG/RIR x Buckeye) and others coming up with the same father, mothers Marans and Ranger. I have three new...
  10. LaurenRitz

    Possible breeding program

    Interesting note. These chicks are JG/RIR/Ranger. Not the black, but the others. That one is a JG/RIR/BA. Currently 3 days old. I noticed that they aren't shoveling the food out onto the floor as most other chicks have done. Very clean (if voracious) eaters. Their mothers also don't scratch...
  11. LaurenRitz

    Possible breeding program

    Yep, he's in isolation for the duration. Adult hens all around and he chooses to go after a 10 week old. This is one of my zero tolerance behaviors. Probably February before the next butcher date. I brought her to safety and it was about 3 hours before she poked her beak out.
  12. LaurenRitz

    Possible breeding program

    Current cockerels: 26 weeks, currently the favorite of the adult hens. I put him in their coop last night, we'll see if he sticks. Behavior seems perfect at this point. ((JG x RIR) x RIR) x (JG x RIR)) 20 weeks, ((JG x RIR) x RIR) x Ranger (the black and gold) and the other is ((JG x RIR) x...
  13. LaurenRitz

    Possible breeding program

    So I ended up culling a total of 6. That leaves 5 adult boys and one is misbehaving but I'm not sure which yet. I think it's one of 2 (possibly both) because the girls are avoiding them. I'll isolate those two and see if the dynamics even out. The younger boys are still running from the hens so...
  14. LaurenRitz

    Possible breeding program

    One of the older girls (a Buckeye) seems to be taunting the young boys. I've seen her get in three fights in the last two days. She'll shove them away from whatever they're eating, or position herself right in front of them, then spin and attack when they try to mount. Looks like two roosters...
  15. LaurenRitz

    Possible breeding program

    I think I have identified 1 more that needs to go, but he's only 8 weeks old. He's started attacking my ankles. Probably February before he's big enough to be harvested. I am trying to teach the birds to free range. I am making them wait until 2, and then I scatter mixed grain in the grass so...
  16. LaurenRitz

    Possible breeding program

    We'll see. I was determined to find 10 boys to be harvested. So far I have separated out 5, 1 for forced mating and 3 for attacking me. I had this one marked for culling, but the problematic behavior evened out as he matured. I'd love to see what he looks like as an adult. He almost looks like...
  17. LaurenRitz

    Possible breeding program

    General coloring types. Fathers are all ((JG x RIR) x (RIR)), one black with red, the other red. Mother ((JG x RIR) x (Biel x BA)) Mother Rudd Ranger. Apparently there is some lacing in the genetics of the Rangers. Mother Marans Mother Buckeye (this picture is actually one of the...
  18. LaurenRitz

    Possible breeding program

    The current breeds are Jersey Giant, Rhode Island Red, Black Australorp, Marans, Rudd Ranger, and Buckeye. The current roo is (JG x RIR) x RIR. The young one (currently 22 weeks) is ((JG x RIR) x RIR) x JG. For the most part I'm letting the girls decide who of the cockerels goes and stays...
  19. LaurenRitz

    Possible breeding program

    I believe the neighbor put out rat poison. Not sure, though. The two that died suddenly were my best foragers, and they loved foraging in his yard. Two more have been taken by some predator. Last batch of eggs for the season goes into lockdown today. Their father is (JGxRIR)xRIR, mothers are...
  20. LaurenRitz

    Possible breeding program

    I have lost 6 since this heat wave started. Of the new pullets, I am now down to 1 Marans (started with 4) 1 Speckled Sussex (started with 4), and 4 Buckeyes (started with 5). Haven't lost any rangers. One of the Speckled Sussex was scalped by the rooster and never recovered. Her sister was...
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