Full Mottle(d) Jacket.. - my journey to a colorful coop...

[AbL]

My first monochrome hatch is getting six weeks old this week, I tried to put them out in the main coop, but they were to timide and egressed by one of the older hens, so I got them back in to grow a bit more, before confronting the harsh life of peck order coop.
The pullets are definitely a very very dark slate, one solid, the other mottled. And the little cockerel named Zorro its sorting out nicely.
They are still somewhat in vulture mode having a slim grey neck sticking out from the dark feathers, but they will be gourgues!

 

[AbL]

And this is my oddly mottled young rooster. He began/tried to crow since last week and is already mounting the hens...at 9 weeks He's a buff-colored, defiantly columbian, partridge bases blue Andalusian tiles longboat - or so
I still not sure if I keep him, he has long legs, not quite the posture I search for. I'll se how the millefleurs turn out and see if I have another blue-tailed cockerel in the last hatch.

 

[AbL]

From 3 to 24 in 3 months
My coop is now colored as it comes, between the mottled, several other colors have won my heart over. Black faced blacks, dark slate blues, even a brow-red, as some champagne or lemon colored... with or without mottles.
Now I have a couple of pairs being my base to continue breeding.

 

[Farmgirl283420]

From 3 to 24 in 3 months
My coop is now colored as it comes, between the mottled, several other colors have won my heart over. Black faced blacks, dark slate blues, even a brow-red, as some champagne or lemon colored... with or without mottles.
Now I have a couple of pairs being my base to continue breeding.

They are very pretty! Chicken math is so real!

 

[AbL]

The last chicks of the year were born this week-end. Although I was convinced that all four eggs were from my mille-fleur only couple, it seems I must have mistaken at least one or even two eggs. Or the genetics of my millefleur couple is not as straight as I hoped.
Anyway, 4 cute little fluffs hatched naturally. Hope to keep them safe.

In august I had a natural hatch with 3 black and three champagne coloured, but misfortune had it that one died rapidly, one drowned unfortunatly and two disappeared over night from the coop (I think rats).

On the eggfront it's deserted...
Although I have 4 adult hens left (three having chicks and/or are molting) , and seven young to begin laying in a month or two at best.

One little millefleur rooster who seems unfortunatly not that interested in doing his job... another black one, who is not even behaving like a roo and ceased to grow a correct comb and wattles...
And three very potent roosters in a boygroup coop, but they don't match the standard.

So my hope that the little ones will thrive to have a real reproduction couple next year.

 

[Farmgirl283420]

Like always your chicks are super cute! Sorry it’s not all working out.

 

[AbL]

Like always your chicks are super cute! Sorry it’s not all working out.

Thank you.

I knew breeding on a small scale is more difficult than breeding à 200 eggs every year and keeping the 5 which turn out best.

This is not my approach. I needed a solid base of birds, and now I can select more vigorous. But I won't produce hundreds of birds, just to find the perfect one. It's a slow process. But I'm learning à lot!
I rehomed most of the birds not matching the standards, and I have the space to keep everyone in good conditions until then, so no pressure here.

I love all of them and I spend a lot of time just watching them. Everything is good!

 

[Farmgirl283420]

Thank you.

I knew breeding on a small scale is more difficult than breeding à 200 eggs every year and keeping the 5 which turn out best.

This is not my approach. I needed a solid base of birds, and now I can select more vigorous. But I won't produce hundreds of birds, just to find the perfect one. It's a slow process. But I'm learning à lot!
I rehomed most of the birds not matching the standards, and I have the space to keep everyone in good conditions until then, so no pressure here.

I love all of them and I spend a lot of time just watching them. Everything is good!

You really have some beautiful birds! I love how you do it on a smaller scale and that your not just hatching hundreds.

 

[AbL]

For those who are interested, I have another thread detailing chick-down vs adult plumage:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...ge-in-japanese-bantams.1642247/#post-28054791

 

[Farmgirl283420]

For those who are interested, I have another thread detailing chick-down vs adult plumage:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...ge-in-japanese-bantams.1642247/#post-28054791

I saw that! It was very interesting.