Gold top Hybrids

[Veredon]

Hi there, I was wondering if any of you have experience of Gold top hybrids? I have recently bought two pullets (POL) to be broody's for my beloved Ancona's eggs in the spring. I have them in a relatively small coop but with a decent sized run/pen surrounding it for them to roam and forage. I've had them about a week but they are still very very shy and really flighty! Is this normal for Gold tops to be so flighty?? Even if I offer treats (Mealworms, corn etc) they still seem very shy and nervous. Any feedback would be gratefully received.

 

[aart]

Tho not familiar with this particular hybrid,
hybrids are usually not likely to go broody as they were developed for high egg production.
You might want to invest in an incubator for hatching your ancona eggs.

What other birds do you have?
It will take time for them to acclimate to their new surroundings and flock mates.
Hopefully you have enough coop space for all the birds to be comfortable together.

 

[Ridgerunner]

http://www.motherhenspoultry.com/goldtopbantams.htm

These little bantam hen's are a Silkie cross and are excellent pets & broodies.

More commonly, Goldtops are used for their fantastic ability for sitting and hatching eggs & are quite popular in the world of gamekeeping where Goldtops are used to hatch off gamefowl eggs.

We find they make a great little pet for anyone wanting smaller backgarden hen's. They lay around 120 cream coloured eggs per year.

Goldtops are a sex-linked cross breed, like the Hybrid Point of Lay pullets. The father is a gold based cockerel and mum is silver based, this cross results in female offspring inheriting gold from the dad and males will be silver like the mum. This makes them a fantastic breed for anyone wishing to rear up their own hen's with peace of mind that they are only females.

Goldtop Hen's are an attractive gold colour with a bouffant crest. Many have feathered legs.

I found this write-up at the link given. I've never heard of them. Seems to be a UK hybrid bred to be broody. They are bantams so they won’t be able to cover very many Ancona eggs unless your Ancona’s are also bantam.

How they behave depends a lot on how they are raised as far as being pets. Keep working with them, bribe them with treats, and be gentle around them. They should soon come around. Sounds like yours have not been handled and acclimated to people.

 

[donrae]

My understanding is Goldtops are a buff silkie male over a light Sussex female, giving a nice sex linked offspring. they're supposed to be docile and nice backyard birds, but you do have to consider how they were raised those first 20ish weeks. Probably not as pets. Any animal is going to take a while to tame down, but just keep working with them. Once they see you as a source of treats, they'll be underfoot before you know it