It's pretty exciting to plan my return to the chicken charming scene. I'm finally at the stage where I know exactly where we are going to be living (rural, mountains, 5 acre farm west of Asheville) and that birds are in my near future.
I know my first priority remains with the critically endangered Black Java. If you've seen my other posts here, you know how special these birds are to me. I've written here about my own experiences with BJs as inimitable broodies and mothers and the best roosters I've ever known.
Malcolm, best rooster in the world. Seriously.
Minerva, the broody. After she had sat for several days I put
day-old foster chicks under her, and she accepted them gracefully.
I've arranged to get BJ chicks from the birds I raised and bred back in Arkansas. Best of all, Malcolm the super roo-gentleman is still fertile. That means I'll have his excellent genetics in play, as father to my new flock. I'll travel to Arkansas and pick up a dozen or so, then hightail it back to NC. I'll raise them up over the Fall and they should start laying in late Winter. Javas are known for their perfect fit with urban and rural homesteads--excellent foragers, with calm, slightly aloof personalities, they are able to consume less feed and get more of their sustenance on their own, if allowed to free range; yet they also bear confinement well. Because they go broody and are pros at raising their own (or other less broody hens') babies, you can easily maintain a backyard flock without running back to the feed store each Spring. They are a true dual-purpose bird, laying lots of eggs yet big enough to be worth your time and energy to butcher for meat. Attitude is perhaps the most important trait to consider in a rooster for a family with children, and I've not yet heard of a BJ roo who is mean. Read all about them here. If you are looking for Black Java fertile hatching eggs in the Spring of 2015, let me know! I may also have some chicks for locals, but I don't ship live birds, ever.
Next up is another favorite of mine--Black Copper Marans. This charming video shows Gypsy, another excellent broody and mother, and Jules, my BCM roo way back when, parenting their chicks. Boy, is allowing a mama to just raise babies easier than doing it yourself...no heat lamp, rubbermaid container, poop to deal with, or incessant peeping at night!
BCMs lay a wonderfully dark egg, usually qute large, past the pullet stage. I adore the speckles some of them have. BCMs play a major role in getting Olive Eggers--and the darker and more speckled-y the better, for my tastes.
Black Copper Marans go broody often and make wonderful mothers.
Males and females are large, and dress out nicely. Jules, my roo here, was a gentle giant and almost seemed to enjoy being picked up. I really miss him! Read more about Marans here.
While I'm excited about getting Black Javas and Black Copper Marans again, I'm even more enthusiastic about the new breed I'll be adding to my flock-- Cream Legbars. This is a rare breed developed by none other than the Punnett himself, from Leghorns, Barred Rocks, and Auracanas. A blue-egg layer! This bird has the wonderful quality of autosexing--so you can tell from BIRTH whether a chick is a male or female. Autosexing, unlike sexlinked traits, is carried on in CLs through the generations as long as you are pure (not cross) breeding the birds (CLxCL). Read more about them here. The CL will be crossed with BCMs to get my new line of Olive Eggers. I hate to use pics from other people's flocks so I'll instead include here an old SOP (Standard of Perfection) drawing. More pics to come, once I have my own breeding flock!
I can't wait any longer...it is time to get things organized for our first Spring hatch. I saw the University of Nebraska hatch cam today, and knew I had to get in gear.
My first hatch will be a "Colorful Egg Basket" mix. By having a Dark Brown-Egg (French Coppered Black Marans) Roo in the breeding pen with blue-egg (Easter Egger) and dark brown-egg (FCBM) hens, eggs will produce babies who carry genes for either dark brown or olive egg color: pure FCBMs, and Olive Eggers.
Soon to be Daddy, Jules, an FCBM roo
This weekend we'll get our materials together and build our first breeding pen, meant to temporarily keep desired love matches together (and away from opportunity-seeking roosters who are no respecter of genetics programs). This will be a secure pen attached to a coop, inside their normal extremely large pen.
It will take about one week for hens system's to "clear" previously mated Roos' genetic material and to be fertilized by the desired roo. After one week, I will begin collecting eggs, labeling them with regard to date laid, and storing them for hatching. Ideally, eggs that you are holding to hatch will be stored in an egg carton at a temperature of about 55-60 degrees. Unheated rooms or back porches are great for this. Refrigeration is NOT a good idea (though to be honest, I can point out three birds in my current flock born from eggs that were put in the fridge for a few days before I "scrambled" for a clutch to put under a suddenly broody hen). Eggs should be hatched in an incubator, or put under a broody, within 10 days maximum, though I usually try for no more than 7 when possible.
An FCBM hen--they are notable for broodiness
When I am collecting eggs in preparation for a hatch (or to ship to someone else who will be hatching them), I keep them as close to 60 degrees as possible, and I turn them a couple times each day, so that the yolk doesn't settle or get malformed. I put the eggs in a carton, and I put a brick under one end, so that the carton's left end is on the countertop and the right end is higher, atop the brick. Then I move the carton around accordingly: left to right ends on the brick, then I flip the (closed) carton over and do likewise, one move in the am, one in the pm, each day. If I start this on day 1, the carton is rightside up (with right end higher) in the am, then rightside up (with left end higher) in the pm. On day 2, I flip the carton upsidedown (a rubber band gives security here) and do the same on this day. Day 3 sees a return to position one (rightside up, with the right end higher).
I'll be hatching FCBMs (will lay eggs like the dark brown ones here)
And Olive Eggers (will lay eggs similar to the greens here)
I should be ready to set eggs on Feb 18th, which will give us a hatch date of March 9th-10th. Holler if you'd like to put dibs on some chicks from this hatch, and let me know when you'd like to take them--cost begins on day of hatch at $4 each, and goes up $1 for each two weeks that I raise them. Chicks are fully feathered and can live without a heat lamp (or warm mama) by about 8 weeks.
Interested? Comment and let me know what you want...I'll hatch based on the interest of folks here.
