French Black Copper Moran

[seedcorn]

I could see these girls walking around your back yard. Gentle and talkers. Unfortunately not the best layers. Her confirmation is lacking-to be expected while they set the color.

 

[canesisters]

@ninnymary , you weren't looking for jubilee orpingtons were you? That's a pretty picture though.
I'd have been MIGHTY tempted to grab that guy's speckled Sussex - I ADORE my sussexes and one day will probably replace the whole flock with all the various colors of Sussex.

 

[Beekissed]

View attachment 31209
I could see these girls walking around your back yard. Gentle and talkers. Unfortunately not the best layers. Her confirmation is lacking-to be expected while they set the color.

Awwww!!! SEED!!! That is one beautiful hen!!!! I didn't know you had such birds at your place! Not my favorite laying breed but definitely one of the most beautiful breeds out there. I don't think her conformation is too bad at all....makes the hatchery lines look like dirt, that's for sure.

 

[ninnymary]

I WANT HER! Oh she's beautiful! Seed is she yours? What kind is she?

Sadly, I have found out that the prettiest chickens are lousy layers. I know a woman who has some pretty ones but she convinced me not to get them because of their poor egg laying. She says pretty chickens are for those that don't want eggs. Unfortunately, I want both pretty and good or decent layers. I feed them organic feed which is quite expensive out here. So they have to produce.

Cane, I've never heard of jubilee Orphintons.

Mary

 

[ducks4you]

I have been watching a PBS program out of WI and "Inga", the host, recently interviewed a chicken farmer who sells locally and said that her Best layers are mutts, 1/2 and 1/2's. I always wonder about "purebreds" of ANY kind of livestock. When they bred "Secretariat", back in the 1960's, the breeders were concerned about TB inbreeding and wanted a healthy racehorse. What they bred was an anomoly--Secretariat, after autopsy, was found to have an enlarged heart. He looked more like a QH than a 3yo TB, bigger chest, 74" girth. Still, it was navicular that brought him down at 19yo.
(Navicular bones, the little tiny hoof bone inside of the hoof, can rotate and cause extreme pain, and at that time there weren't good pain killers. The horse cannot walk and a horse spends 23.5 hrs/day standing, so no relief. Even a cow lays down much more of the day.)
Lots of chicken breeds and many healthy crosses, but the lady I have bought my EE mutts from gets about 10 eggs/day during extreme winter temperatures---we dipped down to -16 this winter. I lost one hen, but I am getting average 6 eggs/day from my birds and even last month I had a 9 egg day, and it really hasn't warmed up yet. Yesterday I collected 8 eggs, even with one hen who likes to peck them open and eat them. Just some FYI. Yes, the purebreds are more beautiful, but I am planning on replacing my older flock this year with 1/2 mutts.

 

[seedcorn]

No, she is not mine.

Not sure the color (think Jubilee) but a Cochin bantam-love blacks and had them for many years. Great for kids to be around but way to gentle to be with standards. Poor layers but will go broody on a rock. Love a pair with chicks-they will melt even a grouch old mans heart.

Best layers tend to be F1 between 2 different lines (maybe same breed, color, etc) bred for laying.

 

[Ridgerunner]

My best layers came from saving and breeding replacements (male and female) from chicks that hatched from eggs laid by hens that laid well. They did not have to be F1's. Some of mine went several generations before I brought in new blood.

If egg-laying were your only goal it's hard to beat the commercial egg-laying hybrids. They are bred for one thing, lay a lot of large eggs for at most two egg-laying seasons with a great feed to egg conversion ratio. Then they are done and you replace them. it's like you can't beat the feed to meat conversion ratio of the Cornish X broilers, the broilers and the egg laying hybrids are specialists, but neither really suited my goals.

 

[bobm]

My best layers came from saving and breeding replacements (male and female) from chicks that hatched from eggs laid by hens that laid well. They did not have to be F1's. Some of mine went several generations before I brought in new blood.

If egg-laying were your only goal it's hard to beat the commercial egg-laying hybrids. They are bred for one thing, lay a lot of large eggs for at most two egg-laying seasons with a great feed to egg conversion ratio. Then they are done and you replace them. it's like you can't beat the feed to meat conversion ratio of the Cornish X broilers, the broilers and the egg laying hybrids are specialists, but neither really suited my goals.

I did the same as you for about 40 years. Then the CornishX and the commercial hybrid egg layers came along... My flocks were shown the stew pot and the rest is history.

 

[seedcorn]

Did they lay better getting to see the stew pot? I understand motivation, just figured a chicken wouldn’t get the subtleness of it.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I showed mine a Popeye's poster once and explained the significance. It did not help.