Looking for a LF Lavender cockerel

[Mike Gilbert]

the ones i have had in small pens just have not laid much this year compared to the open pens and free rangers. .... My bantam Favarolles only started laying a few weeks ago....much later than last year.  eliz

I know this is off topic, but I have bantam Ameraucanas and Chanteclers that were hatched in January and early February, raised semi-free range (locked up at night), that have started to lay in the past week.

[Beth C]

I also noticed my free-range EEs were not only more productive layers, but I had higher hatch rates from those eggs than my Ameraucanas, which are penned.

Off-topic as well, but found these comments interesting because my Ameraucanas have all but stopped laying (I\'m getting about 6 eggs per week total from 7 birds), and the RIRs that hatched in Jan. haven\'t started laying. Last year my hens went into molt mid-Aug. I noticed that my birds started laying early this year, too. Last year I didn\'t get eggs until the end of Feb., this year they started mid-Jan. Anyone else experiencing an early molt and/or unusual laying cycle? It\'s crazy hot here for this time of year, more like Aug. temps, so maybe that\'s why?

[verycherry]

April, James told me that you and he were concerned about inbreeding since all your chicks are siblings.  In case you\'re interested, I\'m going to be putting a few of my black split girls with the other (#2) Lavender rooster I got from John just to get a few birds that are \"cousins\" as opposed to siblings.  James wanted to get some of these eggs.  If you get a male chick from James from this cross (he can blood test), it would be just a couple of months behind your other chicks, and you wouldn\'t have to house another full grown rooster just yet.

I\'m also considering selling my #2 roo after the cross is made, since I have the #1 roo, and I\'ll have quite a few new males to pick from too.

Scratch all the above.  I went to get the male to put with 2 of the split hens, but it looks like the little bit of off color (creaminess) he had in his hackle and saddle areas is more noticable now, so I\'m not going to use him after all.  I also looked over my #1 male well in good light to see if he\'d developed any off colors, and he doesn\'t have any that I can see, so he\'s still numero uno around here for now.  

Do you think breeding one of the male chicks to the female chicks would be that bad?  True, they all had the same father, but I had 6 different females with him, and those 6 were from two different lines.

Anyone want to comment about line breeding and inbreeding and such?

[Mike Gilbert]

Do you think breeding one of the male chicks to the female chicks would be that bad?  True, they all had the same father, but I had 6 different females with him, and those 6 were from two different lines.

Anyone want to comment about line breeding and inbreeding and such?

Without line breeding there would be no pure strains of chickens.   As Don Cable used to say, the best usually come in bunches of one.    Raise a lot, cull for the usual coloring and deformity defects, but also cull for lack of vigor, size, and production.    Good traits can be set in a line via line breeding, just as defects can.   Go for it.

[verycherry]

Thanks for your input Mike.  Thats basicly what I was thinking, just wanted to get more opinions and facts.  I hear pros and cons.

[Cloverleaf Farm]

I also noticed my free-range EEs were not only more productive layers, but I had higher hatch rates from those eggs than my Ameraucanas, which are penned.

Off-topic as well, but found these comments interesting because my Ameraucanas have all but stopped laying (I\'m getting about 6 eggs per week total from 7 birds), and the RIRs that hatched in Jan. haven\'t started laying. Last year my hens went into molt mid-Aug. I noticed that my birds started laying early this year, too. Last year I didn\'t get eggs until the end of Feb., this year they started mid-Jan. Anyone else experiencing an early molt and/or unusual laying cycle? It\'s crazy hot here for this time of year, more like Aug. temps, so maybe that\'s why?

Well, it\'s unusually cold and wet here (we\'ve only had one day in the 80s) and my bantam Ameraucanas moulted in April and still aren\'t laying...

[Guest]

I have a nice bantam lavendar trio - 1 year old, but the gals haven\'t started to lay.  Cant seem to figure that one out. All of the other varieties are laying. Really thinking of just getting rid of them - perhaps someone else can get them to lay. Really pretty variety.

Patty

Mine seem to lay very sporadic, out of 3 hens I get 1 or 2 a day or 1 a day. Sometimes they skip a day though...but then all my Ameraucana\'s are laying kinda slow. I just figured it was because they weren\'t bred for production.
If you do decide to sell them, please let me know. I may be interested in them.
Thanks
April

[Guest]

Do you think breeding one of the male chicks to the female chicks would be that bad?  True, they all had the same father, but I had 6 different females with him, and those 6 were from two different lines.

Anyone want to comment about line breeding and inbreeding and such?

Without line breeding there would be no pure strains of chickens.   As Don Cable used to say, the best usually come in bunches of one.    Raise a lot, cull for the usual coloring and deformity defects, but also cull for lack of vigor, size, and production.    Good traits can be set in a line via line breeding, just as defects can.   Go for it.

I plan on line breeding the blacks, I\'m raising a couple black cockerels, one for the black line and one for the Lavender project.
I\'m hoping I can have 2 roosters in the Lavender pen with the hens - I\'d like to have one black roo and one Lavender roo. What do you all think? Should I have the two or just one? If just one, then possibly just the black?

Thanks so much for all the input.
April

[eliz]

Well, alot of folks do double male their females, but the downside i see is not knowing the viability of and positive/negative traits passed of each of your Roo\'s without knowing who to attribute the specific offspring to.

Perhaps, if you are combining 2 lines/Roos you have history/confidence, with the thought of saving the best to create a line to cross over another?  

 I am not knowledgeable  enough about poultry fertility to know  how long hens hold sperm or if they can carry many males mixed like cats who can have mixed litters to be able to notice differences in a hens offspring who they may have been bred with?
   A llama story....the Pattersons in Sisters, Or. ran double studs for years and guessed according to phenotype. When DNA testing began it was found that in one case 2/3 offspring of a particular male was really the the offspring of the other male. It was not known if the first was a more attentive  breeder or the other less fertile.

eliz

[Guest]

Very good point eliz....Thank you. I don\'t really know anything about genetics to be able to make a good decision. I\'ll have to look more into this.

April