New life starts to develop today!

[bakerjw]

After mixing up the flocks and isolating birds that I don't want to breed right now, I finally got enough good quality White Rock eggs collected to fire up a batch in the incubator. In 21 to 25 days I should have a good collection of little fuzzy butts running around in a brooder.

I'll start another batch in a secondary incubator in another week and half. Rinse and repeat for the next few months.

If anyone else here incubates eggs I might be willing to send out a dozen of these fertile eggs if asked nicely.

They are hardy birds and the roosters are quite docile. With rooster aggression I believe that genetics is the most important key. I've had roosters with some Silver Sebright in them and they were vicious. My boys though are harmless to people.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plymouth_R ... chicken%29

[smcharchan]

We mixed in some barred rock hens the last time we raised new layers. Nice compliment to the RI reds. We get nearly white eggs to dark red/brown and everything in between.

I find it interesting how different the dispositions of the different breeds are.

We also raised meat birds last year - rock cornish. Never again. Raising those mutant birds made me feel like a twisted mad scientist. Anything that gains weight so fast that its legs can't keep up and break from the stress of trying to stand up is simply unnatural. Tasty, but unnatural.

[bakerjw]

They have some Cornish Cross chicks at the local tractor supply. Unfortunately people will come in and buy some as "pet" chickens only to discover in 6 months that their pet chicken will not survive much longer.

[bakerjw]

As of this morning 11 chicks had hatched and are running around the brooder pen. Another was out in the incubator and more were pipping away.