Gorgeous Colors

We have had an amazingly colorful fall that just seems to go on and on......

The Pirate Egg Projects are on track.  The challenge now is sorting out which pullet is laying which egg and then making decisions as to which birds to carry forward into the 2014 breeding programs.

Chocolate anyone? We've had a bit of confusion over how chocolate genes (both dun and sex-linked!) have infiltrated different project lineages and what to do about it.  I can't say I'm hating the look but I am having to do some test hatching to figure out what the heck we've actually got going on.

I've decided this is actually Zerya's first egg!

Zorie lays long thin blue eggs;
 ZERYA lays the olive eggs.

Zelda's eggs look just like her mother Orchid's;
alas...not shiny but definitely white pores on a pastel mint shell.

The rumpless girls have identical blue eggs.
Love the shine!

   

These are just some of my favorite pictures from this fall.  There are many more on the pinterest account.

Chicken Breeds Resource

I found this website with short video clips of different breeds of chickens (and ducks, guineas, etc...).  The videos I was looking at appeared to have been taken at a poultry show in Europe so the animals are very nice representatives of the breed.  It was helpful for me because I could see how the animal actually moves - much different than looking at a two-dimensional representation.  Enjoy!

http://www.mypets.egzoticpheasant.com/browse-chickens-videos-1-date.html

When in Doubt, Change Your Tune

I'm much more successful at finding information South American chickens online when I change my browser language settings from English to Spanish.  (We won't talk about how long that took me to figure out!)

How to Change Your Settings in Google Chrome

Since it took me two years to discover this trick I'm going to break it way down so that when I forget it won't take me another two years to remember. :)

Step 1 Click on the Chrome Settings icon in your browser toolbar

Step 2 Scroll down to the Languages section and click on "Language and input settings"

Step 3 Click on "Add"

 Step 4 Scroll down to "Spanish - Latin America"

Step 5 "Spanish - Latin America" and "Spanish" will get added to your list of languages. You have to drag them to the top for the search engine to prioritize sites written in Spanish.

Step 6 Click "Done" in the lower right corner and close the settings window.  

Critter Cam Captures Daily Routines

Well, we didn't get the date or time set right but that motion sensor camera took over a thousand pictures in the span of a week. We had it trained on the central staging area behind the BeakHouse coops. It was fascinating to watch our daily routines unfolding..... we actually forgot it was even there! Unfortunately the predators managed to escape detection. PS It was the last week of June - one of the hottest this year.

Gallinas Urbanas - Urban Homesteaders in Puerto Rico

I found these very cool folks who helping people get started keeping backyard flocks in PUERTO RICO! I'm really enjoying the fact that people are doing the same thing there as we're doing here....simply trying to stay connected with our food supply.  

 Love the logo, love their site :) 

  http://www.gallinasurbanas.com/   

(when you get to their website, right click & you'll have the option to translate the page - it's worth it) 

Gallinas Urbanas

 

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Colloncas are NOT Tuft-less Araucanas

I've been tinkering with rumpless blue egg layers for the past few year. The first few years were spent working towards fibromelanistic, rumpless, blue egg layers. Finally, last fall year I was able to tease apart my flock into those with muffs and those that are clean faced. I began doing some hardcore cyber sleuthing about South American chickens, blue egg layers, and history. I've come to realize we have an unprecedented amount of knowledge and amazing tools at our disposal to actually use that knowledge.

That's a bit of a long-winded introduction to this summary of what I think I know about the birds in my backyard.

Technically speaking, Araucanas are a hybrid of two unique South American chicken "breeds", the Colloncas and the Quetros. Over time Araucanas have become prevalent enough to be a designated and standardized breed. However, the Colloncas and Quetros never reached enough prominence to be formally recognized beyond perceived indigenous colloquialism. There are distinct differences between these two landraces.

There are many websites detailing the history of the Araucana breed, the differences between what North Americans call "Araucanas" compared to everywhere else in the world, and why Ameraucanas aren't Araucanas and Easter Eggers aren't Ameraucanas. (Woe be to Gertrude Stein who wrote, "A rose is a rose is a rose by any other name.")

The fine-tooth comb of poultry politicians seemed fairly pedantic until I began seeing well educated, experienced Araucana breeders saying that a Collonca is simply a tuftless Araucana. That makes about as much sense as saying Holsteins are Texas Long-horns without horns.

When two animals are crossed, their genetic material is picked apart with roulette wheel precision, and then stuck back together with velcro-like accuracy. Breeders don't get to pick and choose qualities a la carte. Herein lies the true art of animal husbandry. Over time the breeder can manipulate the frequency of various phenotypes and eventually be able to reliably produce more or less perfect specimens.

This is where genetic conservation becomes critical because genes and specific combinations of genes can and do get lost without stewardship. The original stewards of the early Colloncas were lived in remote Andean mountain villages. They required animals that could evade jaguars, monkeys, and condors while thriving on minimal supplemental feed. Special birds may have been kept for purposes other than food supply but they would have been tightly coveted.

It has been a mere handful of years that the indigenous tribes of these areas have even been recognized by their governments. Maintaining pure lineages of their chicken flocks has been a very trivial concern as these people tried to just stay alive.

Additionally, in situ preservation is going to be a tremendous challenge thanks to genetic contributions from the industrialized world. High production birds with their genetic homogeneity have found every nook and cranny of the chicken keeping world.

At this point there are two ideological camps among preservationists. The first emphasizes temperament and behaviors and the second emphasizes stabilizing the phenotype of the birds. It is much easier to create a standard for phenotype than behavior.

I would like to think that my approach will ultimately be a complete failure because these birds are so special that they transcend my pale North American capabilities. Perhaps that's true. More than likely I'll eventually have something that merely approximates the work of South American preservationists.

Every time I sit down at my computer and surf the web I find new initiatives, new information, and new knowledge working it's way to the surface. I'm comfortable tinkering with my flock as I know more and as stronger genetic contributions become available. In the meanwhile, I whole heartedly encourage people to start thinking about their chickens in a broader social context. It will make every egg you collect a bit richer, every feather a bit brighter, and every cluck and crow a deeper in meaning.

Some References You May Enjoy

http://www.aviculture-europe.nl/nummers/09E06A13.pdf

http://gallinachilena.cl

http://www.cetsur.cl/?p=737

http://phys.org/news/2013-08-unscrambling-genetics-chicken-blue-egg.html

Oona and Starry Night - rumpless, shiny blue egg layers

Oona and Starry Night are half-sisters.  Their momma, Rupa, is nearly rumpless. Their fathers are from a unique flock of birds thought to be composites of birds indigenous to South and Central America and the Pacific Isles. These girls are very small, slow to mature, and a bit more wild than a typical bantam. 

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Oona spent last winter as a house pet in our sun room so she got to "help" unwrap presents Christmas morning.  She has dark skin and wild pattern plumage.  Her stint as a house pet has given her a prima donna complex but typically she is exceptionally silent.

Star is a few months older than Oona and she stayed in the Aikiko Project House over the winter. She carries the mottling gene and has the tell tale white dots and white skin.  Her brother, Xeryus, also carries the mottling gene but he has dark skin.  He is equally rumpless.  

It took Oona and Star both almost a full year to start laying.  This is consistent with my experience with the mother, "Rupa" and sister "Cerci".  It is interesting to note that Rupa's eggs are a rather pale, matte blue with a slight green tinge. All of her daughters lay shiny blue eggs without a hint of green.  

These girls are part of the Aikiko Project but the project is paused until fall.  The Aikiko Project is a hatching eggs / genetics learning collaboration. Participants contribute information about their hatches, help puzzle out the genotypes of project birds, and guide project development.  The project group currently functions using facebook, ancestry.com, and photobucket.  A dedicated website is being developed for the fall.   

Happiness Sunny Side Up

Earlier this summer a research review published by the University of Bristol called "The Intelligent Hen Study" summarized years of experiments that quantify what flock owners know, chickens are smart.

The long of the short is chicks can count higher higher, have better self-control, and superior spatial awareness than human toddlers .  They also recognize symmetry...the free form builder in me wonders what they think of the coops I make....

From The Guardian UK June 19, 2013 According to a new report, chickens appear to be much more intelligent than previously thought, with better numeracy and spatial awareness skills than young children. "The domesticated chicken is something of a phenomenon," Christine Nicol, professor of animal welfare at Bristol University, told the Times. "Studies over the past 20 years have revealed their finely honed sensory capacities, their ability to think, draw inferences, apply logic and plan ahead."  

My hamster-speed computer was not able to find the original research online but here's the most detailed article I came across. http://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/parenting/the-intelligent-hen8217-chickens-smarter-than-toddlers/story-fnet08ui-1226666106781

The research review was underwritten by international free-range egg producer Happy Egg Company to help guide facility development.  

I'm very curious about what Happy Egg will do with the information and how their facilities will address flock enrichment.  While this may seem odd, awkward, and impractical in the eyes of the battery cage industry, I'm sure follow up research will happen over the next few years.  Sparky's Related Article on Friendships in Commercial Flocks

 Happy Hens Company's Natural Hen Habitat   (Out of detest for common industry practices I have resisted the urge to point out all the reasons why a nicely manicured park-like setting with a flock of genetically identical birds really doesn't look very natural. However, you should visit their website, it's actually quite interesting!)
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And, BTW -  In 2011 Vegetarians International Voice for Animals (VIVA!) called out Happy Egg Company, salaciously documenting something else flock owners already knew -  chickens poop...and they die...and when they're little they need more supervision, and when they're older they need to leave the work force.  I wasn't shocked by VIVA's findings; I was terrified by how little people know about the reality of the food they eat. Photoshop may be able to hide those bare spots scratched into the carefully mowed pasture by Happy birds looking for tasty treats, but all the digital manipulations in the world won't take away the fact that people actually expect those to be completely real.

Birds of a Feather

See any family resemblance? 

I love this picture! Flame and Jackson are second cousins.  Their great-grandmother is Barbie, my ancient Barred Rock hen.

Barbie x Einstein ---> Rosie x Dora ---> TwoRoo x Rosie ---> Flame

Barbie x Celso ---> Jenny x Rex ---> Lulu x Jack Sparrow ---> Jackson

Jenny and Rosie are half-sisters so TwoRoo and Lulu are cousins.  Go figure! The first generation ended in long E sound; the second generation ended in "ou" sound.  Maybe I should go back to the drawing board on the third generation names....... Flamenco & Spare-O....hmmm, maybe I should think harder....

The Aikiko Project

The Aikiko Project was a counter top hatching eggs, chicken genetics learning collaboration for curious chickenistas (plus, those chicks are just pretty darn cute!).

March 2019 Life is as life goes.....   My Aikikos only live on in the many spin-off flocks people started by buying my hatching eggs, chicks, and birds.   Thank you to all who encouraged and supported the Aikiko Project.  -Alison
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July 12, 2013  The Aikiko Project is a hatching eggs / genetics learning collaboration. Participants contribute information about their hatches, help puzzle out the genotypes of project birds, and guide project development.  The project group currently functions using facebook, ancestry.com, and photobucket. A dedicated website is being developed for the fall.   

d'Uccle Flock

I have a small flock of "found" d'uccles. They seem to find me. :) This is just a purely fun pursuit with no project to speak of and no goal for improving my stock.  I hope that's not too blunt or disappointing for anyone but it's the truth.  I think they're adorable and as good a starter bird as any for backyard coops. Especially because, for such little things, they pack a powerful punch in terms of learning about genetics.

"Apollo" is a "lavender pattered isabel partridge". 

The white hen is named "Zinnia".  My best guess is she's a recessive white because it looks so clean and because I have yet to hatch any white birds..... 

The two mille fleurs are "Lizzie Pebbles" and "Laura Pebbles".  

Unpictured: "Astrid" is a porcelain hen who just joined our flock this spring.  

PS Lizzie Pebbles is one of our oldest birds - hatched in 2009, she's one of our special pets.

  

A Girl and Her Cow, 1965

I've had a life long interest in children and how they interact with their environment - especially in a historical context.  From time to time I'll post an especially poignant picture I've come across.

I found this special piIcture a few years ago. It was taken by Dennis Stock (the man who made James Dean live forever) at the 1965 Iowa State Fair.  For me it brought back all the sights, sounds, smells, and sweat of the county fair livestock barns. To be honest  I didn't show any cows myself but I had enough friends and family who did to know it just wasn't the thing for me.  They would sleep in the barns with their animals and primp and fuss over their animals exactly like the girl in this picture which Stock titled "Beauty contest for cattle at the Iowa State Fair, 1965".

I imagine that somewhere at this very moment a cow is haltered and tied in a dark (hopefully cool) stall inside a creaky old barn on a quiet farm in rural America. A teenager toting a bucket of all the best beauty supplies is trying out all the tips and tricks she's learned about making her cud chewing cow ("Trixie"?) look good.  By fair time in August they'll have a well practiced routine for morphing Trixie into a moo-ing dreamboat cloud of hairspray with a bright white tail and shiny hooves.  

A girl and her cow, 1965
(PS I wonder what the cows are saying to each other...)

Birdie, It's HOT Tonight

The heat is on!  

The ground has mostly dried up inside the coops and we're down to just a handful of broody hens in nest boxes.  The rest of them are out teaching their chicks to forage and keeping them near water.  

We're two weeks into the heat and it was about this time last year our well went dry....and stayed dry until the middle of August.  Right in the middle of that parched dryness we had 14 back-to-back days of heat indexes over 100 humid degree temperature, barely dipping out of the 90s at night.  Yeah, it was a downright nasty evil hell for our feathered friends.

All things considered this year is a cake walk (so far.....) Over the last year we've strengthened our housing infrastructure to better buffer the heat. We now systematically conserve and store water.  This is good and has meant being able to manage the bumper crop of chicks, poults, and keets.

Several of the projects have had excellent break throughs. The Aikikos have finally produced several dark skinned, rumpless, pea combed GIRLS and we hatched our first barred chocolate rock!

Also, I've been tinkering with a genetics app to make it easier to document and track field observations.  Yeah, I'm geeky but at least I aspire to someday be organized.  I'm looking into how to put it together so other people can use it too.