The Poultry Keeper

jaydee67 · Posted: Thu Jan 05, 2006 8:40 pm Post subject:

It's all I have room for! Last year we hatched 3 bantams - kept 2, 6 ducklings plus 8 ready hatched donations! - kept 6, and 10 'Shetlands', keeping 4, fostering 3 until their new home is built, waiting for one to be collected. So once the 4 that aren't staying here are gone I'll have room for this year's hatch! Very Happy

Attila The Hen · Joined: 19 Sep 2005 Posts: 443 Location: Shetland

jaydee67 · Posted: Fri Jan 06, 2006 2:03 pm Post subject:

And I suppose you want it in blood? That's ok - it's the kids that enter the show - they can provide the blood! Wink

Fenn · Joined: 16 Jun 2005 Posts: 2292 Location: Shrewsbury

Ooh, I was about to post a thread about Croad Langshans! I have got a 'supposed' CL hen - she looks the part, however she's got a little white/blueish patch on each lobe.

She's just started laying and I wasn't particularly surprised to find that the eggs aren't the lovely plum colour I was hoping for, but a pale beige.

I had assumed that she was therefore a crossbreed, not a CL at all. But as her laying's progressed, the eggs have started to develop a pinkish tinge - I would say now that they're pale pink, rather than beige.

So is she a CL after all? I noted Boxerchick's comments on varying egg colours - I hadn't realised that Langshan egg colours varied so drastically!

Whatever breed she is, she's a very pretty hen - she's heavier than my other bantams (OEGx and Pekin), and she has little copper dots on her cape feathers.

She also has a definite mind of her own - after days of trying to persuade her to use the nest box, todays egg was laid in my laundry basket Shocked

I'd be interested to know whether other people would class her as a Croad Langshan or not Smile

Boxerchic · Joined: 11 Dec 2005 Posts: 26 Location: Cheshire

Hi Fenn,

Is your CL a bantie or a large fowl? I'm not sure about banties, though the poultry standards bible gives them identical to large other than in size. The ears should be dark, though from time to time one or two white feathers appear in some of the plumage and are considered normal (particularly if on the feet), though I perhaps wouldn't show a bird with white plumage.

Have you got a pic of her? Are the soles of her feet pink and legs black? She should also have white toenails and dark eyes. Hope this is helpful.

Cheers,

Clare.

Fenn · Joined: 16 Jun 2005 Posts: 2292 Location: Shrewsbury

Thanks Claire Smile

Ruby's a banty. She's got little bluey-white patches on her lobes, so there's definitely a blip somewhere in her breeding Confused

I'll see if I can catch her over the weekend and have a look at her feet (can't see that one going down well, tbh Rolling Eyes

). I've got some pics somewhere - when I can work out how, I shall try to upload one.

Thanks again for the info Very Happy

Boxerchic · Joined: 11 Dec 2005 Posts: 26 Location: Cheshire

Hi again Fenn,

They're not usually too keen on being examined are they? Though mine are very forward when checking out which hand the sultanas are in Smile

Croads are in the make of many modern breeds, so I wouldn't worry too much if there is some different blood in there unless you particularly wanted to show or breed a line. You will probably just end up with a robust bird who lays lots of eggs, something to do with hybrid vigour when you cross them.

I only keep the large blacks as I mentioned before, but should you ever want any hatching eggs or birds I have two blood lines from pure stock.

Enjoy your bantie, whatever colour her ears, and the fantastic eggs she will lay.

Cheers,

Clare.

Fenn · Joined: 16 Jun 2005 Posts: 2292 Location: Shrewsbury

I finally got hold of her after she made the mistake of coming into the kitchen to lay - she's got a thing about popping her eggs out in the laundry basket Shocked

Anyway, this is Ruby -

She has very dark bluey-black legs and pale undersides to her feet (blueish-pink).

Her eggs are very small and pale, rather like those of my Pekin. Looking in my little book tho, she's only laid 7 eggs so far - presumably they'll get a little bit bigger after a while?

Whatever her breeding, she's got an enormous personality tongue5

Boxerchic · Joined: 11 Dec 2005 Posts: 26 Location: Cheshire

She looks lovely fen. She has definitely got the croad u shape to her back and nice tall tail feathers, they should be the same height as her head. Her eye also looks dark though its hard to tell from the photo.

As I said I'm not very familiar with the bantam version of the croads but she looks like a lovely bird. You may well find that the egg colour develops more 'bloom' as she comes fully into lay. My large croads egg colour does change as they lay more regularly, much more so than any of my other breeds.

Clare.

summayah · Joined: 14 Apr 2005 Posts: 4289 Location: luton

She's beautiful Fenn

Fenn · Joined: 16 Jun 2005 Posts: 2292 Location: Shrewsbury

Thanks - I do love Ruby, she's a very pretty girl Very Happy

Although she's not very popular at the moment, as she's currently hammering on the kitchen window, trampling the daffs in my windowbox as she goes... Evil or Very Mad