2ChixFarm : Home of the All American Bred Auto Sexing Chickens!
Huh? What in the world is an auto sexing chicken?
Well, it's not anything as bad as it sounds!
An auto sexing chicken is one that you can tell the sex of (boy or girl, cockeral or pullet), at all stages of development, and in all future generations. This means from hatch to adult, and from generation to generation, you know which are a roos and which are hens.
If you would like to learn more about this, then here is a very good site on the history of auto-sexing chicken breeds, how and where they were developed, and what breeds are out there. I have dubbed my strain "Homestead Browns". Below is an example of how they look as chicks, and as adults.
An auto sexing chicken is one that you can tell the sex of (boy or girl, cockeral or pullet), at all stages of development, and in all future generations. This means from hatch to adult, and from generation to generation, you know which are a roos and which are hens.
If you would like to learn more about this, then here is a very good site on the history of auto-sexing chicken breeds, how and where they were developed, and what breeds are out there. I have dubbed my strain "Homestead Browns". Below is an example of how they look as chicks, and as adults.
Silver Male chick (left) Silver Female chick (right) Silver Rooster Silver Hen
Why is "Auto Sexing" better?
Well, for a couple of reasons.
First, If you don't want to keep the boys, then you can sort immediately. This allows you to put resources, time and money, into raising only what you want to keep.
Secondly, if you do want to keep boys, but you want them for "harvest" (this means for meat production), then you want to feed them differently than you would a growing pullet chick. With an auto-sexing breed, you can do this from hatch and really improve weight gain in the birds destined to go into the freezer.
First, If you don't want to keep the boys, then you can sort immediately. This allows you to put resources, time and money, into raising only what you want to keep.
Secondly, if you do want to keep boys, but you want them for "harvest" (this means for meat production), then you want to feed them differently than you would a growing pullet chick. With an auto-sexing breed, you can do this from hatch and really improve weight gain in the birds destined to go into the freezer.
Can't I just get Sex Linked Birds instead?
You can indeed get sex linked chicks, and they will clearly be the sex they are supposed to be. BUT - they do not breed true. So, if you want them to create your own self sustaining flock, then when you breed that first generation, you will not be able to tell boys from girls.
Now, if what you wish to do is buy chicks yearly or every few years, to raise yourself for home egg production, and you do not want or are not permitted to have a rooster, then I would say that sex linked birds are a very good choice for you. Sex linked chicks sold in farm supply stores are guaranteed to be hens when they mature, they are readily available, and they will be very productive egg layers.
There is also nothing wrong with having a non-breeding flock of auto-sexing hens, rather than sex-linked. They are as guaranteed to be hens, they are just not as easily available in this country.
If your goal is a home farm flock, one that you can manage for both egg and meat production, then auto sexing chickens are the birds for you!
Now, if what you wish to do is buy chicks yearly or every few years, to raise yourself for home egg production, and you do not want or are not permitted to have a rooster, then I would say that sex linked birds are a very good choice for you. Sex linked chicks sold in farm supply stores are guaranteed to be hens when they mature, they are readily available, and they will be very productive egg layers.
There is also nothing wrong with having a non-breeding flock of auto-sexing hens, rather than sex-linked. They are as guaranteed to be hens, they are just not as easily available in this country.
If your goal is a home farm flock, one that you can manage for both egg and meat production, then auto sexing chickens are the birds for you!
Introducing : Homestead Browns, Auto Sexing Chickens for the Small Farm!
Meet the flock - an auto-sexing and dual purpose chicken, purpose bred for the small self sufficient farm.
My goals in developing this strain of chicken were three fold. I wanted a bird, for myself and our farm here, that would:
1. Be a Good Brown Egg Layer
2. Be a Good Meat Bird
3. Be Auto Sexing
I was also lucky enough in my breeding to get a color that is called "Silver Duck Wing" - so I also got a beautiful,
and uncommon, color for my birds.
My goals in developing this strain of chicken were three fold. I wanted a bird, for myself and our farm here, that would:
1. Be a Good Brown Egg Layer
2. Be a Good Meat Bird
3. Be Auto Sexing
I was also lucky enough in my breeding to get a color that is called "Silver Duck Wing" - so I also got a beautiful,
and uncommon, color for my birds.
Then, I was lucky enough to also develop a Gold strain. Equally beautiful, and as productive as the Silver strain.
The development of this strain is about a year behind the Silver strain, and likely won't be available until 2016 at the earliest.
So far all of my goals have been met. The hens appear to be very good layers, the roosters get large enough to have a decent amount of meat on them, and the genetics of auto sexing are almost set. And look how pretty they are!
A Community Project
These guys are truly a new strain of chicken. In order to keep them genetically healthy and reduce inbreeding as much as possible, I envision small farms and homesteads sharing birds between them. I have 3 "lines" of each color. They have been bred differently from one another, to provide some genetic variability. This has taken a noteable investment of time, energy and facilities.
Ideally, 3 separate flock owners who live within reasonable travel distance from one another will provide roosters for each other. This is called "spiral breeding" - I think. So, homestead #1 has a flock of chickens from the silver "A" line. Homestead #2 has "B" line, and homestead #3 has "C" line. When they were needed, "A" roosters would be given to the "B" flock owners, "B" roosters would be given to the "C" flock owners, and "C" roosters would be given to the "A" flock owners.
The first year a rooster is in place, his daughters are added back into the flock. His second year, his daughters are again added back into the flock, but he is retired (he doesn't breed this generation of hens), and the best son from the flock behind him in rotation replaces him. Any time during this rooster's reign, his best son(s) can be provided to the flock next in the rotation (i.e., "A" flock owners give a cockeral to "B" flock, etc). So, once the system is up and running, males are used twice (bred for 2 years), then retired in preference to a son from another flock. Males rotate one line over every other year. This gives you a year of outcross and a year of line breeding.
I envision this to be a free sharing - I don't make anything after the initial sale of start-up birds. Because of this, I would sincerely ask that if you know of new people who want to join into this, that you refer them to me for their original purchase..... If this takes off, I will attempt to maintain a data base of who has what line, so that trading roosters can be done in a thoughtful and productive way, for the health and productivity of the strain.
Ideally, 3 separate flock owners who live within reasonable travel distance from one another will provide roosters for each other. This is called "spiral breeding" - I think. So, homestead #1 has a flock of chickens from the silver "A" line. Homestead #2 has "B" line, and homestead #3 has "C" line. When they were needed, "A" roosters would be given to the "B" flock owners, "B" roosters would be given to the "C" flock owners, and "C" roosters would be given to the "A" flock owners.
The first year a rooster is in place, his daughters are added back into the flock. His second year, his daughters are again added back into the flock, but he is retired (he doesn't breed this generation of hens), and the best son from the flock behind him in rotation replaces him. Any time during this rooster's reign, his best son(s) can be provided to the flock next in the rotation (i.e., "A" flock owners give a cockeral to "B" flock, etc). So, once the system is up and running, males are used twice (bred for 2 years), then retired in preference to a son from another flock. Males rotate one line over every other year. This gives you a year of outcross and a year of line breeding.
I envision this to be a free sharing - I don't make anything after the initial sale of start-up birds. Because of this, I would sincerely ask that if you know of new people who want to join into this, that you refer them to me for their original purchase..... If this takes off, I will attempt to maintain a data base of who has what line, so that trading roosters can be done in a thoughtful and productive way, for the health and productivity of the strain.
I will have birds available in 2015, for the first time ever!
I plan to offer ~ 8 week old pullets and cockerals, Silver strain, as singles and as breeding trios. Singles will be available for 25.00 each, breeding trios for 75.00. I am electing to offer more grown youngsters because I am still refining the strains, and wish to be able to select future breeding stock before offering any others for sale. Because they are a bit older, transportation will be challenging. Contact me if you are interested, and we will see what we can work out. If you live in the Pacific North West, then delivery or pick up is a great option.
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