I don't really know who their rooster dad was; I had given the neighbor a half Speckled Sussex rooster, so that could have been the father. Or, judging from the type, the rooster could have been some kind of Game that carried Mottling. We'll never know. After this inital rush of laying, all future eggs laid by Oddball were sterile. I tried for a year, and not a single other egg of hers developed.
Oddball the Banty
Several chicks were hatched from this first cross. I culled way too many. Most looked to dark and I culled them early on. I didn't count on Oddball being such an oddball and refusing the attention of every rooster she'd ever see in the future!
I kept only four. One rooster was given away, Patchwork. Another hen, Ginger, refused the attention of roosters as well. Just like her mom! Weirdos. Only two were left. Almost all of my stock were chicks sired by a rooster named Vanilla and a hen named Kona.
Vanilla was a gorgeous rooster.
His brother Patch didn't turn out so shabby, either!
Kona, an amazing producer, was a prolific layer.
Crossed with Vanilla, these are mostly her chicks:
Fuzzballs by the bucket load!
Very few make it into the program, maybe one in ten.
The chick to the left, too dark, the middle one, too light, and the one on the right didn't pan out either!
The breeding stock, fall 2011.
Two pure Sussex, and about 12 Alohas.
Most of the color and variety was created by selective breeding and culling.
Final breeding flock for the fall 2011 season. Chicks hatching out now!
My new neighbor was the lucky recipient of the culled Alohas this season.
He couldn't be more pleased.
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