Amers d’Anvers

[kurby22]

I took some pictures of the d’Anvers (and the project cuckoo d’Anvers (Dominique father cuckoo d’Anvers mother)
Praline, Queeny, and the cockerel I am using for breeding. He’s not necessarily better than his grandfather Fireball but is probably more fertile, plus, he has the right traits to balance the breeding pen. He has the shorter, stouter beak I am looking for and *marginally* darker eyes. He also has a fuller breast. Of course, he also has his flaws, but it’s a step in the right direction.View attachment 3740357this blue quail pullet isn’t really that great but there’s space for four in this pen so I guess hatching more blue quails to choose from couldn’t hurtView attachment 3740358this is Lovebird, an old, black pet henView attachment 3740359
FireballView attachment 3740360View attachment 3740361this is the cuckoo project View attachment 3740362
Here is the backup, he was released in the flock but he preferred a cage over the scary big chickens so Mom put him with cuckoo hen, Margaret
Unfortunately, I recently lost my favorite pet chicken, a cuckoo d’Anvers cock, Stripes. But he had a good life and I didn’t plan on using him for breeding or anything, so oh well.
View attachment 3740363This is the oldest chicken, the first quail d’Anvers I ever got, Sally. She will turn 5 this year.View attachment 3740364Praline and QueenyView attachment 3740365 View attachment 3740366

They’re all so adorable your cuckoo project looks like it’s going well! I’m sorry to hear about Stripes though. :-( Even when they’re not for the project they’re still super special in other ways. I just lost one of my project Watermaals and I was devastated. He was my best rooster :-( Sure puts a project back when that happens!

 

[kurby22]

Btw I am super proud of these breeding pens. They are spacious, easy to clean, and the birds don’t kick out a ton of shavings. I started incubating some eggs!
Unfortunately, while the hardware cloth on the front makes it easy to mount food cups, it makes it hard to actually view the birds without opening the doorView attachment 3740374View attachment 3740375

Those are nice pens!

 

[kurby22]

Can I see a picture of her posing?

This was as close as I could get to a pose from her. She’s not easy to catch posing…

 

[Amer]

Stripes is now imortalized in my sketchbook.
RIP Stripes

 

[kurby22]

Stripes is now imortalized in my sketchbook.
RIP StripesView attachment 3753598

What a lovely and detailed sketch Stripes was a lovely boy! When did he pass? Is that going to affect your project? I’m sorry you lost him! I know you loved him

 

[Amer]

What a lovely and detailed sketch Stripes was a lovely boy! When did he pass? Is that going to affect your project? I’m sorry you lost him! I know you loved him

He passed in January. It won’t affect my project, he was a pet.

 

[fluffycrow]

Stripes is now imortalized in my sketchbook.
RIP StripesView attachment 3753598

Gorgeous

 

[Amer]

Mom shipped a bird for the first time. All the way to California. It was a bantam Welsummer cockerel. We have been NPIP for a two years now, but nobody ever comes to inspect the farm, lol.
Shipping is possible but it’s super expensive, like 80 dollars for one bantam.
And that person paid for the cockerel too. When I bought a pigeon it was 67.19. She was free, just paid for shipping.
When you buy shipped birds you have to be really serious about your project.

 

[Amer]

Probably I will avoid trying to sell shipped birds. There is enough local demand, people nearby ask for my birds, they practically sell themselves.
I need to start writing a wait list down, lol.
But that was a special case. Welsummer bantams are a harder sell (unless you drive to a poultry swap, which is only worth it in swap season and if you have a large quantity to get rid of) and she requested it specifically. So it wasn’t a hard decision to get rid of an extra cockerel.

 

[kurby22]

He passed in January. It won’t affect my project, he was a pet.

Ohh maybe I remember you saying that now. Regardless I’m sorry for your loss and love your sketch of him!