The Big R Ranch

12/24/2022

Well, they're here...

12/18/2022

Wanted to share this...
My breeding "Bengal" male (Grey Jungle fowl/Domestic Hybrid, approx. 43.75% Grey Jungle fowl), to me, it sounds like a Ringneck Pheasant s crow but, at a Chicken Roosters cadence. I've been wanting to sn**ch a recording of it for awhile and haven't had any luck.

This afternoon the sun came out so he's putting on a crowing demonstration. Check it out and let me know what y'all think.

12/03/2022

Underdog: Stacked up against 11 coyotes, herd dog kills 8 to save sheep in Decatur neighborhood

I often advocate LGDs (Livestock Guardian Dogs) for those who have a little property and outside livestock. This story is a prime example of why.

One Great Pyrenees took on a pack of 11 hungry coyotes and killed 8 of them before the other 3 fled.

There are issues here... Why didn't the other two engage? Did they stay with the flock to watch for a secondary attack? Were they fenced and unable to get to the Hero and assist? Were they cowards? I don't know. Why did the owner stand there and film the THIRTY MINUTE fight and not help? That's a BIG problem with me.

But, those issues aside, this dog did, essentially the impossible to protect it's charges.

If you have issues with loose dogs, coyotes, foxes, racoons, minks etc. getting to your birds, and you live outside of a neighborhood (these guys are up all night and bark a LOT), it is not a good idea to not have one of these 24-7-365, all weather, outdoor guardians.

Little did these coyotes know they were up against Casper.

11/26/2022

In Search of New Coops...

3 Indian Game/Dark Cornish Game Bantams.

Approx four months old. Two pullets, pet quality (wrong comb) 2️⃣0️⃣ea. Male is 🆓, if wanted, with the pullets.

Located in Caldwell. Local PU only, FCFS.

11/24/2022

Happy Thanksgiving from The Big R Ranch!

11/06/2022

Our protectors enjoying Fridays snow.

11/05/2022

10/31/2022

10/13/2022

37.5% Grey Jungle Fowl Male in need of a home

This little guy is an F2 Grey Jungle Fowl hybrid (Bengal) from Will Lawrence. His general appearance isnt going to line up for my future breeding projects. Im hoping to find a home for him with someone interested in working with the Jungle Fowl blood. This guy has too much genetic value to end up in a stew pot or, just running loose on a farm.

If anyone is interested, please PM.

10/10/2022

Our Grandson in Mississippi tending to his chickens.

10/09/2022

One of our F1 Pumpkin Legbar hens went broody a couple weeks ago. So last Sunday night I stuck 5 EE eggs under her, all 5 hatched and she took them out exploring this afternoon.

09/22/2022

Rehomed

09/17/2022

Rehomed

09/11/2022

Wanted to share a couple Pumpkin Legbar project birds I'm growing out for next year. These are BC1 (2nd generation) Autosexing is already established. 2 young males and a female. One or both males will be placed over Golden Crele Legbar hens for the next mating. The female will likely end up in the sexlinked Olive Egger pen.

09/11/2022

Wanted to share some pix of my Grey and Ceylon hybrids. This spring I got some eggs from Will Lawrence and hatched these out.

Birds are bundled in 3 picture groups, front-profile-top. The first four are males,1-4 as listed, the last two are the pullets and the final pic is the group (along with an IBBS chick) moved into their new covered housing.

I shared the pix with Will this morning for some feedback from him on likely lineage. The belief is 1 and 2 are just under 50% Grey Jungle Fowl, Will suspect 1 will have Eclipse plumage and states 2 is the best marked male hatched this season. 3 is either 25% Ceylon and 12.5% Grey or, about 1/3 Ceylon. 4 is about 1/3 Grey. The females are F2 Bengals so somewhere between 1/3-1/2 Grey. Final pic is them moved into their new covered pen (don't mind the IBBS chick in with them).

My goal moving forward with them is to try and get the phenotype of a Grey Jungle "Faux". In my climate (S/W Idaho) we get substantial winters and Grey's, Ceylons and Green won't survive the winters here without heating housing. However, the domestic bred into them makes them more cold hardy (per Will and my research). I'd like to eventually breed them to as close in appearance to a Grey JF as I can but, can withstand my winters.

Since I have the two pullets, I will put them in a breeding trio. At this point I'm leaning heavily towards male 2 with male 1 being a close second. However, they'll need to fully mature before I can make a solid decision.

I really like male 3 and intend to keep him either as just a pet or, perhaps for some fun projects (I have some F1 Pumpkin Legbar project hens (Golden Crele Legbar father over 2 copy Pumpkin Hulsey hens)) that may make some fun offspring, and sexlinked to boot.

Male number 4 is likely one I won't have a use for, unless something were to happen to males 1 and 2. If there is anyone in this group in the S/W Idaho area who may be interested in him, please hit me up. Id love to see someone else use him if I don't.

09/10/2022

🐥 s Available

PENDING
2, one week old Easter Egger Pullets. These are satins from my Autosexing silkie project. Blue/Green layers. 8️⃣Ea.

Located in Caldwell, local P/U only.

09/02/2022

Rehomed

08/26/2022

Set some WelBar eggs this evening, these are some HEAVILY bloomed eggs! Underneath those blooms were some quite respectable shades and glorious speckling! These guys should be fun for making near green speckled and bloomed layers!

Pic 1 the eggs as they look
Pic 2 eggs were wetted to show what they look like under the bloom
Pic 3 the WelBars.

08/21/2022

Late Season Incubating Orbs...

We're done hatching for the season (we'll have some breeder/project hatches but, more on that in a bit ...) but, we do have hatching 🥚 s for those looking to do some late season hatching/giving a broody something to do!

What we have...
Sexlinked Olive and Cocoa Eggers.
These may be Black, Blue or Pumpkin in color, some may be tufted! Most will lay olive eggs but, cocoa eggs are possible.

Autosexing Easter Eggers
May be straight or frizzled feathered, Black, Blue or Pumpkin in color. Will lay blue, blue-green or light green eggs.

Blue Golden Crele Legbars
Autosexing blue layers. Blue Golden Crele or, Golden Crele in color.

Hatching eggs are 3️⃣ea or, 3️⃣0️⃣ per dozen. Due to heat, local PU in Caldwell only.

About the chicks...
Starting next weekend and carrying on for the next several weeks, we will have VERY limited numbers of chicks available. We are hatching for next year's breeding stock and will have extras or/and chicks not carrying the proper traits to use for breeding.

Each week we will have limited numbers of Easter Eggers available. They will be straight run and 1️⃣ea.

In about 3 weeks we MAY have some Blue Golden Crele/Golden Crele Legbar pullets available. If available, they will be 8️⃣ea.

In 5 weeks + we will have WelBar pullets available, 8️⃣ea.

Starting in about 2-3 weeks, we MAY have some sexed EE pullets available, 8️⃣ea.

Keep an eye 👀 out for the posts! If you're interested in hatching 🥚 s, PM for info!

08/10/2022

A couple of our WelBars have started laying!
(The egg on the left in each pic is the same egg. The hen that lays it is a heavy bloomer)

These aren't as dark as Marans eggs but, seem like they're going to be reasonably dark and either bloomed or speckled (which was the real hope) eggs.

Many folks mistakenly believe that Welsummers are Autosexing (they're not but, MAY be sexable by another mechanism that is a part of Autosexing), as information is often mixed up and spread through the poultry community. The WelBar IS the Autosexing cousin to the Welsummer. They're quite similar in appearance to a Welsummer but, with barring like a Bielefelder.

We've recently started up our incubators again to hatch some of our project stuff. Since the WelBar girls are laying, would folks be interested in some late summer early fall hatches for them?

07/31/2022

2 new layers came online today.

The first two pix are the same egg. From one of our 6 WelBar pullets (Autosexing cousin of the Welsummer). Overall, I find the egg to be a bit underwhelming. The bloom is nice and heavy, if the white speckled bloom stays as she continues to lay, not all is lost. When wet, there's a slight tempering of speckling on the pointing end of the egg.

Overall, I was hoping for more of a terracotta egg. But, it's a first egg and a first egg from 6 females. So all hope is not lost!

The blue egg (it washed out bad in the pic!) is from our next gen of Frizzled EEs. This gen will toss me a LOT of unusable offspring (keep an eye out for cheap SR chicks in a few weeks and a few sexed pullets). But, it will lead to the Autosexing offspring I desire! Along with all the fun and funky traits like tufts and crests and frizzles and beards!

07/30/2022

One of our customers Frizzled Olive Eggers (spring hatch) have started laying!

07/27/2022

07/08/2022

ALL CURRENTLY PENDING...

few Pullets looking for new homes...

2 Legbar/Silkie mixes, they are at point of lay and should start laying anytime. Blue layers.

1 brown leghorn pullet, twelve weeks old from Sandhill Preservation Society. White layer.

3 frizzled Easter Egger Pullets (from a project breeding), three weeks, still in brooder but, haven't been using heat plate. Blue layers.

Located in Caldwell, FCFS.

07/06/2022

NickFreitas3.0 on TikTok

NickFreitas3.0 on TikTok

Chicken Math

07/04/2022

Happy Independence Day!
-The Big R Ranch.

06/21/2022

06/19/2022

Happy Father's Day to all the Dad's!
From The Big R Ranch

06/18/2022

PENDING

06/16/2022

06/11/2022

The winner is!!??? Lori Simpson

06/11/2022

Effective Immediately:
Avian Influenza protection protocols...

We will not allow any bird related visitors in the bird yard (we really haven't allowed this any for several years anyway). But, we will not allow folks into the shop where chicks are brooded.

If you get chicks from us, they will be boxed and brought to you outside the shop. We would ask that you remain in your vehicle.

06/06/2022

06/03/2022

Please see our most current post!

05/27/2022

PLEASE SEE OUR NEWEST POST.

Effective Immediately:
Avian Influenza protection protocols...

We will not allow any bird related visitors in the bird yard (we really haven't allowed this any for several years anyway). But, we will not allow folks into the shop where chicks are brooded.

If you get chicks from us, they will be boxed and brought to you outside the shop. We would ask that you remain in your vehicle.

05/27/2022

Look at these purdy second generation Pumpkin Legbar project chicks! You can see the visual differnce in the Pumpkin expression from the standard Golden Crele chicks!