A Barbezieux Thread.

[Cody A]

Hello to all that are raising Barbezieux.

This is an open discussion thread and is a work in progress for raising Barbezieux as meat birds.
Anyone is welcome to join in the discussion. I've only been raising chickens for a year so I'm a bit of a newb.

My plan is to eventually spiral breed also known as clan mating.

 

[Cody A]

I received my first Barb chicks on July 20.



Sept 23rd. Two months old.
By looking closely at the combs you can spot the males and females.
From two straight runs I have 10 pullets and 14 cockerels.


Oct. 29. Three months old.
Not long after the photo above I separated the cockerels and pullets to reduce stress and competition for food.

 

[Cody A]

Reserved for future post.

 

[Cody A]

Reserved.

 

[Cody A]

At this time I'm not keeping records on weights. I like what I see as far as growth rate at 12 weeks. I'm hoping by 18-20 weeks they make decent carcass weight.

 

[Ron Skekel]

I wanna hear from someone who has tasted them. I'll have to look up there age. Yours are in the awkward stage. Mine are starting to get tall and personallity.These aren't up to date but the last ones I've taken.
[I

 

[varidgerunner]

Had to go look them up. According to Greenfire they are the tallest chicken native to Europe. Didn't know that any chickens were native to Europe. According to Wikipedia, Minorcans were shown in France under the name Barbezieux. How big do they get? Found an old book on google that said they made a four pound plus carcass at six months old but they ate less than cochins.

 

[Kev]

I wanna hear from someone who has tasted them. I'll have to look up there age. Yours are in the awkward stage. Mine are starting to get tall and personallity.These aren't up to date but the last ones I've taken.
[I

?? that bird has a crest.... thought they were a non-crested breed?

 

[chonsey]

I'm considering ordering some Barbezieuz eggs to hatch out, however; I noticed they have very large combs and don't know if they could handle a Michigan winter. If you are raising them for tasty chicken meat, you may want to research what to feed them. I heard there was someone in the Michigan Upper Penninsula that grows certain grasses to feed her chickens to give them a certain flavor.
What are their dispositions like? Started out with a few small Brahmas, just hatched four chicks. I'm considering them because they are so large and I like how their feathers reflect green and purple hues in the sun!

Update: put some Barbezieuz eggs in the incubator - found someone who suggested to make a cave out of wire and put a heating pad over it in the brooder. We're having an indian summer in southeast Michigan, so I'm taking advantage of the mild weather. Bought a Chicken heating mat from TSC the other day, so they'll have more than one way to warm up in the brooder! Transforming a closet in my chicken pen into an area for the little ones to get them through the winter.

 

[varidgerunner]

How large are they?