Heritage Large Fowl Thread - Page 513

12 weeks old now and time for some photos.  As I am no photographer, nor own a good camera, they do not do the birds justice, but for those who love to see heritage birds along their line of development, enjoy.

Slow growing, now those are the right kind of barred rocks. Awesome. If you can share whose strain of BR's did you get them from?

After seeing these, it reminds me that I should get some new pics of my wyandottes. It is so suffering hot, I will have to try one morning sometime.

Quote:

Originally Posted by 7961 

Slow growing, now those are the right kind of barred rocks. Awesome. If you can share whose strain of BR's did you get them from?

 

After seeing these, it reminds me that I should get some new pics of my wyandottes. It is so suffering hot, I will have to try one morning sometime.

These BRs were from KathyinMO who got them from Good Shepherd, I do believe, but she can correct me if I'm wrong.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fred's Hens 

 

These BRs were from KathyinMO who got them from Good Shepherd, I do believe, but she can correct me if I'm wrong.

Mrs. Kathy's Barred rocks are out of the Good Shepard strain she got them from Jeremy(j-whip) who had originally got them from Good Shepard poultry farm.

I have 6 boys I got from her which are now 10 months old and still growing them out to see which I want to keep out of them. I did not end up with any pullets out of that bunch but I recently purchased 6 pullets from Matt1616 which his GSBR are also from Jeremy too. They are all sure some pretty birds though, and I can't wait till they begin laying so I can start hatching some out of my group.

Jeff

Fred's Hens...

Is that crabgrass your beautiful birds are on?  I just thought about how tough it is kill crabgrass and wondered if it could survive chickens grazing and scratching? 

I have absolutely NO grass here.  I live in the high desert at about 3700 feet and my soil is largely alkali.  Does anyone have any experience growing a tough grass in this type of soil?  Also, high clay.  Can crabgrass survive chickens?
 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lacy Blues 

Fred's Hens...

 

Is that crabgrass your beautiful birds are on?  I just thought about how tough it is kill crabgrass and wondered if it could survive chickens grazing and scratching? 

 

I have absolutely NO grass here.  I live in the high desert at about 3700 feet and my soil is largely alkali.  Does anyone have any experience growing a tough grass in this type of soil?  Also, high clay.  Can crabgrass survive chickens?
 

Our grass is also dead.  What you see is some Kentucky31 tall fescue, which is tough stuff, but it is the only green patch left on the property.  LOL

This is the area, by the hose spigot where we fill waterers and do other cleaning jobs and so forth.  It gets over sprayed with regularly, so it remains green.  It's also on the northeast corner of the house, so it stays shaded a lot of the day.  

Quote:

Originally Posted by catdaddyfro 

Mrs. Kathy's Barred rocks are out of the Good Shepard strain she got them from Jeremy(j-whip) who had originally got them from Good Shepard poultry farm.

I have 6 boys I got from her which are now 10 months old and still growing them out to see which I want to keep out of them. I did not end up with any pullets out of that bunch but I recently purchased 6 pullets from Matt1616 which his GSBR are also from Jeremy too. They are all sure some pretty birds though, and I can't wait till they begin laying so I can start hatching some out of my group.

 

Jeff

Jeff, I got 50/50 from Kathy.  We'll cull the cockerels down to just two or three in January or February, before next spring's breeding.  I am also very curious as to the laying ability and will be monitoring that closely.  I'm not even looking for POL until Labor Day at the earliest.  We have so many people who want chicks, on an ever growing waiting list, but we're going to be years building up the flock before we have enough.  

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fred's Hens 

 

Jeff, I got 50/50 from Kathy.  We'll cull the cockerels down to just two or three in January or February, before next spring's breeding.  I am also very curious as to the laying ability and will be monitoring that closely.  I'm not even looking for POL until Labor Day at the earliest.  We have so many people who want chicks, on an ever growing waiting list, but we're going to be years building up the flock before we have enough.  

Yeah Fred watch those boys for a LOOOONNNG time before deciding to cull too early. Some that didn't even catch my eye 3/4 months ago are looking better now and they are going on 11 mo. old so you see they all don't mature so early also too I noticed to watch out for the subordinate ones as they need to be removed from the bossy ones I learned this too and they will come on later. I still like to go with the earliest maturing ones but I tell you once you see what some of the (lesser) ones turn into it just throws a whole new wrench into the box. LOL

This is my first go around with pure heritage types and I too am learning a great deal of differences in the way to go about raising these guys up too. I have these GSBRs, German New Hampshires, Rhode island Reds(Horstman) and will be making my own version of Delawares like Mrs. Kathy has done. I've got the F1 stock from her out of the group of breeders she used to get her start. Now I'm awaiting cooler temps here to get started on that project This sure is FUN, time consuming/$$$ but... fun no less LOL

Jeff

Yes, I've been fore-warned on the late blooming cockerels.  We won't use any of them in the breeding pens until they've blown out the single candle on their birthday cake.

That said, one or two are indeed on the runt size.  We've never seen a runt suddenly become tall.  I dunno.  We shall see.  We've got until next spring to judge all this.  No hurrying.  These birds don't hurry anything.  We've got to slow down everything in our own perspectives to match them. 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lacy Blues 

Fred's Hens...

 

Is that crabgrass your beautiful birds are on?  I just thought about how tough it is kill crabgrass and wondered if it could survive chickens grazing and scratching? 

 

I have absolutely NO grass here.  I live in the high desert at about 3700 feet and my soil is largely alkali.  Does anyone have any experience growing a tough grass in this type of soil?  Also, high clay.  Can crabgrass survive chickens?
 

 I have a mixture of grasses in my orchard where my Buff Os range. I top seed with Crimson Clover in the fall to add nitrogen so that the mix of fescue, centipede and crabgrass will grow  well . Common Bermuda is something you might try. I use it to make a very tough mat of runners to keep the critters from destroying the roots of all the other grasses in high traffic areas.Bermuda is tough. It will grow in, and over concrete.