A Barbezieux Thread.

[cutipatooti]

they can either have a big upright comb or a comical one both are ok, there is no standard. i love the hens with the big flopped over combs. similar to dorkings.
i look for leg issues and spine issue, with such long quick growing legs and bodies you want them straight and sturdy.
the males are especially awkward young with the long legs and can be injured easily.


i crossed a bresse with one recently will find out in a few months how it works out. also one crossed to an isbar and it came out beautiful. both will improve on their laying ability i think.

i also just started two on turkey starter for their first 9 weeks to see if it gives them a boost  - friends have had good luck with this for 'wilder' birds like these.

also make sure when you process them to make stock from the head and feet separately. there is so much gelatin in them, more than any breed i have ever seen. you can get 4 qts from a head and feet alone (a little vinegar, cover with water, bring to boil then turn to low for 24 hrs). then another 4 from the carcass later.

Thanks again for the info. When it comes time to process I will be asking for recipes. I'm not accustomed to cooking with heritage chicken yet.

 

[Cody A]

My Barbs are 9.5 months old and are still quite flighty although their demeanor varies from bird to bird. The girls started laying at 6 months and have not slowed down yet. The eggs are small to medium in size. One of them has been broody for a couple months now. The males and females are still separated with the females on 'Scratch-n-Peck" layer and the males still on the grower. I haven't noticed any feather eating in my birds. I had one male recently show leg issues- it sits on it's haunches like it can't stand for long periods of time-but it seems healthy otherwise and has made the cull list.

I still haven't butchered any but when I do I'll post weights and pictures.

 

[guzman08]

I am curious as to why you are waitn

 

[Cody A]

Hi Guzman. If your asking why I'm waiting to butcher or cull down to my picks for breeding. I've read some breeders wait a year or two to pick their breeders because health issues can pop up as the birds mature. For example the male I posted about with leg issues just popped up in the last couple weeks. He was one of the biggest, best looking males and also less flighty than the others. Unfortunately he will need to be culled. I don't know the reason he's having leg problems but if it's genetics then I don't want them to be passed down.

I'm relatively new to keeping chooks and am always open to advice and input from more experienced folks than me.

 

[guzman08]

I had 3 roosters with 8 hens about 2 months ago. They were around 5 months old. The three males got along great and showed no aggression towards each other. I planned on letting them grow so that I could select the best male.
Every time I would feed them, the males pushed the females out of the way so that they could eat first. Even though they were breeding with the females, they would not call them to eat. I kept them for a while longer until I noticed they were very rough with the females. Not only were they becoming bare on their backs, but they started showing brusing around the eyes and head.
I was keeping them longer becasue I wanted to keep the largest male but decided to keep the male that was "nicest" to the females.

 

[StephWind]

I have 5 boys and 5 girls that hatched 12/27/15 and I am trying to decide which 2 boys to keep. The largest 2 had floppy combs when younger, but they are coming up nicely in the last week or two. My birds are fed all organic, non-GMO feed (Modesto brand) and had been on starter/grower until about 2 weeks ago, when I switched them to a finisher pellet. The girls are starting to get very red combs now, so I put a nesting box in with them a few days ago. I want to cull a few of the boys soon though, so the girls don't get beaten up.

 

[Cody A]

Guzman. I'd been contemplating putting a cockerel in with the pullets. After reading your post yesterday I put one of them in with the pullets for a test run to see how things go.
I'll probably be doing the first culling on the cockerels soon so I don't have to keep feeding all the extra mouths.

Welcome to the thread Steph. Thanks for posting pics.

 

[StephWind]

One of the girls This one has been singing an egg song, but no eggs yet....

 

[guzman08]

Cody A, your situation may be different from mine. Their coop is really small compared to their size. I have them in the city and do not let them free range (afraid of complaints if they start flying into neighbor yards). Now that I only have 1 rooster, they seem happier and are laying everyday.

I wish I knew about the darker meat- I am not fond of it.

 

[madriver]

i hope this is ok. i scanned a picture from a cookbook from "La ferme de la Ruchotte" reported to serve the best chicken in France..

i was thrilled to see how they looked just like my own, hens with big floppy combs and rectangular bodies.