Bob Blosl's Heritage Large Fowl Thread

[finnfur]

Incandescent bulb restrictions only apply to the 40> 100 watts - at least till 2020 then the government is going to help us again.
I use a heat lamp and wire it to a greenhouse thermostat - they are made for harsh conditions and last a long time . I have not had to replace one.
They save money because the bulb is not burning continuous . I couple it with a regular heat bulb which are available.
http://www.littlegreenhouse.com/accessory/controls.shtml
This is where I get them but they are available from sources.

 

[BarnGoddess01]

Quote: I'm sure I'm not the most experienced hatcher here but I am accumulating some experience. I am not a fan of hatching from pullet eggs. I find the chicks are not as strong constitutionally. I have more issues with curled toes and weak legs. Runts, for sure. Some do seem to grow and catch up but not that many. Chicks hatched from the same girls months later are MUCH superior. So I've concluded hatching from pullets is a bad idea. Not much of value to be gained except knowing they're fertile.

I am also finding that mom gives type and size, skin colour, voice, and temperament. Dad gives the head and feather colour. Combs and egg colour seem to be a blend.

That is interesting Barb... I have been too busy to think of hatching till this month but I did have in the back of my mind that I wanted my girls to be as mature as possible before I hatched any chicks from them. I have made it over the one year mark. Hope the babies will be strong!
This breeding of chickens is not for those looking for quick results huh? Lol

Wise choice, Christie. Forgot to mention, I'm also finding more crossed beaks hatching pullet eggs - and using cockerels on hens. Again, hatching from the same pair months later and beyond, I am getting FAR superior babies with no issues. (Yes, I am addicted to hatching and doing WAY too much of it!!!

)

 

[Robert Blosl]

"Type/size from the female" makes sense to me because many of the cellular characteristics - the mitochondria and other organelles - are inherited through the maternal line. They have their own DNA and they are passed along through the egg itself. The mitochondrial DNA is not affected by the male's DNA. It's directly inherited from the female. Since mitochondria are the energy producers of the cells, and they are inherited only through the female, it makes sense that the female would contribute more to size and metabolism and other body-development-related factors.


Walt what is Mitochondria I must have been asleep in class at the poultry barn.

All I know is the old men from the 1920s felt color had more influence with the male on a colored breed and shape or type was more pulled by the female.

Mr. Reese told me in breeding dairy cattle and R I Reds his 40 years showed the secret was in the hen. Not the pullet.

Harold Tompkins got his top Madison and Boston Garden show birds from a secret breeding family away from his chicken house and main barn. He only consider using hens that where culled from 400 to 600 pullets that went through a molt and then only the top ten of these birds ever made it to his breeding pen.

However, in most line breeding programs ckls and pullets are mated back to their aunts or uncles or mothers and fathers ect. today.

Most people in the USA breed from young birds. When it comes to getting birds from someone like Urch he is trying to do just as the hatcheries do and that is hatch chicks to supply the demand. He most likely don't have a bunch of low producing hens laying around as breeders.

However, you are thinking with logic. Can you see someone farm out ten pullets to Aunt Louise and ten to Aunt Mary then come back in the fall bring them ten more pullets each and take all ten of their hens home to study them then pick out the females for the breeding season. If only we had stable good chicken people we could trust to do such a thing this would really help a breeder reach his or her best. My experience farming out birds has been bad. Heck selling to beginners I got two out of 150 who stuck with it in 20 years. So for each their own. Its hard to be a good breeder to the standard. Then ad a complicated color pattern on top of it.

Give these Javas time to mature as eye color and feet color should be made when they reach maturity. Some breeds get better when they are 18 months of age. Some when they get that age don't look like what they where when they where ten months old. That is the secret Harold Tompkins used as if they did not keep that fountain of youth look he would not breed from them. They also had to lay about 200 eggs per pullet year to make it through the winter or as breeders. He made a lot of money with his egg and chick trade so they had to produce just like his cows did giving milk.

 

[MagicChicken]

Mr. Reese told me in breeding dairy cattle and R I Reds his 40 years showed the secret was in the hen. Not the pullet.

Just had a light bulb moment. Thanks, Bob!

Sarah

 

[thedragonlady]

At 12 weeks most of the Java youngsters are already larger than my laying hens. Three of the five known pullets are still a little smaller than the smallest laying hen, but not by much. When I say these pullets are small, it is relative to the rest of their siblings. Javas should be larger than a standard-bred Rhode Island Red at maturity. When these birds mature even the runty ones are going to make the cross-bred laying hens look small. But they may still be undersized per the standard. Won't know for sure until several months from now.

They're already getting most of those feed supplements, but not in that quantity and not soaked. Will have to experiment some more.

I've always admired the birds in your photos

Sarah

Thank you ! I do not believe that my avatar's pullet laying 2-3 months earlier than her mother's flock was just luck. All her sisters, hatched, and raised by me as chicks, did also. Orps are a notoriously slow maturing breed. I find that it depends on the feeding / worming program. I have given chicks to friends who did not follow my feeding / worming program, and the difference at 6 mos. was remarkable.Those birds were half the size of mine, and did not lay until 9-10 months of age. They also matured 2 + lbs smaller.

Try the soaked grains with Calf Manna ! Let me know....

 

[Yard full o' rocks]

Thank you ! I do not believe that my avatar's pullet laying 2-3 months earlier than her mother's flock was just luck. All her sisters, hatched, and raised by me as chicks, did also. Orps are a notoriously slow maturing breed. I find that it depends on the feeding / worming program. I have given chicks to friends who did not follow my feeding / worming program, and the difference at 6 mos. was remarkable.Those birds were half the size of mine, and did not lay until 9-10 months of age. They also matured 2 + lbs smaller.

Try the soaked grains with Calf Manna ! Let me know....

Vickie

I've been using your grains and calf manna program, but feeding it to them straight since they were about 10 weeks old...no soaking it. Since I travel so much, the boys tend to the birds for me so I try to keep it simple. I mixed 2 50# bags of 22% layer, 1/2 a bag(50#) each of whole oats and of calf manna to the barrel and thats what they've been getting daily. I can see an improvement in size for sure compared to last year. Hoping they don't mature too quickly (egg laying) but rather have time to fill out the frames I'm seeing right now....I have 3 cockerels right now that are 1/3 larger than the rest of their hatchmates. PRAYING for a big, full chested male this year

Looks like bad weather headed in to the SE for late Thursday and Thursday night....everyone be careful

 

[thedragonlady]

Vickie

I've been using your grains and calf manna program, but feeding it to them straight since they were about 10 weeks old...no soaking it. Since I travel so much, the boys tend to the birds for me so I try to keep it simple. I mixed 2 50# bags of 22% layer, 1/2 a bag(50#) each of whole oats and of calf manna to the barrel and thats what they've been getting daily. I can see an improvement in size for sure compared to last year. Hoping they don't mature too quickly (egg laying) but rather have time to fill out the frames I'm seeing right now....I have 3 cockerels right now that are 1/3 larger than the rest of their hatchmates. PRAYING for a big, full chested male this year

Looks like bad weather headed in to the SE for late Thursday and Thursday night....everyone be careful

Glad it's working for you too ! If you can get the kids to put a scoop of CM , Oats, scratch, each in a bucket at night, and soak it...just the grains, then add it in a pan. Watch them grow ! This WILL put the deep chests and bodies on those boys. And keep worming on a regular basis !.

 

[tazcat70]

So what protein % does everyone recommend for feeding heritage birds?

 

[kathyinmo]

I've been using your grains and calf manna program, but feeding it to them straight since they were about 10 weeks old...no soaking it. Since I travel so much, the boys tend to the birds for me so I try to keep it simple. I mixed 2 50# bags of 22% layer, 1/2 a bag(50#) each of whole oats and of calf manna to the barrel and thats what they've been getting daily. I can see an improvement in size for sure compared to last year. Hoping they don't mature too quickly (egg laying) but rather have time to fill out the frames I'm seeing right now....I have 3 cockerels right now that are 1/3 larger than the rest of their hatchmates. PRAYING for a big, full chested male this year

You have 22% layer feed? Ours is only 16% here.
Calf Manna is like - 28% isn't it?
You use that high of protein feed all the time?

 

[kathyinmo]

So what protein % does everyone recommend for feeding heritage birds?

I try to stay around 20%, and not go any higher.
I believe too high protein causes issues. I could be wrong, I dunno....
In my experience - I had at least 4 cock birds with gout and 1 with some kinda weird leg issues. I felt it was because I was feeding too much protein.