Bob Blosl's Heritage Large Fowl Thread

[Lacy Blues]

This is the wing of a pullet who hasn't even come into lay yet.

 

[toodlesmom]

I cull my Light Sussex at 6 months. I have 12 pullets from a proven show line and need to place 5. They are not breedable because they are already inbred and fail in critical show points. From a 1/2 bro to 1/2 sis breeding. Looking to place them in an egg flock where they can look lovely in someone's small flock. They are the quality equivalent of a real nicely bred pet purebred puppy. All my Light Sussex are gentle and curious, crowding around my feet when I come to the coop.
My entire foundation trio is NPIP including the pullets' parents.
I am doing an outcross next year and then will have started birds for sale from that breeding. These pullets are near point of lay and should start laying in Nov. Their dam is my best layer. Has never gone broody and several times has laid 2 eggs in 36 hours. Her 1/2 sister is my avatar.
Best,
Karen
Waterford English Light Sussex ( exclusively)
in western PA, USA

Hello, Karen! I saw Ligonier as your hometown and thought I had found my Sussex, then saw it was Ligonier PA, not IN! Who knew there were two! Your Sussex sound just beautifully right for me, but I know I can't get to PA to fetch them home. I suppose they could hitch out here, if they only had thumbs! Don't suppose your sweet girls would want to be shipped? Will you be at the National Show in Ohio in November? - Sally

 

[RedRidge]

That last photo looks like a turkey vulture. If it is, it's no threat to your live chickens.

No offense, but this is totally untrue statement.
The turkey vulture problem here is tremendous. And they hunt both day and night!

In addition to doing hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of damage to the rubber on boat trailers and cars (bumpers, wipers, etc), they take down live animals all the time. We have 2 dairy within an hour of us who have had severe problems with turkey vultures taking down and killing live newborn calves... starting with the eyes.
Another friend outside of Nashville lost more than 60 newborn lambs last year... that he's aware of, probably more... as they were being born.
He now has livestock guardian dogs (as opposed to the llamas he had before). Llamas work well against ground predation but they do not look up.
Turkey vultures will swoop in and grab small animals right from under a llama's nose.
As far as chicks and chickens... they are easy pickin's and simply a quick snack if they don't have protection.

I have lost many chickens and lambs to turkey vultures...
Since I switched to maremma I have not lost ONE!

I can free range and not have to lock up coops at night and I can lamb on pasture with no worries.
No sleep lost here and no livestock lost here.
But those boat trailers and cars? They are less than 30 minutes from me and the state and wildlife folks are on their 3rd year trying to improve that problem.
Until then most folks just cover their cars and trailers with camo netting while they are out on the water.

 

[thedragonlady]

No offense, but this is totally untrue statement.
The turkey vulture problem here is tremendous. And they hunt both day and night!

In addition to doing hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of damage to the rubber on boat trailers and cars (bumpers, wipers, etc), they take down live animals all the time. We have 2 dairy within an hour of us who have had severe problems with turkey vultures taking down and killing live newborn calves... starting with the eyes.
Another friend outside of Nashville lost more than 60 newborn lambs last year... that he's aware of, probably more... as they were being born.
He now has livestock guardian dogs (as opposed to the llamas he had before). Llamas work well against ground predation but they do not look up.
Turkey vultures will swoop in and grab small animals right from under a llama's nose.
As far as chicks and chickens... they are easy pickin's and simply a quick snack if they don't have protection.

I have lost many chickens and lambs to turkey vultures...
Since I switched to maremma I have not lost ONE!

I can free range and not have to lock up coops at night and I can lamb on pasture with no worries.
No sleep lost here and no livestock lost here.
But those boat trailers and cars? They are less than 30 minutes from me and the state and wildlife folks are on their 3rd year trying to improve that problem.
Until then most folks just cover their cars and trailers with camo netting while they are out on the water.

Turkey vultures are a nuisance here too. They will snatch chicks. Some days I have 5 or 6 circling over my wires. If they land in the trees in my orchard, I sit quietly with my 22 magnum loaded with rat shot, and wait. They seem to study the lines and wires, and then leave. I would be cleaned out by them and the Red Tails and eagles without my lines.

 

[juststruttin]

No offense, but this is totally untrue statement.
The turkey vulture problem here is tremendous. And they hunt both day and night!

In addition to doing hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of damage to the rubber on boat trailers and cars (bumpers, wipers, etc), they take down live animals all the time. We have 2 dairy within an hour of us who have had severe problems with turkey vultures taking down and killing live newborn calves... starting with the eyes.
Another friend outside of Nashville lost more than 60 newborn lambs last year... that he's aware of, probably more... as they were being born.
He now has livestock guardian dogs (as opposed to the llamas he had before). Llamas work well against ground predation but they do not look up.
Turkey vultures will swoop in and grab small animals right from under a llama's nose.
As far as chicks and chickens... they are easy pickin's and simply a quick snack if they don't have protection.

I have lost many chickens and lambs to turkey vultures...
Since I switched to maremma I have not lost ONE!

I can free range and not have to lock up coops at night and I can lamb on pasture with no worries.
No sleep lost here and no livestock lost here.
But those boat trailers and cars? They are less than 30 minutes from me and the state and wildlife folks are on their 3rd year trying to improve that problem.
Until then most folks just cover their cars and trailers with camo netting while they are out on the water.

I am very sorry to hear about your past livestock loss. Sounds like your Maremma are doing a good job.

We don't have issues with Turkey Vultures here either but I am aware that they are a big problem in other areas. I find it interesting how different groups of birds/animals can exhibit such differing behavior depending on the environment. I imagine different varieties have different behaviors; but in most cases I think it comes down to learned behavior perhaps past one from generation to generation.

My friends (11 miles away) have terrible time with Ravens tag teaming and killing their chickens and we have zero issues with Ravens here. In fact, I love when I see the Ravens around because that means the Hawks usually are not.

 

[Robert Blosl]

Need help. A person wants a old HERITAGE OLD TIME BREED called Black Minorca's. Their grand mother had some 40 years ago when they where growing up.

Where can a person get a good start of these pretty black chickens.????????????? NO hatcheries please NO EGGS. Just chicks or adult birds.

Look forward to your help. BOB

 

[Lacy Blues]

Rademacher has lovely black minorcas. I'm not sure of the contact info, I'm sure someone will give it.

 

[Wisher1000]

Lacy Blues - I am thinking it might be a matter of grooming. Did you bathe the cockeral before the show? Did he get to spend time alone while drying to groom his feathers back into shape? Maybe the stress of the show caused him to stop grooming and once he was back home, he straightened them back out. As for the pullet, is she spending a lot of time running from a rooster? Maybe she is being picked on. At any rate, other than being nappy (sorry) the feather width looks good.

 

[ronott1]

I am very sorry to hear about your past livestock loss. Sounds like your Maremma are doing a good job.

We don't have issues with Turkey Vultures here either but I am aware that they are a big problem in other areas. I find it interesting how different groups of birds/animals can exhibit such differing behavior depending on the environment. I imagine different varieties have different behaviors; but in most cases I think it comes down to learned behavior perhaps past one from generation to generation.

My friends (11 miles away) have terrible time with Ravens tag teaming and killing their chickens and we have zero issues with Ravens here. In fact, I love when I see the Ravens around because that means the Hawks usually are not.

In California we only have Turkey Vultures. In Tennessee and likely other States near them, they have a different vulture called a Black Vulture. Black Vultures eat little live animals including baby calves. Turkey Vultures are listed as being only Carrion(dead) eaters.

Lucky for us in California.

 

[juststruttin]

In California we only have Turkey Vultures. In Tennessee and likely other States near them, they have a different vulture called a Black Vulture. Black Vultures eat little live animals including baby calves. Turkey Vultures are listed as being only Carrion(dead) eaters.

Lucky for us in California.

Redridge said that are having issues with Turkey Vultures.

I too was under the impression that they only ate dead animals but I have heard of people having issues with them. Personally, I am confident I have never lost any birds to them. I have seen them perched on the fence watching my juvies and watching was all they did. I guess they were hoping one would drop dead so they could swoop in. LOL