Chicken Breed Focus - Maline

[3riverschick]

My Malines are 4 and 5 1/2 months of age. I picked up my largest boy and one of my larger girls today and realized that they are thin - not nice and plump like I expected them to be. I feed organic feed from Modesto and they have free choice access to their feed. They do free range, but it's not like they go far or fast. Everyone is healthy - no illness at all (most were tested by the NPIP testing program just a few weeks ago). What do I need to change? I will absolutely stay organic with their feed, but really need them to grow properly if I am going to be able to use them for meat eventually.

Hi, Re you feeding them meatbird diet? This breed is like a super sussex. Huge, heavy. Should be faster maturing. Yup 5 lbs. At 14 weeks. Up to 12 lbs. Later on for pullets and 16 lbs. For cockerels. The ones I have seen so far seem weedy in comparison. I know, it takes time to bring a breed back. And there is the border unfortunately separating gene pool. Reads like the birds are growing bone not adding flesh. Maybe check and see what Yellow house farm is feeding his white dorkings. Best, Karen

 

[3riverschick]

And perhaps this breed needs to be finished off like the Sussex with a fattening gruel. I read that done in some of the early Malines lit.

 

[3riverschick]

Just checked the net. Slew of lit on fattening Malines. In France the Bresse, in England the sussex, in Belgium the Malines. Compare notes on all three historically fattening breeds and use to breed Malines. That's what I am doing with sussex. Also check out trunorth heritage hatchery in British Columbia , can. Website with great blog. They breed utility light Sussex using population genetics. Lots of helpful info from Emily there on bringing back a meat breed.

 

[Our Roost]

I will express my feelings on Malines as I have been working with them and still own a couple. At first the birds I hatched were nice and plump and after 2 generations they started to die off and became smaller in size and weight. I needed another bloodline and it wasn't available as my source would no longer ship eggs across international borders. I don't think its your feed and would say your bloodline has been stressed and is seeing signs of over breeding within. There has to be more bloodlines brought in from Europe to strengthen this strain within the U.S. Check with source you purchased them from to inquire how many bloodlines they have and how they bred their stock. Betting they are trying to extend the life of breed using a long life breeding plan using one bloodline. Just my guess. Take it for what it is worth.

 

[JayColli]

​I will express my feelings on Malines as I have been working with them and still own a couple. At first the birds I hatched were nice and plump and after 2 generations they started to die off and became smaller in size and weight. I needed another bloodline and it wasn't available as my source would no longer ship eggs across international borders. I don't think its your feed and would say your bloodline has been stressed and is seeing signs of over breeding within. There has to be more bloodlines brought in from Europe to strengthen this strain within the U.S. Check with source you purchased them from to inquire how many bloodlines they have and how they bred their stock. Betting they are trying to extend the life of breed using a long life breeding plan using one bloodline. Just my guess. Take it for what it is worth.

Are you line breeding? I can see how it would be discouraging to have declining returns with only a very small gene pool to work with, it's something that I'm concerned about as well. I'm hoping to see the breed through these "growing pains" and eventually as more lines are imported there should be a fair amount of genetic diversity to be shared amongst breeders.

 

[3riverschick]

If you have related strains..And live at least 500 miles apart ...And have been breeding your pure flock for at least 5years, swap birds and breed them together. It'll be more like a line breeding than an inbreeding because of the differences in climate, management, and breeding decisions. This is breeding advice from Walt Leonard and Bob Blosl, both of whom practiced it successfully. Best, Karen

 

[JayColli]

If you have related strains..And live at least 500 miles apart ...And have been breeding your pure flock for at least 5years, swap birds and breed them together. It'll be more like a line breeding than an inbreeding because of the differences in climate, management, and breeding decisions. This is breeding advice from Walt Leonard and Bob Blosl, both of whom practiced it successfully. Best, Karen

Good point! Even if both breeders are working towards the same goal those regional differences will encourage diversification based on regional conditions. I'm getting my Malines from Ontario (about 2000 Kms away) but hope to add new blood from local stock next year. Fingers crossed for some renewed vigour!

 

[NanaKat]

If you have related strains..And live at least 500 miles apart ...And have been breeding your pure flock for at least 5years, swap birds and breed them together. It'll be more like a line breeding than an inbreeding because of the differences in climate, management, and breeding decisions. This is breeding advice from Walt Leonard and Bob Blosl, both of whom practiced it successfully. Best, Karen

Excellent recommendation for any pure flock of any specific breed.

 

[Our Roost]

So when you find some recently imported , let us all know as there isn't any!! Line breeding is only extending life until you find another bloodline. Its not a permanent fix. To those of you living in the Canadian province, you have more bloodlines than the U.S. does. You will be much more sucessful with these birds unless we can share stock across borders.

 

[JayColli]

​So when you find some recently imported , let us all know as there isn't any!! Line breeding is only extending life until you find another bloodline. Its not a permanent fix. To those of you living in the Canadian province, you have more bloodlines than the U.S. does. You will be much more sucessful with these birds unless we can share stock across borders.

We're fairly close to Maine so I'd love to do an egg exchange with another Malines keeper once I have some to offer but in order to import hatching eggs they require vet certification and I don't think I'd want to know how much that's cost!