CSU - Chicken State University- Large Fowl SOP

[Yellow House Farm]

Could you expand on the problems with raising cockerals and pullets together and at which age do you separate them?

Separate them as soon as you can, but certainly at 8 weeks. The males harass the females. They chase them, sometimes try to mount them, sometimes annoyingly, sometimes aggressively. They hog the feeders. It's generally not a good seen. The females being present agitates the males and makes them more prone to spar. Feathers are lost. Diets are disrupted. Peace is broken. In short, nothing comes out as it should.

PS: They might even start picking which often leads to tailessness and sometimes death.

 

[3riverschick]

Quote:

x2

 

[aveca]

i think they have evolved a bit maybe or just artistic licence..i make everything from place cards and ornaments to letterheads out of these old beauties..most are not copy write if they are very old..but some were purchased..and copy write for logos..

I love that picture -- look at that low tailset. Wonder if his is on center?

 

[aveca]

Only the Eclectus Parrot breaks this rule that I know of. For a long time people assumed that the males and females were 2 different species. Nope. The Male Eclectus is plain green with a light beak. The female has the color...Brilliant Scarlet with blue/ purple iridescence, and a black beak.In this species the female is the aggressive one. The Black Widow of the parrot world.

interesting..there iz an exception to every rule..

 

[aveca]

it was advise from a freind in europe via email....when i was choosing birds to put together last year..i felt a little overwelmed ..this hen? that hens color? he said the cobby wide female good tail, good body depth, skip the other hen ..body not quite as good rooster will little for this..it was all interesting..males must be good too..in the end , the weasles chose for me they took out a lot of birds in one night..luckily that hen wasnt one of them..since fixed that problem..i thought..i will do this for the type for a couple years and see.

Aveca, could you elaborate on your "birds of paradise example" or point me to the thread where this is discussed?

I was just rereading some of YHF posts from 2011 on the dorking thread where he advised growing out cockerals and pullets separate. You never know the wisdom of those words until you don't. I'm not to the point of running in circles yet, but am to the point where husbandry can get sticky. I have a large fenced yard and free range the birds during the day. In my naivity, I thought that would make a difference. I guess you could get away with it if you culled to one or two cockerals at this point, but with the slow growing dorking, that just won't cut it. And especially if you plan to have several breeding pens as a starting point. 50 chicks doesn't seem like many when they hatch, but at about 8 weeks, well, that's a bunch of chickens and that would be in addition to your adults. Time to take up building projects again.

 

[kimberly35042]

Predators are the "wildcard" for sure. Best laid plans and all that!

 

[Zanna]

Separate them as soon as you can, but certainly at 8 weeks. The males harass the females. They chase them, sometimes try to mount them, sometimes annoyingly, sometimes aggressively. They hog the feeders. It's generally not a good seen. The females being present agitates the males and makes them more prone to spar. Feathers are lost. Diets are disrupted. Peace is broken. In short, nothing comes out as it should.

PS: They might even start picking which often leads to tailessness and sometimes death.

Thanks!

 

[3riverschick]

I know we are on Dorkings now. I just have to share this. Been looking for it for over a year.

Perhaps Dorking folk will also find this interesting because the Sussex is so related to the Dorking. Why am I so excited? Clem Watson was one of the 3 great Secretaries of the UK Sussex Poultry Club. ( other 2 were Leo Outram and Sharpe). He was extremely learned on the breed. Yet, his writings are very rare and hard to find.

The Feathered World Year Book and Poultry Keepers' ... 1921.
http://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uc1.b2979304;view=1up;seq=202
Pages 202 thru 209
The Sussex
By Clem Watson.

 

[3riverschick]

Question for Walt:
Hi,
What does the sentence in bold blue below mean? Is this why we see the Dorking and Sussex with their legs standing slanted? Instead of vertical? I don't understand how a fowl could not carry its weight on its legs. Isn't that what legs are for?
Thanks,
Karen

The Feathered World Year Book and Poultry Keepers' ... 1915.
Dorkings and Sussex in America.
By F. L. Platt, Swanton, Ohio, U.S.A.

"To properly present the shape
outlines of the Sussex, a drawing of an ideal male and female has
been done by Artist A. O. Schilling, and the body lines have been
modeled after the Dorking type. It is pretty generally understood
that a good table fowl should have a long body and shanks that
are not rangy, for it should carry its weight upon its body rather
than upon its legs. This principle has been applied to the Sussex
as well as the Dorking by Mr. Schilling.".

 

[fowlman01]

"it should carry its weight upon its body rather
than upon its legs".

I have no idea what that is supposed to mean.

Walt