Marsh Daisy

[JennieRD]

Thanks...I took an interest in the breed a few years back and did some research in the origins of the breed and how it was developed.  I was considering repeating the steps to create a psudo Marsh Daisy since no Marsh Daisy were in the US at the time and it didn't look like they would going to survive long enough to make it here.  I didn't do the project and they did make it here so I have been following the establishment of the breed in the USA with interest.  It has taken a while to catch on, but looks like it is now ready to take off.

I've been tossing around an idea, if these birds can live as long as most I've been thinking about mini microchiping them! AKC is about to release new mini chips for use in labs and migratory bird experiments, I'd like to be able to effeciently follow their life span and family tree! I hate banding birds as a form of ID. I won't be butchering them only breeding so it would affect my flock. It's just an idea right now

 

[rancher hicks]

Thanks...I took an interest in the breed a few years back and did some research in the origins of the breed and how it was developed. I was considering repeating the steps to create a psudo Marsh Daisy since no Marsh Daisy were in the US at the time and it didn't look like they would going to survive long enough to make it here. I didn't do the project and they did make it here so I have been following the establishment of the breed in the USA with interest. It has taken a while to catch on, but looks like it is now ready to take off.

It's not unheard of to "recreate" a breed. My Delaware are just that. A friend in MO took on the project and I now have her chickens in my flock. Point being don't be discouraged. Give it shot. I personally am too old and have to rely on a much younger folks to untake the adventure.

Don't misunderstand, he has done everything humanly possible with the exception of bringing them into the house. every year he try's different ways to protect them! They wild dogs chew through wood and shred hurricane fence or dig under it, they literally bite Hotwire pulling it down grounding it out The coyotes and dogs climb the coop sides walking on top of wire they are evolving and getting smarter! The only preditor control is a gun!

After dark his kids can't play in the front yard, coyotes try to take kids! He has to carry a gun to walk his old begal after dark, coyotes here will take them while you have them on leash!

You didn't mention where he lives. I only offered my "marking method" since it seems to help me. I got the idea from a movie about wolves. I walk around to different areas of my place in the evening after dark, spritzing the area. The blue jean stapled to the trees hold the smell.

I'm quite certain there would be some serious hunting of wild dogs and coyotes here. We do have coyotes here but it's the fox that I have had to deal with. Heck we've got folks gearing up for a baited deer hunt since there are so many.

 

[GaryDean26]

It's not unheard of to "recreate" a breed. My Delaware are just that. A friend in MO took on the project and I now have her chickens in my flock. Point being don't be discouraged. Give it shot. I personally am too old and have to rely on a much younger folks to untake the adventure.

I am not longer doing breeding projects. I started do them mostly to learn how to breed chickens, but the more and more I learned about breeding chickens the more and more convinced I was that the best way to breed them is to focus on a single breed. I had four breeds and 3 breeding projects I was working on, Coop space was always a premium and so I wasn't able to keep as many cockerels as I wanted and I was always wanting larger grow out groups than what I had room for. I am down to a single breed and it had been nice so far. If I do get the ich to do a breeding project again it will not be a recreation project. Despite there being over 200 recognized breed the world over none of them have all of my favorite traits in one bird. If I were to do a breeding project it would be to create my own breed. That isn't likely to happen any time soon. I already have it all planned out, but am going to stick with the one breed thing for at least a couple of years because that is something I haven't tried yet and I think these is something that I need to learn from it right now.

 

[rancher hicks]

I am not longer doing breeding projects. I started do them mostly to learn how to breed chickens, but the more and more I learned about breeding chickens the more and more convinced I was that the best way to breed them is to focus on a single breed. I had four breeds and 3 breeding projects I was working on, Coop space was always a premium and so I wasn't able to keep as many cockerels as I wanted and I was always wanting larger grow out groups than what I had room for. I am down to a single breed and it had been nice so far. If I do get the ich to do a breeding project again it will not be a recreation project. Despite there being over 200 recognized breed the world over none of them have all of my favorite traits in one bird. If I were to do a breeding project it would be to create my own breed. That isn't likely to happen any time soon. I already have it all planned out, but am going to stick with the one breed thing for at least a couple of years because that is something I haven't tried yet and I think these is something that I need to learn from it right now.

I'm sure lots of folks work to get an SOP bird but I think the odds of getting a whole flock of SOP birds is not likely. From the breeders on here you have to hatch out 100's and grow out 100's. Then when you cross two SOP birds you'll get quite a few that are not SOP.

There was a gentleman I'd read about quite a while ago that did create a new breed. He's in Australia. I'm afraid that magazine is long one. It would take forever to find it on the internet I think.

Seems to me it would take some intensive breeding and record keeping. All that to achieve traits for what?

My C. Rocks from Scott in Georgia are heavy but the eggs are medium mostly and they take a long time to mature. The Jersey Giant is large, at least the original and it too takes a long time to mature.

So we now have chickens divided into two. The leghorn for egg production. The Cornish Rock for meat.

Are the eggs of a commercial Leghorn as healthy as the eggs of any other farm raised breed of chicken?

Is there a way to keep Cornish Rocks that they don't grow to death?

 

[GaryDean26]

I'm sure lots of folks work to get an SOP bird but I think the odds of getting a whole flock of SOP birds is not likely. From the breeders on here you have to hatch out 100's and grow out 100's. Then when you cross two SOP birds you'll get quite a few that are not SOP.

There was a gentleman I'd read about quite a while ago that did create a new breed. He's in Australia. I'm afraid that magazine is long one. It would take forever to find it on the internet I think.

Seems to me it would take some intensive breeding and record keeping. All that to achieve traits for what?

My C. Rocks from Scott in Georgia are heavy but the eggs are medium mostly and they take a long time to mature. The Jersey Giant is large, at least the original and it too takes a long time to mature.

So we now have chickens divided into two. The leghorn for egg production. The Cornish Rock for meat.

Are the eggs of a commercial Leghorn as healthy as the eggs of any other farm raised breed of chicken?

Is there a way to keep Cornish Rocks that they don't grow to death?

The odds aren't likely to get a whole flock of SOP birds if you are just breeding based on there appearance. The way it used to be done is that you would extensively test mate and progeny test breeders. You would put a lot of money in to proving them out. A bird that looked good or performed well meant nothing in a breeding pen if it could not produce like offspring. I judge the quality of a flock by the uniformity of the offspring. Not by one or two out of hundreds looking like the standard. Uniform flocks are possible but you have to do things differently.

 

[JennieRD]

It's not unheard of to "recreate" a breed. My Delaware are just that. A friend in MO took on the project and I now have her chickens in my flock. Point being don't be discouraged. Give it shot. I personally am too old and have to rely on a much younger folks to untake the adventure. 


You didn't mention where he lives. I only offered my "marking method" since it seems to help me. I got the idea from a movie about wolves.  I walk around to different areas of my place in the evening after dark, spritzing the area. The blue jean stapled to the trees hold the smell. 

I'm quite certain there would be some serious hunting of wild dogs and coyotes here.  We do have coyotes here but it's the fox that  I have had to deal with.  Heck we've got folks gearing up for a baited deer hunt since there are so many. 

I did not take offense, just did not want you to have the impression I sent them to become predator bait! It upsets me there more than likely going to be eaten, but what upsets me more is the conditions where he lives! Due to government restriction on building most residents will never move back it's a ghost town! He just won't leave his land at any cost and I don't blame him, I woken hard hatching and raising, selling most, keeping a few, then give him the ones that have the best chance of survival.

They have hunts all the time, picking up well over 200 in a 12 hour period but they go deep in the marsh for shelter then venture out for food!


I'll pass the idea onto him about scent it's an idea! It might work! It's definitely worth trying since everything else has failed!

 

[rancher hicks]

I did not take offense, just did not want you to have the impression I sent them to become predator bait! It upsets me there more than likely going to be eaten, but what upsets me more is the conditions where he lives! Due to government restriction on building most residents will never move back it's a ghost town! He just won't leave his land at any cost and I don't blame him, I woken hard hatching and raising, selling most, keeping a few, then give him the ones that have the best chance of survival.

They have hunts all the time, picking up well over 200 in a 12 hour period but they go deep in the marsh for shelter then venture out for food!


I'll pass the idea onto him about scent it's an idea! It might work! It's definitely worth trying since everything else has failed!

I did have a fox attack twice but none for quite some time. Too, I've started to see Night rabbits and that's a good sign. I saw turkeys yesterday morning. I rarely see deer.

I've got three pairs of jeans stapled to trees in the woods and there will be more, but I do make my rounds some evenings and early mornings if I feel like taking a walk. I also have white christmas lights strung around my garden so i can see when I do take a walk. I get the after the holiday as they're apt to be cheaper. I have lights inside the chicken runs too. Mostly for my peace of mind. The pop holes are closed and latched.

 

[wyomingmaryland]

Ive been thinking about this predator bait, but cant help feel that predator pressure is always present and sometimes helpful, or less than the value gained in being more free range. I think it depends, at least for me. If I had lost more than two birds to predators, maybe I'd act differently. The birds I did lose were not raised on my property, as they were given to me by a friend who had said they had outgrew their welcome in the back of their townhouse. My MD's seem to be the smartest/evasive. Someone gave me some RIR/White rocks that are dumber than nails. Out way too late into dusk. Poor rooster tries to protect them, keep them company, but even he goes in before them. I've really grown to like this bantam mille fleur. Agressively admirable in the execution of his duty.

Is there a connection here, in that MD's have bantam game cock and millle fleurs are bred for fighting? Is this the advantage of the non-domestication/wild genes in a no fence by day-free range environment. Are there other breeds of chicken that have game cocks bred into them in the not so far past?

Jennie, I'm aboslutely interested in trading for eggs/chicks. One of my other MD hens is broody sitting on some eggs that I left in the box for too long. Im trying to figure out if this means I can buy eggs and wether she would just start sitting on them. The mille fleur bantam rooster is I think to short to seal the deal- I dont think the eggs are fertilized- but I could def be wrong. Nothing candled as fertilized. Is this just her being broody?

 

[rancher hicks]

Ive been thinking about this predator bait, but cant help feel that predator pressure is always present and sometimes helpful, or less than the value gained in being more free range. I think it depends, at least for me. If I had lost more than two birds to predators, maybe I'd act differently. The birds I did lose were not raised on my property, as they were given to me by a friend who had said they had outgrew their welcome in the back of their townhouse. My MD's seem to be the smartest/evasive. Someone gave me some RIR/White rocks that are dumber than nails. Out way too late into dusk. Poor rooster tries to protect them, keep them company, but even he goes in before them. I've really grown to like this bantam mille fleur. Agressively admirable in the execution of his duty.

Is there a connection here, in that MD's have bantam game cock and millle fleurs are bred for fighting? Is this the advantage of the non-domestication/wild genes in a no fence by day-free range environment. Are there other breeds of chicken that have game cocks bred into them in the not so far past?

Jennie, I'm aboslutely interested in trading for eggs/chicks. One of my other MD hens is broody sitting on some eggs that I left in the box for too long. Im trying to figure out if this means I can buy eggs and wether she would just start sitting on them. The mille fleur bantam rooster is I think to short to seal the deal- I dont think the eggs are fertilized- but I could def be wrong. Nothing candled as fertilized. Is this just her being broody?

I'm not quite sure what it is you're getting at here.

Do folks "bait" for predators?

Or are you saying that letting your birds be picked off might produce birds that are more predator savvy in that you'll soon have birds that are not picked off?

My nephew and a friend both had their entire flocks wiped out in one night by a predator. It seems to me that keeping chickens in a unsecured coop at night is just making them sitting targets.

Too, birds roosting in trees are not domesticated but wild aren't they? They too are prone to being sitting targets as chickens do not see well in the dark. Racoons, weasels and other climbing predators will take them with ease.

I am sure there must be some research out there to prove your theory if it's what I think it is. You would certainly have a market if you could sell birds that are predatory savvy and not prone to being picked off. Though I would think someone would have come up with such a breed by now.

Though Florida AND Hawaii have a feral population of chickens. This I'm sure you can find information on. Too I recall some time ago seeing a story on a town that had a wild chicken population living on the town compost pile. I'm not sure you can find that story. Perhaps. None of these stories mentioned these wild flocks supplying eggs or meat to the town folks.

 

[wyomingmaryland]

I'm not quite sure what it is you're getting at here.

Do folks "bait" for predators?

Or are you saying that letting your birds be picked off might produce birds that are more predator savvy in that you'll soon have birds that are not picked off?

My nephew and a friend both had their entire flocks wiped out in one night by a predator. It seems to me that keeping chickens in a unsecured coop at night is just making them sitting targets.

Too, birds roosting in trees are not domesticated but wild aren't they? They too are prone to being sitting targets as chickens do not see well in the dark. Racoons, weasels and other climbing predators will take them with ease.

I am sure there must be some research out there to prove your theory if it's what I think it is. You would certainly have a market if you could sell birds that are predatory savvy and not prone to being picked off. Though I would think someone would have come up with such a breed by now.

Though Florida AND Hawaii have a feral population of chickens. This I'm sure you can find information on. Too I recall some time ago seeing a story on a town that had a wild chicken population living on the town compost pile. I'm not sure you can find that story. Perhaps. None of these stories mentioned these wild flocks supplying eggs or meat to the town folks.

well said. I still close the door on the chickens at night, and I deeply hope that I am not tempting fate... and I do need to beef up my coop into the 20th century at the least.