Old and Rare Breeds

[Lacy Blues]

I'm not Pozees, but. There are several varieties of blue stem that do well in zone 6 and did well in our Oklahoma droughts over the past several years...old world blue stem and turkey foot blue stem. They both have a wide blade of grass and good seed heads that the birds liked. Also a form of Dallas grass (buffalo grass) is also a good variety. The chickens would jump up to get the seeds.

Shrubs like Vitex agnus castus (also known as chaste tree, chaste berry, monk's pepper, Indian spice) does well in zone 6 - 11. It is a multi trucked shrub that grows fairly slowly to 15 feet...similar to crepe myrtle. It can die back to the ground, but returns in the spring.

Right, I think we have nearly identical climates. I have had good luck with New Mexico Privet, Trilobata Sumac, Blue Mist Spirea, Russian Sage/Purple Sage, and whatever Juniper is actually native here - we thought it was Rocky Mountain so bought some seedlings, and they struggle and mainly die here, so that was a no-go for trying again. Apples and Maples if you keep them watered with drip irrigation, same for Austrian Pine and Pinon Pine - once they get bigger they need less frequent attention. Chokecherry has done well right next to the yard - meaning it gets water anytime the grass gets watered. Oh, and Honeylocust has been a great performer here as well. Catalpa should have done well but didn't, I think it didn't like the hot wind. Aspen doesn't like as much sun as we get here, I believe, I have a couple still alive but struggling. I have a honeysuckle on the west side of the house that's done well, can't remember what kind though. Elm does well and grows fast with water. Western White Pine, if you can find one a few years old so it isn't just a little seedling, should do well with help from drip irrigation. Not the same as Eastern White Pine.

I like Nanakat's suggestion of some of the blue gramas, we want to try them next year. Catmint, once established, takes off like fire, it's great for honeybees, and what was recommended to me was, only plant it where you want it forever - like most mints.

Herbs do well for me in a bowl shaped bed surrounded with large rocks - I think they absorb heat from the sun and keep the soil from freezing - I have an 8 year old Rosemary plant in there, and have sage that has wintered over twice.

Have you ever tried a live oak tree? They are evergreen with a waxy coating on the leaves that will resist evaporation. They usually grow in coastal areas naturally but I have always wondered how they would fare inland in hot dry places like yours.

Thanks for all this info. I'll definitely put it in a file for future use.

Live oaks do well in the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range but I don't know if I've ever seen one here. They can take the heat, I wonder about the cold though.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I don't think a live oak can handle anything below about 10F. I've never seen them in any cold climates.

 

[saladin]

Live oaks grow so slow that you'd be 40 years older before it was big enough to make any difference. Also, you'd have absolutely no grass under it whatsoever.

If you want a fast growing shade tree I'd suggest one of our Long-leaf Pines.

 

[centrarchid]

Pozees,

I live in high desert too and my land is pretty barren. I was wondering if you would share which trees, shrubs and ground covers you have tried and why you think they did or did not succeed? I'm just getting started and don't really want to waste my time and money on something that just won't make it. I think my zone is either 5 or 6 and we get a lot of wind and very hot sun in the summer. Excruciatingly cold in the winter on some days.

First look into native options, what species are present that actually exhibit attributes you desire. Then research growth rate and ideal growth conditions for those species. If nothing suitable then look into what your neighbors under similar soil and climatic conditions have that might be suitable. I doubt someone like me in the transition zone between Ozarks and tall grass prairie will have any species of overlapping requirements unless you modify soil and irrigate. I cheated and started promoting volunteer natives and did some selective culling to promote growth of best plants. Some locations are simply poorly suited for supporting appropriate vegetation types and sometimes are even ill suited for poultry with use of buildings that provide cover and require you to provide all significant nutrition sources.

 

[lualshannon]

Live oaks grow so slow that you'd be 40 years older before it was big enough to make any difference. Also, you'd have absolutely no grass under it whatsoever.

If you want a fast growing shade tree I'd suggest one of our Long-leaf Pines.

Live Oaks are native trees in our area. Mature trees look very majestic with their sweeping branches, and some of us like them as much as the Redwoods. As you pointed out, not much will grow underneath. Actually, in our area, it will be difficult to see other species of trees where Live Oaks grow. Also, since ours does not develop thick canopy, they don't provide heavy shade. We like to see them on the hills, and the parks, but, not on our property if we want to grow grass, or other trees.

Lual

 

[Yellow House Farm]

Saladin, you should have seen Cark Brantley's BBR Aseel cockerel at the Ohio National--head-turning, outstanding--champion large fowl.

 

[saladin]

I'm not surprised. Carl and I are great friends and big competitors! lol.
2 years ago my Asil beat his at the Indianapolis Show I rubbed it in so much I think he got mad at me. Of course, with his size and my size, I shut up. lol. He forgave me for both winning and for riding him.
He has great birds.

 

[cubalaya]

pictures?

 

[saladin]

YHF wrote over on the Heritage Thread:

Originally Posted by Yellow House Farm

Greetings!

I returned late last night from the Ohio National and had a wonderful experience--too much to cram into a quick message. I had the pleasure of meeting several folks from this page, and it was wonderful to visit. It was wonderful to be surrounded by so many excellent birds.

There was a huge sadness......there were no large fowl Hamburgs in the open show....none...not one....

I find shows to be like going to an old-fashioned spiritual revival. I return with renewed focus and clarity of purpose. Coming away from this, our largest and most prestigious American poultry show, I am refreshed but also very aware that we really do need folks to graduate from the, "I just have hens Bessie and Bittie for eggs that are just so cute" stage to one that is grounded concretely in APA/ABA culture. We need folks to take the plunge and adopt a breed as their breed. I say "we", but "we" means "they". They need breeders. They need hardcore, serious breeders that are going to hatch, weigh, select, and cull, cull, cull. They need breeders who aren't going to lose in in committee or become embroiled in excuses. That there were only 4 Minorcas, no, Hamburgs, no Andalusians, no Buttercups, no Houdans, no Lakenvelders, no White-Faced Black Spanish, no Crevecoeurs, no Redcaps, etc.... is a tragedy.

Let's really kick it up. If you still haven't chosen your breed, there's much food for thought.

 

[saladin]

This is the soap box I've been standing on for several years now. I think it's great if someone wants to own/raise some recent import into the United States. As long as you're paying your own feed bill no one has the right to tell you what to keep.

Yet, there are so many old, yes even Ancient, breeds of fowl that are about to disappear before our very eyes.

It cost just as much to feed a chicken from TSC as it does a real Leghorn or LaFleche; heck it probably cost more to feed those TSC chickens.

With that said, a dedicated breeder must be willing to cull to improve the existing stock. In this case, culling does not mean selling them at some swap to have them breeding sub-standard birds all over the country-side! It means eliminating them from the gene pool completely.

I'm certainly hoping more folks will join us in our quest to preserve and improve these wonderful breeds of the past.