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A note about mulberry trees ... prune them to a single trunk or they may stay shrub size. I haven't had this problem with my fruitless or curly mulberry trees but my mulberry "trees" that produce fruit are over ten years old and 4 feet tall. I did some research on them and found that you have to...

Two subjects here ... first, on judges not knowing the Standard for breeds not usually seen in shows ... the person who judged the English class at the show where I entered my Dorkings said that he looked at the entries on the day before judging. Since he was not familiar with Dorkings, he said...

I understand what you are Bee are saying and agree with the general idea. However, this statement would mean that I have no business keeping poultry. I can't kill them. I've tried. I get physically ill when I do. My husband no longer wants to do it. Yet, I definitely cull those that aren't good...

So, you are saying that the SOP - even for the dual purpose breeds- is just breeding for beauty?

One of my Dels. What do you all think?

I try to make note of when each pullet starts laying. I breed pairs and that's when I keep exact records of how many eggs are produced by each breeding hen. Any hens who lay less than an egg every other day are culled. I only keep the hens who lay every day, or every other day at the least...

I hope that what you say is true! When I read other forums that are dedicated to Show Birds, the majority of breeders and judges seem to be scoffing at the idea that exhibition poultry can be productive. So much, that they say the "dual purpose" descriptions need to be removed. I get that the...

I've been cooking the largest birds first, so about 30 weeks, maybe 32 max. I've used a graniteware roaster at 300 degrees, which had the best results. Also a crockpot, no water. The texture of these Dels is so much more tender than others that I have cooked at this same age. Even the legs are...

I have Delawares from Kathyinmo's recreated strain. I think the huge frames are from the BR influence. Unfortunately, they also have the slow growth. It's a priority for me to get them maturing faster. They hatched between Feb-May and we butchered in Oct. My husband prefers to take them to a...

I have not been a fan of Purina chicken feed in the past, but their new formulation of Flock Raiser now has .55% methionine. That's better than the breeder ration and other feeds available here. So, I'm switching and hoping it makes a difference. Methionine is also especially needed during molt...

I have had three strains of Delawares here. Our summers start in May. Daytime temps rise to over 100 F, sometimes as high as 120 F. It doesn't cool down until Oct. Nature does my selection for me, in this regard. Two of the strains of Delawares fared well. One line started dropping dead as soon...

I raise Dorkings and the productivity is a priority. If I just wanted pretty show birds, I would have chosen a different breed. I do a lot of talking about breeding to the SOP because the Standard for Dorkings is written for a bird to produce meat and eggs.

I can't answer the question about the electronet because every time that I've tried it, either a steer gets tangled in it or the bull knocks it down! In regard to hawks, I have been very lucky. There are hawks overhead every day and a redtail roosts on a power pole next to the pastures. Yet...

I always reintroduce at night. That's what I did with these two. When I came out to check on them in the morning, my #1 cockerel had injuries which turned out to be fatal. I have tried this before and it worked out ok. This time it did not, so I'm leary to try it again. I have 15 acres of...

That does sound like a good idea and something I wish I had known sooner. I have the same issue now, with multiple males having been used for breeding. Now, I can't put them back together. I actually had my best up & coming cockerel killed earlier this year, when I tried reintroducing a pen...

Last year, the main issue was hatchability, with some poor fertility. Yes, all eggs are examined for development. Last year: 167 eggs set in 2013 = 52 chicks = 31% hatch rate 26 total not fertile- some in early Spring, which was resolved - then again when hot weather set in. 47 early...

I think that I did this, unintentionally, back in 2009. The Sand Hill Dorkings that I introduced to my flock at that time produced all kinds of colors. I'm hoping that I've finally got that sorted out. I won't cross varieties again. I have, over the years, combined SGDs from at least five...

So, you are not using the smaller hen at all? Your entire breeding is going to be out of a pair? I would use both hens, just so the offspring are not so tightly related. I don't know why I bother saying this, but be careful about culling just for size. My initially largest cockerels never end...

I wonder if this hold true for all breeds, or if the game fowl have an advantage in this respect? I have some young, dual purpose breed birds, that are in poor flesh. They free range every day during daylight hours. The have been fed a 21% protein starter ration that includes fish meal...

I let all my hens range together when not needed for breeding. I rotate the males out one at a time. I separate them a month before breeding. My SG Dorkings do very well in the high heat, low humidity summers here.