A Bielefelder Thread !

[DMRippy]

Mine are laying again.... but breaking eggs with the wire floor.... I put a box in there today.... I hope they use it and I can save some eggs.

 

[DesertChic]

I purchase 1 bielefelder hen today. She is so calm and friendly. It reminds me of some strains of old RIR and Silver Grey Dorking.

Yay! Welcome to the club! I'm glad to hear your comparison to Silver Grey Dorkings because that's the breed I'm currently trying to hatch. I like calm, friendly breeds that don't mind hanging out with me during my "down time" each day. They help me de-stress.

 

[Chickielady]

Speaking of voices, does the Biefeleder adult hen have a standard chicken cluck? I've seen numerous videos of the rooster voice, but not so much for the hens.

My hens have an almost growly 'speak voice'...I like their voice. Gargley....

 

[Chickielady]

Re: the sulmtalers
Ok, so, are these Wheaten or Golden Duckwing ?
And do you think they have the same personalities ?
Given the egg color, I am wondering if they don't have a healthy dose of Mediteranean in them ...like LegHorn ?

Here is the parent group. They were from Greenfire. I had several of the red (do not know color names for that breed sorry) roosters from that group originally but preferred the cream. No temperament differences though between colors. All sold now including the pullets (yeah!!) The light hens were very pretty as they had a blue down underneath.

Odd, but by the photo, the Cock is a Golden Duckwing, and then 2 hens are duckwing & 2 are Wheaten (in this pic) so........?
What it is is: Golden Duckwing is a coloration that has (as shown) mostly silvers and appears a bar on the wing like a DUCK, but GOLD & reds.
A Silver bird has no such on it.
A silver bird is silver, NO GOLD, no red.
The Wheaten coloration is a form of gold.
The duckwing is a form of gold but having the lighter colored heads & hackle.
So you have both there....The wheaten hens are darker headed/necked.

Edited to add: I THINK...I think you have both colorations in that photo. I also wanted to add that so far, I have not seen any "Silver Duckwing Sulmtalers" has anyone ?
I cannot find a Sulmtaler thread...maybe time to start one.

I purchase 1 bielefelder hen today. She is so calm and friendly. It reminds me of some strains of old RIR and Silver Grey Dorking.

They are calm & wonderfully inquisitive birds.

I am about 30 min south of Sacramento. We do ship now.

Just got back from a NorCal trip, and I have a lot of OK bielefelders hatching to mix with the V Bielefelders I got 2 years ago..........................If the OK Biels fail, I will get ahold of you !

 

[Chickielady]

My birds love jazz, and this is their favorite song, BIG FAT HEN just close your eyes & imagine a big fat hen scratching & pecking..................

Edited to add : I am way off subject !

 

[kittydoc]

Does the radio really work. I'm afraid of the bear attacking my flock again. If I put a radio on at night do you think it will keep bears away or attract them.

There is only one way to fine out. In general, bears are supposed to avoid people, which is why hikers in bear areas actually try to be loud and actually warn the bears of their presence to give them a chance to leave before both parties find themselves too close. If that's true, keeping your radio on talk radio (any station--I don't think birds are politically inclined) MAY help deter them.

On the other hand, I didn't read all the way back on your post, but assume you had some birds lost/eaten. If that is the case, the bear is GOING to come back for more easy meals. If you aren't allowed to shoot the bears, you should be able to shoot warning shots to at least scare them off. A motion detector light would help. If you have enough sunlight, solar ones will work (they don't work in Indiana--too cloudy here except in late summer/early fall).

In summary, it can't hurt. Unlike some other animals, I am not sure there is "canned pee" that will repel bears, though it might be worth checking at a Cabela's or similar hunting-oriented store.

Hope this helps or at least gives you food for thought. I am glad that bears are the only predator we DON'T have in Indiana! Coyotes, an occasional wolf siting, raccoons, possums, weasels, hawks, owls. That's quite enough for me.

 

[cutipatooti]

There is only one way to fine out.  In general, bears are supposed to avoid people, which is why hikers in bear areas actually try to be loud and actually warn the bears of their presence to give them a chance to leave before both parties find themselves too close.  If that's true, keeping your radio on talk radio (any station--I don't think birds are politically inclined) MAY help deter them.

On the other hand, I didn't read all the way back on your post, but assume you had some birds lost/eaten.  If that is the case, the bear is GOING to come back for more easy meals.  If you aren't allowed to shoot the bears, you should be able to shoot warning shots to at least scare them off.  A motion detector light would help.  If you have enough sunlight, solar ones will work (they don't work in Indiana--too cloudy here except in late summer/early fall).

In summary, it can't hurt.  Unlike some other animals, I am not sure there is "canned pee" that will repel bears, though it might be worth checking at a Cabela's or similar hunting-oriented store.

Hope this helps or at least gives you food for thought.  I am glad that bears are the only predator we DON'T have in Indiana!  Coyotes, an occasional wolf siting, raccoons, possums, weasels, hawks, owls.  That's quite enough for me.

If we see a bear we usually run out with the air horn blasting and scare it away. We lost a bunch to a Juvenile bear getting ready for hibernation. Usually if you scare them we won't see them again, but this one had the taste of chickens and like you said was back for more. We had to take everyone and put them in our shed and put plywood full of nails in front of the door so he couldn't get close enough to rip it open. So far we have not seen him this year. We were just in lowes and my husband was showing me the solar motion lights, I'm glad to know that will work, now if only I could find a way to get talk radio to come on at the same time as the lights do, that should seal the deal.

 

[speedy2020]

If we see a bear we usually run out with the air horn blasting and scare it away. We lost a bunch to a Juvenile bear getting ready for hibernation. Usually if you scare them we won't see them again, but this one had the taste of chickens and like you said was back for more. We had to take everyone and put them in our shed and put plywood full of nails in front of the door so he couldn't get close enough to rip it open. So far we have not seen him this year. We were just in lowes and my husband was showing me the solar motion lights, I'm glad to know that will work, now if only I could find a way to get talk radio to come on at the same time as the lights do, that should seal the deal.

How about just leave the radio on out there all day?

 

[cutipatooti]

How about just leave the radio on out there all day?

I was thinking of that too, just not sure if it would eventually attract them or not.

 

[johnderosa1]

If we see a bear we usually run out with the air horn blasting and scare it away. We lost a bunch to a Juvenile bear getting ready for hibernation. Usually if you scare them we won't see them again, but this one had the taste of chickens and like you said was back for more. We had to take everyone and put them in our shed and put plywood full of nails in front of the door so he couldn't get close enough to rip it open. So far we have not seen him this year. We were just in lowes and my husband was showing me the solar motion lights, I'm glad to know that will work, now if only I could find a way to get talk radio to come on at the same time as the lights do, that should seal the deal.

I have only two words... Electric Fence. Not sure if this has come up on this thread before but a properly rated electric fence is the best deterrent for all predators except flying ones. Simple, relatively inexpensive and there 24/7.