A Bielefelder Thread !

[Dirt Farmer]

ok I will make sure I get at least one more boy. do you think I should just add another or would it be best to get a few more from another breeder. I plan on selling whoever I decide not to keep. if I also threw in a few more girls I could sell as a group. hopefully they would sell. I just don't want to get stuck with extras. these are too expensive for me to eat straight from the breeder.

If your original source is breeding from multiple cocks, you could probably just add a cockerel to your flock and be fairly sure you aren't mating siblings. Males of any breed are hard to sell, even throwing in a few females. That fact would actually help you if at sometime you just went out looking for a cock less related to your hens.

 

[Sylvester017]

I don't have these yet, but I've heard that feeding fermented feed can cut your feed costs. I did this with my birds over the winter - worked great!

Keeps them hydrated & full longer, I believe.

May I ask what is fermented feed and do you buy it or formulate it yourself? Are there other benefits as well as keeping birds hydrated and full longer?

 

[TeacherMedic]

I'm in North Carolina close to Charlotte and would love some of these birds. Please pm me if you can help. Thanks

 

[cutipatooti]

I know they are breeding with three males right now. They said they would send another boy as one of the extras. I am hoping to breed these and use the males for food so if I cant find the extra a home he may just end up in the pot. But at the price they are from the breeder I would rather sell him. As far as finding another roo, no one has advertised having this breed in my area. Then again its still early.

 

[Shellz]

May I ask what is fermented feed and do you buy it or formulate it yourself? Are there other benefits as well as keeping birds hydrated and full longer?

There is a thread here called, Fermenting Feed for Meat Birds. I've done a one bucket, hot water method. No ACV needed. Just put your regular feed in a bucket, add hot water, stir, cover loosely. Should be like a thick soup. Feed expands as it absorbs the water. Ready to feed your birds by the next day. Just keep adding to it daily, feed & hot water. Other benefits include better shell quality & better absorption of nutrients. Others may experience even more benefits, but these are a few I feel I've experienced.

 

[Sylvester017]

There is a thread here called, Fermenting Feed for Meat Birds. I've done a one bucket, hot water method. No ACV needed. Just put your regular feed in a bucket, add hot water, stir, cover loosely. Should be like a thick soup. Feed expands as it absorbs the water. Ready to feed your birds by the next day.

Just keep adding to it daily, feed & hot water. Other benefits include better shell quality & better absorption of nutrients. Others may experience even more benefits, but these are a few I feel I've experienced.

How funny! I've been doing this for a year because it's easier for the Silkies to eat their feed and the bigger birds don't mind it that way either. Of course they get a lot of produce and extra protein too. Thx!

 

[promiseacres]

anyone having issues getting poor quality birds in the Bielefelders, that don't come close to any standerd (if there is one I hadn't found it) like the problems in the cream legbars?

 

[Omegahillsfarm]

Every chick we have hatched appears to be an exact clone of the others. I am not aware of any standards set up for the breed yet. The cream legbars have been around for a bit longer in the US so they have a bigger following. Therefore, there are clubs and groups working on improving the breed to a standard they set up. Maybe over time there will be enough interest in bielefelders for clubs, groups, and standards to come about.

 

[DCchicken]

anyone having issues getting poor quality birds in the Bielefelders, that don't come close to any standerd (if there is one I hadn't found it) like the problems in the cream legbars?

I have not seen a single problem with the Bielefelders. I have noticed slight variations in the crele coloring. Some have more red and some have more barring. But the overall type (body shape) is similar.

As for a standard, there is one in Germany but not one in the U.K. yet.

 

[plumcreek]

We bought over over 30 chicks from Greenfire last season. All of the chicks grew to be very recognizable as bielefelders. There were males who had better feathering, were larger, and bigger combs. There were females with almost no comb that we culled. I would say that was one of the biggest variations. There were also females with duller feathers and less barring, we preferred the fiery orange-reddish ones. There were no major issues and the chicks have been little photocopies so far.