A Bielefelder Thread !

[DesertChic]

To be truthful, I have lost 2 youngsters (4 mo old) due to trying to fly & breaking their necks............for some

reason they do not understand they are heavy birds, not tweety birds.

Then I lost 2 pullets @ age 6 mo (laying like crazy) due to impacted crops...they had discovered a 2" slit between wall & stud UNDER the poop trays where no one could see...and in this 5 year old coop, that has housed hundreds of birds...these pullets dug out & ate a big ball of pink fiberglass insulation.

Necropsy on the first , and so I knew...and had to hunt hard to find where they were dinning.

2 days later I went out to open coops in the morning & here was another cockerel dying, twitching...............tried to fly again.
There is no predators, there is no excuse.
These birds seem to be the most bird brained I have ever seen.
Beautiful, but not bright at all.
We'll have to work on that.
How do you improve a breed's brains ??????????????????????????????????

Yep............I lost 6 birds, aged 4 to 6 mo old, all in a month's time.
I got to the point where I dreaded opening the coop in the morning.

That's awful! You'd think all that German engineering would've made them smarter than that.

 

[RFR of CA]

Yes I have noticed the "bird brain" is overly tiny in this breed too

No accidents though. All I kept from chicks made it to adulthood in one piece.

I only run 7 girls and a rooster bought from GFF last Febuary and get maybe 5+ XL large eggs most days so laying is good. They did quit early in the fall way before molt and way before any other of mine, and refused to lay for months until I gave in and put a light on them around January. Nice thing was that molt was minimal if not long. No balding at all, just feathers everywhere.

Fertility has been high. I put 40 in the incubator 10 days ago and 36 are developing nicely. I do get late quitters on occasion, but no major issues zipping, or problem chicks seen so far (cross beak, stunted growth, retarded feathering, leg deformities, etc.) Most hatch out easily and they are active hardy chicks.

I have had what looked like rye neck in two chicks (out of 60+ so far) at around 4-6 weeks. I think that they grow so fast the tendons and the bones in the neck sometimes don't grow out evenly which bends their necks down severely, but that is just my opinion. I have only seen it in the Bieles. I gave extra liquid vitamins in the water and by mouth, higher protein (32% mixed in feed), and apple cider vinegar, and both recovered with no issues after a few weeks. Whether is was due to my treatments or not, I cannot say.

This is only the first generation from GFF though, so future generations will show the issues that need work more frequently. I would say they are "okay" after my year with them. They are pretty much middle of the road as a breed. Overall, I am personally not happy with the amount of feed they eat compared to my other breeds, their dull temperaments, or their overly long down time, so this likely will be the end of this breed here with us.

 

[DesertChic]

Yes I have noticed the "bird brain" is overly tiny in this breed too

No accidents though. All I kept from chicks made it to adulthood in one piece.

I only run 7 girls and a rooster bought from GFF last Febuary and get maybe 5+ XL large eggs most days so laying is good. They did quit early in the fall way before molt and way before any other of mine, and refused to lay for months until I gave in and put a light on them around January. Nice thing was that molt was minimal if not long. No balding at all, just feathers everywhere.

Fertility has been high. I put 40 in the incubator 10 days ago and 36 are developing nicely. I do get late quitters on occasion, but no major issues zipping, or problem chicks seen so far (cross beak, stunted growth, retarded feathering, leg deformities, etc.) Most hatch out easily and they are active hardy chicks.

I have had what looked like rye neck in two chicks (out of 60+ so far) at around 4-6 weeks. I think that they grow so fast the tendons and the bones in the neck sometimes don't grow out evenly which bends their necks down severely, but that is just my opinion. I have only seen it in the Bieles. I gave extra liquid vitamins in the water and by mouth, higher protein (32% mixed in feed), and apple cider vinegar, and both recovered with no issues after a few weeks. Whether is was due to my treatments or not, I cannot say.

This is only the first generation from GFF though, so future generations will show the issues that need work more frequently. I would say they are "okay" after my year with them. They are pretty much middle of the road as a breed. Overall, I am personally not happy with the amount of feed they eat compared to my other breeds, their dull temperaments, or their overly long down time, so this likely will be the end of this breed here with us.

I really like the simple yet detailed honesty of your assessment. Thanks for sharing!

 

[DesertChic]

Could be the eggs were old.
Eggs should not be over 6 days old on set.
High temps while they are being held can be responsible for early quitters.
It is almost as if the embryo has a timer, and as soon as it gets close to 70 degrees...the timer starts.
After a while of struggling, the embryo gives up.
So it probably is not your fault the eggs quit.
Hatching eggs should be held, and turned daily, under 60 degrees, with 50 being optimal.
So you can see how temps can be raised during shipping.

70 degrees? Really? Everything I've read has indicated a much higher, consistent temp above at least 80 degrees.
http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2013/01/facts-and-myths-about-fertile-eggs.html

 

[DAYDRINKER]

Quote:
It sounds like Chuck Darwin is helping you with that.

 

[RFR of CA]

No problem. I have definitely owned worse! Take Sulmtalers for example - YUK! Horrid creatures

Also not in favorite pile - Rhodebars, Isbars, Langshans, Quail, BCMs, for varied reasons.....

Current favorites - Basque Hens, can't say enough good things about them!!! Also nice are Orpingtons, Wyandottes, Breda, and currently my little duckwing OEB pair and bantam Mottled Cochin chicks...too adorable

 

[cutipatooti]

No problem. I have definitely owned worse! Take Sulmtalers for example - YUK! Horrid creatures Also not in favorite pile - Rhodebars, Isbars, Langshans, Quail, BCMs, for varied reasons..... Current favorites - Basque Hens, can't say enough good things about them!!! Also nice are Orpingtons, Wyandottes, Breda, and currently my little duckwing OEB pair and bantam Mottled Cochin chicks...too adorable

You got me curious, why don't you like sulmtalers?

 

[RFR of CA]

Maybe it was after the 100th time one of them flew straight up and hit me in the face in a blind panic every time I came into the pen to feed them even when I moved slowly and tried not to walk too close to them as if they were wild animals. (I raised them as chicks same as everyone else)

and how they crashed about stupidly breaking feathers and eggs and knocking themselves even more stupid thinking I was going to kill them if I even looked at them sideways

or every time when I did pick one up they screammmmmmeeeeeed bloody murder and pecked my hands HARD

---> flighty flighty flighty...... even the roosters were crazy..... YUK.

Right now I only have two pullets left who are being raised by NORMAL friendly hens instead of their own kind, and they are much calmer. Nervous and dingy still, but not psycho!

Please warn me about any other breeds like this so I DON'T buy any!!!!

 

[mrosspitt]

Just to clarify.,... I believe RFR of CA is responding about Sulmtalers and not Bielefelders.

 

[RFR of CA]

HAHAHa--- yes Sulmtalers.....Bielefelders are sweet oafs... a bit slow but gentle and the roosters are good with even my smallest grandkids ..I also have used extra roosters as guardians in my chick and juvie pens as I doubt any hawks around here want to tangle with a bird the size of a goose!