A Bielefelder Thread !

[DMRippy]

Out of the bieles that I got so far none have had this problem.
MK

Me either.

 

[RWD]

Out of the bieles that I got so far none have had this problem.
MK

Just went out and checked rather closely, and out of 25 roo chicks 6-12 weeks old there are none showing anything but straight combs.

 

[kittydoc]

@ Kittydoc

So did you breed father to daughter, then get a new rooster? Or what did you do? I am in your boat, not interested in show, but rather interested in a bird that does well here. I have always perfered the dual purpose breeds, and BO are a favorite of mine too.

I accidentally got a chance to get this Bielefeldre, and I am very pleased with him, his characteristics. I have tried lots of breeds, but always get others. I may now or shortly close my flock.

Mrs K

I have not done any parent to offspring breedings yet. It's not that I oppose it, but if I can breed less closely related birds, I do. For example, next year I will have one pair of Orps that is son to mother that I'll keep an eye on, but everyone else bred will be half-siblings, cousins, or less close. My Bielefelders, like just about everyone's in the US, are from Greenfire Farms imports, but some of their mothers at least came from different farms. I am thinking of perhaps doing a rooster trade with someone on the list late next winter/early spring from a different part of the country (I'm in Indiana) who may have gotten their stock from at least different secondary sources than I did (Omega Hills is one where my birds' parents originated, can't recall the other). I love my flock and kept two cockerels so I could potentially generate slightly more variety if Plan A fails. I was hoping to get some Bieles from Canada before this darned AI cropped up and totally ruined any chance of that happening (they have AI in southern Canada, too).

With "Anglicizing" my Orps, I'm not in a big hurry, but if I get the chance to get a 100% English lavender hen or roo without spending a fortune on the purchase price and gas, then I will. I don't like having to buy at least a dozen chicks, though I might try putting together a buying group like some of us locally have done with one small hatchery (they doesn't have lavender Orps, sigh). I usually buy just a small number at a time now since I have lots of colors available to play with, and most are 100% English.

Does anyone (besides GFF) have offspring from their 2013 imports available, now or next year? If it's "top secret," feel free to PM me. I am not going to pay hundreds of dollars for any chicken unless it literally lays golden eggs (like the goose of the children's story).

 

[DesertChic]

Note to self...either buy more Biels directly from GFF, or buy from the TN breeders here.

 

[Sylvester017]

This is just a GUESS but I know they were crossed into Marans and looks like in the Bielefelders..... might be where the dark egg genes came from in the Bielefelders.

I think using brown egg-laying barred birds to get auto-sexing breeds results in the Bielie brown eggs but I wasn't aware of Marans cross - learn something new every day. I love the feedback owners have on their Bielies but unfortunately it is just too large a hen to add to my under-5-lb flock of docile breeds. Bielies have really taken off with breeders!

 

[DMRippy]

Quote:
I know penes were crossed into marans, we see carnation combs ALL the time.

Marans as far as I know were NOT crossed into bielies.

 

[Sylvester017]

I know penes were crossed into marans, we see carnation combs ALL the time.

Marans as far as I know were NOT crossed into bielies.

Oh, ok, I thought the way it was worded you were saying the Marans were crossed into Bielies. Thx for the clarification. You were talking about the Carnation combs showing up in them. Got it!

 

[kittydoc]

It was definitely impacted. I've masaged, isolated her, etc. now it's squishy. It's not overwhelmingly bad smelling. My fear is that the food is beginning to ferment in her crop because I didn't catch the impaction soon enough. Thanks for any help. I keep reading conflicting information about treatment, etc.

I'm a veterinarian, and the method I used which is posted on backyardchickens.com somewhere worked very well for my hen. Here is the link. It is so darned hard to search this site effectively!

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/730582/indiana-bycers-here/32090#post_13983689

 

[mamidei]

I'm a veterinarian, and the method I used which is posted on backyardchickens.com somewhere worked very well for my hen.  Here is the link.  It is so darned hard to search this site effectively!

[COLOR=333333]https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/730582/indiana-bycers-here/32090#post_13983689[/COLOR]

Thanks so much! She seems much, much better. I think the oil and massaging several times/day resolved the impaction.
It was really hard to search for your tutorial

thanks for the link!

 

[DesertChic]

I butchered one of my Biel cockerels this past weekend. He weight 5.4 lbs and processed out at 3.9 lbs. at 19 weeks. Not bad! It was emotionally difficult to cull him though, because even though his comb defects and obvious lack of heat tolerance removed him from the breeding program, and even though he was far less friendly than most of the other Biel cockerels, he was still a beautiful and sweet bird. It's so much easier to butcher birds that are mean.