A Bielefelder Thread !

[Red Banks]

My Biele roo had no desire to mate or even crow at 5.5 mo. He was larger than my orps but all his energy went into growing not mating or claiming rank. The 3 roos were always together since hatch, got along well, & even worked together to protect the girls. My head orp started crowing at only 3 mo & 2 weeks later he was mating the hens (not pullets his own age). I never had a roo mature so quickly! But, I've had several of the larger breeds mature slowly. Usually around 5-6 mo, their hormones turn on.

My little Biele cockerel is an eating machine. He never stops eating. He is 5 weeks and as big as the 8 week CLs.

 

[Faraday40]

My little Biele cockerel is an eating machine. He never stops eating. He is 5 weeks and as big as the 8 week CLs.

Yes. Mine was too. All his energy went into growing & growing. He rarely crowed or bothered mating. He never used his size to his advantage, though. I think most predators were simply scared off by his size. He was a fantastic hawk spotter! He'd give the warning sound & all would immediately scatter into hiding.

 

[Red Banks]

Yes. Mine was too. All his energy went into growing & growing. He rarely crowed or bothered mating. He never used his size to his advantage, though. I think most predators were simply scared off by his size. He was a fantastic hawk spotter! He'd give the warning sound & all would immediately scatter into hiding.

I hate to ask.... have you lost this rooster?

 

[DesertChic]

Hi!

Would you tell me how you got the bones out? I tried crockpotting , but had a TON of little tiny bones - pieces of rib cage, neck vertebrae, etc....so many that I didn't feel it would be safe eating. Even tried straining, but still way too many bones. The broth was excellent, though! This was not a Biel, that I cooked, but it was a full size chicken.

At what age should we butcher for fried chicken vs stew chicken?

We really want to get this down as we are breeding Biels for meat & eggs.

I copied an article I'd read on preparing birds to MS Word, and will paste it here. It's very helpful....but long.

As summer draws to a close, farmers look toward the harvest. Traditionally, the family would work in the fields and enjoy cool chicken salads for lunch, fried chicken for dinner. As fall unfolded, chicken stew would warm the family.
The chicken on the menu from traditional breed flocks is different from the pale plastic-wrapped meat now sold at the supermarket. Particular dishes are best prepared with chickens of different ages and breeds. Some knowledge is needed to cook them well.
"There’s no such thing as tough meat," Joseph Marquette of Yellow House Farm in New Hampshire, tells students in the eco-gastronomy program at the University of New Hampshire. "Only bad cooking."
He mellows that to say, "Perhaps inappropriate cooking." The time and temperature have to be appropriate to the age and strength of the chicken, to avoid so much heat that the strong muscles of well-developed chickens flex instead of relaxing as they cook. Low temperature and long cooking times can cook any well-raised chicken to heavenly splendor.
"Progression in strength is a progression in age and progression in season," he says. "Flavor increases with age."
Professional chefs have discovered traditional breed chickens. Steve Pope, a chef working with Frank Reese’s Good Shepherd Turkey Ranch in Lindsborg, Kansas, gets frequent inquiries for the ranch’s poultry. Events such as the First Annual Heritage Chicken Cooking Competition held in April 2010 help spread the word. The contest attracted 823 entries and judges of national stature.
"Chefs understand that they can use the whole bird in all their creations," he says. "They are putting their signature on their creations."
A small family flock of 50 birds of a single breed could provide plenty of meat for a family for a year, and sustain the flock into the following year. Chicks would hatch in March, April and May, and be culled as they grow. For the table, chickens progress from broilers to fryers, next to roasters, and after that to stewing fowl. The farmer would plan on keeping a dozen hens and two cockerels for the next breeding season. That leaves 36 from that hatching season, plus older birds, for the table.

The Dorking produces both meat and eggs, but was bred for its fine quality meat. Photo courtesy of Robert Gibson, Yellow House Farm.​

The first birds culled are the ones with the most obvious faults, ones the owner would not consider breeding. They might be culled as early as four weeks, although usually they are aged to 8 – 13 weeks old. The youngest birds, in French cuisine, are called poussin (pr. poosang). Technically, this is what all industrial supermarket chicken is, killed at 42-60 days old. Even flavorful traditional breeds don’t have enough time to acquire much flavor in that short a time.
The meat of older traditional breed birds raised in small flocks is darker because the birds are stronger. Better developed muscles also become more oily, so that they work well, carrying the bird through the daily routine of scratching and pecking. Because of their ancestry as upland game birds, chickens prefer to run from their predators, and only fly up to their roosts. They develop dark meat legs and thighs, and light breast meat.
"When you have a healthy, strong, able-bodied bird, its muscles are strong, dark and well lubricated," Joseph Marquette says. "Muscles only seldom used are light and have little lubrication."
Up until 13 weeks of age, the birds are so young that their muscles won’t flex and cook tough, even when cooked under the intense heat of the broiler. Hence, their name. Broilers can also be fried and prepared other ways, but their significant characteristic is that they can be cooked hot and fast and still be tender.
Birds can be considered fryers from 13 to 20 weeks, with the ideal age being around 16 weeks. They can be cut up and pan fried, another high heat cooking method. They can be spatchcocked: cut in half, the backbone and sternum removed and the half-bird flattened, then grilled that way. Keep the bird away from the heat, to grill at 275-300 degrees.
Sixteen weeks is also a good time to take a serious look at culling the breeding flock. Quicker growing Anconas, Leghorns and Andalusians will show obvious flaws by then. You’ll want to give slower growing Dorkings and Sussex more time to develop.
Some breeds make better fryers than others. Chef Pope recommends dual purpose breeds such as Barred Rocks and Orpingtons for frying. They are the traditional breeds to prepare Southern Fried Chicken for summer picnics. The Colonel’s 11 herbs and spices give flavor to bland industrial chicks.
"That’s what you are tasting, not the chicken," he says. "You need the right bird with the right texture."
In the fall, after 21 weeks, the birds are roasters. Five to seven months is the ideal age, depending on the breed. Moist heat, provided by a cup of liquid such as wine or broth, in a covered roasting pan, at 325 degrees, timed at 25 minutes per pound, warms the kitchen and feeds the family.
"Grandma would put that bird into the oven before church, listen to the pastor and was home when the bird was finished cooking," says Pope.
Being at church also kept the curious and hungry from peeking into the pot and releasing the moisture. Hands off to succeed with this method!
Roasters can also be dry roasted, on a spit. This method requires more attention to oil the bird and keep it basted. Olive oil, butter, bacon, goose or duck fat or any other oil will do. The white meat of the breast and the dark meat of the thighs require different cooking times. Use a cooking thermometer to check for done-ness. Cover the breast with a dish towel soaked in oil or aluminum foil shiny side up, to reflect heat away, and give the legs time to finish cooking.
"Though chicken is a whole bird, it is made of different cuts of meat," says Mr. Marquette.
Older birds, the roosters culled during the winter, or birds from previous years that you don’t want to feed over the winter, become stewing fowl. These birds have developed full flavor and should not be confused with industrial chickens tossed in a pot of water and boiled. They can become coq au vin as well as Grandma’s chicken soup.
Slowly simmer the bird in a bath of liquid until the meat falls off the bones. The slow moist heat relaxes the strong muscles and releases flavor. The liquid may be part of the dish, or it can be broth used later.
Egg breeds may not have the large carcasses of dual purpose Buckeyes and meat breeds such as Brahmas, but they are delicious and should not be under-rated.
"If you have a homestead that allows you to hold on to not only one top cockerel, but top four or six cockerels, you will have your choice when you set up your breeding pen the following spring," says Mr. Marquette. "Then you make the final choice and the others become coq au vin."
Whether you are in a position to keep a small sustaining flock or are more interested in the cooking, traditional breeds make the best choice. America’s cooks are learning how, and their satisfied guests appreciate the effort.
Chef Pope has recipes posted on his website, www.heritagechef.com, and welcomes additional recipes sent to him at [email protected].


It appears that the photos may not have copied over, but at least the content is here.

 

[Faraday40]

I hate to ask.... have you lost this rooster?

Yes. He was my fav & it is a mystery how he died. Two months ago (At age 6mo), he was fine on the roost at 9pm & found dead the next morning. (no injuries, but had a white comb) I lost no other chickens & am still sad about the loss.

 

[Red Banks]

Yes. He was my fav & it is a mystery how he died. Two months ago (At age 6mo), he was fine on the roost at 9pm & found dead the next morning. (no injuries, but had a white comb) I lost no other chickens & am still sad about the loss.

I am so sorry..... why do bad things always happen to our favorites?

 

[Zinniah]

Good news is that i have a girl that went broody, unfortunately now is not a good time, so hopefully she will go broody again in warm weather. Bad news is that one of my girls is dead, I had her euthanized. Yesterday at about 3pm she laid her first egg (i am pretty sure its her first) it was a small torpedo egg with an odd dent in it and she had a severe prolapse from it, i treated it and it seemed fine for a little bit. Then it came back out much much bigger than before. It kept getting worse, by the time i got her to the vet in the morning, he agreed it would be better to euthanize her. I finally calmed down from that, just to notice one of the other pullets had gone and disappeared when i had just saw it after i got back from the vet. I almost started crying again thinking something bad had happened. I found her laying on a nasty pile of wet leaves. I picked her up and she was broody! I removed her and the eggs, and she went and sat again! Moved her, a few minutes later, there she was again! No idea how long the eggs have been there, i dropped them in a glass of water and they all stayed at the bottom on their sides, so they are kind of fresh. They are horribly stained. I think i will feed them to the cat. I've been getting 3 eggs a day and sometimes 4 a day in the nest boxes, so its probably her that layed them all. She has been in the coop every night, until today she tried to stay on the nest. What a day, I just don''t know whats going on.
Here's the nest she made, it was behind a huge flower pot, that has a tree in it.

 

[Eggscoozme]

What a little treasure! Join the hatch-a-long with them!

 

[Zinniah]

I would love to join, but I am not sure its a good idea. She is pretty young, just turning 7 months at the end of the week, she may not really be ready. Even though it's texas, and winters are only like 30F at the coldest, there wont be any grass or bugs for the chicks. Losing a girl so unexpectedly and then unexpectedly getting a broody seems like to good of a coincidence to pass up. I have hope she will go broody again though, preferably around march.

 

[DesertChic]

Good news is that i have a girl that went broody, unfortunately now is not a good time, so hopefully she will go broody again in warm weather. Bad news is that one of my girls is dead, I had her euthanized. Yesterday at about 3pm she laid her first egg (i am pretty sure its her first) it was a small torpedo egg with an odd dent in it and she had a severe prolapse from it, i treated it and it seemed fine for a little bit. Then it came back out much much bigger than before. It kept getting worse, by the time i got her to the vet in the morning, he agreed it would be better to euthanize her. I finally calmed down from that, just to notice one of the other pullets had gone and disappeared when i had just saw it after i got back from the vet. I almost started crying again thinking something bad had happened. I found her laying on a nasty pile of wet leaves. I picked her up and she was broody! I removed her and the eggs, and she went and sat again! Moved her, a few minutes later, there she was again! No idea how long the eggs have been there, i dropped them in a glass of water and they all stayed at the bottom on their sides, so they are kind of fresh. They are horribly stained. I think i will feed them to the cat. I've been getting 3 eggs a day and sometimes 4 a day in the nest boxes, so its probably her that layed them all. She has been in the coop every night, until today she tried to stay on the nest. What a day, I just don''t know whats going on.
Here's the nest she made, it was behind a huge flower pot, that has a tree in it.

Whoa! You have had quite a day. So sorry about the hen you lost. I can totally empathize....my only buff frizzled Easter Egger died this past weekend from a prolapse. I went out in the morning and found her stiff as a board with the evidence of her condition very obvious. Thankfully the other two hens in the pen with here did not cannibalize here. That would have made it so much worse.

Broody hens can be such a handful. I had one that was broody for over two months before I finally caved in, declared her the victor, and give her some eggs to hatch. I have to admit, I learned a lot from watching her mother those chicks. She was downright impressive. Since then I've have multiple other broodies, but luckily they've been pretty easy to break since it's been so cold. I hope you have some good luck with yours. Sounds like you're more than deserving of it.