A Bielefelder Thread !

[Faraday40]

I've never hatched or I'd take you up on it! I may try if one of my hens goes broody next year, but probably with cheap eggs, lol! I'm scared of incubating!

Incubation is very fun & easier than caring for chicks. It's so exciting to watch the chicks hatch. I used to incubate in my classroom for years before actually owning chickens. (I would donate the chicks to a local farm.) I made my mistake by accepting a rainbow assortment of eggs rather than my standard Leghorns. Those "friendly" mutts were so unlike the skittish dust generators I usually hatched. Once I kept those 1st hens, then I learned about all the exciting breeds with sweet temperaments. I was hooked!

 

[Sylvester017]

Incubation is very fun & easier than caring for chicks. It's so exciting to watch the chicks hatch. I used to incubate in my classroom for years before actually owning chickens. (I would donate the chicks to a local farm.) I made my mistake by accepting a rainbow assortment of eggs rather than my standard Leghorns. Those "friendly" mutts were so unlike the skittish dust generators I usually hatched. Once I kept those 1st hens, then I learned about all the exciting breeds with sweet temperaments. I was hooked!

Although White Leghorns are probably the most outstanding production layer in the world and what my folks raised, they are not a good breed to mix with docile or smaller breeds. I had to not only re-home my Leghorns, but my Marans also because these breeds are just too aggressive to downright cannibalistic around sweet temperament breeds. I cycled through 13 chickens in 5 yrs to get down to the 4 hens I now enjoy - 2 Silkies, a Blue Wheaten Ameraucana, and a Blue Breda. I know there are sweet gentle giant breeds like Brahma, Favie, Bielies, etc, but I won't have any breed weighing over 5-lbs because of the gentle 2-lb Silkies in the yard - the little girls have been terrorized by too many dual purpose and egg layer breeds so now I only keep lighter-weight birds with sweet temperaments. What a difference!

 

[Faraday40]

Although White Leghorns are probably the most outstanding production layer in the world and what my folks raised, they are not a good breed to mix with docile or smaller breeds. I had to not only re-home my Leghorns, but my Marans also because these breeds are just too aggressive to downright cannibalistic around sweet temperament breeds. I cycled through 13 chickens in 5 yrs to get down to the 4 hens I now enjoy - 2 Silkies, a Blue Wheaten Ameraucana, and a Blue Breda. I know there are sweet gentle giant breeds like Brahma, Favie, Bielies, etc, but I won't have any breed weighing over 5-lbs because of the gentle 2-lb Silkies in the yard - the little girls have been terrorized by too many dual purpose and egg layer breeds so now I only keep lighter-weight birds with sweet temperaments. What a difference!

I definitely agree with the Leghorns. They're not my thing. My 1st loves were my curious & playful Easter Eggers. Each one has such a unique personality. Then I found Orpingtons - my beautiful lap chickens. They are so easy to train because of their love for food, but the amount of feed consumed does not equal more eggs. They would never even think about hopping the fence. The Bieles are big & docile like the orps, but they don't seem to be at the very bottom. They also reached maturity a lot faster & seem to give more eggs. So far I like them, but when I lost my Biele boy, I decided to sell all but one biele pullet. If she's still a fav in the spring, then I'd like to try hatching them again in 2016. I suppose I have all docile breeds.

I have 2 bantams, but because they are so fast (& the big hens are so slow) I haven't seen much bullying. In fact, the bantams sleep ABOVE the highest hens in the summer. (They're the only ones that can fit in the window sil & hog all the cool summer night breezes.) In the winter, they roost under a big fat orp to stay warm. The bantams were hatched & raised with full sized breeds, so they don't seem to know they're smaller. They have big attitudes to make up for it. Perhaps they are the bullies.

 

[Sweet Coastal]

I'm dying for some good quality Bielefielders in the spring. I'm in Georgia. Does anyone know if a good source I could line up for spring? Either driving distance or shipped. Thank you!!

Where are you in GA? Like redbanks said feels right farms has beautiful birds. That's where mine came from. I'm in Brunswick.

 

[DesertChic]

I've never hatched or I'd take you up on it! I may try if one of my hens goes broody next year, but probably with cheap eggs, lol! I'm scared of incubating!

Oh, don't be scared of incubating! It's an amazing and joyful experience! Granted, you'll be amazed by how much time you lose standing over that incubating and willing those eggs to hatch, but once they start...it really is quite magical to observe. And it's addicting. It's how I wound up with 70 chickens instead of just twelve.

 

[DesertChic]

Although White Leghorns are probably the most outstanding production layer in the world and what my folks raised, they are not a good breed to mix with docile or smaller breeds. I had to not only re-home my Leghorns, but my Marans also because these breeds are just too aggressive to downright cannibalistic around sweet temperament breeds. I cycled through 13 chickens in 5 yrs to get down to the 4 hens I now enjoy - 2 Silkies, a Blue Wheaten Ameraucana, and a Blue Breda. I know there are sweet gentle giant breeds like Brahma, Favie, Bielies, etc, but I won't have any breed weighing over 5-lbs because of the gentle 2-lb Silkies in the yard - the little girls have been terrorized by too many dual purpose and egg layer breeds so now I only keep lighter-weight birds with sweet temperaments. What a difference!

For what it's worth, both my Biel cockerels and pullets are VERY gentle with my little Silkie hen and actually somewhat protective of her. Heck, one of my Biel cockerels mated with her after they'd spent so much time together and they gave me some lovely little hybrid chicks that are 8 weeks old now. (New photos are coming soon.) And even though I put her in her own pen with some smaller Frizzled Easter Eggers that were getting feather-picked by some of the others, my Biels still visit her every day through the fencing that separates them.

 

[goldie1234]

Where are you in GA? Like redbanks said feels right farms has beautiful birds. That's where mine came from. I'm in Brunswick.

I'm just north of Atlanta.

 

[Eggscoozme]

I'd love to see those hybrid chicks (Biels x Silkie) as I have some in the bator now. My silkie is a Showgirl, though, but at least it would give me an idea. What color is your silkie?

 

[Faraday40]

I'd love to see those hybrid chicks (Biels x Silkie) as I have some in the bator now. My silkie is a Showgirl, though, but at least it would give me an idea. What color is your silkie?

x2
a pic update please

 

[DesertChic]

Okay...Just finished cropping the photos. My Silkie mama hen is a Buff. Here they are at 8 weeks:


Uno - my favorite little pullet and the first to hatch. She's also the smallest in the group with the most assertive but friendly personality.



Chick 2 - an obvious cockerel. I haven't come up with a name for him yet. I'm noticing some deeper gold feathering coming in on him.



Chick 3 - Poppy: I think this is a pullet, but much larger than little Uno. This one definitely seems to be favoring more the Silkie feathering, but with plenty of darker feathers too.



Chick 4: Jordi - my favorite cockerel. He's very sweet and affectionate.