A Bielefelder Thread !

[TNBielefelder]

This is my second batch of BCMs from Feels Right Farm. My first batch is almost 8 weeks and have convinced me you can buy nice BCMs. They are Greenfire new import and Little Peddler. I need to take pictures of the 8 wk olds. They are my third attempt at BCMs. I had really given up. I am starting to think the third time will be a charm.

Yes those are nice looking birds!!! I love the egg color as well. I have a pair of pullets that just laid their first eggs and I'm happy with them. Are those adult birds pictured a cross of little peddler and green fire or do you have birds from both lines?

 

[ChickieMama2B]

Rescuing battery hens is admirable but be aware that if they had to be rescued, they probably didn't have good care as new layers, and may have health issues you may not have time or resources to bother with.  A friend rescued 3 battery Sexlinks in a separate coop and one died promptly, another got eggbound and died in spite of treatment, and another was found ill and dying on the floor of the coop a few weeks later.  Although battery breeds are good egg-layers they get spent in high production their first two years of life and not good after that - which is why they are discarded for newer younger birds.  @DesertChic
made a good suggestion about NNs if you don't mind their appearance - people who have NNs (even a Farmers Mkt egg-seller I know) say the NNs are their favourite and most NNs have great temperaments.  I don't know anything about their dual purpose or economical feed reputation but DesertChic will be a good resource to ask.  For myself, I have backyard pets for a few eggs, and rare or pretty purebreds are what I like.  I'm done with the larger, heavier, common dual-purpose breeds because of my experience with their more assertive natures - they're great egg-layers/meat birds but in my old age now I like the gentler smaller more docile personalities of some of the less common or rarer breeds.

Another reason I'm really wanting to find a breeder of heritage birds. I know myself and I'm going to want to breed toward standards.
Of course, there is no way i will expect perfection from my flock, I will feel it is my way of giving back to the community and to help provide the same opportunity to someone else, in the future. Maintaining more than one breed will be more than i can handle and I'd rather not focus anything other than broodies at that point.
Of course, let's say 10+ years pass and i find myself successful, i may at that time decide to, "branch out",so to speak. Until such a time, i see no reason to try and overwhelm myself and set myself up for failure. As far as temperament, I will cull heavy and hard, I'm not even sure I will give them 3 strikes, if i have more than one mature cock bird available.

 

[hellbender]

Another reason I'm really wanting to find a breeder of heritage birds. I know myself and I'm going to want to breed toward standards.
Of course, there is no way i will expect perfection from my flock, I will feel it is my way of giving back to the community and to help provide the same opportunity to someone else, in the future. Maintaining more than one breed will be more than i can handle and I'd rather not focus anything other than broodies at that point.
Of course, let's say 10+ years pass and i find myself successful, i may at that time decide to, "branch out",so to speak. Until such a time, i see no reason to try and overwhelm myself and set myself up for failure. As far as temperament, I will cull heavy and hard, I'm not even sure I will give them 3 strikes, if i have more than one mature cock bird available.

You sound resolute with your decision and that is admirable. I fully intend to have some Bielfelders put to use in my capon project, however, I was very surprised to find the White Chantecler breed to be exactly as you describe and the Naked necks are their equal in every way...I've had NNs of my own for more than 6 decades.

Good luck with whatever direction you take.

 

[Luanne Hott]

I would like to learn the caponizing process for my Bielefelders.

 

[Saris]

I would like to learn the caponizing process for my Bielefelders.

I'm going to try to caponize in about 6 weeks!

 

[otakalhasas]

New question
My Biels are now 4 months old and I have introduced them to my flock of layers. How do I combine their food so that the youngsters don't get too much calcium from the layer pellets (which they chowed down on earlier today!)? I have found on the internet a suggestion that feeding all of the hens growth food with additional calcium (oyster shells) will work. What do you all say? Thanks!

 

[DesertChic]

New question
My Biels are now 4 months old and I have introduced them to my flock of layers. How do I combine their food so that the youngsters don't get too much calcium from the layer pellets (which they chowed down on earlier today!)? I have found on the internet a suggestion that feeding all of the hens growth food with additional calcium (oyster shells) will work. What do you all say? Thanks!

That's what I did when I had to integrate different age groups. Giving them all growth food didn't hurt anyone, and the younger birds ignored the oyster shell until they matured enough to reach POL, at which time I also switched everyone to layer feed.

 

[Sylvester017]

Another reason I'm really wanting to find a breeder of heritage birds. I know myself and I'm going to want to breed toward standards.
Of course, there is no way i will expect perfection from my flock, I will feel it is my way of giving back to the community and to help provide the same opportunity to someone else, in the future. Maintaining more than one breed will be more than i can handle and I'd rather not focus anything other than broodies at that point.
Of course, let's say 10+ years pass and i find myself successful, i may at that time decide to, "branch out",so to speak. Until such a time, i see no reason to try and overwhelm myself and set myself up for failure. As far as temperament, I will cull heavy and hard, I'm not even sure I will give them 3 strikes, if i have more than one mature cock bird available.

Gosh, I wish I wasn't too old for project birds. I'd be dead before I could realize success LOL! I can't do it but a couple of American heritage breeds I think could use perpetuating to not lose the breeds are the Java, Jersey Giant, and maybe Dominiques (although these have been recovering).

 

[hellbender]

Gosh, I wish I wasn't too old for project birds. I'd be dead before I could realize success LOL! I can't do it but a couple of American heritage breeds I think could use perpetuating to not lose the breeds are the Java, Jersey Giant, and maybe Dominiques (although these have been recovering).

You are never too old to begin a 'project'. I'm no pup either and I have been caponizing/poulardizing young birds for more than half a century.

Like many things, getting started in altering chicks is the hardest part.

 

[Red Banks]

New question
My Biels are now 4 months old and I have introduced them to my flock of layers. How do I combine their food so that the youngsters don't get too much calcium from the layer pellets (which they chowed down on earlier today!)? I have found on the internet a suggestion that feeding all of the hens growth food with additional calcium (oyster shells) will work. What do you all say? Thanks!

I feed Flock Raiser Crumbles until all the birds are POL.