Blue Laced Red Wyandotte THREAD!

[shffarm]

Hi. I have been following this thread for awhile now. I purchased 4 BLRW at a swap in the spring and I'm looking for your honest opinions regarding type and color. I haven't been able to decide who I keep and who should be culled. Out of the 4 I only ended up with 1 pullet so naturally she stays. I would like to breed these for my own enjoyment however I like to stay true to the breed.
Picture 1 and 2 is of cockerel /#1
Picture 3 is of Cockerel # 2
Picture 4 is pullet in front with cockerel #2 in the back .......picture 5 and 6 is of cockerel #3...whom sometimes looks like a pullet. (not sure on that one)
Thanks for your input.

 

[shffarm]

Oh forgot they are only about 3-4 mos. old.

 

[Texasmja]

Nice cockerel. He stands out from the rest. He looks more like 3 months than 4. I would like to see him as he matures.

 

[cracrzy4chicks]

Meat proteins..

This is my opinion..and something I am pretty passionate about.

Chickens are omnivores. The feed that is contained in bags is for vegans. Chickens are kept enclosed in fences and not allowed to hunt. They miss vital meat nutrients and muscle building exercises. To get a good specimen and a bird that has a healthy long life they need meat and foraging exercises. It keeps them from depression and boredom.Internal laying issues, and other health concerns. Chickens can be kept in cages, and behind fences and thrive, they can be fed out of a bag and be healthy, for a shorter life. Nothing wrong with that. It is what most back yard chicken keepers must do since they do not have farms. Understanding that type of lifestyle for chickens is the hard part. Most breeds of chickens do not do well in those situations. Choose the right breed and you will be fine.

Meat used to be in feeds. They took it out since many battery chicken farms sell the chicken waste material to feed out cattle. The meat fed to chickens and left in the droppings were responsible for mad cow disease and other health issue to fed out animals. I know it is gross to think about cows eating chicken poop but that is a fact. So no more meat in chicken feed.

I feed my chicks from day one raw chicken liver. I butcher out my chickens on a regular basis. All materials from each chicken is respected and used. Nothing goes to waste. I sell the feathers or use them in the compost refuse pile. I also have a vegan pile. My birds have access to both piles.

Not all of my birds are free ranged. I have some Imported breeds that I am not confident they have the capacity to thrive in the wild. I need a few generations of them to convert them to smarter birds. I have third generation tiny tots ranging outside of the fence now and are doing well. They are with broody mothers and learning how to find foods and understanding that it is dangerous outside of the fence. I worry that predators are going to get them. Time will tell. My imports can't fly as adults. They are too large. I do not have an LGD and to be confident I should have one.

I hope this helps a little to understand why I make my choices. I have been raising chickens for 35 years, and my methods are old fashioned. When I joined BYC it was the very first time I heard of chickens in the house. I never in my wildest dreams thought people would bring a chicken in the house. I brooded my first batch of chicks this last winter...in the house....lol .....First and last.

Feed your chickens meat. Let them out when you can. Give them activities to let them be chickens.

My birds compost piles and ranges

Thank you for the wonderful advice Delisha. I'm here to learn

. My birds free range, on my acre. Not quite as much room as yours have !! They have access to all kinds of bugs & critters. How many times a week do you suggest giving them supplemental meats ?

mine all free range as much as possible... I don't really have a 'compost pile'. the horses just drop what they do best where they want. the chickens spend hours scattering it looking for the grubs (fly larva). they also have lots of wooded mountainside to wander, scratching thru dead leaves & such too.

it's interesting watching them with a mouse or chipmunk (the dog helps by depositing bodies.) one roo will find it and start to carry it away, talking to his girls the whole time, then there's a tug of war. kind of gruesome. or if it's really small I've seen one roo swallow it whole. maybe a bit TMI but it's funny watching the tail disappear as he's gulping it down...

I have no problem feeding mine chicken. yesterday they got a whole flat of "chicken lizzards" (gizzards hearts and livers) that was marked down at the grocery store. I just stand there with a pair of scissors and cut it into 1/2" strips and toss. the dog gets some, the chickens get most. I don't specify who gets what, because the chickens are faster at the snatch and grab than the dog is. LOL (and no, he's not slow, or old. he's a 3 year old standard poodle who's raw-fed daily, a primary diet of chicken).

this was the scene a few days ago, when he found (and confiscated) an egg up in the woods...
I'm not sure if he's looking guilty or the birds look jealous. LOL

Looks like a stare down from the O.K. corral

lol well, I was trying not to get too graphic for the more squeamish, but sharing what I do and observe of my own guys...

and making a side point that dogs and chickens CAN get along, regardless of diet or natural tendencies, I guess...
at the swaps I get tired of people telling me 'you can't feed a dog raw because it makes them aggressive.'
yeah. right. LOL usually at that point I grab the nearest chick and hold it up to the dog. 'ok sunny, breakfast.' and he just licks the chick and looks at me like 'what am I supposed to do with THAT?'

ok so i'm really off on a tangent tonight. LOL sorry bout that. been a loooong day.

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you ! I also feed raw to my dogs ( 2 rottweilers & a Boxer ) They cruise the yard together with the chickens, basically ignoring each other. OK, maybe not totally ignoring each other........... my 2 yr old rottie puppy will walk up behind the birds and bump their butts with his nose........... looking for a fresh treat to come out. Sorta like a Pez dispenser

How often do you supplement with meat ?

 

[shffarm]

Thank you for your input...I to feel he is the better of the 3.

 

[ki4got]

Quote:
the dog? daily. LOL the chickens, when I find a good deal at the store, when I think about it, when... LOL it's not regular but at least twice a week. also depends what was for dinner. cheesy eggs happen at least once a week (for people's dinner) so I just cook up a bunch (12-18) and dole out the leftovers in the morning.

 

[delisha]

My birds get meat daily..they hunt there own. My Orpingtons and Silkies get it twice a week. They are in limited pasture. It is only an area of 40fs and sectioned off in three sections. I have planted spinach, clover and kale in that pasture so they have good food, they just lack a large volume of meat. I think the protein level for chickens should be composed of the meat portion being a large percentage. I have a ton of bugs in the compost pile and I grow out weed worms and meal worms for the winter. If I lived in a warmer climate i would grow a self feeding bug container. I feed all organ meat back to the chickens including intestines.

 

[delisha]

I am entering one of my BLRW in the next show. I have 6 weeks to get this bird in condition. She is a little on the small side yet and I think I need to add some calf manna to her daily feed. I probably should start to cage train her already too. She will just hit 6 months. I hope I can get her up to 61/2 lbs in 6 weeks. My meal worms are not growing fast enough.

 

[DMRippy]

I am entering one of my BLRW in the next show. I have 6 weeks to get this bird in condition. She is a little on the small side yet and I think I need to add some calf manna to her daily feed. I probably should start to cage train her already too. She will just hit 6 months. I hope I can get her up to 61/2 lbs in 6 weeks. My meal worms are not growing fast enough.

 

no mealworms are SLOW GOING! I have millions and still don't feed them out LOL. My birds are all penned and don't get out ever! I feed a feed that is 22% and pork based feed. I too feel that they need the MEAT!

 

[ki4got]

Quote: I wonder if supplementing with a good kitty kibble would help...