Bob Blosl's Heritage Large Fowl Thread

[NanaKat]

And in between, placing incubated chicks with a broody hen or a foster mom produces chicks that are stronger than those incubated and brooded in pens. I am fortunate to have two hens that will foster chicks even when not broodie and five hens that will take on up to 10 chicks each with their own chicks.

 

[Chris09]

Walt,

I have seen the same thing here in that you get over all better chicks and birds out of a brood hen than out of a incubator.
My best Reds are birds that were hatched naturally, everything about them is better than a incubator chick.

Chris

 

[catdaddyfro]

Walt,

I have seen the same thing here in that you get over all better chicks and birds out of a brood hen than out of a incubator.
My best Reds are birds that were hatched naturally, everything about them is better than a incubator chick.

Chris

Seems to be a popular thought this morning as I had just posted something similar over to the Old and rare thread.

• catdaddyfro
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I hope everyone has their breed pens setup or is at least thinking about them.

We had our first hatch yesterday. I set eggs every Saturday; so, we should be hatching each week until either Easter or Ascension Day. I had the Pox late and that set my hens back at least one month. Hatches at this point are small.

First hatch included:
Cubalaya
Lemon Blue Games
Brown Red Games
Secret Asil Project

Yeah working on it here we are just now getting winter weather here in Louisiana always last of Dec. and thru Jan. is our worst. Thing is very cold nights and then the days will warm up so much, sometimes as much or more than 30* and it plays heck with the incubators even indoors (central controlled unit). The temps fluctuate too much so I generally will start collecting up around Feb.1 and try to get things kicked off around Valentines day(good round numbers and easy to remember too) LOL + 'tis to seem to be the appropriate season for such activities

(the birds and the bees and the flowers and the trees) are all getting tuned-up 'bout then LOL I don't show in the fall so I don't have to have the youngin's in shape by then just would like for them to be going into the short days right at POL age or close enough to take on some of the duties as the elders are going into molt is my reasoning and goals. Plus I think they grow off better during the springtime months and right before it gets hottern the gates of Hades here too(bout mid June). But then I let Mother nature take over and let those broodies take on such chores and do all the hard work and I've found these broody reared chicks to be some of the best, there a lot to this.(Survival of the fittest/Natural selection process) I've found.

Jeff

 

[Fred's Hens]

We're hatching early this year. With personal life issues, scheduling requires it. One Christmas Day hatch and collecting eggs now for a second. My only concern is watching the longer range weather patterns. While this week is supposed to be incredibly mild, a nasty, cold, bitter Arctic thing is brewing for the following week. Heads up for January 12-25.
The electric meter will be spinning.

 

[Chris09]

We're hatching early this year. With personal life issues, scheduling requires it. One Christmas Day hatch and collecting eggs now for a second. My only concern is watching the longer range weather patterns. While this week is supposed to be incredibly mild, a nasty, cold, bitter Arctic thing is brewing for the following week. Heads up for January 12-25.
The electric meter will be spinning.

Your weather is going to be much like mine here in Ohio.
I'm going to have to rig up a "heated" nest box for the Reds so that there eggs don't get to cold, I think some of the eggs I have in the incubator now may have gotten to cold and ain't going to hatch.

Chris

 

[Robert Blosl]

Quote: 10,000 who would have thought that. Way to go out there in the Old time Chicken lovers world. I saw that we were getting close to this number congratulations 3riverschick on the historic post. Not many web sites have that many posts or visits or they die in a few weeks. Some I started have died but so much interest in Production chickens and those to visited killed them. The Rhode Island Red Thread is still kicking along there is a great number of people wanting Rhode Island Reds this year. So next year should be double the numbers so those of you who get top notch birds be ready to ship eggs or chicks to the beginners who will want them. Many of them don't want show birds or intend to go to a show they only want birds that are Pure to the Breed.

Here is a tip for next year. You pick two good males and four or six good females to breed from. You have four or six females that are pretty good but have little faults that you don't want to keep in color or maybe not a nice comb. Keep these females for breeders for the beginners. They would be happy to get two or three dozen eggs from you or ten started chicks sent to them overnight express to their post office. They are beginners and just want the real bird and not a hatchery bird. Many of them have had the commerical bird and just want to move up to your level of Standard Breed Fowl.

So just remember that if you can afford to keep a few extra next year. Have a nice day and promote those rare Standard of Perfection Breeds. Those others are fine but what good are they going to do a beginner who wants to up grade a hatchery chicken to a breed that is in the Standard of Perfection. This tread is suppose to be about helping others locate the old rare breeds and then help them learn how to cull to maintain the level of quality that the Standard of Perfection demands. Also, this year you who search ebay ect keep your eyes open for used Standard of Perfections the ones that are non color with black and white pictures in them. Then when you find them post this on our message board so others may have a chance to buy them. The old black and white pictures by Schilling are the ones I like the best.

 

[Yellow House Farm]

I had used broodies for the last 4-5 years to hatch for me. I find Phoenix females and Asil females to be very good incubators and moms. This year I used an incubator because of the amount of birds I wanted out. I don't know what experience others have had, but for some reason the birds I have that were hatched and brooded by hens are a cut above the incubated birds in almost every way. I don't now why, that is just what I have seen. I understand that they develop immunity with the hen, but why do they end up physically looking better?

Walt

Walt,

I have seen the same thing here in that you get over all better chicks and birds out of a brood hen than out of a incubator.
My best Reds are birds that were hatched naturally, everything about them is better than a incubator chick.

Chris

I cannot concur more. Two year ago I used primarily natural incubation with positive results; indeed, the years prior I had used artificial incubation. The year of natural incubation produced stronger results. With this in mind, last year I used all artificial incubation...because I'm just smart that way

. The results were noticibly down from the natural incubation year. This coming year, we've saved a couple dozen White Dorking cull pullets to serve as broodies. Barring on special project, the natural of which makes artificila incubation the more practical, we shall be using only natural incubation. On a certain level it's a bit more work, filling more waterers and feeder, etc... However, the broodies just do a better job.

1. Firstly, they keep the peace. With broodies we don't have pecking issues whatsoever; everyone grows up with a tail.
2. I never see pasty-butt.
3. There's the possibility of higher immunity.
4. Then there's the reality of much lower electric bulbs. Eight to ten 250 watt bulbs plus four incubators costs a handsome chunk of change. For the work of extra waters and the needed original investment in infrastructure, it's a nice savings.
5. They learn to roost at the appropriate time. I've found that it takes our Dorkings far too long to learn to roost, if they don't have a broody showing them what's for.
6. I never have to worry about power shortages. Climate change and luck of the Irish has brought about regular power outages around here right in the middle of hatching season. With broodies I don't have to worry. Once I was up 48 hours straight keeping the wood in the wood stove up enough to keep way too many chicks warm in metal livestock drinking tubs nestled close to the furnace.
7. They can be allowed to free-range earlier because the broody will bring them back to roost. Otherwise they often don't know enough to return, and, if the Dorkings are taking too long to learn to roost, that leads to one big pain in the neck.
8. When they are on free-range they're safer in that mom doubles as a watchdog.

All in all, I'm happier with the hens. Can anyone add to this list?

Also, this year you who search ebay ect keep your eyes open for used Standard of Perfections the ones that are non color with black and white pictures in them. Then when you find them post this on our message board so others may have a chance to buy them. The old black and white pictures by Schilling are the ones I like the best.

On the APA website one can buy for a meager sum a compendium of black and white Schilling photos. I have it, and enjoy it. It doesn't have as many birds represented, but it's nice.

 

[fowlman01]

I cannot concur more. Two year ago I used primarily natural incubation with positive results; indeed, the years prior I had used artificial incubation. The year of natural incubation produced stronger results. With this in mind, last year I used all artificial incubation...because I'm just smart that way

. The results were noticibly down from the natural incubation year. This coming year, we've saved a couple dozen White Dorking cull pullets to serve as broodies. Barring on special project, the natural of which makes artificila incubation the more practical, we shall be using only natural incubation. On a certain level it's a bit more work, filling more waterers and feeder, etc... However, the broodies just do a better job.

1. Firstly, they keep the peace. With broodies we don't have pecking issues whatsoever; everyone grows up with a tail.
2. I never see pasty-butt.
3. There's the possibility of higher immunity.
4. Then there's the reality of much lower electric bulbs. Eight to ten 250 watt bulbs plus four incubators costs a handsome chunk of change. For the work of extra waters and the needed original investment in infrastructure, it's a nice savings.
5. They learn to roost at the appropriate time. I've found that it takes our Dorkings far too long to learn to roost, if they don't have a broody showing them what's for.
6. I never have to worry about power shortages. Climate change and luck of the Irish has brought about regular power outages around here right in the middle of hatching season. With broodies I don't have to worry. Once I was up 48 hours straight keeping the wood in the wood stove up enough to keep way too many chicks warm in metal livestock drinking tubs nestled close to the furnace.
7. They can be allowed to free-range earlier because the broody will bring them back to roost. Otherwise they often don't know enough to return, and, if the Dorkings are taking too long to learn to roost, that leads to one big pain in the neck.
8. When they are on free-range they're safer in that mom doubles as a watchdog.

All in all, I'm happier with the hens. Can anyone add to this list?


On the APA website one can buy for a meager sum a compendium of black and white Schilling photos. I have it, and enjoy it. It doesn't have as many birds represented, but it's nice.

The black and white edition of the SOP is sold out. Everyone wanted that version with the Schilling illustrations .....until we produced it and then we had to give them away at $10 each. As it turned out everyone did not want them and they did not sell.

Walt

 

[Chris09]

The black and white edition of the SOP is sold out. Everyone wanted that version with the Schilling illustrations .....until we produced it and then we had to give them away at $10 each. As it turned out everyone did not want them and they did not sell.

Walt

I can't remember the last time I even looked at one of the pictures in my SOP, I always looked at like this, the pictures are only one artists interpretation of the written section of the standard and it is not the ideal bird. Shoot I would rather have a SOP that had no pictures of breeds in them but that's just me.

Chris

 

[Robert Blosl]

If you can find a black and white standard that has been sold out or may be at a Poultry Supply House or store buy it or tell us where they are. In my view looking at those pictures gives me a better scope of what I am shooting for as a breeder. I dont know why. Color is not a issue to me its shape or type. With out type you dont have a good chicken. To many people today are breeding for color because I guess that's what the fad is in the show rooms to win. If you don't provide a bird with the type the local judges want you can not win stared wins. Then the question is do you want to be a stared win master breeder because you won 100 points over ten years or do you want to be a Master Breeder of someone who breeds birds that looks like the Standard of Perfection pictures such as these black and white ones I am talking about.

Also, I am not talking about the pictures in the 1900 to 1920s standards I am talking about the 1960s black and white standards. These where the last of Schillings work be for he died. I have always thought if I wanted to be a good breeder of a certain breed I would cut out the picture from my black and white standard and have it framed and have it in my chicken house and in my young brooder pens as my young birds where growing up. If I had the artistic talent with a pen or pencil I could scretich a picture of the ideal bird in his or her shape on paper. Breeding is much like that but you are doing this with a body shape of a chicken framing the frame with feathers.

Those who are the great breeders of the past or present are artist. They shape the body's of their Standard Breed Fowl much like clay then paint them with feathers as a artist would do a painting.

Some can do it some just try hard and come close but at least both groups try.

Today I got a email stating I use to have chickens as a young person I never thought I would want any ever again after I left home 20 years ago but I have the urge to get back. This person wants some Rhode Island Reds not the feed store kind but the old fashion dark dark red kind. He lives in the south so I am going to line him up with a person who can help him get a start.

This is a perfect example of a beginner who has no desire to go to a poultry show or breed by the standard just wants to enjoy the beauty of such nice looking chickens. That is why we need to start a net work of supplying such fowl or breeds to these new beginners who are coming back in the mid age of their lives. There are not a lot of them but maybe a small percent who would make it worth while for you to keep extra birds this year to help out the future poultry hobbiest who want to be back yard farmers next year. Of course you have to tell us or advertise that you have eggs or chicks available so when the demand comes we can refer them to you.