Bob Blosl's Heritage Large Fowl Thread

[Zanna]

We just received 26 HRIR from Matt Ulrich. They sure look good to my untrained eye ! I hope you are not saying here that they are not much better than hatchery birds. BTW Bob you are the one who turned us to Matt, so I think I may not be understanding your message here. Thanks Mike / Diana

Matt Ulrich and Duane Urch are two different people

 

[bnjrob]

Hum...
Back in the old lit...yes, I know it is almost 100 years old... winnow out the grain and discard the obsolete... I was researching feeding chicks because I wanted to see how they fed them in "more natural" times. Over and over again, I read admonishments to raise the Sussex chicks on grains only. No potions, lotions, supplements, or fancy feeds. Just hard grains. No mention of soft grains that I remember. I don't know how to bring that knowledge forward to modern times yet. I know better than to grab old knowledge and simply transplant it to current times. That is just asking for trouble without weighing it against current breed needs and its performance in our modern, more toxic world. Still, I find it fascinating that such a wide range of experts back then are all advocatig the same things. Grains only...to... the more hard grains the better... up to... and including nothing but hard grains. So that is a place to start and then research how such advice needs to be modified to make it successful in today's poultry raising.
Best,
Karen

I wonder why the "hard" grain? Why not "soft" grain?

There surely has to be a supplemental ingredient(protein) there as grains alone(8%) WILL NOT/ cannot support a metabolism for proper growth. I could see this/and do see this with broodies and chicks running out and getting proteins from natural sources such as bugs/critters and what plant matters higher in proteins(clovers ect.) than grass/grains.

Wonder what they used for such?

Jeff

Karen, I've probably looked at some of the same old books that you have for the same reasons - to see how they did it back before the days of manufactured feed. I wonder if the feeding was different for fanciers that showed poultry than it was for chickens on the homestead?

In old books there are often references that chickens were fed scraps just like pigs. They were given leftovers of meat, and anything else that was going to be thrown out. They were also given scraps from the dairy cow, whey, buttermilk from butter churnings, soured milk, etc. In that situation, I can see chickens getting their protein, besides what they scrounged up in the yard.

I'm starting to wonder if routinely giving them a mostly full diet of grains started when the poultry fancy became more organized and people were looking to improve the beauty of their birds to win shows. Or maybe it started because there was a loss of good foraging materials for the chickens to eat, and people started buying milk rather than keeping their own cow sow there wasn't any dairy scraps to give them. They kept chickens in the cities during the 19th century, and it was likely difficult for the chickens to have any kind of place to forage and get a balanced diet, so routinely feeding grains sounds like it probably would have been done, along with feeding house scraps.

One article I read discussed putting out your feed and some selections of grain (in separate feeders), and the chickens would instinctively know what they should eat in order to get a balanced diet - like how the hens know to eat oyster shell and the cocks leave it alone. There was a max amt of choices they said that you could give them before they became confused and just ate whatever, but I can't remember what that number was. It was interesting but not feasible with the set up we have so I haven't tried it.

And the search for optimum nutrition continues...

 

[qball53]

Matt Ulrich and Duane Urch are two different people


Ok got it Thanks!. We sure are pleased with our little HRIR. Nice rich colored legs, dark mohagony beaks, deep/dark red feathers coming in. Really looking forward to watching these grow.

 

[kathyinmo]

Last minute notice....
Shipping out in 2 hours. I had a cancellation. I have 20 Delaware chicks hatched in the last 24 hours. $8. each plus $40. for shipping and box.

These will be the FIRST Delawares (F4s) I have released.

No guarantees, but am hopeful they will be good quality.

SOLD

 

[Zanna]

Last minute notice....
Shipping out in 2 hours. I had a cancellation. I have 20 Delaware chicks hatched in the last 24 hours. $8. each plus $40. for shipping and box.

These will be the FIRST Delawares (F4s) I have released.

No guarantees, but am hopeful they will be good quality.

Sending you a PM

 

[OSUman]

Dang, I wish I had a little extra money right now!

Last minute notice....
Shipping out in 2 hours. I had a cancellation. I have 20 Delaware chicks hatched in the last 24 hours. $8. each plus $40. for shipping and box.

These will be the FIRST Delawares (F4s) I have released.

No guarantees, but am hopeful they will be good quality.

 

[capayvalleychick]

Last minute notice....
Shipping out in 2 hours. I had a cancellation. I have 20 Delaware chicks hatched in the last 24 hours. $8. each plus $40. for shipping and box.

These will be the FIRST Delawares (F4s) I have released.

No guarantees, but am hopeful they will be good quality.

SOLD

Can I be on a waiting list? I'm not always online.

 

[Yard full o' rocks]

You have 22% layer feed? Ours is only 16% here.
Calf Manna is like - 28% isn't it?
You use that high of protein feed all the time?

Kathy

I mix 22% layer, cut with whole oats and calf manna....sometimes I use a bag of 22% layer a bag of 16% layer plus the calf manna and oats (fortunately, my feed store carries both 16% and 22%)

I normally only do this for the young birds from about 2 months to around 6 months

 

[sgribble]

We just received 26 HRIR from Matt Ulrich. They sure look good to my untrained eye ! I hope you are not saying here that they are not much better than hatchery birds. BTW Bob you are the one who turned us to Matt, so I think I may not be understanding your message here. Thanks Mike / Diana

Don't worry you will have good birds from Matt Ulrich. Hatchery birds don't even compare to what Matt has.

 

[finnfur]

Sending you a PM

Zanna I hope you lucked out and got them - You have worked hard on yours. Hope I will be lucky enough to get some F5s LOL