Bob Blosl's Heritage Large Fowl Thread

[Robert Blosl]

I killed some young R I Red Ckls about 20 years ago and they where tough. I had them on free range. So about five years later I said I will try something different. I put the males in small 4x4 pens three to a pen and fatten them up. They could not get exercise and they where so much better eating. Maybe if I waited befor they started crowing and become mature they would even be more tender. I don't know. My wife bought a big Cornish rock cross chicken at the Publics Grocery store the other day and we marinade in a good marinade she bought at the store. I got a new Electric Smoker that I set at 250 degrees for three hours and used Hickory wood chips in it and it was one of the best chickens I ever ate. It was so tender I put it back into the smoker for 20 more minutes because we did not think it was done. It had a glaze over the shin and the meat was juicy, tender and what a flavor from the wood.

I just got back from fishing and caught eight blue gill fish and going to smoke these tomorrow at 150 degrees for about 90 minutes. See how that goes.

We are getting ready to smoke some ribs and a bottom round roast in the smoker in the next hour or so for about 2 hrs for the ribs and 3 for the roast. Smoking with a smoker makes the meat taste really good. I also have a big green egg and like it but the smoker is great.

Wish I had some Cornish games the bantams so I could raise and eat them. They are so expensive at the shows. These fools want 50 to 75 dollars a bird.

In regards to the chickens from Kansas he told me he breeds them for taste. Some of the breeds I do not think are close to standard and if you got them it would take light years to get them up where they will win big at shows. The barred males tails are typical barred rock tails.

Most of the time the barred rocks are smaller than the white rocks they partridge and silver penciled are small to.

In regards to weighing birds I would leave this up to the breed clubs. I don't know how they do it in Europe but many shows have the weights on the coop tags.

I think we as breeders need to weigh our birds. I do as I am trying to breed mine smaller. In large fowl the ideal weight is a pound over standard weight. When pushing for feather quality you can not get them big as they pretty much lock in around standard weight or a pound over. The bigger they are the less eggs they lay has been my experience.

It just depends what your goals are. Winning stared wins or preserving a breed. You can do both but you wont win as many stared wins that way.

 

[neopolitancrazy]

yes, my husband and I ate ~ 20 Dorkings this past fall/winter. They were free ranged from 6 weeks of age until the night before slaughter, at ~ 15 weeks of age. They had all the Purina Flock Raiser they could eat, plus clover pasture and intermittent table scraps. We did not rest them or brine them. I found the meat to be of noticably finer texture, with more flavor than the grocery store fryers, yet still tender. I am absolutely going to raise more of them, but have to get relocated first.

 

[Lacy Blues]

I have a question for you long time breeders...

I was in one of my bantam project pens this morning. There is this one pullet in there that stops me in my tracks. She is the picture of beauty and grace. She has fantastic type, a nice wide head, clear and bright eyes... a potential winner (at least in my book). Her ground color and lacing are also very pleasing. However, the wing on her left side is lacking the axial feather. Gives me a headache!

She is between 4 and 5 months now and I was wondering if anyone has any experience with an axial growing in late?

 

[thedragonlady]

I have a question for you long time breeders...

I was in one of my bantam project pens this morning. There is this one pullet in there that stops me in my tracks. She is the picture of beauty and grace. She has fantastic type, a nice wide head, clear and bright eyes... a potential winner (at least in my book). Her ground color and lacing are also very pleasing. However, the wing on her left side is lacking the axial feather. Gives me a headache!

She is between 4 and 5 months now and I was wondering if anyone has any experience with an axial growing in late?

Check and see if the follicle is there. My Orps blow feathers at that age. It may just have been molted.

 

[Yard full o' rocks]

Check and see if the follicle is there. My Orps blow feathers at that age. It may just have been molted.

I'm certainly not a long time breeder, but like Vickie said, could be molted. My Col Rocks were hatched the Sun before and the Sun following Christmas (makes them about 4.5 months) and it looks like a pillow fight occurred in the coop/runs. My 2 largest cockerels suddenly look to have a "split wing", but I think its just the absence of feathers right now

I'm hoping to make some culling decisions once this molt is over....I need some space

 

[thedragonlady]

I'm certainly not a long time breeder, but like Vickie said, could be molted. My Col Rocks were hatched the Sun before and the Sun following Christmas (makes them about 4.5 months) and it looks like a pillow fight occurred in the coop/runs. My 2 largest cockerels suddenly look to have a "split wing", but I think its just the absence of feathers right now

I'm hoping to make some culling decisions once this molt is over....I need some space

The big cockerels will drive you nuts doing weird things with their wings at this age. By 6-7 months they seem to get control of those feathers, and get their wings folded in a tidy manner. I normally rakeup a 5 gallon bucket of baby feathers a day during the feather change. My husband went up one morning to let the Orps out, and came back in to ask, "What died up there ?" Feathers everywhere!

 

[Lacy Blues]

Check and see if the follicle is there. My Orps blow feathers at that age. It may just have been molted.

I palpated the area yesterday with my fingers but didn't find anything. I'll check again, looking specifically for a follicle. Thanks.

I'm certainly not a long time breeder, but like Vickie said, could be molted. My Col Rocks were hatched the Sun before and the Sun following Christmas (makes them about 4.5 months) and it looks like a pillow fight occurred in the coop/runs. My 2 largest cockerels suddenly look to have a "split wing", but I think its just the absence of feathers right now

I'm hoping to make some culling decisions once this molt is over....I need some space

You and me both! The rotation drives me crazy at times!

The big cockerels will drive you nuts doing weird things with their wings at this age. By 6-7 months they seem to get control of those feathers, and get their wings folded in a tidy manner. I normally rakeup a 5 gallon bucket of baby feathers a day during the feather change. My husband went up one morning to let the Orps out, and came back in to ask, "What died up there ?" Feathers everywhere!

 

[Robert Blosl]

I have a question for you long time breeders...

I was in one of my bantam project pens this morning. There is this one pullet in there that stops me in my tracks. She is the picture of beauty and grace. She has fantastic type, a nice wide head, clear and bright eyes... a potential winner (at least in my book). Her ground color and lacing are also very pleasing. However, the wing on her left side is lacking the axial feather. Gives me a headache!

She is between 4 and 5 months now and I was wondering if anyone has any experience with an axial growing in late?

If she is a really good bird a bird that you would like your strain to look like mate her to a good male her uncle maybe and hopefully he will compensate for this axil feather issue.

I had a white rock ckl one time that went through a molt and when I conditioned him for a show just before I took him out and put him in the shipping box I looked at his wings. He had two missing primary feathers in the middle between the secondary's. A total of four missing feathers. I said to myself it looks like a split wing.

The judge saw it also and gave me a high award but the other exhibitors told me I was robed as he was the best bird in the show. But they did not know he had missing feathers. I told all of them the judge did well he could have disqualified him for this. The next year he molted back perfectly like he did as a ckl.

If she is a super star also keep her mate her to a select male toe punch the chicks then see what happens after her hen molt. She may molt back perfectly.

 

[Lacy Blues]

If she is a really good bird a bird that you would like your strain to look like mate her to a good male her uncle maybe and hopefully he will compensate for this axil feather issue.

I had a white rock ckl one time that went through a molt and when I conditioned him for a show just before I took him out and put him in the shipping box I looked at his wings. He had two missing primary feathers in the middle between the secondary's. A total of four missing feathers. I said to myself it looks like a split wing.

The judge saw it also and gave me a high award but the other exhibitors told me I was robed as he was the best bird in the show. But they did not know he had missing feathers. I told all of them the judge did well he could have disqualified him for this. The next year he molted back perfectly like he did as a ckl.

If she is a super star also keep her mate her to a select male toe punch the chicks then see what happens after her hen molt. She may molt back perfectly.

Thank you Bob. That was good to hear. I will definitely keep her. I was watching her today at the dinner feeding and checking her left side. Today she seems to be carrying it correctly. I highly doubt she grew an axial overnight but I didn't pick her up this time... just very pleased at the way she looks today. I'm keeping my eye on her and I will let y'all know how she develops.

 

[Happy Chooks]

Quote:
Very interesting. Thanks for your insight. As I have had a bird with split wing (I culled him from breeding), I'm super sensitive and always on the lookout for it now. I'm constantly looking at wings in my juveniles. The trouble is barnevelders can have some really wonky wing feathers when they are juveniles and it freaks me out. Then they go through their juvenile molt and look fine.