Bob Blosl's Heritage Large Fowl Thread

[BGMatt]

If you contact a good breeder and ask for hatching eggs he knows what kind of chicken person you are. Backyard want eggs kind a persosn. He gets turned off. Go with Started birds one male two females you will be set. Its a investment in time. Sorry about the egg thing but its a fact.

I agree with it being the worst way to get started but always include it when I'm looking for birds (I always ask what's available eggs/chicks/started birds/adults, which is the reverse order that I'd want them in.) because some folks don't like "stressing" live birds by shipping. And I'm certainly no backyarder, but if I'm needing a start in a breed and I've sought someone out I am looking for a start no matter what way they disperse birds in.

 

[catdaddyfro]

If you contact a good breeder and ask for hatching eggs he knows what kind of chicken person you are. Backyard want eggs kind a persosn. He gets turned off. Go with Started birds one male two females you will be set. Its a investment in time. Sorry about the egg thing but its a fact.

Tome Roebuck(one of the best breeders in the USA) just sent a dozen and a half Buff Rock eggs to a lady all the way in Arizona in the live chicken crate the one you(Bob) used as an example on how to have your eggs delivered. So I would venture to say that MAYBE some GOOD breeders will ship eggs if that is what the request from the purchaser is its their money their risk.

 

[cluck-cluck]

I don't see why you couldn't do it in your back yard. As long as you clean it up, how would the neighbor know? Unless there are no fences? I'm pretty much on my own when it comes to slaughter time so my slaughters are spread out pretty far. If I feel up to it, I'll take out one bird and then bring him inside to process. I've gotten my time down to about 45 minutes from the time I start wetting the feathers for plucking. Then depending on how tired I am, I'll go get another one or just wait til the next night.

We live in a hillside area and the neighbor who doesn't like my chickens lives uphill from us and can see our entire yard. They removed some trees that were giving us privacy, it kind of sucks

There are many ways a neighbor can get nasty in the city, I'd rather avoid it. One of my friends has a psychopath (truly) living next door to her, and her life is miserable. I don't need that!
I didn't know the neighbors would be like this until I got the chickens. We lived here 20+ years, and they moved in about 9 years ago. It's better to try and get along

 

[3riverschick]

Quote: ===========================
What live chicken crate used to shop eggs? Please could anyone share a link to this?
No eggs going out of here. Started birds only. I've been disappointed too many times buying day olds and shipped eggs to want to do that to anyone else. The disappointment is one thing. But the loss of time and impact on a breeding program is more significant. Adding up cost to raise the birds and time redeemed , buying the started birds makes more sense. Not to mention the buyer gets birds he knows are representative of his/her strain of choice.
Best,
Karen

 

[har]

Check page 4018 Heritage Rhode Island thread re:crate

 

[Fred's Hens]

I also prefer live birds. I'd prefer to both sell and purchase live chicks/adolescents. The reasons given above are solid reasons. But definitive or absolute statements are pretty hard to validate.

A large number of folks on these (H) threads the last few years have gotten their start through shipped eggs, and from some pretty darn good breeders. There are too many successes to count. The advent of bubble wrap and proper wrapping of eggs has resulted in hundreds of boxes of shipped eggs arriving with the contents visually, in pristine condition. Eggs breaking has become almost a non issue.

What hasn't changed, it seems to me, is the resultant poor hatch rates. The handling of the boxes is brutal on the eggs internal integrity. That issue remains.

 

[catdaddyfro]

===========================
What live chicken crate used to shop eggs? Please could anyone share a link to this?
No eggs going out of here. Started birds only. I've been disappointed too many times buying day olds and shipped eggs to want to do that to anyone else. The disappointment is one thing. But the loss of time and impact on a breeding program is more significant. Adding up cost to raise the birds and time redeemed , buying the started birds makes more sense. Not to mention the buyer gets birds he knows are representative of his/her strain of choice.
Best,
Karen

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/407294/the-heritage-rhode-island-red-site/4010#post_11362270

Most breeders are only going to send you run of the mill birds anyhow (the same thing you would get from a random collection of eggs hatched) they aren't going to sell an individual their best birds, why? they'd go out of business soon if so, and if they did it would surely be for a high@$$ price. So getting a dozen or two of eggs from a reputable breeder with good stock ought to yield a person about as good as the breeder would willing sell a person and for sure a whole lot cheaper. You can purchase a dozen eggs hatch out a couple of pairs or a trio of breeding birds and feed&rear them to breeding age for less money then you could purchase a trio of grown birds for and have them shipped to your front door or drive($4 bucks a gallon of gasoline) 400/500 miles to go get them for. If money is no object, then things would be different but to most folks I know money is an object a hard attained one so therefore the risk and reward are pretty fair on shipped eggs Sometimes the PO will foul up the deal but you can always get more eggs, if they kill your expensive birds then they aren't even fitting to eat when they arrive.. One of my main points here is reputable breeders has a lot to do with what you get (receive and hatch)

Jeff

 

[Yellow House Farm]

Perhaps you could plant fast growing willows on that side of your property, nice a dense. Three years and you're set. Buy good quality stock and fertilize it well, and you'll have a wall up soon and a return to privacy. They're not your best friends and, slaughter or no slaughter, who wants someone as such staring at your property? Talk about good fences make good neighbors. Life is brief.

 

[chickadoodles]

Perhaps you could plant fast growing willows on that side of your property, nice a dense. Three years and you're set. Buy good quality stock and fertilize it well, and you'll have a wall up soon and a return to privacy. They're not your best friends and, slaughter or no slaughter, who wants someone as such staring at your property? Talk about good fences make good neighbors. Life is brief.

There are alot of shrubs that grow very tall for privacy fences and if you fertilize like crazy you could have all your yard private again!

 

[fowlman01]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/407294/the-heritage-rhode-island-red-site/4010#post_11362270

Most breeders are only going to send you run of the mill birds anyhow (the same thing you would get from a random collection of eggs hatched) they aren't going to sell an individual their best birds, why? they'd go out of business soon if so, and if they did it would surely be for a high@$$ price. So getting a dozen or two of eggs from a reputable breeder with good stock ought to yield a person about as good as the breeder would willing sell a person and for sure a whole lot cheaper. You can purchase a dozen eggs hatch out a couple of pairs or a trio of breeding birds and feed&rear them to breeding age for less money then you could purchase a trio of grown birds for and have them shipped to your front door or drive($4 bucks a gallon of gasoline) 400/500 miles to go get them for. If money is no object, then things would be different but to most folks I know money is an object a hard attained one so therefore the risk and reward are pretty fair on shipped eggs Sometimes the PO will foul up the deal but you can always get more eggs, if they kill your expensive birds then they aren't even fitting to eat when they arrive.. One of my main points here is reputable breeders has a lot to do with what you get (receive and hatch)

Jeff

They are not going to sell you their best birds, but you can get outstanding birds that may take a person many years to replicate.....if they ever can. I have sold birds that have won best of show for the owners.....many times. There are very few birds here that are not for sale....but I can't ship from here, so they have to be picked up. You know....people will find a way to get these birds if they really want them. I have sold birds as far away as NY and FL (I'm in CA) and the buyers have figured out ways to get them. Usually by a friend picking them up and the friend shipping from where they are. I sold a bird once at an APA national show before the judging and it ended up being best of show. Good breeders will sell good birds cuz they usually have a lot of good birds. Even if the trio costs a few hundred dollars a person would still be ahead of the game with quality stock. People on BYC are selling eggs for $75.00 and people are in line to get them and they are IMO cull birds.

Walt