Bob Blosl's Heritage Large Fowl Thread

[mithious]

Just wanted to thank you all for a great thread! I am learning so much about raising, breeding, and the pro's and cons', not may con's IMHO !

I have pre-ordered 6 straight run Dominiques for next March from a breeder here in NH and will be going to pick them up.

Would really like to start a line of the Frank Reese, Good Shepherd Barred Plymouth Rocks next spring also.

I just got back into raising chickens, after being out of it for lots of years, but finding, with all of your help, it's like riding a bike...it comes back to you.

I have raised all kinds of livestock over the years, when I was young with my Daddy, and as an adult when my kids were growing up. I have been around chickens ALL my life!

I have the room here, live in the country, am a country girl, and love animals! Although I do intend to eat my culls and raise some for meat, not just eggs...I would also like to be a part of preserving both the Dom and BR heritage bird lines.

I DO have 15 hatchery BR's that I am starting out with this year. AM hoping to get atleast one broody hen out of that lot, but with hatchery chicks,ya just never know!

I would like to pre-order some of the Barred Plymouth Rock chicks for next spring, March or April, but would be willing to try eggs under a broody also if no one sells the chicks.

I'm NOT a commercial poultry farm, just a backyard chicken, small farmer. I don't intend to inter-breed the lines, but want to keep them pure and true to standard thus keeping the heritage breeds going and growing stronger!

If I can get some of the Heritage Barred Plymouth Rocks, I will probably cull and eat the hatchery chickens. Just wanted back into chickens and thought it would be easier and less expensive to start out with the hatchery ones, incase I had lost my touch

I am 51 years old, so not a young un, or a "pet" chicken owner. I am a serious farmer that really really wants some Heritage BPR's. Please, if someone is willing to sell me a few, I would be forever grateful! Since no one had answered my first post, I thought maybe if I told you all a bit about myself you would see I am serious and not some fly-by-night, wanna be

I used to breed sled dogs and raced them too. Also used to be a Registered Maine Guide! So I am qualified and do understand the breeding process, albeit it was dogs, the breeding still stands for all kinds of animals. Breed your best to your best, for temperament, production, meat ( not with the dogs LOL), conformation, coat/or feathers, in a chickens case ect ect....

Thanks so much and hope to hear from someone on how to obtain/get on a waiting list, some of the BR heritage chicks or (fertile eggs if that is the only way ) next spring, preferably chicks!

Thanks again for such a great thread also

 

[armorfirelady]

If you know someone with turkeys, that would be the quickest way to hopefully cut this off at the knees! Hurry!

This does work, but on this property the turkeys end up dying. Sometimes turkeys and chickens don't do well together, other places they do fine. All you need is the  turkey manure.  Mareks is everywhere, so until your flock has acquired immunity, it can be a problem. I don't do anything here to prevent Mareks or anything else for that matter other than reasonable management. No meds, no vaccines. We are blessed here In CA though.....some places you might have to vaccinate for some of the local problems.

All the weak birds here died a long time ago. The average age of the chickens here is 9-10 years and the waterfowl much higher. A hen turkey lasts about 3-4 months here and the toms up to 9 months.

Walt

Walt I am curious. Do the turkeys not last because of something on your property that causes them to get ill or because you process them?

 

[fowlman01]

Walt I am curious. Do the turkeys not last because of something on your property that causes them to get ill or because you process them?

There is something on the property that kills the turkeys. I could very seldom raise them long enough to eat them. I had a friend who was a geneticist for Nicholas Turkey farms and he said "don't raise turkeys with chickens because the chickens carry something that will kill the turkeys. The chickens will be fine." People raise turkeys and chickens without any problem, but it does not work here. I could medicate the turkeys and it would probably work, but I don't medicate anything here other than baby chicks. I give them medicated chick starter. If I don't they will get cocci and die.

I just don't try to raise both and everything works well.

Walt

 

[Pathfinders]

I may be remembering wrongly, but isn't it blackhead that kills turkeys when you run them with chickens?

 

[fowlman01]

I may be remembering wrongly, but isn't it blackhead that kills turkeys when you run them with chickens?

That's it............ Blackhead kills the turkeys......doesn't bother the chickens.

w.

 

[armorfirelady]

Th

Walt I am curious. Do the turkeys not last because of something on your property that causes them to get ill or because you process them?

There is something on the property that kills the turkeys. I could very seldom raise them long enough to eat them. I had a friend who was a geneticist for Nicholas Turkey farms and he said "don't raise turkeys with chickens because the chickens carry something that will kill the turkeys. The chickens will be fine." People raise turkeys and chickens without any problem, but it does not work here. I could medicate the turkeys and it would probably work, but I don't medicate anything here other than baby chicks. I give them medicated chick starter. If I don't they will get cocci and die.

I just don't try to raise both and everything works well.

Walt

Thank you for replying back, I have heard of blackhead before. I don't plan on raising turkeys but still good to have the knowledge. I know of others that raise turkeys with chickens fine. But I've also read that they are very sensitive.

Makes me wonder how wild turkeys survive. I am guessing they have immunity to it. I do get wild turkeys occasionally around here but they rarely get close to the hens.

 

[fowlman01]

Th
Thank you for replying back, I have heard of blackhead before. I don't plan on raising turkeys but still good to have the knowledge. I know of others that raise turkeys with chickens fine. But I've also read that they are very sensitive.

Makes me wonder how wild turkeys survive. I am guessing they have immunity to it. I do get wild turkeys occasionally around here but they rarely get close to the hens.

I have a lot of wild turkeys that walk around the outside of my property and they seem bulletproof......well.....almost.



Walt

 

[3riverschick]

Quote: Yum!!

 

[chickadoodles]

I just love seeing a bunch of turkey running around. I do have some that I am raising and I enjoy them so much!

My turkey started in the brooder with my chicks and are still in the same pen also! I have not lost any of them. I do use ACV in their water but that is it.

 

[FROMWHITEDOGHILL]

Walt...........I've raised Chickens and Turkeys togeather for 50 something years now...even in the same pen...with no problems. Like you, I too do not medicate older birds other than Wormer. I am even trying DE to cut down on the amount of that. I truly believe that some of the older Heritage breeds of Turkeys are far superior to some of the newfangeled cross breeds that you see nowdays. They are just stronger and have more vitality than the newer breeds. I occasionally..and not very often...will outcross to Wild birds to regain some of that vigor and vitality. Can you imagine how smart and strong a bird that size has to be to survive on it's own when we have trouble raising them in a pen with good food and water everyday....they are pretty amazing.