Bob Blosl's Heritage Large Fowl Thread

[cbnovick]

The New Hamp you like Bob? I understand it is Jeremy Woepple's bird. It doesn't seem to matter if you're talking NH, White Rock or Barred Rock that Jeremy (JWhip) just keeps breeding outstanding birds. I don't know Jeremy, but I'd sure like to meet him. He does have the midas tough. Gifted is a word that comes to mind. I know Jeremy would likely give a lot of credit to Frank Reese, Doug Akers and others upon whose foundation he has built, but frankly? If I knew Jeremy was going to show at Crossroads or Lucasville, I'd go just to shake his hand. Two thumbs up.

I am not sure if Bob is including the illustration as part of numbering or not...in any case...the last 2 NH's are from Jeremy Woeppel....I believe he acquired this male from Kathy Bonham..not sure if it was through hatching eggs or a juvenile he chose...The 2nd photo is a male at XW Poultry and is the sire of the 3rd male in photo #3, which I hatched in Feb. from eggs rec'd from Jeremy this year...He is from a Good Shepherd female. The male I hatched showed himself early on...had about a dozen males hatched. He's got about a half dozen females in with him...most started laying a few weeks ago at 22 weeks..hoping to start hatching in Feb 2014. Okay that's probably more info than anyone needed or wanted for the sake of this discussion.

 

[colburg]

I have a question about a chicken I just put in the fridge. One of our broody's was in bad shape when I went to feed this PM. Mouth full of slime, and extra runny poop. Wouldn't swallow when I put water in her mouth.

When skinnin her, the crop was about 3/4's the size of my fist...pretty dang big. It also seemed very dry, not mushy at all. I feed fermented layer pellets only in the evening, but we were on vacation and the in-laws decided they need a little more food yesterday morning, and fed them straight wheat in the AM. The trough was still half full of wheat when I fed that evening. BTW, her crop was full of nothin but wheat.

I think it was an impacted crop(if there is such a thing) that did her in, but what's also interesting was her innards. Everything had an extreme coating of yellow fat. You couldn't see any pink on the gizzard it was so thick. I never even saw the heart.

The weirdest part was the liver. I could just poke it witha finger and my finger would go straight through. It was a meduim brown color, didn't look right at all. I've only butchered about 60 chickens and never seen anything like this, so I'm hoping someone may have a clue as to what was going on.

Thanks,

 

[flowerchild59]

You might want to post your question about the hen you butchered in the meat bird section. You might get more replies that way.

 

[fowlman01]

I am not sure if Bob is including the illustration as part of numbering or not...in any case...the last 2 NH's are from Jeremy Woeppel....I believe he acquired this male from Kathy Bonham..not sure if it was through hatching eggs or a juvenile he chose...The 2nd photo is a male at XW Poultry and is the sire of the 3rd male in photo #3, which I hatched in Feb. from eggs rec'd from Jeremy this year...He is from a Good Shepherd female. The male I hatched showed himself early on...had about a dozen males hatched. He's got about a half dozen females in with him...most started laying a few weeks ago at 22 weeks..hoping to start hatching in Feb 2014. Okay that's probably more info than anyone needed or wanted for the sake of this discussion.

I am pretty sure I saw that male at Kathys place. Walt

 

[Robert Blosl]

The New Hamp you like Bob? I understand it is Jeremy Woepple's bird. It doesn't seem to matter if you're talking NH, White Rock or Barred Rock that Jeremy (JWhip) just keeps breeding outstanding birds. I don't know Jeremy, but I'd sure like to meet him. He does have the midas tough. Gifted is a word that comes to mind. I know Jeremy would likely give a lot of credit to Frank Reese, Doug Akers and others upon whose foundation he has built, but frankly? If I knew Jeremy was going to show at Crossroads or Lucasville, I'd go just to shake his hand. Two thumbs I a

I agree Fred: I talked to him when he first got going. You know he has the eye as he makes his living as a cattle rancher. When you take some one who is a super star in another livestock venture it sure helps with raising these old H chickens.


Also, think how many people he has helped when we get request from the newbies. Great bunch of chickens we are viewing today.

 

[3riverschick]

Quote: Columbian Wyandotte are eb based fowl
Their genome is : eb/eb S/S (S/-) Co/Co p+/p+ R/R w/w Id/Id (Id/-)
Genotypes and Gene Tables
http://tinyurl.com/lcbzumm
Because they are eb based, the undercolor genes need to be taken into consideration when mating to ensure the hackle and saddle are the proper color and have the proper amount of striping in saddle and hackle. With eWh based silver Columbian fowl, the undercolor is white to the skin, but the birds almost always do not have striping on the saddle or ticking in the white body feathers like the eb birds can have.
Frankly, it's much easier to darken up a bird then lighten it up. So really all you need to do it reanalyze your mating for color balancing in the underfeathers and your hackles will darken up as will the striping on your saddles. I have seen worse saddles and it is hard t tell just how much more striping you need on the hackles because the birds necks are moving and the colors blurred/
Not to worry, you can fix this easy.
Best,
Karen
P.S. The good news is you don't need the Hackle Black gene in your Columbian Wyandottes as does an eWh based Silver Columbian like Light Sussex:
eWh/eWh S/S (S/-) Co/Co ‘Hackle Black’ W+/W+ Id/Id
If Light Sussex did not have the Hackle Black gene, they would not have black hackles at all.
The eb locus also lets brassiness happen. The brassiness can be mitigated by keeping the birds out of sun, wind and rain, plus not feeding them corn of any color. Light Sussex had this problem in the early part of last century as the foundation breeds behind them were both eb based and eWh based. The breeders overcame the brassiness by moving the breed into the eWh locus and using the Silver gene instead of any white gene. Once they got pure eWh/eWh S/S birds , the variety "stayed white". regardless of feed or weather. But the trade off is they need Hackle Black and don't have the saddle striping or any black in the white body feathers.

 

[catdaddyfro]

I am pretty sure I saw that male at Kathys place.

Walt

Yes you more than likely did as Jeremy got (a few) three or so young cockerels(this is one of them) from Mrs. Kathy towards the end of last year and the he mated this one up to his choice pullets from the Good Shepard(Reese) NHs

Jeff

 

[Robert Blosl]

there she is. Do you have any pullets with this type running around.?


I though about this last night while trying to count sheep. Mate the best colored male back to the best colored pullets with super type. You had a hen standing in the gete way I have here pictue somewhere that had great type. I think she was your very first pullet. If you still have here I would mate her to this nice colored maie. Her son or Nephew or what ever.

I don't know how the genetic code is going to work on this strain. We know they are white rock light brahma cross about fifteen years out of the cross. You got the loose feathers cleaned up that was my first concern then pour the type length of body, extended keels good heads on this line. The color will be there for you to fix and it will take you another one or two years to figure this out.

Build the barn first. Then paint it. You are young and have a live time to do it. But if you have a great Columbian Rock with Wyandotte or R I Red shape you have a scrub.

 

[Yard full o' rocks]

there she is. Do you have any pullets with this type running around.?


I though about this last night while trying to count sheep. Mate the best colored male back to the best colored pullets with super type. You had a hen standing in the gete way I have here pictue somewhere that had great type. I think she was your very first pullet. If you still have here I would mate her to this nice colored maie. Her son or Nephew or what ever.

I don't know how the genetic code is going to work on this strain. We know they are white rock light brahma cross about fifteen years out of the cross. You got the loose feathers cleaned up that was my first concern then pour the type length of body, extended keels good heads on this line. The color will be there for you to fix and it will take you another one or two years to figure this out.

Build the barn first. Then paint it. You are young and have a live time to do it. But if you have a great Columbian Rock with Wyandotte or R I Red shape you have a scrub.

Thanks Bob....yes, I still have her and several others that look a lot like her. My pullets are really improving, its the Males that I can't seem to do anything with just yet. Here are a few newer pix (apologize if already posted)

 

[fowlman01]

Thanks Bob....yes, I still have her and several others that look a lot like her. My pullets are really improving, its the Males that I can't seem to do anything with just yet. Here are a few newer pix (apologize if already posted)

you are doing very well with these.

Walt