Bob Blosl's Heritage Large Fowl Thread

[saladin]

Though I also do some flock mating, I prefer to return to single mating as quickly as possible. When I do flock mating I only do so with families.

Personally, I like to know which matings are turning out the best birds. Thus, I can repeat those same matings for up to 4 years.

 

[Yellow House Farm]

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Hi Bob! Ooh,, we've hit a sore spot

. Feather quality...... I have to admit that I really don't have my head around this one. This is where having an old-timer about would be splendid. Don Nelson, who's really in many ways my mentor (although he lives too far away for a quick jaunt over with a bird in hand, we at least frequent the same shows), I can hopefully convince him to come over to go over the crop this coming summer. Feather quality is a point that I've read described on several occasions but that I really need to see/touch to understand fully.

 

[HallFamilyFarm]

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You are correct! The older birds get smart and picky. The young males will just take anything! Wow! what a concept. However, following is an idea that might appeal to serious breeders.
It has been my experience that if you will take a cock bird or Cockeral and switch him from breeding pen ( small number of hens, as in 3 to 5) to another pen of about the same number. Do this every 3 days and you will experience much greater fertiliity. The male loves a change in scenery, so to speak. Of course I realize that not everyone has enough birds or maybe does not have the facilities to accomplish this. I have 40 breeding pens and at least 12 birds of each variety in Orpingtons and at least 40 pullets or hens in the RIR's plus many male birds. But you can use the system with smaller numbers.

Roy

I have also separated my hens from each other in a trapnest type situation. Changing the male from one cage to another. Each day he gets a different girl. The roo seems to like the change and fertility goes way up on everything.

 

[Gallusfarm]

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Yes! Google Books - you must check out "Fundamentals in Poultry Breeding" by John Robinson, copyright 1921. This book is amazing and one of many that are free to read and download.

There are photos and mention of the Bucks County Fowl. I'd never known this breed existed... it's and old American breed -the book states that they were eventually merged with the Buff Plymouth Rock.

 

[Gallusfarm]

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That would be one huge bird!

 

[lildinkem]

I use to like moving my cocks/cockerels from pen to pen. Then I realize when I moved the hens, they were less likely to go broody. Some like broodies. I like my girls to have that instinct, however as these hens age, they will stop producing, so I am more inclined to move the hen to keep them laying. last summer my very best hens stayed put and two went broody and gummed up the works. The others then started to think they need to be broody and all pretty much stopped laying mid June. Once I moved one of the broodies out to breed her to one of her sons, I seen she was no longer broody and returned to laying earlier then those I left back in the stationary pen. And I do think the lower numbers of hens, no more then five helps the boys know to get them all taken care of. I can't remember any who did not lay a fertile egg.

 

[catdaddyfro]

First of all just like to say thanks to Mr. Bob for thinking up and starting this amazing thread here on the greatest poultry site that I know.

I've just been a lurker here on this thread since it first started prolly read 90-95% of it as I've missed a few pages here and there. But have to say its become one of my regulars I goto when I first log on the BYC. By the way its getting good not that it hasn't in the past but the past week I catch myself looking for it right off the bat when I pull up the Breeds...ect section. More info on here than you could shake a stick lately, esp. the breeding topic that has just gained popularity here in the past 2 days. This interests me greatly as I'm anticipating starting up a breeding program in the near future if all goes well. I'm currently interested in Delawares but its gotten off to a rocky start as the first birds my brother and I acquired weren't quite up to the expectations we were hoping for to start out with, but we'll make it sooner or later and to be honest with you I'm sitting anxiously wringing my hands in anticipation for the day a certain individual that has some newly acquired New Hampshires to say she's got eggs available for hatching at this time. Might be a while yet as I understand there's a project in store for them first but I'll wait my turn and also there's prolly gonna be waiting list a mile long for them also but that's alright too, that just means there's a good thing going on there, right? The one other good thing about being able to get the eggs is my brother lives in just a few hours driving distance from her so that means he can go pick the eggs up and bring them back home put them in his high- falutin' incubator and possibly get a great hatch out of them if all goes right and no worries about loosing 60% or more of the eggs due to shipping problems.

Anyway, just thought I'd respond on here finally with my partake of the thread. And to tell you the truth what the omen was about me thinking to post on here, was when I clicked on here this morning 4 of my 5 most read threads were all in arow and this one was on top of the 4 marked ones, so there you have it all rolled up in the same wad, catdaddy's version of good Carma this morning, ha!

Everbody keep all this good info acommin' great stuff. (arguments and all)

catdaddy

P.S. Beautiful birds, everybody keep posting these magnificent photos of their great efforts put forth in breeding heritage breeds of chickens.

 

[Yellow House Farm]

THis is a fun thread. I'm spoiling myself, though, because I'm on winter break, and soon I'll return to teaching with little time to be on line, but this is a fun hiatus.

Moving the hens? Neat idea. It keeps them from getting too comfortable, and if the move isn't too drastic, it shouldn't interupt their laying cycle.

A New Hampshire project? Cool! New Hamp's are my favorite reds, and old-school NH's are quite rare. They'd definitely be on the radar if we weren't so Dorking-centric. The richness and variation of Red in the males is quite something.

Silkies and Bantam Cochins--how many large fowl eggs/chicks do we think they can successfully brood at once?

 

[kathyinmo]

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That's me! I am the one working on a project with the New Hampshires I bought from Doug Akers. I have the girls penned with my gorgeous Barred Rock roo currently. This is step 1 of the 3 step project to create Delawares. When I have hatched enough eggs from this first mating, I will return the beautiful NH girls to their NH roosters.

 

[Robert Blosl]

Specifically, I am looking for good Langshans (black), Brahmas (dark and buff), Silver Laced Wyandottes, Orpingtons, and Partridge Cochins--all standard size--and I was wondering if you have any recommendations

Here you go I get emails and messages and where do I send this family.

Silver Laced Wyadottes I said a great strain in Kentucky.

I have no idea on Partridge Cochins and I thought out Mr. Cochin Mr. Roebuck but I dont think he fools with eggs or chicks but I think I saw some on his web site.

I told him about Roys program in Ark. and Roy told me today on the phone he going to put his breeders togeather this weekend.

This tread was started as a EDUCATION Tread. It has helped alot of people learn about Standard Breed Poutlry. I got a cook book today for my wife and in the book they had old receipes from the 1940s and 1950s where where this ladys grand parents who came from Italy to this region. She had a piture of turkeys in the book and her grand mother. To me the old folks that where born in the 1880 and 1900 who farmed and raised and showed these old breeds is what I am trying to help people get into.

I was talking on the phone with Puncky Rooster this afternoon and one thing I told him is dont get to many breeds. You can not foucus on these breeds and you will just have so so birds.

Also, I told him he may start out with Barred Rocks, Rhode Island Reds and Buckeyes and find one breed that may not turn him on. If this happens get rid of this breed and foucus on the breeds that you do well with.

It just takes so much mental energy away from you when you are trying to fool with to many breeds.

Case and point was this year when I showed in October. I washed ten white birds white rock and leghrons to show and I knew in my heart the males would win. I grabed a little White Rock pullet and her buddy a Rhode Island Red pullet out of the back woods pen.

Stuck them both in a little card board box. Put them in the show coops and after the judging was over the white rock pullet was third best chicken of the show and the Rhode Island Red Bantam pullet was eight best chicken of the show. Both of them I did not pay any attention with and did not even put vasoline on thier combs or legs like the other birds. When I looked at them latter I did not relize what I had. To much time looking at the males and forgot about the females. Both these little female bantams and their mothers are in the Pen One breeding pens this year.

Well got to go outside befor it rains.

Thanks for making this the hotest thread on the web for chickens. Its a team effort I just had the idea. bob