Bob Blosl's Heritage Large Fowl Thread

[danhonour]

Chris,those Lamona origination pictures are fantastic.Thanks for posting those.

 

[junglebird]

A beautiful Mottled Java Cock from "Making Poultry Pay" by Edwin C. Powell, 1904

and another

 

[junglebird]

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Bob, Thanks so much for your response and warm welcome! I appreciate you helping me to progress in my quest for choosing the right heritage breeds.

My first flock is about 8 months old: a New Hampshire, a Buff Orpington, a Black Australorp, a Barred Rock, 2 Marans, and an Amercaucana X. The chicks were from the feed store and a neighbor’s flock. I think I did a good job selecting dual purpose, beginner’s breeds. I thought my flock was pretty stunning, till I started looking at pictures of heritage birds.

Now my birds seem, well, ... a little puny by comparison (and maybe not so hardy?).

I really enjoy my chickens, but at 3-5 eggs a day from the 5 hens, I’m almost overrun with eggs. So I’ve been looking for ”more meat/less eggs” breeds. And better stock.

Honestly, I'm most attracted to the tall and leggy game birds - Malay, Aseel, Modern Game, Shamo. I also like the mixed flocks that I see roaming around on pastured poultry farms. You know, the rag tag group who escaped the electric fencing and lives off the land, cruising the milking stalls and tool shop -those ”less productive“ experiments that the idealistic farmer started with before he ”wised up“ and got homogeneous production flocks?! Also, partridge, crele, blue, silver, wheaton and splash coloring on various breeds really catch my eye.

Though I also like the Delaware, Rhode Island Red, Plymouth Rock, Jersey Giant, and others, the breeds at the top of my list are Dorking, Buckeye, Java, New Hampshire, and Cubalaya. If I'm doing my homework properly, any of these breeds would be great choices for breeding a good flock of dual purpose chickens with great foraging behaviors and providing excellent meat quality.

In the short term, though, I’m thinking of getting a dozen or more Dark Cornish. It would help me get over the ”first slaughter“ hump if I had a bunch of birds I couldn’t tell apart.

And, I could save a few out for breeding. They look a litter wilder, gamier, which I like.

Thanks, Cybercat. I enjoyed reading your blog!

 

[ruby]

I've always been interested in the heritage breeds, but working alot and a pen that was too small I didn't go that way. I do have RIR, but no rooster. It's a hobby to me and don't want to deal with the roos. The Buckeye is beautiful bird. And a couple of years ago I had a flock of Silver Lace Wyanndotes (sp) they were great birds but the egg production didn't live up to the RIR. Taking in the orphan flock will put me back a couple of years. So now I just get to shop and wait till the prices come down on the Blue Splash Marens. I am current in love with.....

 

[dave27889]

I got a few RIR eggs from pinegrove ( William ). They are the mohawk line. I was really worried because my gal had not laid any eggs yet and she is 9 months old. It is very cold here in eastern NC and I was almost to the point to where I thought that she might be barren. I am now just waiting on spring to get here and maybe she will start laying then. This is a great thread and glad I found it. I am still looking for eggs to hatch so that I might get this line or other older lines going here in NC. Please if you have some nice RIR hatching eggs that you could sell an old man please let me know. I am on a fixed income and need to do my buying at the start of the month. I can do paypal or postal money order. Thanks for all the great information and good hatching to all.

 

[Barred Rocks forever]

http://search.tacomapubliclibrary.o...kens&stemming=&phonic=&fuzzy=&maxfiles=#image anyone know what kind of breed these capons are ? i think there white RIRs anyone else think so ?

 

[rodriguezpoultry]

Probably the same type here:

Possibly the first lineage of Cobb-Vantress? The very first beginnings of Cornish x Plymouth Rock?

 

[buffalogal]

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I was thinking White Rock. Did you see the creepy NH that had been "capsule caponized" using diethylstilbestrol? ACK! It's unbelievable the junk that corporate interests did (and still do) feed people to make a buck.
http://search.tacomapubliclibrary.o...s+Chickens&stemming=&phonic=&fuzzy=&maxfiles=

 

[jenjscott]

I tried "spatchcocking" ? a guinea today and definitely need a better pair of poultry shears. Anyone have a favorite brand? The ones I have wanted to spring apart and sideslip instead of cutting.

 

[Chris09]

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Wüsthof Classic Poultry Shears is one of the better ones but there not cheap at around 60.00 also there German made and have a lifetime warranty.

Chris