Bob Blosl's Heritage Large Fowl Thread

[josh44]

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Will do

Give me a while to down load pics.
Also are you familur with the Asil ?

I am pretty familiar with them. I've raised them for a few years and I currently raise black Asils.

Walt

Cool I'm still kind of a newbie on Asil.
Pretty much breeding my small flock of 11 all are greys.
Do you get Txt messages ?
If you want pm me your number.
Can send you all the pics you want, much easier than uploading them.

 

[sgribble]

These are my barred rocks from Jeremy in Nebraska. They are about 4 months old in these pictures. Can someone please critique these and give any feedback you may have. Robert how do you think these look?

 

[Chris09]

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Looks nice.

Chris

 

[fowlman01]

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I am pretty familiar with them. I've raised them for a few years and I currently raise black Asils.

Walt

Cool I'm still kind of a newbie on Asil.
Pretty much breeding my small flock of 11 all are greys.
Do you get Txt messages ?
If you want pm me your number.
Can send you all the pics you want, much easier than uploading them.

I don't do text msg's.

 

[josh44]

Can u pm me ur email address, can send you pics now from my phone

 

[Stevenson]

I read all 421 pages of this thread to catch up and now no one is posting!

Just my luck!

Let me attempt to get things going again with a couple of questions. I have three age groups: 17 weeks (mostly Delaware), 14.5 weeks (Speckled Sussex and Dominique) and 12 weeks (Ameraucana). The youngest group is still in a grow out pen because the the 17 week old chickens don't seem to appreciate them yet.

Question 1. The 14.5 week old chickens don't go into the coop at night. Each night they roost on top of the grow out pen (that I have for the 12 week old chicks) intending to stay there for the night. I have to go get them and carry them into the coop and put them on the roost when all is calm inside. I am guessing that the 17 week old chickens are just not being accommodating. Will they eventually go in the coop on their own or is this a never ending battle I am facing? Do you have any suggestions?

Question 2. I read somewhere that it was a good idea to cover up the nesting box until it was close to time for them to lay. Last night I opened up the nesting box and gave the chickens free access to them. Is there anything I can do to promote this box as the place to lay eggs? I have seen where people put golf balls in the nests....does this work? Also, I would love to know what signs I can watch for that my hens might be laying or getting close.

Thanks!

 

[gallorojo]

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Keep doing what you doing-they will get the idea eventually-for me, I have had leghorns figure it out in 3 days, my cubalayas take 5-7 days typically, and I have had production type barred rocks take 3 weeks unfortunately-but, they are eventually going to get it right, or they will end up eaten...

 

[NotAFarm]

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This is the busiest time of year for a lot of folks and posting seems to be sporatic! I'll try to help out until others show up!

1. It will get better, but the old term "pecking order" has it's roots in the coop squabbles we see each day. I have found that putting my roosts in a "V" shape rather than parallel gives the "plebes" a place far enough away that the "upper classmen" can't reach them as easily. Make sure there is plenty of roost space for the number of birds. If they have more than one way into a coop, the door can't be as easily "guarded" by the bossy ones. Also if there is a "ladder" to reach a roost, and that is where the "seniors" hang-out, the "freshmen" won't be able to get to the roost without running a gauntlet.
Up to this point, it's just easier for them to let you do the work of getting safely on the roost each night. Kinda like human kids, they'll let you do the hard stuff until you make them do it for themselves!!

2. Those lowest in the pecking order may try and sleep in the next boxes so covering them discourages this. I use golf balls in my nests, they seem to work for me. Signs of pullets near laying are reddening of the comb and wattles and "squatting" for the rooster, or you!!

Sounds like you have a great start with a variety of great breeds!!

 

[fifelakelooper]

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Hi Stevenson! (my fellow "hatcher!)

I had a problem with my 14 wk. olders going into the coop at night also. It would be 11pm...the older hens had gone in by 9:30pm in their separate run and coop...which is within eyeshot distance so they could SEE them do that. I would go out and they would be PILED ontop of each other in a huddled corner of the enclosed run right next to the pop door. After several days of going out and herding them in...I figured out that they were SCARED to go in. It was lighter OUTSIDE then INSIDE and they had been raised with lights! So...I put a light inside the coop on a timer. It comes on at 9:15pm and goes off at 10:10pm. The very first night I did this...they ALL WENT IN! So my babies were scaredy cats!

The above experience has never happened to any of my other hens...just a babied group I guess.
As for the nest....I keep mine covered until almost 5months. At that time I put in fake eggs (I used to use golf balls) and I have never had a problem with hens laying in their nest.
Good luck!

 

[Stevenson]

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Hey! Good to see you on another thread! I plan on resurrecting that thread next spring and starting over with another round of hatches (actually I'll probably be hatching all spring)

Thanks for the info. I talked to the breeder I got my Delawares from today and he said his normally start laying at 22 weeks, so I suppose that I may need to go ahead and cover up the nesting boxes for a couple more weeks.

One other question. How many from this thread are planning on attending the Crossroads show in Indianapolis? I would love to meet some of you!