Bob Blosl's Heritage Large Fowl Thread

[rodriguezpoultry]

Question...

Those who have worked on their heritage breeds, do your birds start laying at 5 months (like the accepted norm)? I think I remember someone saying that some don't lay til 6 months or later?

Is expecting your bird to lay its first egg at 5 months, or before, looking for "production" qualities? Is there any information regarding an early lay age correlated to how long they lay?

Just curious.

Heck no! I'm in shock when I get eggs before 7 months.

 

[bnjrob]

Question...

Those who have worked on their heritage breeds, do your birds start laying at 5 months (like the accepted norm)? I think I remember someone saying that some don't lay til 6 months or later?

Is expecting your bird to lay its first egg at 5 months, or before, looking for "production" qualities? Is there any information regarding an early lay age correlated to how long they lay?

Just curious.

We've got a couple of Mottled Java pullets that started laying a few weeks ago at 4.5 months old. I was surprised it was so soon. They are the two oldest girls we've got. The eggs are small and not laid with any regularity, but I'm getting some. I think that some of the pullets that are about 2 weeks younger than the oldest two have also started laying this past week. I've gotten a couple of teeny round eggs - about the size of a ball that you play Jacks with. Most of the eggs have been fertile.

My Mottleds were hatched this year from a breeder that got her stock from Duane Urch last year.

 

[Lacy Blues]

Well, given the egg laying schedules mentioned so far, I guess I'm on the right track. Thanks everyone.

 

[fowlman01]

Hi. I was referred to this thread for information on getting started in showing, and it's wonderful. I've made it through the first 100 pages, although I keep getting sidetracked with the great links provided so it's taking awhile, lol. My main interest as far as showing/breeding is in my bantams at the moment though. Would I be better off getting a bantam standard or the APA one? Is there a difference in the standards in the two? I eventually plan on having both, but one thing at a time.
Thanks!

And Gallusfarm- I don't know much about what is good quality verses not, but those are some beautiful birds. The few I've seen have been kind of boring, somewhat like a leghorn mixed with a black rosecomb. Those guys are very eyecatching though.

And now back to trying to glean all the info I can off this thread.

If you have just bantams, the bantam standard would work. If you have bantams, large fowl, waterfowl, turkeys or guineas you need the APA Standard. There are a few small difference in some bantam breeds between the ABA and APA, but they are trying to standardize those few differences so both books say the same thing.

Walt

 

[buffalogal]

Heck no! I'm in shock when I get eggs before 7 months.

I just heard about some Dominique pullets that started to lay at 12 and 11 weeks old. No foolin'.

 

[heritagehabitatfarms]

wow... what % protein where they feeding them???

I just heard about some Dominique pullets that started to lay at 12 and 11 weeks old. No foolin'.

 

[HallFamilyFarm]

Quote:

Check out... http://www.amerpoultryassn.com/APA_ShoppingMall3.htm

You will be happier with the Standard of Perfection

The New 2010 Standard of Perfection

Regular 2010 Edition Price $59.00

 

[thedragonlady]

It is difficult to find good breeders, so you need to do some research. Generally good breeders do not advertise online, some don't even have a computer. Join the ABA/APA or look at Poultry Press and find out who has the best birds and who might sell those birds. The APA gives you a yearbook when you join that has contact info on a lot of good breeders along with statistics that will give you an idea how successful they are. It may seem as if all these good breeders are hidden, but they aren't, they just don't hang out at this site...usually. If they are here, look for pictures of what they have or in Jim's case what the birds look like that have hatched from their eggs. Jim Hall sent some very nice Orps to thedragonlady and there are lots of pics of them in the Orp thread. Just don't believe what you read here unless you know the source and the source can back it up with pictures. DO NOT believe anyone who is saying they have such and such line...it doesn't matter cuz they probably ruined that line a long time ago or it was ruined long before they got it caz the previous "breeder" wrecked the line.

kathyinmo is a good source of eggs in Barred Rock and New Hamps. Jim is a good source of Orps and I believe some other breeds, and there may be one or two others that sell eggs, but generally expect to get junk as they are only producing eggs without regard to quality. Some folks have matings for fertile eggs that they just throw together to get a lot of eggs without caring what the results might be as a grown bird. ..especially these people who are getting $75 a egg like the Tolbunt Polish. . 99% of those birds are junk. One of the premium hatcheries of rare birds sent out a newsletter this month stating ...."dont worry about keeping bird to a standard as they change continually and this is natures way" That is not an exact quote, but this is a place that gets lots of money for their birds and if I couldn't keep them looking the same I might say the same thing. This new interest in poultry has brought out all the shysters from under their rocks. Lots of people trying to make money off chickens lately. Very few people make money off chickens except maybe Tyson or Fosters Farms.


Walt

Walt is right. You must do some research on breeders. Having been in poultry for years, I had actually never bought eggs to hatch before. I had always bought birds so I could see what I was getting.Buying Orp eggs was done for a reason. I located the breeders of the sort of Orps I liked, and ordered those eggs so I would get a preview of just exactly was really in those lines. When you buy show birds, they have been culled down to the best that that breeder has. Buying eggs and hatching unculled birds, will show you in a hurry just what you are not seeing in a line.You find out in a hurry what faults you might expect to run into , as those eggs have not been culled. Hatching and raising Orp chicks from 5 different lines has been a good education in showing me just what to look out for in those lines. Every line has it's problems, and its virtues. I now have a good idea of the common virtues and faults, and hopefully will not double up on the faults genetically.

 

[HallFamilyFarm]

Quote:

ETA: "Walt is Right." We all heard it Walt. Vickie admits you are right! Now print it off and save it, because she will never admit you are right again!

 

[Robert Blosl]

Bob asked me to post these pictures as he was having trouble with his computer....I'm sure he will be back to explain

These are some pictures from a fellow who is a breeder of R I Reds and Barred Rocks in England. They look different than ours in the USA but I don't know what the standard is there any way for these breeds. At least they don't have a lot of fluffy feathers hanging down by their hocks like some English Chickens I have seen.

bob