Bob Blosl's Heritage Large Fowl Thread

[Pault76]

Its none of my business what you do but if your looking into chickens to make a profit you may be better off putting your money in your sock drawer. There are people who do make some money but they didn't start doing it this decade. If your looking at just trying to make $$ you may be better off with serama's or purple chickens. Just my 2 cents which is worth about a plug nickel.

 

[NYREDS]

Could some of you who may be former or current Show Sectary help me figure out what show coops that are about 20 to 30 years old may be worth.

We have a standard four hole bantam coop

We have a standard four hole bantam coop still in the box never opened.

We have a two hole large fowl coop

We have a two hole large fowl coop in a box never opened.

They show went out about 20 years ago. The former sectary kept the cages at his home in a barn. He died the new owners have no clue what they have. We need about 400 bantam holes and say 100 large fowl holes.

We would love your advice on what the going rate would be for these cages in the box and the ones just laying on the floor. I posted this on another site. You would think a product that cost say $60. twenty years ago that has been used should be worth about 1/3 of its original value. I dont even know what the retail price is today for the above coops. This is for our show in Pensacola Flordia.

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Bought some of the 4 hole bantam coops recently from a fair that's discontinuing their poultry show. They're used but in very good condition-no rust bent wires, etc. Paid $10 each for them.

 

[3riverschick]

Hi,
My answers in bold type.
Best,
Karen in western PA
Waterford English Sussex
===============================================

I have what I know are novice questions, but I'm a novice when it comes to a focused breeding endeavor in chickens. I asked on another thread, but was wisely advised to ask here. Some questions are modified but the essential purpose is there.

1 - If starting with a new breed one wishes to breed to SOP, with none of the desired breed currently owned, is it best to seek a breeding pair or trio from an established breeder willing to part with such, or with a larger number of chicks or hatching eggs from a breeder or hatchery and culling to retain only the best 3, 6, 10 for future breeding? Is this breed-dependent? No. In other words, does it depend on US population of SOP-close birds as opposed to retaining/expanding current gene pool?

2 - Is it on either side of smart to foray into multiple breeds one is interested in? No. The greatest breeders in a breed usually only had that one breed.

3 - do you set any financial goals or parameters? If so do you stick to them? and also if so, do you base your parameters on sales of chicks/started juveniles you selected out of retaining for future breeding, or do you simply sell a certain number/percentage of chicks hatched regardless? Cull, then see what you have to sell. I will give breeding trios to 4-H regardless of the rarity of my birds. Depending on the wishes the breeder has for the birds you hatch from birds ottained from him/her.... he/she may have counsel on how to best place/sell the get. Nothing wrong with that. The breeder trusted you with his strain, best to take his/her advice on how to place the birds so the strain stays respected and not crossed willy-nilly for other people's novice color projects and cross-breeding diversity experiments...which the person will then tout they used the strain you let them have by name, embarrassing the breeder you got the birds from. There's nothing wrong with learning from your breed's breeder how to best place/sell your hatchlings/started birds. Tho many of these top lines do not sell chicks or eggs, they only sell started birds/

4 - Is there a fixed number of future breeders you winter over or is it dependent on the quality of the spring/summer hatch?

5 - are there heritage breeds known to be inherently profitable? Needed? Neglected? Lots of choices there, Follow your heart, breed the breed that makes your heart sing and you will have more fun.

6 - is there any such thing as the perfect breeding plan? No. The best breeding programs end up being a compilation of several breeding plans dependant on the needs of the flock at the time.

Asked as a returneee to chickens, fond of more than one breed, particularly non-whites due to predator concerns, and especially endangered and rare breeds. No LGDs or other LG - use electric-fence-protected run when not home (4 days/wk) but free range when here (the other 3).

Tons more questions but these are starters.

 

[Pozees]

Hi,
My answers in bold type.
Best,
Karen in western PA
Waterford English Sussex
===============================================

Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions I currently have just my micro-flock but have long loved Leghorns as well as Speckled Sussex. When I found myself able to have chickens again this past summer, my immediate desire was for the latter, as I had them before and found them delightful, great at grasshopper control and foraging, and pretty good at laying, and thought I would get a few Brown Leghorns next spring. Then I started reading about Dorkings, and thought maybe I would add a few of them too, to see if I enjoyed them.

I am sure this is typical, and at some point after I've lived with a few of each breed (and perhaps some others as well) I will know where my heart really lives, and which breed I feel most able to select good representatives of. Right now I spend hours reading what those of you with experience say about various pictures posted here, and try to absorb your wisdom Even if I am still in love with multiple breeds, I can have a few of each and just focus on breeding one of them.

Developing a critical eye takes time, looking at a lot of representatives of a breed, and learning what I'm looking at. Your advice to work with a breeder to select the best of a hatch well after they are day-olds is really sensible.

Thanks so much for your help. I have to try and chart a course that will mainly support itself. We do not have a bunch of extra money sitting around waiting to be spent, and it may be that my future is spent strictly as an admirer from afar, but I am not ready to give up on the dream yet!

 

[Pozees]

Its none of my business what you do but if your looking into chickens to make a profit you may be better off putting your money in your sock drawer. There are people who do make some money but they didn't start doing it this decade. If your looking at just trying to make $$ you may be better off with serama's or purple chickens. Just my 2 cents which is worth about a plug nickel.

Nope. Trying to be a grown up and not just start breeding willy nilly only to find out I can't pay for feed.

 

[galanie]

Since I'm a long way from being an expert and not even a breeder of any kind (other than a few willy nillys just for grins) I was very interested in those answers too. I thought I knew the answers to most of them but one never can tell and I apprecaite the input you got also, Pozees

 

[Pozees]

Since I'm a long way from being an expert and not even a breeder of any kind (other than a few willy nillys just for grins) I was very interested in those answers too. I thought I knew the answers to most of them but one never can tell and I apprecaite the input you got also, Pozees

Thanks for saying so, galanie - in earlier years of my life I would have just taken the plunge, and then paid the price for thinking I knew something I didn't. I"m trying very hard to avoid that.

 

[Pozees]

On the topic of hatching, are there those trying to develop lines more inclined to brood their own eggs, or is that too restrictive?

 

[NanaKat]

Yes, great information. Thank you for asking the questions and I will be interested in the other questions you ask.
I am no expert (just getting into the pure breeds the past two years) but here's my few comments:

I have the great fortune of knowing good breeders for the two LF breeds I have chosen to have(Wyandottes and Cochins) .

In fact the CW breeder is coming this weekend to help me select the breeders I will keep in the Birchen pen and the CW pen. At his suggestion I made the cross breed pen of Australorp and CW to develop my Birchen line. And the selection from that F1 breeding is posted in the Wyandotte thread.

My Cochins come from three breeders and two have been very helpful with advice and have birds that have been show winners so I understand about not claiming a x breed to their lines. The third breeder was helpful in sending eggs from out of state and is not close enough for me to visit with except thru BYC.

I post pictures on the Cochin thread and the Wyandotte thread and several experts there have given opinions on the breed type that has been extremely helpful. We have some great mentors on the breed threads.

As for my flock, I have a small flock of 15 d'Anvers and OEGB just because I enjoy their personality. I have 35 layers (Red sex-link, Australorp, Minorca, Black Sex Link, SLW, Cochin, CW), 10 Cochins, 30 Wyandottes (CW, Birchen,BCW, Blue and Black including the F1) and a project of Cochin X Wyandotte (5 F1 saved back) and 30 young birds ranging from 4 week to 18 weeks. (total of 140 birds and eggs in the incubator)

As for money making...I don't sell and so far I don't show and egg production is for the family...we have a large extended family....so all the culled breed pullets go in the layer yard and are either productive or stewed. Any eggs from the breeding pens I don't incubate, go in egg cartons. I have sold a few CW trios, donated trios, and sold a few extra roosters as fryers but there is not enough income from that to account for anything....maybe half of what I spent that month on feed which is about $150. That goes for egg layer pellets, chick crumbles, scratch and feed for the geese as well as any conditioning feed, ACV (I'll now be making my own). Oxine, dusting powder, etc. My birds free range every day .Every bird gets to go off breeding for pure lines and just be chickens every year too.

Not being an expert and enjoying chickens for many years, I agree with the comment..."breed what makes your heart sing"...but will add you can have a colorful, productive of layers on the side.

 

[capayvalleychick]

I just noticed that My Pet Chicken is carrying Silver Grey Dorkings for 2013 at $5 each. I think they buy from various suppliers, right? They're not one big hatchery?

On the assumption that there are not many of these birds around, I'm wondering what the quality of their birds is likely to be -- whether they are really Dorkings vs. "Dorking-like" (as I've read some hatchery birds are not really what they're supposed to be -- Dominiques and Delawares, for instance). Or if they've contracted with a breeder who has decent, or at least genuine, stock.

I don't know anything about My Pet Chicken, but it's best to get birds from a breeder rather than a hatchery. There is a breeder there in MI that has some Red Dorkings that she is working on. Her name is Jen Sigety. Find her on theDorking Breeders Club or on the Facebook Dorking group.