Bob Blosl's Heritage Large Fowl Thread

[kathyinmo]

I don't understand the, "let the eggs settle," after shipping thing.
I don't do it.

However, if it is this kind of weather, I do let the eggs warm up before setting them.

 

[Hangtown Farms]

quick question. Just got a new place on a few acres so naturally I am going to build some coops and runs for the breeders.
Then build a very large chicken yard / garden . This will be a coop in the middle with two small doors. I am going to split the garden in half I think and let the egg layer flock on one side one year and the other the next.
My main question is my breeders.
I plan on having a rooster and 5 or 6 hens per run. Is 40x15 large enough for them.Coop will be outside the run for easy cleaning and egg collecting.
Over kill or not enough? This for each breeder pen.
Breeds I am working are not huge for the most part.
Crele and Black Penedesenca and White Empordanesa are the three I keep and will keep.

thanks Jason

 

[Bentley]

I don't understand the, "let the eggs settle," after shipping thing.
I don't do it.

However, if it is this kind of weather, I do let the eggs warm up before setting them.

I agree Kathy. I have done extensive research in egg storage, transport and incubation and I know that after 7 days, times is of the essence and any temperature change after eggs initially cool is detrimental. So FOR ME, getting eggs in the incubator as soon as possible after receipt is the way to go. I will prewarm eggs only if they are to be added to a setter that already contains eggs to reduce the temperature drop in the setter as it attempts to warm the new eggs.

 

[call ducks]

Well folks this should be a fun night 24 hours! We are expecting up to 40cm of snow! Good ol nor'easter!

Now about egg storage after shipping....

I have to say after doing my own experimentents. Letting them settle make little or no difference.

I must start planing to re do an experment this year. Did it in grade nine and won an award. Time to do it to years later and see what i get with a larger batch.

re: Pre incubation of hatching and embertoic stablitity

 

[buffalogal]

Chris, one difference would be that this wouldn't necessarily include photos of bathed and gussied up birds. Just birds folks have in the yard. I'd personally not think we'd want to go any other way, but again, just kickin' ideas around here. As far as judges, I'd like to see a "panel" of folks accepted as expert for the breed, licensed judges or not. Say 5 member panel?

A fair way to do it, one that would hopefully keep thread on track as an exhibition, not a competition, would be to have ALL photos sent to one person who posts them anonymously. Say you have three RIR breeders; call them breeder A, breeder B, and breer C, and they send at least a front, back, side and top photos of three different birds. It would be captioned like "Breeder A, bird 1 front."

Ideally, no one other than the person taking the photos to be posted would ever know which bird belonged to who, so it would be completely based on the merits of the bird, which would avoid hurt feelings and encourage people to send in pictures of both good and bad birds. You can learn as much from what you should NOT use in the breeding pen as what you should.

 

[fowlman01]

Chris, one difference would be that this wouldn't necessarily include photos of bathed and gussied up birds. Just birds folks have in the yard. I'd personally not think we'd want to go any other way, but again, just kickin' ideas around here. As far as judges, I'd like to see a "panel" of folks accepted as expert for the breed, licensed judges or not. Say 5 member panel?

The one problem with using thread subscribers birds is that some will get pushed out of shape when a judge tells them it has poor type or whatever..

Walt

 

[Fred's Hens]

The one problem with using thread subscribers birds is that some will get pushed out of shape when a judge tells them it has poor type or whatever..

Walt

Yup. Not sure how to handle all this. Very open to suggestions on how best to do breed type instruction. Bob has been doing this, really, on the Red thread for two years and I cannot recall anyone getting too bent out of shape. My gosh. My own Reds aren't ready for public showing of any kind, at this point. But, anyhow..... somehow this kind of thing is so incredibly instructional that it is necessary to figure something out. There's been nothing like Bob's HRIR thread where folks critique, compliment, talk, instruct and share so openly and honestly. This really is needed for other breeds. I'd like, well.... I'd hope to gear this to those who are hoping to transition from utility birds to more SOP quality birds. I'd also like to completely avoid the term "show quality" as for our purposes here, that term would be irrelevant. It wouldn't be a "show" anyhow. Just showing in order to educate. Hope that's clear as mud.

 

[Texasmja]

A fair way to do it, one that would hopefully keep thread on track as an exhibition, not a competition, would be to have ALL photos sent to one person who posts them anonymously. Say you have three RIR breeders; call them breeder A, breeder B, and breer C, and they send at least a front, back, side and top photos of three different birds. It would be captioned like "Breeder A, bird 1 front."

Ideally, no one other than the person taking the photos to be posted would ever know which bird belonged to who, so it would be completely based on the merits of the bird, which would avoid hurt feelings and encourage people to send in pictures of both good and bad birds. You can learn as much from what you should NOT use in the breeding pen as what you should.

Great idea

 

[Texasmja]

Yup. Not sure how to handle all this. Very open to suggestions on how best to do breed type instruction. Bob has been doing this, really, on the Red thread for two years and I cannot recall anyone getting too bent out of shape. My gosh. My own Reds aren't ready for public showing of any kind, at this point. But, anyhow..... somehow this kind of thing is so incredibly instructional that it is necessary to figure something out. There's been nothing like Bob's HRIR thread where folks critique, compliment, talk, instruct and share so openly and honestly. This really is needed for other breeds. I'd like, well.... I'd hope to gear this to those who are hoping to transition from utility birds to more SOP quality birds. I'd also like to completely avoid the term "show quality" as for our purposes here, that term would be irrelevant. It wouldn't be a "show" anyhow. Just showing in order to educate. Hope that's clear as mud.

Sounds good.

 

[Texasmja]

Bird A - Ideal
Bird B - Best Natural
Bird C - Average
Bird D - Poor

And give an explanation of why the birds are ranked and tell the differences...

Just throwing an idea out off the top of my head.