Bob Blosl's Heritage Large Fowl Thread

[Fred's Hens]

Our barn can be divided into 6 pens of 8x10. We just use deer netting to make the dividers. It is light, easy to use, and we have lots of it as we must have a 1000' of it or more for the gardens.

We've also built these small, outdoor tractor pens. They make excellent pens for breeding, grow out, death row or whatever. These do have a roost placed a foot or two above the ground. Some have built in nests with easy, outside collection of eggs.

 

[Fred's Hens]

Making quick and easy pastures is also a use for the deer netting. I just use the pole hole digger attachment on my tractor and can bore a dozen hole in less than 10 minutes. Stand up those inexpensive landscape poles and attach the deer netting with zip ties. You can cordon off a 50 x 50 temporary pasture in well under an hour.

Time comes to re-arrange, snip the ties and the netting falls right off. Pull out the posts and set up on a new patch of grass. The old patch will grow back quickly and grow back lush from the fertilizing.

Look in the distance of this photo and you'll see the deer netting, zip ties, etc.

Use your imagination is what I'm saying, I guess.

 

[BarnGoddess01]

Rhode Island Red is :
"eWh/eWh, s+/s+, Mh/Mh, Db/Db, and possible sundry melanisers"
Now Walt what the heck does this mean. Bill you ever saw this in Rhode Island Red Jouranls or Red Chronicles?
The person who came up with this formula has he or she breed Rhode Island Reds befor? I dont know how you can take a formula like this and apply it to breeding Rhode Island Reds.
Sundry Melanisers? I typed this into Google and got this. Boy that's something so what the heck does this mean if Google never heard of it.
http://search.incredibar.com/search...&u=819874877554769551&a=Yz2cZoRkFp&i=39&cid=1
I have a friend who breeds Columbian Plymouth Rocks what is the genetic formula for him. If he gets something like this how can he apply this information for his breeding program next year. He is asking me how to breed his birds in a double mating system as Light Brahma Breeders do. Its so confusing to me I cannot make heads or tails with it.
Here is a question on Rhode Island Reds what does excess black ticking in the female feather have to do with the genetic makeup with Genetics as this is the biggest problem we have in controlling black in the wings and the tail.

How about the quill color what is the genetic code to get black blood red quills rather than rustic red quill color.
I am willing to advance to learn on this Genetic codes but we as breeders have to understand it and use it to produce birds with good color. I dont think genetics will do much to help me breed extended keels, and maintain a brick shape in our Reds. Then what about the Cochin genes in the make up are they allowing for this or in bantams with the Old English blood along with the Cochin blood.? Just thoughts I have as these voo doo crosses made in the 1930s to make the bantam Red. I dont know if they figure this in when coming up with these codes or what ever that means eWh/eWh, s+/s+, Mh/Mh, Db/Db,
I know I have scared off a few rookies with my writings but to tell you the truth if we have to go with this kind of stuff to raise chickens to preserve them we will run off a whole bunch more and they will go back to the feed store chickens where they don't have to worry about anything except a mean production rooster beating up their grand children. Interesting stuff help me understand it. bob

They actually talk about the red over there quite a bit and the fine nuances of how to "build" a feather. Ideally, you would hook up with someone that can help you interpret the genes since chickens are what you know and genes are what they know. As a successful, long term breeder, you will almost certainly ALWAYS know more about how to build a better chicken than they do. But, as folks thoroughly immersed in the study of genetics, they might be able to help you improve how the red expresses on your birds, or the beetle green sheen, for example - but you still have to build the bird - and have a clear vision of the bird you want to build.

If you have scared off the rookies, perhaps they weren't really meant to be here in the first place.

 

[Chris09]

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[fowlman01]

Off to another 1000 mile round trip poultry show in a few minutes. 40 birds in the truck and a typhoon raining and blowing here in Cali.

Walt

 

[kathyinmo]

Off to another 1000 mile round trip poultry show in a few minutes. 40 birds in the truck and a typhoon raining and blowing here in Cali.

Walt

Forecast is near 70 and sunny here today.

But, I bet you are gonna have more fun there than I am here.

 

[fowlman01]

Forecast is near 70 and sunny here today.

 

[catdaddyfro]

Off to another 1000 mile round trip poultry show in a few minutes. 40 birds in the truck and a typhoon raining and blowing here in Cali.

Walt

Good luck, and too, I'm presuming you have your lucky NH pullet on board as well, LOL

Jeff

 

[JerseyGiantfolk]

Off to another 1000 mile round trip poultry show in a few minutes. 40 birds in the truck and a typhoon raining and blowing here in Cali.

Walt

Good luck, hopefully it won't be as rainy and windy where you are going!

 

[desertmarcy]

Our barn can be divided into 6 pens of 8x10. We just use deer netting to make the dividers. It is light, easy to use, and we have lots of it as we must have a 1000' of it or more for the gardens.

We've also built these small, outdoor tractor pens. They make excellent pens for breeding, grow out, death row or whatever. These do have a roost placed a foot or two above the ground. Some have built in nests with easy, outside collection of eggs.

Is that a homemade feeder box I see attached to the frame in the last photo? What are the dimensions? I'm looking for ideas on easy homemade feeders that the males with huge combs can get their heads into that the birds also cannot beak out the food easily. Thanks.