Bob Blosl's Heritage Large Fowl Thread

[Lacy Blues]

Hey Fred I totally agree with you here. my story is somewhat just as you stated about ? them at different phases too, they all are keepers in my book, not a crappy one in the flock I've not had any of the other heritage types RIRor NHs that all were good they were all OK, but not all good as a whole group. and the topper is the one of the boys that LIVED thru Mareks never ever have I had any chicken survive this type of Mareks the crippling type and wasting away. He did not succumb he made it! this boy is just as pretty now as the rest of his bros and is catching up to them in size a weight. Now he is a big big baby too "spoilt" rotten from me doctoring and handling him so much. He has a limp on the left side due to the paralysis from the disease but eats like a miniature donkey and is happy as Lark this goes to show me they have a strong will to survive I had but all given up on him but he didn't he lived and he will be here till he dies just BECAUSE!? LOL

Jeff

Wouldn't he be able to pass some antibodies to his offspring? That would definitely make him a bit more valuable for future generations.

Lacy Blues, I salute you.

Or your chicken, anyway. Time to break out The Stars And Stripes Forever.

rick

Thank you Rick.

 

[Wynette]

Wouldn't he be able to pass some antibodies to his offspring? That would definitely make him a bit more valuable for future generations.
Thank you Rick.

I wondered that SAME thing, Lacy! Mareks, I heard, was horrible this year. But more than likely, there were some that made it through exposure and weren't even affected - would those not be the ones that you'd want to use when breeding for resistance? That must have been one strong bird to live through Mareks - it's a horrible disease to be sure. Darn wild birds!

 

[catdaddyfro]

Wouldn't he be able to pass some antibodies to his offspring? That would definitely make him a bit more valuable for future generations.
Thank you Rick.

I don't know about passing on anti bodies but he sure could give them a dose of vitality for sure but I don't know if he could ever breed naturally maybe A. I.not going thru all that i have 5 more good big boys to choose from.

But in all reality he will never be alright he is fine and healthy now but because of his bout with the paralysis he just won't ever measure up with his siblings to pick a breeder out of, as far as that goes. and too they will/ should have the same vitality maybe even more so as they didn't contract the disease or did not show spymtoms of doing so(mareks is funny that way) I used him more or less as an example of intestinal fortitude(pure raw will)/gumption of this strain. I'm sure my Ideal version of a BR rooster would have surely kicked-out in just a few short days of what this guy went through.

Jeff


ETA Wynette I was typing as you were posting it takes me a few minutes to type out a couple hundred letters(not words) LOL

anyway I think I might have given you my thoughts here,
too

and by all means we must use our smileys sometimes too huh LOL

as J/K(joking) from ricks earlier post and to Chris too

I thought at first he was more serious then I got it about halfway through, I'm slow that way too LOL

 

[Wynette]

catdaddy - just read your siggy -

 

[buffalogal]

Of course!! Haven't missed in several years. Who else will be there?

I can think of a few folks, drop by the Dominique Club table and say hello.

 

[winniem13]

Anyone going to Cape Fear APA show in Smithfield NC Friday (12/8)?

 

[JerseyGiantfolk]

I heard a rumor that you shouldn't breed Mareks survivors (who had mareks) .... AFTER I hatched a JG chick whose sire was a Mareks survivor (who had Mareks).

And yep, papa roo stayed in my room for 6 months will Mareks (seizures, one leg sticking forward... ect). And then he FULLY recovered (not even a permanent limp)...

The only JG chick that hatched never had any problems (except he got side sprigs, then broke his wing and slipped a tendon learning to roost). He never had a sign of Marek's, even with contact with older chickens.

I wondered that SAME thing, Lacy! Mareks, I heard, was horrible this year. But more than likely, there were some that made it through exposure and weren't even affected - would those not be the ones that you'd want to use when breeding for resistance? That must have been one strong bird to live through Mareks - it's a horrible disease to be sure. Darn wild birds!

 

[Happy Chooks]

Kathy says they are as broody as can be too. All good stuff.

The "downside" which I try to warn the backyard gang is simply this. These are not anything, absolutely nothing like a hatchery, utility bird. They'd eat a backyarder out of house and home, take a year to lay, lay far too few eggs, I'd guess, for the them to ever be happy with them. This is just my guess, but I think most backyarders would NOT like these birds. Dunno.

Hope you guys don't mind me popping in here. I've been lurking here to learn from you long time breeders. I don't have "heritage" birds, but I do have similar issues in my barnevelder flock. They were once dual purpose, but their laying ability has suffered considerably. It is one thing I'm hoping to improve it as I work with them.

As for the Barred Rocks going broody, I have a hen from Kathy that has raised 2 sets of babies this year. She went broody before she hit a year old and was raising the 2nd set while molting. She'll take your hand off (literally, piece by piece) but she's a fantastic mother and beautiful to boot. She eats more than most Large Fowl I have, but the biggest eaters in my flock are the English Orps - I swear they are like pigs at the trough, always eating. My 9 year old calls them "The Fat Girls".

 

[Fred's Hens]

Over the past 5 years or so, I've had hatchery birds of several "breeds", although none were bred to the SOP so it's a stretch to call them breeds in the first place. Again, I don't show birds, I am a farmer, but I did used to bench a few beagles back in the day. Before you could go to the bench, you had to first pass your dog through the breed inspector's station. None of the hatchery Barred Rocks we've had would ever have been approved at the breed inspector's station. LOL

That said, they've laid like nobodies business. I mean they'd lay eggs at virtually the same rate at the commercial hens we've had. Astounding. I've had several strains of utility Barred Rocks from several different hatcheries and they all laid extremely well. But...... they are tiny birds compared to the Ringlet Barred Rocks. They feather out, grow up quick, and lay like crazy, all the while wearing their messy barring. Their temperament was/is nothing like the Ringlets. Never had one go broody either. Will these Ringlets lay like those hatchery scrubs? Not hardly.

To what do I attribute this vast difference? I've got some some opinions and ideas, but I'll just leave that go for now.

 

[Wynette]

Fred, my opinion is that hatcheries are breeding for layability, period. We are choosing which breeders we use based on their conformation and consistency, etc. Layability is for sure important, but is not "priority1" like it is for hatchery birds. Each has its place.