Bob Blosl's Heritage Large Fowl Thread

[Yard full o' rocks]

I think genetics are a part of it , but I think too that how these big birds are raised has a lot to do with it . I had a lot of breeders question me when I said that my English Pullet was laying at 6 mos, as were my SOP birds. Well, I have chicks growing out to prove it. The girls are consistently laying an egg a day. I'm not about to ask for more !

You cannot raise these big birds properly in little pens , or my hated "Chicken Tractors ". From at most 4 weeks , depending on weather , my chicks are out running around a good half acre of mixed grasses . They FLY as babies , and turn into little hoodlums , who bother the biggies . All the while they are developing frame , and muscle to hold that frame together . Mine eat me out of house and home , until they start to lay , when they settle down . Eye of Newt is expensive !

Hatching rate has been very good , once my cockerel figured things out , at 6 months old . I started plucking , but stopped that , as I figured new owners would not want to have to pluck , and I might want to show a few . After a couple of weeks , fertility returned to normal .

My feeling is that I am raising CHICKENS , not KOBE beef . Big chickens , whom I let be chickens .

You have inspired me to make some changes here. I let my LF Columbian Rocks free range constantly when I do not have breeding pens set up (like now....and then I rotate which pen gets out daily, had a pair of foxes show up this afternoon for a second time so that might end for a while). I've hesitated letting the young ones out until they are several months old. I'm guessing my weather here in NW Ga can't be too different than yours in SC. I have chicks due Dec 23 (30 of them)and another 30 a week later. I'm going to try letting them free range sooner and see if that will help build the front ends I so badly need on my male birds.

We plant "food plots" here to keep the deer out of out flowerbeds so there are plenty of winter greens for the birds to graze on (turnips, kale, radish, clover, winter wheat, rape, etc)....it will be interesting to see if allowing them earlier access to free range makes any difference in mine. Dang "Coopers" and sharp shinned hawks are always a challenge when the little ones are out, but I guess the smart ones will learn to survive

 

[Robert Blosl]

http://www.billwysor.com/portraits.html


I was lurking the other night and saw a avatar of a lady from Virgina of one of her chickens. It said her husband painted this. I sent her a personnel message and she wrote me back and said it is true. Look at this artists work. I have not seen such nice paintings of animals like this since I saw the young lady who does paintings out in Calif the Black Rose Comb breeder.

Thought you would enjoy something of beauty for a change on this thread. Now you can see why we like to improve our birds to perfection as breeders. Its like art and we crated it. I am going to send this artist a picture of the Rhode Island Red male that Matt 1616 raised this year who I call War Eagle.

Maybe one day he can paint a bird like this male.

Bill sure has talent and we hope that one day many of you will be able to preserve some of these old breeds to the likes of his partings.

 

[Bentley]

I think genetics are a part of it , but I think too that how these big birds are raised has a lot to do with it . I had a lot of breeders question me when I said that my English Pullet was laying at 6 mos, as were my SOP birds. Well, I have chicks growing out to prove it. The girls are consistently laying an egg a day. I'm not about to ask for more !

You cannot raise these big birds properly in little pens , or my hated "Chicken Tractors ". From at most 4 weeks , depending on weather , my chicks are out running around a good half acre of mixed grasses . They FLY as babies , and turn into little hoodlums , who bother the biggies . All the while they are developing frame , and muscle to hold that frame together . Mine eat me out of house and home , until they start to lay , when they settle down . Eye of Newt is expensive !

Hatching rate has been very good , once my cockerel figured things out , at 6 months old . I started plucking , but stopped that , as I figured new owners would not want to have to pluck , and I might want to show a few . After a couple of  weeks , fertility returned to normal .

My feeling is that I am raising CHICKENS , not KOBE beef . Big chickens , whom I let be chickens .

Haha, I hope you don't ask for more than one egg a day. Although birds have two ovaries and two oviducts, only the left one is functional (except in some raptors......for some reason). To ask for more than one egg a day is just asking too much, even commercial birds don't lay more than an egg a day, except on very RARE occasions.

This brings up a funny story. I was judging poultry showmanship at one of the many shows I judge each year and a young girl chose to use a sex link (Bovan Brown) for showmanship. She was doing so well telling me about her bird and answering questions until she said "this strain of bird was specifically bred for egg production and she lays about 5 eggs a day!!!" It was about all I could do to keep laughing!! So, in short, except on very rare occasions, a bird does not lay more than one egg a day. 90% egg production means that, on average, each hen lays an egg for 9 strait days then skips a day.

 

[Bentley]

...

I could be wrong, but not too far off.............. I believe Runner ducks hold the record for most eggs produced. They are thin and efficient and you could even eat them. They are crazy as heck, but they lay lots of eggs...

You may be correct here, but Back in the 90's do recall reading that the Khaki Campbell Duck had the record for egg production. The common thought at that time was that the commercial poultry industry should have selected the Khaki Campbell duck, instead if the "leghorn" to further breed and select for egg production because they were more economical. But, to switch now would never work because "Duck eggs taste funny". not my thoughts, but the thoughts of many

 

[3riverschick]

http://www.billwysor.com/portraits.html


I was lurking the other night and saw a avatar of a lady from Virgina of one of her chickens. It said her husband painted this.
Bill sure has talent and we hope that one day many of you will be able to preserve some of these old breeds to the likes of his partings.

Wow! I wish I had the extra money to have one done of Junior!'
Karen

 

[NYREDS]

http://www.billwysor.com/portraits.html


I was lurking the other night and saw a avatar of a lady from Virgina of one of her chickens. It said her husband painted this. I sent her a personnel message and she wrote me back and said it is true. Look at this artists work. I have not seen such nice paintings of animals like this since I saw the young lady who does paintings out in Calif the Black Rose Comb breeder.

Thought you would enjoy something of beauty for a change on this thread. Now you can see why we like to improve our birds to perfection as breeders. Its like art and we crated it. I am going to send this artist a picture of the Rhode Island Red male that Matt 1616 raised this year who I call War Eagle.

Maybe one day he can paint a bird like this male.

Bill sure has talent and we hope that one day many of you will be able to preserve some of these old breeds to the likes of his partings.

They should get him to illustrate the Standard!

 

[NYREDS]

I would, but ducks are just NASTY to raise. And rabbits, I know my limits. I can go hunting for rabbits, but I'll be darned if I can just bop one on the head. A chicken? Absolutely. A goose? Sure. But a rabbit is one of those I can't do.

I'm not weak...I'm realistic!

I hear that. We raised meat rabbits for years. I butchered one the first year-after that I took the to a small animal slaughter house. Just didn't like doing the rabbit at all.

 

[3riverschick]

They should get him to illustrate the Standard!

I like it better than Plummer,
karen

 

[HallFamilyFarm]

Quote:
5 eggs a day! I am switching to the 4H Poultry chain birds! (Bovan Brown)

My guess is they meant 5 eggs a week. When I have done showmanship, its all i can do to keep from laughing. Some kids juyst know everything (Jacob) and when they do not know the answer, they think of an answer. We do train these 4H members well, but there are some that just think they know it all! (Jacob, is on the right below).

However, here is Arkansas we do have a few youth that really do KNOW it all. They prove it with their winnings at the State Fair in the Open Show. (Will, Elizabeth, Bree, to name a few). I heard Walt has a youth out there in California that takes great joy in proving her grandfather wrong and in winning over him. And Jim Salee is a well known judge and former ABA president. Guess all the youth enjoy beating an adult!

5 eggs a day! WOW!

 

[aveca]

I think genetics are a part of it , but I think too that how these big birds are raised has a lot to do with it . I had a lot of breeders question me when I said that my English Pullet was laying at 6 mos, as were my SOP birds. Well, I have chicks growing out to prove it. The girls are consistently laying an egg a day. I'm not about to ask for more !

You cannot raise these big birds properly in little pens , or my hated "Chicken Tractors ". From at most 4 weeks , depending on weather , my chicks are out running around a good half acre of mixed grasses . They FLY as babies , and turn into little hoodlums , who bother the biggies . All the while they are developing frame , and muscle to hold that frame together . Mine eat me out of house and home , until they start to lay , when they settle down . Eye of Newt is expensive !

Hatching rate has been very good , once my cockerel figured things out , at 6 months old . I started plucking , but stopped that , as I figured new owners would not want to have to pluck , and I might want to show a few . After a couple of weeks , fertility returned to normal .

My feeling is that I am raising CHICKENS , not KOBE beef . Big chickens , whom I let be chickens .

So healthy Vickie..Lots of room, lots of view..I have 0 wing issues even in the big english..they fly as best big bird can..run , play dig around..I have never ever had to trim a beak or toenails because of rocky landscape...like kids they need to build bone and muscle to be healthy adult..we leave cut up logs out in the big pasture for them to climb on and play and dig around..the breeding pens are smaller but the turn outs are more of a habitat here for the best possible health lots of moving around..the babies use everything they have to climb up on those logs..