Bob Blosl's Heritage Large Fowl Thread

[BGMatt]

I think I am right that Dark Brown  are Partridge and Light Brown are stippled like wildtype?
I will go double check.
 Karen

Both are stippled. Dark is the wild type with mahogany gene if I recall correctly. Phenotype is the same but just much much darker reds on the Darks.

 

[BGMatt]

YHF, I tried all spring to get leghorns from Mr. Urch. He had none available. I left the order in place hoping for some next year. I do have a trio of Egyptian Fayoumi I'm playing around with, and find them similar in some ways to leghorns.

Mark Atwood advertises in Poultry Press, he has light and dark brown in both single and rose comb. I know he has some excellent birds. Probably not this time of year I would guess but I don't know for sure.

 

[CoopDeDoo]

You must not be holding them right. When judging I have to handle 300-500 birds in a day and I can't have them beating on me. The bird needs to know that you have a good hold of it or it will flap all over the place. It is mostly the support of your palm, but I also have the legs immobilized. I can hold them upside down without them moving around.

Walt

I must not be! I was shown the "reach down and hold their wings against their sides approach" by several people. None of them however have shown birds and usually only handle their birds for health reasons. I spend time with mine everyday and they are all very friendly. I will give this technique a try when I get home tonight.

And thank you to all who answered!

 

[Zanna]

Wondering if anyone has come up with a feeder that the chickens can not bill out the feed and pick and choose what they want and that is practical and inexpensive? My hanging pellet feeder is ok but I hang another that has a mix of cracked corn, wheat and cracked peas that I buy from local farmers each season. I want them to eat the peas for the higher protein but they bill them all out and only eat the candy! If I leave the feeder empty for a day or two, they still don't eat up the peas that are all over the ground and you should see the mob meet me when I show up like I am starving them (these are all free-ranging birds all daylight hours). I have seen treadle feeders, they are really expensive and I would prefer to keep feeders up off the ground. What I have recently tried is a deep round rubber horse feed tub hung on the wall of the coop. It works but when the feed gets low, they jump in it to eat and poop in it. Also, I almost always have little biddies mixed in the flock and they have to jump in it to eat. Don't want to get into fermenting/soaking feed and having to feed daily. Free-feeding works best in my situation. My coops and breeder pens are all on the natural ground with either sand or shavings added. In the winter, any feed billed out will mold after a day or two as I have some dampness wicking up from underneath. Ideas?

 

[Apdeb]

Zanna i saw this really simple one made out of 4" pvc that you could mount on wall
Its in one of the threads
He put two smaller pipes inside and had grain on one side crumble on other

 

[fowlman01]

Wondering if anyone has come up with a feeder that the chickens can not bill out the feed and pick and choose what they want and that is practical and inexpensive? My hanging pellet feeder is ok but I hang another that has a mix of cracked corn, wheat and cracked peas that I buy from local farmers each season. I want them to eat the peas for the higher protein but they bill them all out and only eat the candy! If I leave the feeder empty for a day or two, they still don't eat up the peas that are all over the ground and you should see the mob meet me when I show up like I am starving them (these are all free-ranging birds all daylight hours). I have seen treadle feeders, they are really expensive and I would prefer to keep feeders up off the ground. What I have recently tried is a deep round rubber horse feed tub hung on the wall of the coop. It works but when the feed gets low, they jump in it to eat and poop in it. Also, I almost always have little biddies mixed in the flock and they have to jump in it to eat. Don't want to get into fermenting/soaking feed and having to feed daily. Free-feeding works best in my situation. My coops and breeder pens are all on the natural ground with either sand or shavings added. In the winter, any feed billed out will mold after a day or two as I have some dampness wicking up from underneath. Ideas?

You will never see chickens dead from starvation next to any kind of feed. Keep them from free ranging for a part of a day and they will clean it up.

w.

 

[Texasmja]

I must not be! I was shown the "reach down and hold their wings against their sides approach" by several people. None of them however have shown birds and usually only handle their birds for health reasons. I spend time with mine everyday and they are all very friendly. I will give this technique a try when I get home tonight.

And thank you to all who answered!

It works, I am a really small woman and I can pick up all sizes like Walt and Vickie said to do it and they never give me any issues.

 

[Zanna]

You will never see chickens dead from starvation next to any kind of feed. Keep them from free ranging for a part of a day and they will clean it up.

w.

Great idea, that ought to fix the little stinkers!!! Practical and inexpensive, Thank you! Maybe they will decide they like the peas after all

Apdeb, On the PVC feeders of all I have seen, they can still bill out the feed. I will do some more research though. Thanks!

 

[Apdeb]

The one i saw mounted had some kind of splashguard/hopper on it
Im sure they still be messy but cant poop or roost in it

 

[NeilsHamburgs]

Walt were your black hamburgs prone to stubbing like the silver spangled?