Bob Blosl's Heritage Large Fowl Thread

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How old before you began culling? Were many obvious early (within a few weeks)? How many were needed to grow to maturity before making breeding choices?

Like I said, trying to get an idea of the sheer space required to do a breed like this right. Not for me, for the other excitable newbies.
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Remember my exuberance regarding Dels? Turns out I'm not a good Del (or Col Wy) breeder candidate. Don't have room. But it took forever to get the numbers I needed to make that decision. Just trying to short cut it, so if I see a Col Wy - researching newbie, can say, go check out the HLF thread, first few days of Sept. 2013 or so...

I'm obviously not Scott, but I can share how I do some of these things. I don't typically make any culls before 6-8 weeks (preferably 8) when they go off lights, and then it's only for obvious things (leg color, twisted combs, side springs, foot deformities, breed specific stuff that might show up), I'll also mark the top 25% of each sex for fastest growth and cull the bottom 25%. Repeat at 16 weeks and 24 weeks which is when I also start thinking about the finer points of type. I try, note keyword try, to keep the top quarter to third of the each sex to full maturity, always cut down males first because they're harder to sell off, and bigger for meat.

As far as space for every 25 chicks you want to grow out for 6 months or so I would want at a minimum of a 12'x12' grow out pen, bigger always better. You can push that a bit if you add in free range. Obviously this is just a rule of thumb, and you can stagger the growth out and cull young and get a lot more birds out of the given space.
 
Bob is always telling folks to go slow, start small and shoot for right down the middle. He also repeats that if you start out with outstanding stock, there is so much less work and the need to hatch out huge numbers isn't required. Much of that advice is noteworthy and worth holding onto, especially for those just starting out.

If you have to stay small, and let's define "small" as hatching out less than 30 chicks per year, then perhaps, just perhaps it is going to take bit longer to achieve your goals if you are working with birds that are far less than ideal. Alright. So be it.

If you cannot hatch out 120 chicks per year, then tailor your plans accordingly. It's OK. Give yourself permission to have fun and enjoy this and stay within your means, your budget, your space, your energy level and all the rest.

If you don't, quick burnout may result and then what? How does that accomplish anything? Back to watching some chicks hatch. Rocks, of course.
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Just 5 or 6 chicks from a test mating.

See? I'm off to have some fun.
 
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So by stagger does that mean 3 batches of chicks feb mar apr?


I just mean different ages, doesn't even have to be that far apart. I guess basically what I meant is you might be able to funnel 50 or more birds through that 12'x12' grow out pen, but by the time the birds reach 6 months of age, I wouldn't have more than 25 in there, but you might have 15 that are 6 months old and maybe you could fit another 20 or so 8 week olds just cuz they're smaller. Man my words are failing me today, I'm not explaining it well, just giving a ball park.

Edit: What I'd commonly do would be start with a hatch of 60 as day olds, and every 8 weeks cull at least 1/3 so by the time 6 months rolls around I had 20 or so in the grow out pen
 
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I'm obviously not Scott, but I can share how I do some of these things. I don't typically make any culls before 6-8 weeks (preferably 8) when they go off lights, and then it's only for obvious things (leg color, twisted combs, side springs, foot deformities, breed specific stuff that might show up), I'll also mark the top 25% of each sex for fastest growth and cull the bottom 25%. Repeat at 16 weeks and 24 weeks which is when I also start thinking about the finer points of type. I try, note keyword try, to keep the top quarter to third of the each sex to full maturity, always cut down males first because they're harder to sell off, and bigger for meat.

As far as space for every 25 chicks you want to grow out for 6 months or so I would want at a minimum of a 12'x12' grow out pen, bigger always better. You can push that a bit if you add in free range. Obviously this is just a rule of thumb, and you can stagger the growth out and cull young and get a lot more birds out of the given space.
This is grand! I still want to hear from Scott about the Columbians, though, because he's looking for breeders, yeah? So lets get those potential breeders as educated as possible so you don't get looky-lous (like me and the time I wasted for Zanna, who BTW is amazing and very helpful, Del people) so much as people who've considered the height of Everest, picked a team, and are a gonna Go. For. It.
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<-- me, but add Heritage Pom-Poms... I'll stay home and cheer. And work hard on my HRIR.

If you have to stay small, and let's define "small" as hatching out less than 30 chicks per year,
If you cannot hatch out 120 chicks per year, then tailor your plans accordingly. It's OK. Give yourself permission to have fun and enjoy this and stay within your means, your budget, your space, your energy level and all the rest.
If you don't, quick burnout may result and then what? How does that accomplish anything? Back to watching some chicks hatch. Rocks, of course.
big_smile.png
Just 5 or 6 chicks from a test mating.

See? I'm off to have some fun.
That's why I was trying to tease out the ramifications of picking a really "let go" breed in a sustained conversation :) I had to hunt and peck and bug and PM and generally make an *** of myself to get enough info to make decisions. I always gotta try to add pavement to the rocky path I did stumble on, that's me.
Yes, I know this is a bantam, however, Wow! Stunning breed type!
Ohio National
Jackie & Vanessa Koedatich
Speckled Sussex

http://www.ohionational.org/show/2012/2012pics/DSC_0882A.jpg
Skytop Bantams
Master Breeders of Speckled Sussex Bantams
http://skytopbantams.com/
<looks pointedly at the Chick> Well, did ya post it on the Heritage *bantam* thread? Sheesh.
 
Bob is always telling folks to go slow, start small and shoot for right down the middle. He also repeats that if you start out with outstanding stock, there is so much less work and the need to hatch out huge numbers isn't required. Much of that advice is noteworthy and worth holding onto, especially for those just starting out.

If you have to stay small, and let's define "small" as hatching out less than 30 chicks per year, then perhaps, just perhaps it is going to take bit longer to achieve your goals if you are working with birds that are far less than ideal. Alright. So be it.

If you cannot hatch out 120 chicks per year, then tailor your plans accordingly. It's OK. Give yourself permission to have fun and enjoy this and stay within your means, your budget, your space, your energy level and all the rest.

If you don't, quick burnout may result and then what? How does that accomplish anything? Back to watching some chicks hatch. Rocks, of course.
big_smile.png
Just 5 or 6 chicks from a test mating.

See? I'm off to have some fun.


Thanks so much for the encouragement this post offers to us little beginners. I really need to keep it small, yet people talk so big. Sometimes if makes me wonder if the little breeder can even make a difference, but I want to have fun. I can do that, I can have fun. I just want to breed something worth breeding.............Something I can stand back and see as "beautiful" as they scratch and dig, See the pride of the cock as he throws his head back and crows............ I just can't have hundreds of birds or pens. Thanks Freds hens, you have given me hope of a dream........
 
Thanks so much for the encouragement this post offers to us little beginners. I really need to keep it small, yet people talk so big. Sometimes if makes me wonder if the little breeder can even make a difference, but I want to have fun. I can do that, I can have fun. I just want to breed something worth breeding.............Something I can stand back and see as "beautiful" as they scratch and dig, See the pride of the cock as he throws his head back and crows............ I just can't have hundreds of birds or pens. Thanks Freds hens, you have given me hope of a dream........
Just going to piggyback here and say this is totally possible. It takes immaculate record keeping and single mating so you know exactly what birds produce what in their offspring, but I've known some very very good breeders that don't hatch very many birds, and I mean about 25 or less total a year. It is very hard to do this with rare breeds that have been let go though, but still doable. Knowing what birds produce what is always the key, and what you are aiming for as a goal. I know guys that hatch 600 a year and make less progress than guys that hatch 25-50.
 
Yes, I know this is a bantam, however, Wow! Stunning breed type!

Ohio National
Champion Row 2012
Champion SCCL
Jackie & Vanessa Koedatich
Speckled Sussex
Champion Bantam
http://www.ohionational.org/show/2012/2012pics/DSC_0882A.jpg
Skytop Bantams
Master Breeders of Speckled Sussex Bantams
http://skytopbantams.com/

Oh. yes. Jackie's Sussex are phenomenal, and they're solid as a rock meaty little things.


I think the Columbian Wyandotte has always been my favorite Wyandotte.
 
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