Bob Blosl's Heritage Large Fowl Thread

[greathorse]

Quote:
They are your birds, I think you can do whatever you like with them. They should make good black sex links.

Walt

I intend to use my RIR and Slw to make some sex links in the spring. I know that some have referred to these as "SIL GO's". I am not sure if I will get single combs or rose combs, I assume largely rose as they are dominat as I understand it. I have many folks that know I hatch a number of birds in the spring and they want pullets only. I will use the entire laying group for this and put together much smaller breeding pens for the purebreds. I have a bit of a market for roosters and the fact that these should be bigger might fetch a few pennies more..

I think it is a good way to serve a market locally. I don't see it as getting in the way of propagating the heritage lines at all. I will give my buyers a heads up that these sex links "may" not lay quite as well as the links they get from the big hatcheries. I am not sure of this but imagine it to be true.

 

[Lotsapaints]

The heritage birds are so much bigger and wider, thicker all around I would think your black sex links from that type of bird would be far better and worth it for the eating of the excess roos. I'm going to try it with my Dels and New Hampshires as I have a market for better birds than hatchery stock so many people tell me of how those hatchery ones die from being egg bound. The problem is room I might just want to raise barred rocks after I seen the pictures of good ones....I need to live on 50 acres....

 

[Robert Blosl]

I'm going to try it with my Dels and New Hampshire’s as I have a market for better birds than hatchery stock so many people tell me of how those hatchery ones die from being egg bound.

So many people think more are better but there is a limit on Production Reds and Production Rocks in putting out tons of eggs per year. The do become egg bound like you said. I am going to tell you a story almost word for word from the world’s greatest Rhode Island Red Breeder Harold Tompkins of Concord Mass in or around 1950.
Many people want to get and raise these new high scoring Rhode Island Reds that are winning at the ROP contests that score 240 or more eggs per year but the Poultry men will find out if he sticks with a Rhode Island Red that lays about 190 eggs in her pullet year you will have more profit on your ledger than the Poutlryman who goes with the commercial type birds. The reason is the become egg-bound and the die thus you are losing money.

In a nut shell Harold was saying if you had 1,000 females laying for you will end up with more profit per year and less headaches going with his strain of Rhode Island Reds that average say 200 eggs per year. Now today many of our current Rhode Island Reds and New Hampshire’s are not breed to lay like this but I did push the envelope with my Mohawk large fowl about 7 years ago when I had them and I did not have any egg bound females and they layed about 190 eggs per pullet year. Great point and so when you want lots of eggs from your hatchery chickens you may pay the price in losses.

I wish you the best on your sex link project. Bob

 

[coq au vin]

That's exactly what I'm thinking, a better-built bird that's just a little bit slower on the egg production is just more responsible farming. And it would be nice for the cockerels to be able to serve a purpose beyond just eating money. These poor production strains, bred to lay more eggs, bigger eggs, more eggs, larger eggs, with smaller bodies, on less feed, becoming egg-bound and dying at much too high a rate.

That's an excellent point about losing more money by having a hen die than by having hens that produce fewer eggs in general. My hens are producing $2.50-3.50 per week each, I don't want to lose one.

Animal Welfare Approved prohibits use of hens rated at greater than 280 eggs per year, though I don't know what their source is for this rating.

 

[turbo]

Forgot this one of the Grand Champ, you can get a glimpse of the Blue

Help me out here lildinkem, but I thought the white rock won Champ Large Fowl and a Cornish won Grand Champ of the Show? I remember when they were handing out trophies the Dark Cornish winning Super Grand Champ of the show.....but I was busy trying to keep my 5 year old somewhat quiet during the awards thingy.

Jerry​

 

[OSUman]

Quote:
Help me out here lildinkem, but I thought the white rock won Champ Large Fowl and a Cornish won Grand Champ of the Show? I remember when they were handing out trophies the Dark Cornish winning Super Grand Champ of the show.....but I was busy trying to keep my 5 year old somewhat quiet during the awards thingy.

Jerry

Yea you are correct the white rock only won the LF I think the dark cornish won the show but im not positive.

 

[lildinkem]

You are prolly right. I am so new to show, and was going by the reaction of the breeder. I could be going death along with loosing my vision.

 

[punky rooster]

after doing alot of research i am between:

RC RIR
Plymouth rock
wyandotte

I would like to hear what you think I should get and your experience them
thanks punky

 

[Mrs. Turbo]

Quote:
Wyandottes all the way..... but I also think the RC RIR are eye catching
Our Wyandottes are good egg layers and meat birds, med to large size egg.

sorry, but I am going to make a duck post.......
I know someone was looking for a good line of rouens. I sure wouldn't want to feed too many of these massive ducks. They eat as much as all our call ducks combined

http://www.featherauction.com/detail.asp?id=403&n=2010-Breeder-Pair-of-Exhibition-Rouens

 

[OSUman]

Mrs. Turbo :

Quote:
Wyandottes all the way..... but I also think the RC RIR are eye catching
Our Wyandottes are good egg layers and meat birds, med to large size egg.

sorry, but I am going to make a duck post.......
I know someone was looking for a good line of rouens. I sure wouldn't want to feed too many of these massive ducks. They eat as much as all our call ducks combined

http://www.featherauction.com/detail.asp?id=403&n=2010-Breeder-Pair-of-Exhibition-Rouens

Are those your birds? if so what part of IL are you in?​